Do you think its possible for FanFiction author to be skilled enough to write a lucasfilm SW book?

Regarding what DarthBreezy said I think all the Strange New Worlds anthologies are fanfic which means there has been quite a few (7? 8?).

(Checks and finds rules at http://www.psiphi.org/cgi/upc-db/snw7-rules.html which say ?This contest is open to nonprofessional writers? and ?Entrant must not have published any more than two short stories on a professional basis or in paid professional venues.?...as well as story disqualifications including no ?explicit sexual activity or graphic depictions of violence or sadism? and no ? ?Mary Sue? stories?)

The ST novel I just finished, ?Well of Souls?, mentioned that the author, Ilsa J. Bick, had won the grand prize for one story in Strange New Worlds II and second prize for another in IV and that this novel was her first published one. Mentions other outlets (including second prize in Writers of the Future XVI which (checking) allows three previously published short stories) so she did some original work as well, and the slant towards her Trek work is understandble in an ?About the Author? in a ST novel. It does show though someone writing a novel who had at least partially come through fanfic.

Of course there are two good reasons why LucasBooks might be reluctant and this is not a good example:

1) SW novels are canon and there is supposed to be a single unifiying continuity. ST novels are not canon and for many years authors were actually discouraged from referring to other novels, especially novels by other authors. Therefore the Strange New Worlds anthologies have no effect on the wider picture.
2) The novel ?Well of Souls? is part of the Lost Era label and these are all dealing with incidents at different points in the mostly unexplored period between TOS and TNG rather than the crews seen in the series, so letting a fanfic writer loose on them doesn?t matter as much (though other books have been by established authors).

Besides it doesn?t matter to me one way or the other as if LucasBooks did the same rules as Strange New Worlds since I?m not an inhabitant of the United States or Canada.

In any case the answer to the original question has been given as a definite YES

 

D'oh! It seems like it's always the fandoms I have no interest in which have a more fanfic-embracing policy...

Go figure.

-Tim

 

I have been reading Star Wars fanfiction for decades now, long before this era of world-wide connectivity and the new frontiers in fandom it has breached. But strangely enough, in my long career as a Star Wars fanatic , I have only come across four writers that, if given the chance, would improve on the EU status quo.

But on reflection, this is not so strange.

There is a difference between a good writer and a good Star Wars writer. To be a good writer i.e. to write an original story, all that is needed is a fertile imagination, courage, dedication, a great deal of hard work, a greater deal of self-esteem and last but not the least, the ability to spin a tale and enchant an audience with words and language only.

To write an original story.

Writing what I would term as a ?satellite? story to an existing myth is, as they say, a whole different ball game. It requires a writer who not only can spin out a tale captivatingly and communicate this with words but one that: a, understands and b, accepts the existing universe.

To accept the existing universe means to accept the GFFA situation - the good, the bad and the ugly - as it is and not try to ?improve? it, ?glamorize? it or ?ignore? it; but most importantly and this is the crux of a discussion I have been involved in for months now, it means to accept the existing characters as they are, faults and glories, and not to fall into the fanfiction trap of attempting to ?canonize? or ?demonize? them, by excusing their actions or refusing to understand them.

When the writer finds himself committing these two cardinal sins - Redefining the Situation and Redefining the Characters - then the story ceases to be ? well, Star Wars. It probably is still a brilliant story, with rich imagery and remarkable use of language and pacing but as it is merely penned to showcase a favourite character and/or to creatively but not very subtly broadcast the writer?s biased opinions, it ceases to be a legitimate part of the GFFA that George Lucas created and that we all know and love.

This is the biggest challenge for any fan fiction writer who wants to cross over and, in most cases, the most impossible to overcome. After all how many fan writers are genuinely interested in the complexities of the GFFA and its inhabitants? Few and far betwee. Most fan writers write because they are fans - not fans of the GFFA as a whole - but fans of a particular character, usually as a result of an infatuation with the actor/actress that portrays that personality, and occasionally because of a weak understanding of the character. Thus, automatically, as the character is not portrayed as favourably interpreted in reality, the fan writer needs to distort every other character in order to keep the GFFA in equilibrium. So, to use the popular ?Saint Obi-Wan? phenomenon, Qui-Gon becomes Cold!, 9-yr-old Anakin becomes Evil!, Padmé is really in love with Obi-Wan! and Luke is not really being trained to kill Vader! And, of course, Obi-Wan is really the Chosen One of the prophecy!

