How to Write a Good Fanfic

7.2 AU's Need Canon - No Canon, No Fanfic

I normally start off my essays with a story to set the stage for what I am talking about. One time I didn't, I accidently deleted the first part of the essay, including but not limited to the story. That particular essay ended up better for the mistake. In this particular case though, I simply couldn't think of a story which would set the mood. Instead, I'm going to start this essay off by quoting something one of the people I've reviewed said in reply to a review I left.

"First of all, you seem to think all AUs but be based in canon. This isn't so."

Is what the writer said true? I can tell the readers of this essay that this train of thought is common among writers, but nothing about what they say is true. Such statements show a major lack of understanding in regards to what an AU is, but also the origins. In two previous essays I've tackled what an AU isn't. In "7. AU – Not Actually Infinite" I tackled the idea that an AU is not a story where a writer can do anything they want, but I again covered this in "7.1 No Author's Version, No OoCness, No Possession Sues" where I also discussed the fact an AU is not a pass to change who the characters are without a good, solid logical explanation.

Now it is time to tackle what an AU actually is, but first, I'm also going to discuss what fanfiction is.

Fanfiction is a form of derivative work – which means the piece is based off an already existing work. The original creators also create derivative work, sometimes with the help of other people, but in regards to fanfiction the original creator is not involved. For something to constitute a derivative work must contain the copyrightable elements from the previous work. If these copyrightable elements are not there, then the work is not derivative, and if the work is not derivative, then the work is not fanfiction, but original fiction.

What, however, is the copyrightable material within any given work?

Why, it's the canon. As such, how can one argue that an AU, which is supposed to be a fanfic, doesn't need to be based on canon? If the story isn't based on canon in some manner, the work hands down is not fanfic, as the copyrightable element is missing from the work. In other words, since all fanfiction must be based on canon to constitute fanfiction, or a derivative work, so to must an AU. The canon elements are what make the fandom what it is, so taking away said elements means it's not the fandom anymore.

One argument I've seen crop up is, "so what? The work is fiction, so the writer can do anything they want." The first problem with this argument lies in the fact, while a writer can do anything they want, bad writing is still bad writing whether the writer wants to write badly or not. The second problem though, in regards to AU's is this. There is a line in writing where what one writes isn't fanfiction anymore, but is in fact original fiction the writer is passing off as fanfiction.

Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but there is a nasty side to this business. Any piece which strips away the canon elements can very easily be published as original fiction by filing off the serial numbers. The term filing off the serial numbers means taking the canon names, and changing them so the last identifiable component within the fandom is stripped away just so a writer can publish their work.

A few people may be thinking, so what? The writer wrote the work, so they should be able to republish the work as their own. The main problem though lies with the fact the writer took a work they once provided for free, only to make people pay for an edited version of the work. Add to this, the writer is making the money off the backs of another person copyright, by gaining popularity for their own work from the popularity of another existing work, rather than putting an effort in.

Fact: The vast majority of works found to be retooled so the serial numbers are filed off tend to not be well written in the first place. The few exceptions I've seen involve writers who simply took a basic plot idea, and readapted the plot idea to a new set of characters, which doesn't count as filing the serial numbers off. Negative reputations tend to follow these writers far more than other writers.