What's up Wednesday- Opinion Piece

I cringe as I type this, not sure how people will react to what I have to say on a topic many people have a strong opinion on. And it could get nasty...
No I'm not talking politics, or religion. I'm talking about FanFiction.
And not only am I talking about FanFiction, but I am talking about and explaining why I am not a supporter of it. (Now I'm definitely cringing away from the keyboard)

Okay, first things first. Let's define what FanFiction is before I go too much further.
FanFiction is fiction writing that is based off of another already created fictional world. Two great and popular examples are Harry Potter and the Marvel Universe. I have known many people who love the Harry Potter universe so much, that they take the characters already created (world, magic, animals etc) and write new story lines with them. The same thing happens with the Marvel Universe. Another thing that usually happens when people take and use these characters and worlds for their own writing is that romances and relationships get rewritten, often with a sexual twist. After saying that, this post is not about that, but rather the practice of using other author's creative products, so I will leave that alone for now. Now that we've defined what FanFiction (FF for short from here on out) is, we can actually discuss and talk about it.

I have been a reader my entire life. I love movies and TV shows. Not once did I feel the need to take another person (or person's) creative product and insist that I put my own spin on it. The characters, plot, world etc are not mine to play with, they are the creator's. If the creator of a book wanted characters 2 and 4 to fall in love, they would have written it that way instead of characters 1 and 2. If they had wanted the story to continue on, or to have more emphasis on a side character, they would have written more. To me it is somewhat presumptuous to alter or change someone's creative works. To think that you know what is better for the story than the creator.

Being an author myself could also have something to do with how I feel. I don't think I would like it very much if someone took an aspect of my creative works and changed something essential about it. Even if it was just something to show their friends or for their own amusement.

Even George RR Martin has been quoted as saying "Don't write in my universe, or Tolkien's or the Star Trek universe, or any other background. Every writer needs to learn to create his own characters, worlds, and settings. Using someone else's world is the lazy way out. If you don't exercise those literary muscles, you'll never develop them."

This is exactly how I feel about FF writing. It is a great way to start writing, it helps with facing a blank page and a blinking courser. But eventually if that person is serious about their writing, they need to branch out and exercise their "literary muscles" as Martin said.
Writing your own ideas instead of FF is kind of like a toddler learning to walk. At first it's a bit wobbly, and disorienting, but eventually by using those muscles, it gets easier and easier to stand on your own. Soon you're not only standing, but running around the yard, gleefully cheering at your ability. After the initial worries and questions, the unbridled joy in what you are creating takes over. As one NaNo slogan goes, You can go "Whooping through the valleys of your imagination".

Bottom line:
Do I look down on those that write FF? No.
Do I think people should exclusively write it? No.
I think FF is a good way for many people to get into writing, but I don't think they should stay writing FF forever. Branch out, challenge yourself. Create something that is completely and uniquely yours. You may just surprise yourself with what you find.