And lest I forget to mention the ?Improvement Squad.? These are the fans who, frankly do not think much of George Lucas? films or ideas ( oxymoronic sentence, I know but! ) and re-write the films and stories, ?improving? on them and thereby erasing and changing the existing GFFA. This is not in reference to AUs where ?Qui-Gon doesn?t train Obi-Wan? or ?Leia is trained not Luke? and crossovers or the like. Those have their place and time and there are some that have been penned within the feasibleness of the GFFA, extrapolating on the existing situation without changing it, showing the various probability parallels emerging from any vortex. But I disgress. I am referring to the quaint modifications in e.g. the role of the Ewoks in RotJ, the presence of Jar Jar Binks, the Prequel love story, the Clone Wars, to mention a few examples. Of course, this begs the question of why these fans don?t just create their own uni

 

This is the biggest challenge for any fan fiction writer who wants to cross over and, in most cases, the most impossible to overcome. After all how many fan writers are genuinely interested in the complexities of the GFFA and its inhabitants? Few and far betwee. Most fan writers write because they are fans - not fans of the GFFA as a whole - but fans of a particular character, usually as a result of an infatuation with the actor/actress that portrays that personality, and occasionally because of a weak understanding of the character. Thus, automatically, as the character is not portrayed as favourably interpreted in reality, the fan writer needs to distort every other character in order to keep the GFFA in equilibrium. So, to use the popular ?Saint Obi-Wan? phenomenon, Qui-Gon becomes Cold!, 9-yr-old Anakin becomes Evil!, Padmé is really in love with Obi-Wan! and Luke is not really being trained to kill Vader! And, of course, Obi-Wan is really the Chosen One of the prophecy!

This happens in pro-fiction as well it's just not as obvious. Compare Tim Zhan's Mara to KJA's, R.A.Salvatore's, Kathy Tyers or Troy Dennings. Luke under Bantam and Luke in the NJO. The Solo children in particular had a distorting effect on the OT characters with the launch of the NJO. The question was are there any fan fic writers that have the skills to write within the GFFA, and given the oversight involved and the current quality of the books now out, I'd say there are at least a few that could work under the guidlines out there. Admittedly not a lot.

So, to summarize: Although the literary quality of most fan fiction usually supersedes that of the EU stories, only the authenticity of a handful capture the vision of George Lucas.

But a lot of fan fiction is out there to do what the pro books can't so to say that it isn't authentic to GL's vision doesn't mean that given the right circumstances a writer couldn't take those skills into the EU.

 

But strangely enough, in my long career as a Star Wars fanatic , I have only come across four writers that, if given the chance, would improve on the EU status quo.

There are more than four I assure you. I'm cetainly not one of them, but there are certainly more trhan four


Most fan writers write because they are fans - not fans of the GFFA as a whole - but fans of a particular character, usually as a result of an infatuation with the actor/actress that portrays that personality, and occasionally because of a weak understanding of the character.

not everyone is infatuated with an actor/actress to write fan fiction. Read my Jango fett story in my signature, a case in point.

 

rogue_winter

I?d intended to bite my tongue, but having heard from others who feel as I do but weren?t willing to post ? I?ve decided to make a few comments.

Disclaimer: Yes, I write AUs. Yes, I write AUs that change in sometimes significant ways certain aspects of ?canon? SW. So yes, I take your comments as a declaration that my fanfics are not ?legitimate? Star Wars fanfics. And that, frankly, is baloney.

There is a difference between a good writer and a good Star Wars writer.
Of course. I?m sure Greg Bear is a good writer, but Rogue Planet can?t hold a candle to Matt Stover?s Shatterpoint. Alan Dean Foster is a good writer too (or at least he sells a lot of books) but The Approaching Storm isn?t nearly as good a Star Wars novel as James Luceno?s Cloak of Deception. The same is true in fanfic ? just because you can write doesn?t mean you can write a story set in the GFFA that other Star Wars fans will enjoy.

