# What are the rules on fanfics?



## ALB2012 (Jun 14, 2012)

What are the rules on Fanfics here? I know some people hate them


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## Sheilawisz (Jun 14, 2012)

ALB2012: I moved this thread from the Showcase. Stories that are shared at the Showcase are our own original work, so it's better to avoid posting fanfictions. When you wish to share parts of one of your original stories to receive feedback from other Mythic Scribes members, you can post it at the Showcase starting your own thread for that story.


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## Philip Overby (Jun 14, 2012)

There have been instances where others have posted links in their signature for fanfic.  But like Sheilawisz said, we rather the Showcase be full of original work.


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## Devor (Jun 14, 2012)

Phil the Drill said:


> There have been instances where others have posted links in their signature for fanfic.  But like Sheilawisz said, we rather the Showcase be full of original work.



Has there been a clear ruling on what constitutes fanfic?


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## Philip Overby (Jun 14, 2012)

We could discuss it further amongst the moderators and Black Dragon again if needed.  I can't find anywhere that clearly states rules against it, but I know before it was discouraged in the Showcase.

I don't personally know much about fanfic, nor do I read it, but I'd assume it means writing stories using other people's worlds and/or characters.


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## J. S. Elliot (Jun 14, 2012)

While I wouldn't normally post fanfiction on an original focus website, this question does hold some water - especially for people who are trying to turn a fanfiction into an original story (as I'm sure it's not just me making this attempt). Having people being able to read both versions would help quite a bit, I think.


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## Chilari (Jun 15, 2012)

I think if that is the case - turning a fanfic into an original story - a link to the fanfic on another website such as fanfiction.net would be acceptable.

I can certainly sympathise regarding turning fanfic into original fiction. I'm not entirely certain the fanfic version would be a necessary comparison though, partly because the original fiction, however the seeds of it were planted, need to be able to stand alone; partly because one can enjoy reading another member's original fiction without being familiar with the world or characters that first inspired it; and partly because stories go through so many changes from inception to completed draft that the fanfiction the original fiction is based on may not bear much resemblance any more.

That last reason is certainly the case with what I'm writing at the moment: it has changed to such a degree that the only aspect in common between what I have in my plot summary and what I wrote a year ago in the fanfic is generic enough that it would have been inspired by any number of other stories.

If you are desperate to share your fanfiction and it has no bearing on any original fiction, the self-promotion board, or a discrete signature link, would to my mind be acceptable.


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## ALB2012 (Jun 15, 2012)

That is fair enough, that is why I asked. 

I have a bit, (most of it is much too shameful to show here.) I don't have a website and I am not clever enough to work out how to share it otherwise so I will leave it for now. I suspect it's a bit long. I tried to post up a little vampire story I have but there is a 10000 character limit.  I may at some point expand that.  I suppose I could knock together a website for that kind of thing.

Just a question on the above discussion- how does it affect if the original author is dead and has been for years?

Mine is a Phantom of the Opera short story. If someone want to read it and review it would it be permissable to get PM for it and I can email it, if they agree to share emails?

Not to fussed either way I just was not sure what rules were. I have other links to forums so maybe I can do it there


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## Chilari (Jun 15, 2012)

Even if the original story is far out of copywrite, if it's based on characters or worlds created by a known, named individual it counts as fanfiction. If you're using a character who is mythical but who has previously been written about in fiction, like Dracula or Odysseus, it would depend on other factors. If you use all of Bram Stoker's other characters too, that's fanfic, if Dracula is in a world you created with characters you created, that's original fiction. Jane Austen is long dead but it would still be fanfiction if you wrote a story about how Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy fought off zombies or solved a murder. Doesn't make it unpublishable, as has been demonstrated with those examples, but it does make it fanfiction and subject to the forum's guidelines on fanfiction as a result.

As far as your Phantom of the Opera story goes, I'll leave you to use your discretion based upon the above outlined guidelines. Having not read it, and being unfamiliar with the Phantom of the Opera, I couldn't give you a definite answer.

As for the character limit, don't worry about that: just use multiple posts. If it goes beyond about three posts, though, it's probably best to link to another site just to make it easier for other members to comment and read the comments of others.


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