Are fan fiction and original fiction equal?

I think both forms are fine. Both offer their own pros and cons, and share a few things in common such as the fact it's a form of "writing". How a person choses to write should be their choice. Personally, I have done both, but primearlly I'm a fan fiction writter. Mostly because fan fiction offers something that isn't always covered in the anime, or unerverse in which you base your story off the internal question "What if", something authors like to explore and should be able to freely without concern of being frowned upon because they want to express in writing "what if this happened instead of..." Its a legit question, and one that is easily expressed through fan fiction. It's a form of creativity and I do not find anything iligetamate about it. However, orgenal fiction is a bit more creative because the author is creating their own world. And, in my opinion is just as liget. After all if Orgenial material didn't exist we wouldn't have the many thousands of books and series that we read, listen to and watch everyday. Each form of media weather it be book, article, t.v. show, or mini series started out the same. A basic story just depicted in different ways through various media outlets. So in retrospect my opinion is this. Both are equal in their own right because one can't exist without the other, and both are doing the same thing-- telling a story. And, in the world of writing-- that's the aultment goal.

I have read both, and both have their merits. Sometimes the original author starts a new series and the original seems unfinished. It gives differing view points. i think it takes more talent to create your own world with moral code, magic rules etc, than it does to just continue the theme.

I have always been one to be against remakes in the movies. I only like, in most case anyway, the original. I would have to go this direction with this. But, I am always open to good fiction and if it doesn't deface what the original authour did it should be considered.

It depends how much you take from the original world, in my opinion. If you lift the entire thing and just write new scenes, it's nowhere near original fiction. If you just use the world setup and put your own characters in, doing their own thing, then it's closer to original fiction. It'll never be as legitimate because it's MUCH easier to write. You don't have to convey any information about the world to your reader because you can assume they know it from the original work. I've written a couple of fanfics and it's really simple to churn out a 50-page story: all you need to do is invent a basic plot and write. With original work, there's a lot more to include. Nothing against fanfic, personally - although a lot of it really is crap, as are a lot of "book versions" of films - but it'll never achieve the levels of original fiction. I totally agree it's great practice. Since it lifts the burden of world-creation, it's an excellent way to try your hand at story-telling and character development.

Well, Barry, Letts put it this way (groan.) You could say Dr Who novels are works of fan fiction, as they were inspired by the TV series rather than commissioned by the BBC; at least the early ones were. Ditto Star Trek, Star Wars and anything else not written by the writers of the original scripts. Some of those writers ended up being commissioned to write scripts later on, which shows how well respected they were. Then again, Terry Pratchett ended up sueing a fan fiction site for nicking his ideas. Fan fiction isn't new. I'm pretty sure there are period rip-off novels that put Mr Darcy, Pip and Alice into new scenarios. My feelings are, a well-written fan fiction novella beats a badly written original one hands down. Trouble is, the only ones I've ever read have been dreadful. I've got a great idea for a follow-up to Blake's 7, but half the people who watched it are either in nursing homes or pushing up daisies now. Can't believe the lead actor I used to swoon over has just turned 70.

I would consider original fiction to be MORE respectable than fanfiction, but I still think fanfiction is perfectly legitimate. Although it obviously takes a huge amount of effort to come up with a universe and characters, it requires a totally different sort of mentality to be able to write with someone else's characters in a plausible way, and I think that's a skill to be respected. For me, I both read and write, Harry Potter fanfiction, frankly because I don't like the way the couples ended, and because I just love the book. JKR has said she's pro-fanfiction of the Harry Potter books, and as long as there's a disclaimer that says characters etc are hers, I see no problem with it. I definitely think fanfiction is a good way to practice, particularly if you try to complete challenges - that tests your writing skills and keeps your mind flexible for when your own brainwave strikes. I also think it's a great way for people who want to write for a hobby to be creative - after all, posting original fiction online is asking for someone to steal the credit, but who doesn't enjoy knowing someone loves reading your work? So of course you want to put it somewhere visible - fanfiction does that without running a risk of someone stealing your work. I buy original fiction - but that doesn't stop me reading fan fiction, probably even more often since I'm a skint student and reading online is free.

Good discussion starter! To a Fan of the work depicted,Fanfic could definitely be enjoyed on an almost equal basis with the original Material..especially if an original work with great potential was cut short leaving many questions on plot and origins unexplored and unanswered..I'm thinking Firefly/Serenity here! But I would agree that only the original Writer's work should be considered Canon..but I could see there might be issues arising if some fanfic writer managed to accidentally stumble on part of an original storyline that was never made public and ran with it!

Fan fiction can't be taken as seriously as original fiction. Fan fiction is mostly the work of fans who want the story to be different, to create their own universe in which the characters of the originally story take a different role. Original fiction takes up a lot of imagination, and developing a character and making he/she/it into a living being in that imagination world isn't that easy. I respect original fiction, but fan fiction... not further from a hobby from fans.

I don't think it's an original piece of work because it is using ideas that were originally another authors, but I don't see anything bad about it..... even though some fan fiction can be a bit weird haha. I have written some in the past, and I find that it is a good outlet if you are still caught up in a series, have some other ideas the author didn't address, or just want to continue your love affair with the characters. In well written series it can be easy to create good fanfiction - like with the Harry Potter series. And I agree with a statement you said, that it is a good outlet for practise. There are many sites that allow you to post your fan fiction, and through comments of users it can be a great way to gain feedback and criticism on your type of writing. So in short, it's ok for me.... as long as you're not breaking any rules with the author!