It requires a writer who not only can spin out a tale captivatingly and communicate this with words but one that: a, understands and b, accepts the existing universe.
I completely agree on A ? that one cannot write a good SW story without deeply understanding the GFFA. But I disagree fundamentally on B ? why is accepting the GFFA entirely as is a necessity for writing a story that SW fans will recognize and accept as a good SW story? If the author understands the GFFA, then the author will know what, how, and how much he or she can alter the existing GFFA without making the story no longer recognizably SW.

An analogy ? College football and NFL football have different rules, but both games are definitely American football, not soccer or rugby or even Canadian football. And the rules have changed over time ? the NFL now allows a two-point conversion; for decades it didn?t. Does that mean that a college game played in 1951 is not ?football? because it?s not identical to an NFL game played in 2003? In my opinion the same is true of SW fanfic ? the key is understanding the GFFA, but not a requirement that it be accepted wholesale. Just because a fanfic does not ?play by? exactly the same ?rules? as the GFFA of the films does not mean it isn?t ?Star Wars?.

When the writer finds himself committing these two cardinal sins - Redefining the Situation and Redefining the Characters - then the story ceases to be ? well, Star Wars.
Honestly, I feel sorry for you that you take such a narrow view of what is SW. Considering that, as MariahJade2 said, much of the EU either redefines the situation or redefines the characters, then the EU is not SW. And you?re welcome to believe that ? but on these fanfic boards, at least, you?re vastly outnumbered by fans (and yes, true SW fans) who believe that the official EU stories are very much SW stories.

Now perhaps one could say that the EU?s problems with situation or characterization are unintentional (i.e., errors). Maybe that?s right. But personally I don?t think so. I think Lucasbooks and the editors accept that different people interpret the GFFA and the films in different ways. Certainly many profic authors interpret and describe the Force differently (compare, say, Luceno, Stover, and Zahn), and fanfic authors do too.

Likewise, some fans think Anakin is an arrogant brat in AOTC; other fans think Anakin is devoted and loyal to a fault. He?s probably a bit of both, but that doesn?t mean a fanfic emphasizing Anakin?s bratty side is ?wrong? or that fanfic emphasizing his loyal side is ?wrong? either.

So a fanfic premised on the question ?What if Anakin were less arrogant in AOTC, and more like Luke?? does, by its nature, redefine the characterization. But to say that?s not a SW story is, well, bizarre.

it ceases to be a legitimate part of the GFFA that George Lucas created and that we all know and love.
You?re entitled to your opinion, of course, but I think your incredibly narrow view of legitimacy finds little support among all the fans ? [

 

I am referring to the quaint modifications in e.g. the role of the Ewoks in RotJ, the presence of Jar Jar Binks, the Prequel love story, the Clone Wars, to mention a few examples.

Quaint? Did someone just call me quaint?

I think I've been insulted.

This web is getting mighty tangled!

CYN

 

What, CYN? You aren't quaint??? I know I am.

Actually, I want to thank Darth_Lex for the link to the Literature section. I tend not to wander too far from fan fiction and this was quite "enlightening". I now realize just how civilized the people on the fan fic boards are!

 

It's definitely possible for a fanfic author to eventually make it to writing with the 'big boys'. Quite a few of the main authors for Star Trek like A.C. Crispin started out with writing fics.

The defining thing is getting one's work out to be seen.

I had my start with a horror magazine that was doing an open call for writers and they liked the story I sent in and put it in print. I recently sent out another to a small publishing house and so far the word's looking good for the short story anthology book they put out.

It's all just getting the foot in the door for now, and with steady work, who knows where things'll go.

I've read fics that were far better than what's authorized, the same as probably everyone here and I'd love to see their names on a paperback cover.

 

I've been told by a couple of people at this board that I'm as good as many of the EU writers are, if not better.

I doubt I'd be able to stick it out for a full novel-length bit, though.

