this breaks my heart and pisses me off, all at the same time

[mickeym]

You all know how much I love Diana Gabaldon's writing, and her Outlander series. I adore Jaimie and Claire. I've been reading her books for as long as she's been writing them, about 18 years, now. I have recced her to friends and family; I've given her books as gifts; I wrote her this long, rambly, gushing email and squealed like a little kid when she wrote me back.

Then today I see this:

Diana Gabaldon on fanfiction: "I think it’s immoral, I _know_ it’s illegal, and it makes me want to barf whenever I’ve inadvertently encountered some of it involving my characters."

It's not so much that she's against fanfic -- everyone is entitled to their own opinion/thoughts/feelings on stuff. But it's how she compares fanfic authors to thieves and rapists, or the creepy, stalkery, pervy neighbor who writes dirty emails of his fantasies with your daughter.

I really feel kind of betrayed here, which is all kinds of silly. I don't know the woman, she doesn't know me. But she's coloring all of us with the same crayon/paintbrush, equating us with plagiarists and worse, and it just really hurts.


Link by way of azephirin and gweneiriol.

Comments

[jeeronie.livejournal.com]

Baah, I had to comment, I got pissed.
Here's what I wrote (even though it will make no difference)
Well, as a fanfic reader I disagree with your points. I read fanfic because it fills blanks that original work doesn't and gives me more of something I like and often have too little of.
Usually I read the fanfic first and, if I like it and there is a lot of it, I will think the original stuff is probably pretty good and will go look at it.
And I don't think, as original as a character may be, that anything truly original is written. All writers seek inspiration somewhere, they just mix it all up and rename. Like fanfic writers do, except for the rename bit.
Still, reading this was a pretty good way to tell me I really shouldn't read your work as you disregard the enjoyment that others may be getting from it just to make a point.
But, judging from all the comments from people who mostly have no idea what fanfic is or have never read it and are willing to say you are absolutely right, I'm sure you don't need another fan.