Disclaimer

Fanfiction exists in a murky area of copyright laws (and some maintain it breaks the laws completely), so I want to be transparent with what happens at FanFiction Garret.

My Personal Views on FanFiction

Why bother writing fanfiction? You can't sell it, some owners get down right snarly about it, and it seems on the surface such a waste of fiction writing time.

Something created is never a waste of time. And the readers who enjoy it are getting the same benefits that we found for original fiction.

If nothing else, fanfictions make good practice. Many writers have gone from fanfiction writing to original fiction publishing (and I can't wait until my name is on that list). Peter David has made a lucrative career out of book publishing fanfictions. (Paramount does not consider any Star Trek books canon.) Looking at my writings, I started by rewriting books I had enjoyed reading. Fanfictions are hardly any different. For many people, it's their first foray into writing; they could make things more difficult without using the established characters, settings, and situations; but don't they have enough just learning to put together a coherent story?

At this point, fanfiction writing for me is practice and a source of pride. I love the stuff I chose to write about (I have to get the stories out of my head regardless) and I have readers to make happy. And really, that is what it boils down to, making your readers happy. Even if you totally upset them with what happens in the story, they'll respect you for doing it. And that somehow transfers to readers' happiness. I don't really understand it either.

Fiction and fanfiction is a way to get to the truth of human existence. It allows you to escape (and there is nothing wrong with that) and empathize with others. It teaches you to become better than you are.

What I Get Out of FanFiction Garret

This is my method of paying it forward. Biker Mice From Mars fanfiction ideas and then the fandom helped me through a rough transition period while I was fighting burnout. These tutorials became my way to pay back that help and help others.

What I have also discovered is by teaching and experimenting with new techniques, my writing grows stronger. I have an audience waiting to see my results and that makes me practice butt in chair. Don't be surprised is the FanFiction Garret community is listed in one of my author's notes.

Websites cost money. I have a day job to pay the bills, but my commuting costs are eating into that. While I doubt that FanFiction Garret will ever become a full-time job, every cent helps defray the costs of the website and insures I have free time to write instead of spending my weekends at a second job.

I earn money by selling ad space through Project Wonderful. I also offer product referral links through Amazon.com for books and DVDs I personally recommend and cite in posts.

Commenting Policy

I have one rule about commenting: be civil. What I expect from civil commenter is no flaming and no spamming.

Privacy Policy

To become an authenticated user, you must provide a user name and an email address. You can also reveal your real name on your user page if you so chose. The email you sign-up with is used for private messages sent between users using the contact form. I will not spam you or sell your email address to spammers.