 

And lest I forget to mention the ?Improvement Squad.? These are the fans who, frankly do not think much of George Lucas? films or ideas ( oxymoronic sentence, I know but! ) and re-write the films and stories, ?improving? on them and thereby erasing and changing the existing GFFA. This is not in reference to AUs where ?Qui-Gon doesn?t train Obi-Wan? or ?Leia is trained not Luke? and crossovers or the like. Those have their place and time and there are some that have been penned within the feasibleness of the GFFA, extrapolating on the existing situation without changing it, showing the various probability parallels emerging from any vortex. But I disgress. I am referring to the quaint modifications in e.g. the role of the Ewoks in RotJ, the presence of Jar Jar Binks, the Prequel love story, the Clone Wars, to mention a few examples. Of course, this begs the question of why these fans don?t just create their own universes instead of patronizing the exiting one, but there you have it?

I suppose that I should just bite my tongue, but this is, to say the least, rather insulting. You're entitled to your opinion, but this seems somewhat out of line.

Given your interpretation of AU fics, rogue_winter, I don't know where my work falls. However, being told to take my ball and go home just because my views may be different from others hits a nerve with me.

The question before us here is not the legitimacy of fan fiction. The question is whether, given the proper support, a fan fiction author could write an official star wars novel. By your own admission it would seem that the answer is yes. While the author might have to adjust their style to fit with official policies, it doesn't mean they couldn't write official work. I'm fairly sure that I couldn't do so, but I don't doubt that a number of authors here could, if given the oppertunity, adapt to the structure of official star wars writing.


JD.

 

I think the best fanfics - the ones that can really mix it with the EU authors - are the ones that authors really take their time with. A rushed story is really very obvious. The authors who take the time to write drafts and consider things like narrative flow, stylisation, characterisation etc. are the ones that definitely approach publishable standards.

 

Actually, I want to thank Darth_Lex for the link to the Literature section. I tend not to wander too far from fan fiction and this was quite "enlightening". I now realize just how civilized the people on the fan fic boards are!

LOL. Sorry but this made me laugh. I spend time in lit so I know what you mean. If you want a bit more of a comfort zone over there, check out the SOS thread. It's centered around Luke but believe me everything and anything gets discussed in there in a friendlier fashion.

 

In response to Darth_Lex:

1. These were my words:
This is not in reference to AUs where ?Qui-Gon doesn?t train Obi-Wan? or ?Leia is trained not Luke? and crossovers or the like. Those have their place and time and there are some that have been penned within the feasibleness of the GFFA, extrapolating on the existing situation without changing it, showing the various probability parallels emerging from any vortex.

I did not criticize AU stories as a whole or AU writers in my post. I have read a lot of AU stories, particularly the Lady Vader and Outer Rim stories by Fernwithy, which have explored alternative paths of the GFFA without patronizing George Lucas or distorting his characters. So if you, as well as others who have posted in response, are reacting to my post because of a perceived personal attack, please set your collective minds at ease.


2. But I disagree fundamentally on B - why is accepting the GFFA entirely as is a necessity for writing a story that SW fans will recognize and accept as a good SW story? If the author understands the GFFA, then the author will know what, how, and how much he or she can alter the existing GFFA without making the story no longer recognizably SW.

Correct me if I am wrong, but this is a discussion on how fan authors can improve on the EU standard and not on the authenticity of AU stories. No matter how well-written an AU is, it cannot be accepted and published by LucasBooks. And yes, I will come right out and say that I do not accept the established EU as canon Star Wars for the simple reason that George Lucas himself, said, and I paraphrase: ?EU? I pretend it does not exist.? That EU writers have gone off at a tangent not only from the GFFA but from each other is just further proof of Lucas? complete indifference to them.


3. While I?m at it - yes, the Ewoks are annoying. Yes, Jar Jar is annoying. And yes, I think GL could have made ROTJ and TPM just as effective as mythic stories (nature vs. technology, ?primitives? vs. ?civilization?), and as films, and as GFFA stories, without resorting to those annoyances. Period. So I think fanfics that show how he could?ve done so do us a great service.



If you genuinely think so, then I must admit that no, in my opinion, you do not understand Star Wars in its entirety with all (and I quote you) its mythical elements, its themes, the universal nature of the story, the Campbellian hero?s journey, and much more? These annoyances play very important roles in the sagas - would the Battle at Endor have been won without the Ewoks? how woulld Jinn and Kenobi have reached the Gungan City without Binks? how would Amidala have been inspired to seek the Gungans? aide?


