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

[gooferdusty.livejournal.com]

ive never heard of her or knowingly read any of her work. i think she is totally missing the point. she has released these characters into the world to be read and enjoyed. she should actually be flattered that people care about her characters. when you stop and think about it its actually a huge compliment that people are invested enough in her characters to want to write about them. having said all that its quite possible shes just jealous! there are some damn imaginative and talented fan fic writers out there. bottom line, if she didnt want the readers of her work to take ownership of her characters then she should never have published her work in the first place. but then, i guess there's no money in that!


phew! ok rant over!

[fannishliss.livejournal.com]

I actually think you are right on the money. Writers should certainly be flattered that their characters MATTER so much that people devote so much time and energy into understanding them a little more.

I certainly won't be reading Gabaldon in future, since she is so quick to slander.