A while back I was interviewed on the radio program Graphic Ear, and the interviewer, the wonderful Sabra Wood, asked me an interesting question: how would I feel if someone took one of my stories and used it as the basis of fan fiction or fan art?
Most of us authors feel a lot of possessiveness toward our characters and plots. We put a great deal of hard work into creating immersive worlds and interesting, relatable characters, and the idea of someone swiping them is kind of horrifying. Even if our story is set in reality, and involves actual historical figures, we still feel a strong sense of ownership toward our creative output. My current work-in-progress, a novel called Nightingale, is based on the Scottish legend of the haunting of Jedburgh Abbey, but contains major characters who were very much real -- including the monarchs Alexander III of Scotland and Philippe III of France, and the scheming, unscrupulous Comte Robert de Dreux and his beautiful daughter Yolande.
Even so, the way I've drawn those characters is mine, right? We have plagiarism and copyright laws for a reason.
And sure, I wouldn't want anyone outright stealing my work. But when Sabra asked the question, my immediate answer was, "I would be beyond honored."
To me, fan fiction and fan art isn't theft; it's an hommage to the original. They're created out of appreciation and admiration, not a desire to profit off someone else's work. If someone loves my books enough, and is inspired by them enough, to create their own vision of my characters and worldbuilding, it would be about the highest compliment I can imagine.
It requires a significant effort to let go of control, of course. Once someone else is at the steering wheel, there's no telling where they'll end up driving. But even so, that's a risk I'd be not just willing, but eager, to take.
I'm not the only one who feels this way. Just yesterday, I ran into an example of a character who was created deliberately for others to use. Canadian comic book artist Steven Wintle invented a character named "Jenny Everywhere," and then specified that she can be used by anyone, any time, and in any fashion. Essentially she's like the character version of a writing prompt. Basically, here's the character; now take it and run with it. As Wintle put it, "All rights reversed."
Wintle describes her as follows:
She has short, dark hair. She usually wears aviation goggles on top of her head and a scarf around her neck. Otherwise, she dresses in comfortable clothes. She is average size and has a good body image. She has loads of confidence and charisma. She appears to be Asian or Native American. She has a ready smile.
Jenny, Wintle says, exists in any and every reality, and is able to shift back and forth between them. So by definition, she has almost zero canon associated with her. You can't include her in a story that somehow contradicts what someone else has done; all you've written is something Jenny did in a different universe. She herself is canonically un-canon. She's universal.
Whatever world you visit, there's a version of Jenny there somewhere.
This idea was so captivating that dozens of authors and artists have included her in their work. Also, there is now a suite of other characters who have been associated with Jenny often enough that they, like Jenny herself, have taken on a life of their own. They include:
- Laura Drake, Jenny's on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner-in-crime
- Jenny Nowhere, an evil mirror image of Jenny who is also a timeline-shifter
- Jimmy Wherever, Jenny's non-powered boyfriend who can only timeline travel when he's holding Jenny's hand, so often gets left behind or lost
Oh, and August 13 is Jenny's birthday, so that's officially Jenny Everywhere Day.
I find this whole thing fascinating. I don't think I could find a realistic way to work her into Nightingale, but next time I write something that seems suitable, I will definitely give Jenny Everywhere a cameo. I frequently put cameos of my own characters in other books, just as Easter eggs for alert readers; for example, Rainey Carrington, one of the main characters in Signal to Noise, makes a quick appearance at the end of Kill Switch. (I've done this kind of thing multiple times and I'm not sure if any of my readers has noticed, but at least it amuses me.) But it'd be fun to include someone else's character in one of my novels -- especially when I've been given explicit permission to do so by her creator.
So maybe this will spur you to some ideas for your own creative work, whatever medium it exists within. And to return to what I started with, if my writing has inspired you, I would be thrilled to see what it prompts you to make.
The possibilities inherent in the interplay of human creativity are truly endless.