4. Sorry, but I can?t accept this distinction. We can redefine the story into ?What if Ben trained Leia not Luke?? but not ?What if Anakin were more patient??? We can redefine the story into ?What if Luke died on Hoth?? but not ?What if Luke were more arrogant like his father?? In other words, I think your attempts to define ?legitimate? SW fanfic are hopelessly mired in line-drawing problems about what counts as redefining the situation or characterization of the GFFA.

As fascinating as the battle ships, Cloud cities, slave-markets are, in the bare bones of the matter, this story, like any other story, is about people - characters. If the characters are no longer recognizable, if their fundamental defining personality quirks are altered, then you may be spinning a very fascinating tale about an arrogant boy by the name of Luke Skywalker or a saintly young man named Han Solo or an abusive old man called Qui-Gon Jinn in situations that will be very familiar to the ones we saw in the films. You will not be writing Star Wars.


5. That kind of condescension isn?t useful.



Accepting for the sake of the argument that I had been condescending, might someone educate me on the statu

 

rogue_winter Consensus is not a measure of civility. A civilized society is one in which individual can think independently and freely without being censored for not conforming to the norm. I cannot decide which is more alarming: the degree of ?herd? thinking on these boards or the fact that so many of us actually believes that such a distortion of individuality is acceptable.

Actually, I argue quite frequently against the "herd" thinking. I was just noting that the fan fiction writers tend to be more polite than those on the Lit boards. There is nothing wrong with politeness. Actually, I think civility and politeness brings out people and new ideas that might be outside the "norm" - whatever that norm might be - because they can say something without fear of censure or hard feelings. Incivility just brings out anger that derails the original discussion and drives people away.

 

rogue_winter:

I did not criticize AU stories as a whole or AU writers in my post. I have read a lot of AU stories, particularly the Lady Vader and Outer Rim stories by Fernwithy, which have explored alternative paths of the GFFA without patronizing George Lucas or distorting his characters.
Which is to say, all AUs that don?t meet your narrow definition of canon SW are ?inauthentic?, ?illegitimate?, ?quaint?, and ?not Star Wars?. Sounds to me like you think the rest of us are wasting our time.

No matter how well-written an AU is, it cannot be accepted and published by LucasBooks.
Apparently you?re unaware that LFL has been publishing official AUs for several years? ? Dark Horse Comics has an ?Infinities? label for precisely such purposes, and has produced AU versions of ANH, ESB, and ROTJ, as well as five bound volumes of comics AU Tales stories. While some of these might fit your definition of ?proper? AU, most of them do not ? they take great liberties with plot, situation, and characterization.

I don?t know if the books division ever plans official AU novels, but there is precedent for it.

And yes, I will come right out and say that I do not accept the established EU as canon Star Wars
It may come as a surprise to you to learn that I respect this position ? some of my best friends on these boards are purists. But what those individuals don?t do is tell me my views of SW are inauthentic and illegitimate because I do accept the EU as canon SW.

Moreover, if this is your position, then I think your conclusion that fanfic writers couldn?t write for the EU is a fallacy ? in fact I think your position proves my point. If most fanfic writers write illegitimate SW stories, and the EU novels are illegitimate SW stories, that suggests to me that the fanfic writers would do very well at the equally illegitimate EU. As I said before, I think this is exactly what is happening if you compare Denning, Stover, and Luceno to, say, WJ Williams, Foster, or Salvatore.

That EU writers have gone off at a tangent not only from the GFFA but from each other is just further proof of Lucas? complete indifference to them.
Why would Lucas put his prized trademark on a bunch of stuff that is completely inauthentic to his vision of the GFFA he created? ? Do you think it?s really about the profits?

Personally, I think that while GL himself doesn?t care for the EU, he?s smart enough to understand his own brilliance ? the GFFA and the SW saga are a massive universe, a true ?big tent? in which there is room for the campy old Marvel comics and Splinter of the Mind?s Eye and the ?Ewoks? cartoon alongside the somber Clone Wars comics and Tatooine Ghoist and the NJO, not to mention roleplaying and gaming and lots more. He created a universe that is far bigger than simply the story of his six films ? and he lets others play in that playground because it?s fun; because they?re fans. And he allows this even though these EU sources may interpret his GFFA differently than he does. Much of the films is open to interpretation too, and the EU just expands on this.

