A Word or Two about Fanfiction

Dear Readers,

Fanfiction, or more commonly, "fanfic" has recently risen from the internet underground and is on everyone's lips, especially since the success of former Twilight fanfic Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, which dominate the book charts in many countries as I write this.

For you people out there who don't know what fanfic is, or have never read any: According to Wikipedia, it's "a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator." In other words, fans use the characters, worlds and settings of their favorite TV show, movie or book to write their own fiction. If you take a look around popular sites like fanfiction.net or archiveofourown.org, you'll find fics for nearly everything, ranging from Harry Potter via Supernatural, Twilight and Sherlock to True Blood (the latter two are my favorites, I'll admit).

Since these sites are almost completely uncensored and unlimited, there are stories from countless writers, many of them even underage. For people who love to read I can only recommend giving fanfic a chance. Some of them are surprisingly well-written, while others are painfully awful. Explicit erotic sex scenes (the gay-themed ones are called "slash") are quite common, but occasionally there are hidden gems among them, much better than some published erotica. Sometimes you can't help but wonder how a 16-year-old would know about some practices they describe so vividly. But in the end, it's a wonderful thing that such talented young people spend their spare time creating stories. Maybe some of them will become famous and successful writers later on, you never know.

Naturally, not every creator of an "alternate universe" is very happy about people who use copyrighted characters and worlds without asking, especially when erotic content is added (often between protagonists that were never meant to couple by the original writer, for instance Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy). J.K. Rowling publicly stated that she was ok with fanfiction as long as there was no pornography or racism. I absolutely agree with her opinion on racism, of course. But when it comes to sexuality, there is no limit to teenage fantasies. 

No matter what you do, they'll continue writing and reading it anyway. But maybe that's just their way of dealing with the chaos their hormones cause in their bodies, and this is not the worst way of coming to terms with it, don't you agree? Creativity can never be wrong, as long as you don't hurt anybody with it. Personally, I'd be very pleased if readers felt strongly enough about my books to write fanfiction. It's a great compliment for an author, and a sure sign that readers love to get completely immersed in one's fictional world. It means that you succeeded in the most important goal a writer can achieve.

Although I wrote other stuff before and have been working in the romance publishing industry for some years, fanfiction was what originally brought me the first spark of writing "Bound to the Prince". Originally, I wrote the first few chapters as a fanfic for Prince Nuada, the compelling tragic villain from the movie Hellboy - The Golden Army. But soon I felt that the character I imagined was so much more, and very different from the movie figure, and I felt like creating a fantasy universe of my own. So I kept writing, but didn't use any other characters or locations from Hellboy. At some point I renamed my prince Elathan (an old name from Celtic mythology, meaning "The Golden Warrior", which I found befitting for my hero. By the way, you don't pronounce the "t", the correct pronunciation is "Ela-han", just for those of you who read my book. ;-)).

A beautiful thing about writing fanfiction is the close relationship you have with your readers. They are people who share your passion about what you're writing, and they give you wonderful, invaluable feedback, helping you to improve constantly. I learned so much during that time. At the beginning, I felt a bit self-conscious about my own writing, but I kept posting more and more since those awesome friends asked me to - and I've kept all their precious comments until today. I encourage every aspiring writer to try fanfiction first, if you are afraid of beginning your own first novel yet. I promise it will be the best lesson in writing you'll ever have.

Yours truly,

Deborah

*****

Besides her published novels, Deborah Court wrote two True Blood fanfic novellas exclusively for EricandSookielovers.com. You can also find them here:

Piece of Glass (A vampire love story, set in the present and the Viking era)

The Dark Queen (Sequel to Piece of Glass, a vampire New Orleans murder mystery)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Birthday

Happy 153rd birthday Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - I bow to thee.

"OCTOBER 16TH.--A dull and foggy day with a drizzle of rain. The house is banked in with rolling clouds, which rise now and then to show the dreary curves of the moor, with thin, silver veins upon the sides of the hills, and the distant boulders gleaming where the light strikes upon their wet faces. It is melancholy outside and in. The baronet is in a black reaction after the excitements of the night. I am conscious myself of a weight at my heart and a feeling of impending danger--ever present danger, which is the more terrible because I am unable to define it."

~ The Hound of the Baskervilles ~

Why Women fall in Love with Sherlock Holmes

If any of you have watched the new BBC series, "Sherlock" (in the US, it's available on PBS Masterpiece), you probably have noticed Benedict Cumberbatch, the outstanding elven-faced British actor playing the consulting detective. Since the launch of the show which has, by the way, the most superb writing I've ever seen on TV, many female viewers have found themselves "Cumberbatched" - compelled by the new Holmes's dark chocolate voice and passionate, incredibly dedicated performance. Sherlock declares himself as unwilling to share any human emotions, since they would affect his highly efficient brain. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he's asexual, but he knows how to control his most primal urges, having dedicated his life to solving crimes and bringing criminals to justice.

Now have a look at Dr. Watson, Sherlock's faithful, supportive friend and flatmate at London's most famous address, 221B Baker Street. Martin Freeman brilliantly, perfectly plays him just as Doyle wrote this character - not an elderly doctor, like in the movies, but thirtysomething, intelligent, educated, brave and adventurous. Sherlock would be a boring story if we didn't see the detective mastermind's actions through Watson's eyes.

Watson - nowadays known as "John" since Holmes and Watson call each other by their given name - is a man of honor and integrity, and most of all, a romantic (as was his creator and secret impersonation, Doyle). Wouldn't he be the perfect guy to fall in love with? He's ready to give his heart to the right woman, he's faithful, intelligent (although no genius like Sherlock), brave and adventurous. You could totally imagine him doing the dishes and playing with his kids, a true family man (in Arthur Conan Doyle's original canon he marries, actually), not something one could say about Sherlock, who's a high-functioning sociopath, as he admits himself in the TV series.

But Sherlock is the one who "flicks our Bic", to quote Charlaine Harris. It has always been this way, with every actor who played Holmes, Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett probably the most notable among many others. I am quite sure some of them were surprised about the passionate reaction they evoked in their female viewers. But why do we find the detective so sexy when he clearly doesn't need our companionship?

If we were 14-year-old fan girls, a psychologist would say that we felt attracted to Sherlock because he doesn't threaten us with overly aggressive male sexuality (you can also apply this assumption to feminine-looking boyband members who are adored by teenage girls). Since we are adult women, however, we don't raise objections against a bit of sexual forwardness by a man whose attention we crave. So what is it that turns us on about a man who clearly denies his sexual side?

Exclusiveness, and the need to feel special. We want to be the only woman who manages to lure the detective out of his shell. We want to be Irene Adler, the near-genius female adventuress who is actually called "The Woman" by the intrigued Sherlock. Is it too foolish to imagine the wild, passionate beast we'll unleash behind the detective's cool demeanor once we managed to seduce him?

Well, a girl can always dream - even if we end up marrying the good Dr Watson and living happily ever after with him instead. Who knows, maybe there's a wild beast hidden in him, as well?

Yours truly,
Deborah Court




@All characters and pictures are the property of Arthur Conan Doyle, BBC and PBS Masterpiece. No copyright infringement is intended. No monetary compensation is gained. Used for entertainment purposes only.