fanfiction depends on the source text for its existence and motivation. The fic that are "better" because they fixed things I didn't like would have no basis for comparison without the canon, which means that--outside of general writing chops and all their subjective criteria--we don't have ways to measure the quality of fic without talking about the canon. I can say "I like this better than canon," but would I like it the same if it had actually been what happened in canon, or do I only like it this much because I was disappointed?
It's definitely easy to just think something was better because it suits what you had in mind. And maybe that DOES make it better, but it isn't necessarily true.
Or, as a more serious example, getting the side characters' perspectives on plot events would probably kill a novel's pacing.
That's a great point. I think it can be done, but it has to be crafted in a certain way that doesn't always work for the story.
We're doing our own transformative thing on a separate level from the original, whether it's to amplify what we loved, fix what we hated, or just make everybody kiss. Even/especially characters who should absolutely not kiss in canon.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2018-12-18 12:52 pm (UTC)It's definitely easy to just think something was better because it suits what you had in mind. And maybe that DOES make it better, but it isn't necessarily true.
Or, as a more serious example, getting the side characters' perspectives on plot events would probably kill a novel's pacing.
That's a great point. I think it can be done, but it has to be crafted in a certain way that doesn't always work for the story.
We're doing our own transformative thing on a separate level from the original, whether it's to amplify what we loved, fix what we hated, or just make everybody kiss. Even/especially characters who should absolutely not kiss in canon.
Another excellent point.