Eileen 's Techdirt Comments

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  • On the post: Some Fiction About Fan Fiction

    Eileen ( profile ), 15 May, 2010 @ 03:01pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: You sir, are an idiot

    Then you're even more daft that I originally thought. So let's say I write a fanfic using characters from Lost and share it with my 3 friends that watch the show together. Then one of them decides to share it online as their own work. Or one decides it's a piece of trash and they hate me, so they'll post it online for derision. Or any other way it might get out. Do you want to sue me now? Why? Who cares how many people have read said my trashy story, honestly?



    I don't understand what you are arguing for. Are you against writing any fanfic? So it should be punishable even to have? What if I dream up sex fantasies for characters in my favorite TV show? What if I tell them out loud to people? Are we talking thought crime here?



    You need to realize that the creative process isn't some cradle of safety. You put your ideas out there, they might get used for or to justify bad things (see: Darwin). You don't put them out there, well, someone else likely will eventually. The world isn't a giant tea party and this is just facet of that.

  • On the post: Some Fiction About Fan Fiction

    Eileen ( profile ), 15 May, 2010 @ 11:52am

    Re: Re: You sir, are an idiot

    You sound very bitter about fanfics. Can you point us to these writers who have the audacity to proclaim their greatness? I have read a few that are decent, but most are honestly not, and don't claim to be anything more than gratuitous wish-fulfillment or creative exercise. Never have I seen any that were trying to get "widespread publication" or make money... posting on a messageboard or usenet group is not equivalent to publishing to make money. There are these few horror stories being floated around but these rare events are not backing up your premise that fanfic writers are somehow pompous evildoers.

  • On the post: Some Fiction About Fan Fiction

    Eileen ( profile ), 15 May, 2010 @ 07:52am

    You sir, are an idiot

    AC #19, fanfic writers are average people exercising a creative outlet. Same as a housewife that takes a class in oil painting where the objective is to basically copy some real artist's painting (usually boring, like a vase of flowers) to gain technical skills and enjoy the act of creation. Saying either of these groups are "sad" and "noncreative" is severely missing the point. These activities, whether you or I like the results or not, enhance the lives of those people. They aren't trying to compete with "real" artists, nor should there be a rule that says they must. Or should we only allow artists who have never seen another painting, and writers who have never read another book? Of course not, because derivation, allusion, influence, parody and re-imagining are all integral parts of creating. Get over yourself.

  • On the post: This Is What's Wrong With eBooks: Amazon Loses $2 On Every eBook Sold

    Eileen ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2009 @ 11:01am

    Why doesn't amazon just go into the publishing business? Makes a heck of a lot more sense...