It?s still Star Wars, though. At least to me, and lots of other people here.

These annoyances play very important roles in the sagas - would the Battle at Endor have been won without the Ewoks? how would Jinn and Kenobi have reached the Gungan City without Binks? how would Amidala have been inspired to seek the Gungans? aide?
Oh, you?re certainly right about the roles that had to be played in the story ? no question. But what?s the storytelling reason why these characters had to be annoying? ?

For example, since the earliest drafts of ANH GL imagined a Wookiee planet and the ?primitive? Wookiees assisting in defeating the Empire. What?s wrong with that perfectly good idea? Why?d he have to replace it with cuddly little teddy bears who try to eat Han Solo and worship Threepio? I have to say, I think GL learned his lesson from ROTJ when he got to TPM ? the Gungans as a whole are gr

 

That EU writers have gone off at a tangent not only from the GFFA but from each other is just further proof of Lucas? complete indifference to them.



I agree. EU writers do cross the line and create silly things that don't blend at all with GL's vision of Star Wars case in point- silver lightsabers

Lightsabers are like colors not paint. You cant have silver laser for instance.

 

I can name several fic writers who can write better stories than the EU. PadmeLeiaJaina, JediStarMoonstruck, Agent_Jaid, Trickster_Jaina_Fel off the top of my head are better. And heck, anything's better than the NJO

 

In response to Dianethx:

Actually, I want to thank Darth_Lex for the link to the Literature section. I tend not to wander too far from fan fiction and this was quite "enlightening". I now realize just how civilized the people on the fan fic boards are!.

I can?t speak for the rest of the contributors to the Fan Fiction threads but I can speak for myself. In my first post to this thread, I gave points concerning the discussion topic, stating my opinion plainly without once attacking personally any of the previous posters. On the other hand, Darth_Lex contributed to this thread for the sole reason of ?dissecting? my post with arguments that were randomly punctuated with personal remarks about me.

Can you honestly tell yourself that your comment was totally objective? Human nature being what it is, no matter one?s principles, it is easier to sympathize with the majority opinion when you share it.


In response to Darth_Lex:

1. Which is to say, all AUs that don?t meet your narrow definition of canon SW are ?inauthentic?, ?illegitimate?, ?quaint?, and ?not Star Wars?. Sounds to me like you think the rest of us are wasting our time.

As flattering as it is, I strenuously object to your giving my opinions so much authority and extending them far beyond my original intentions . I have never nor will I ever condemn fan fiction. Reminder: This discussion is about fan fiction writers becoming professional Star Wars writers. If it is your personal ambition to become a Star Wars pro writer, then accept my apologies for shedding a pall on your dreams.


2. I don?t know if the books division ever plans official AU novels, but there is precedent for it.

I concede the point. As long as they clearly state they are spoofs and not canon-centric stories, then they are totally acceptable.


3. But what those individuals don?t do is tell me my views of SW are inauthentic and illegitimate because I do accept the EU as canon SW.
Moreover, if this is your position, then I think your conclusion that fanfic writers couldn?t write for the EU is a fallacy - in fact I think your position proves my point. If most fanfic writers write illegitimate SW stories, and the EU novels are illegitimate SW stories, that suggests to me that the fanfic writers would do very well at the equally illegitimate EU. As I said before, I think this is exactly what is happening if you compare Denning, Stover, and Luceno to, say, WJ Williams, Foster, or Salvatore.




Blows whistle! Time out!

Firstly, I never said or implied that your views of SW are inauthentic and illegitimate because [you] do accept the EU as canon SW. I think that you are either deliberately misquoting me or once again you placing too high a value on my opinions. I do not accept the EU as canon but I never at any given point in time dictated or criticized anyone who does.

Secondly, if we want to be extremely logical here, the very first statement I made on this thread was a compliment to the EU: I have only come across four writers that, if given the chance, would improve on the EU status quo. Unlike several previous posters who bluntly condemned the EU stories, I acknowledged that its standards would be pretty hard to beat - if the ?published? fan fiction is any indication.

Thirdly, in regards to my ?fallacy?, the operative word in that statement is: ?improve? and not ?equal?. Therefore, no fallacy on my part and no point to you.


