scottlynch78:

So I received a very nice set of private messages from a reader offering to let me read their fanfic, after asking me if it was cool to do so and kindly asking me if there was anything in particular that I wanted to see in fanfic. They also asked what difference, if any, I saw in reposting fan art vs. reposting fanfic. I have decided not to make the ID of the questioner public (Hello out there! I just wasn’t sure if you wanted to stay anonymous or not ,and I figured better safe than sorry), but I am happy to answer all of these questions in detail.

• No, I do not read fanfic based on any of my fiction. The only possible exception would be for a tiny fragment/drabble of a satirical or sentimental nature (like a holiday greeting). There are no other possible exceptions.

• This does not mean I do not encourage the writing of fanfic based on my fiction. I approve of it, and heartily encourage it, but please don’t bother calling it to my attention, because I will not read it.

• One major reason for this is to cover my butt, legally and artistically. I know how my own stuff is supposed to go. I do not require or request hints, prompts, votes, or arguments on the subject. I also do not need any possible suspicion that I have plagiarized from the work of my fans and readers; a blanket refusal to read fanfic is the cheapest, most effective protection against this.

• Also, I believe it’s important to cut me out of the fanfic approval loop. When you write fanfic about my worlds or characters, you should be completely ignoring the questions of what I’d want or what I’d do. Fanfic is your chance to go happily nuts with the elements of my stuff that you like, seasoned with elements that serve your own fascinations and pleasures. I’m flattered that you might like to run your fanfic by me, but really, I am immaterial to it. Embrace the freedom to make it for yourself and your fellow readers in a canon-free environment.

• I repost visual art because it’s a medium in which I do not produce professional work of my own (just as I link to things like songs, animations, and similar shenanigans whenever I can find them). It’s really as simple as that… I can’t plagiarize someone’s paintbrush strokes, and I have none of my own for them to plagiarize, and I try to be very careful not to say things like “Oh my god, yes, this should be considered a canonical visual reference for the entire sequence!”