Being a "Fanfiction" Author

Top o' the mornin', readers!
I've been wanting to write this for a while, and today I thought: Today is the day. Let it out Mimi. Learn to rant, you can do it. So, here I go, the annoyances of writing 'fanfiction'. Oh, and please visit the blog page and answer the poll on what I should write about. Or if you have a request for me to blog about, drop me a line. Back to blogging now!

Fanfiction. Just let that word seep into your brain for a moment, and notice the disgust and mistrust and shame associated with that word. Often it's sexually graphic, childishly written, the canon characters aren't right at ALL, and grammar errors litter the pages. Now, this is not always true. I have a few fanfics that I absolutely love (Against The Moon (Harry Potter) READ IT. NOW.) but for the most part, everyone with a lick of respect for his/her fandom hates fanfiction, for multiple good reasons.
Oh, but Mimi, you say in confusion, Don't you write fanfiction? Are you suggesting you're better than everyone else?
Yes. Definitely.
NO NO NO I'm kidding; I'm no better than the average teenage writer. Actually, this is where I would like to make a very important distinction between the way I write 'fanfiction' and what most people consider fanfiction.

In my writing that relates to my fandoms, I steal the setting. I steal the magic powers, or the royal hierarchy, or the prejudices, or the monsters, or the weapons. But I do not steal the canon characters. Now, part of that is because I'm terrified of failing at the characterization, but another part of that is the fact that I actually have a creative mind of my own believe it or not. I may not have time to create a world, but I can craft diverse characters with intricate backstories and twist their lifelines together in interesting patterns. All my writing is my own project, completely mine, except the setting. (Yes, exceptions, I've used the Doctor in one because I felt it necessary, and the Merlin one was all canon, but I'm talking about serious projects I actually care about; some of which have not been shown to the world.)

Therefore, I think it's really annoying and unfair that I have to call my characters and my plot 'fanfiction'. Can I not just call it mine, and then say "By the way, it happens to take place at Hogwarts."? I feel like I'm being judged by the label I put on my work before viewers even try to read the projects that I've spent my time and energy and mental powers and emotions and who knows what all I've given to it. If you've written anything then you know how much it drains you in every way possible, and the fact that I took a shortcut or took inspiration from someone else's setting shouldn't invalidate my hard work on the rest of the plot and characters and tone.

So there, there's one of the things I hate about labels and fanfiction. Perhaps in the future I'll rant on the frustrations of using canon characters or what I hate about other people's writing attempts.
Have a fantastic day, and may the labels never get you down!
~Mimi

This would be yet another thingy on Writing with Mimi, a blog about fandoms and creative writing and other random nonsense. If you enjoyed it, please tell Mimi. If you hated it, please tell Mimi. And if you have nothing to say, well, make something up about a pie or a fez or something of equal value and tell Mimi about that. Today's Awesome Thing: Mimi also writes poetry! But for some reason it's usually dark or suicidal or bloody or just plain horrifying. Thank you for reading!