4. Why would Lucas put his prized trademark on a bunch of stuff that is completely inauthentic to his vision of the GFFA he created? Do you think it?s really about the profits?

Funnily enough, your statement about George Lucas understanding his own brilliance is one I can agree with; only in my understanding, he exploited his brilliance for material causes and not out of a need to share his world with the fans. In your last post, you even gave examples of non-SW fans to whom Lucasbooks has given writi

 

I have no particular desire to enmesh myself in the detailed debate this seems to be turning into, but a couple of statements are bothering me.

Reminder: This discussion is about fan fiction writers becoming professional Star Wars writers.

No, actually, it is not. Neither the thread title nor the initial post said anything about any fan fiction writer becoming a professional Star Wars writer. The question is: Do you think it's possible for a fan fiction author to be skilled enough to write an official Star Wars book?

The difference may be subtle, but it's there. I haven't seen anyone declare any intentions to go write professional novels. The comparison is one of skill, pure and simple. And as broadly phrased as the question is, it becomes: Is it possible for any fan fiction author to possess that level of skill?

In my opinion, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Out of all the vast multitudes writing Star Wars fan fiction, of course there's at least one who has the ability to write professional quality Star Wars stories. To say otherwise is - again, in my opinion - ridiculous. Each person is certainly welcome to their own opinion, but I find it impossible to believe that not a single one of these writers possesses such skill, especially considering the extremely high quality of writing that I have consistently read on these boards.

To put it crudely: You?ve made your stand. Have the decency to stick to your guns.

Begging your pardon, but in my opinion that statement is not only out of line, but can be applied to yourself. Allow me to show you how the situation appears to me.

You said: When the writer finds himself committing these two cardinal sins - Redefining the Situation and Redefining the Characters - then the story ceases to be ? well, Star Wars. It probably is still a brilliant story, with rich imagery and remarkable use of language and pacing but as it is merely penned to showcase a favourite character and/or to creatively but not very subtly broadcast the writer?s biased opinions, it ceases to be a legitimate part of the GFFA that George Lucas created and that we all know and love.

My interpretation (which you are at perfect leisure to contradict): Anyone who writes a Star Wars story that doesn't agree with your perception of what Star Wars ought to be (interesting that doing such is spoken of as a 'cardinal sin' even though it is only your opinion ) is not actually writing anything worthy of being called Star Wars. Considering your stated standards, that's an awful lot of fan fiction; and considering that many if not most of us who choose to write fan fiction do in fact enjoy exploring those same 'what might have beens', this statement sounds very much like a blanket condemnation of any AU writing. Yes, you did say that you had read some AU that you felt were still 'authentic' Star Wars, but you also made it very plain that those were few and far between.

Most fan writers write because they are fans - not fans of the GFFA as a whole - but fans of a particular character, usually as a result of an infatuation with the actor/actress that portrays that personality, and occasionally because of a weak understanding of the character. Thus, automatically, as the character is not portrayed as favourably interpreted in reality, the fan writer needs to distort every other character in order to keep the GFFA in equilibrium.

Really. So again, most who write Star Wars fan fiction do so only because of an infatuation with an actor/actress rather than a love of the story, setting, characters, etc., and because we have a 'weak understanding' of the characters, any steps we take in our own stories that stray from the narrow path of what may be considered legitimate are 'distorted'.

I am referring to the quaint modifications in e.g. the role of the Ewoks in RotJ, the presence of Jar Jar Binks, the Prequel love story, the Clone Wars, to mention a few examples.

Ah. So again, those of us who c

 

This is a good thread, with the potential for interesting conversation. It has room for differences of opinion but condescension and personal attacks it does not.

Keep it to the subject.

Do you think its possible for a FanFiction author to be skilled enough to write Lucasfilm SW books?

 

Do you think it?s possible for a FanFiction author to be skilled enough to write Lucasfilm SW books?
This is our subject. It has, I think, two subparts.

(1) Do the best fanfic authors here have enough skill at ?writing generally? to be published authors?

There?s certainly no doubt in my mind that the answer is yes. It?d be quite a long list, in fact. Including some author?s whose Star Wars fanfics I don?t particularly care for in terms of plot, focus, and characterization ? they?re still brilliant writers.

(2) Do those authors have enough skill at ?writing Star Wars? to write for Lucasfilm?

As I?ve said above, I think the answer is clearly yes. The evidence from within the existing Lucasfilm EU supports this, I argue, because some of the best EU books are written by persons who are the most hard-core SW fans ? i.e., the most like us on these boards ? such as Luceno, Denning, Stover, Cunningham, Allston, Stackpole?

It is on this second subpart where I and rogue_winter have disagreed. I do not think there is an uncontestable answer to it, and I think considering one?s answer to that question is necessary to address the subject of this thread.

In other words, what is a ?Lucasfilm SW book? to which fanfic authors should be compared in skill? There can be different answers to that, I think, as we have already discussed.

Thirdly, in regards to my ?fallacy?, the operative word in that statement is: ?improve? and not ?equal?. Therefore, no fallacy on my part and no point to you.
As Gabri has amply demonstrated, rogue_winter?s position on what a ?Star Wars? story ought to be ? in r_w?s opinion as expressed in her posts ? is very narrow. In the interests of avoiding further rancor about fanfic AUs specifically I?ll let r_w?s posts speak for themselves, along with Gabri?s response.

I interpret r_w?s posts to assert the position that the existing Lucasfilm SW books are not ?real? or ?authentic? Star Wars; that they are tantamount to being ?spoofs and not canon-centric stories?; and that accordingly they must be ?improved? upon rather than being ?equaled?.

For purposes of this thread, however, I have been taking the subject as whether fanfic authors have enough skill to write for Lucasfilm in the officially sanctioned EU as it exists. In saying that the answer is yes, I have defended my belief that r_w?s views are overly narrow about what is ?authentic? or ?legitimate? SW stories that Lucasfilm ought to publish as part of the canon ? as well as what we fanfic writers write while still calling our work ?Star Wars? stories.

Thus, I do not believe the existing EU as a whole (of course there are exceptions) has to be ?improved? with respect to either (1) the skill at writing generally or (2) the skill at ?writing Star Wars? for canon stories. On the latter point I disagree with r_w. I can live with that.

One final point:
He is meant to be annoying. That is the whole point of his character in the story.
I agree with everything r_w said about Jar Jar. The role of the character in the story is crucial and very symbolically important. I guess to me ? in my opinion ? Lucas failed in crafting the character by ending up not on the ?slightly annoying but still funny? end of the continuum (e.g., Threepio in the Geonosian arena in AOTC) but on the ?so obnoxious as to be completely unfunny and unwatchable? end of it. As with everything SW, though, there?s lots to disagree about. *shrug*

 

Do you think it?s possible for a FanFiction author to be skilled enough to write Lucasfilm SW books?

Absolutely.

I know several here that are already skilled enough with language, plot lines and character development to write books of their own. And I encourage them to do so.

To write books in the SW universe - yes as well -although the list is shorter. The problem, as others have pointed out, is to keep the SW personalities whole and not warp them into something that the author might want but is not really appropriate. This may be the real crux of the disagreement, I believe. How many of us go on reading a story and mutter that the characterization of Han or Luke or Yoda or even Chewie isn't right. You're not quite sure why except you know that they wouldn't act or think that way. And some of the stories you might actually swear at because you know that the character would NEVER do that!
Another difficulty is to keep all of the characters on target and not drop one or more key ones just because the author doesn't like or "can't" write them.

As for the whole AU, EU, canon debate - like it or not, Lucasfilm has allowed the expansion of the SW universe to include these (AU is key in the Infinities series of comic books so it must also be accepted as SW). They must be considered in the question of whether fan fic authors are skilled enough to write SW books.

 

Well, since it seems to me that the only welcome contributions to this thread are the ones that answer 'Yes' to the topic - and any poster that has the audacity to contribute otherwise will be avenged upon by the might and scorn of Fandom - then permit me to respectfully bow out of this discussion. My erstwhile suspicions have been proven: the only kind of opinion acceptable on these forums is the one that meets the approval of the Herd.

 

If you say "no" to such a question on boards designated FAN FICTION boards, populated by fan fiction readers and writers, you probably WILL be in the minority.

Just a thought.

-Tim