By Nicole Allen

Recently a colleague of mine spoke of her friend, a "brilliant writer," who used her talent to write fan fiction based on her favorite TV series. "What a shame," my colleague said.

Most people know the cons of writing fan fiction or drawing fan art. When your work is based off of someone else's, it will always be attached to its original creator; in that way it can never truly be yours. Rights to fan work and copyright violations are convoluted, even to the most law-savvy fan writers and artists. The United States Copyright Act is the cause of much debate between original authors and the fans who are inspired by their work. The Copyright Act, in brief, states that if your fan work does not financially impact the original creator, you're not in violation of the law. Parodies are generally protected by the courts, however legalities can apply. Fan works are typically based on well-known series, which prevents fan artists and writers from claiming ownership of what inspired their work. Aside from the legal ramifications, fan writers and artists would lose all credibility if they claimed, for instance, to have been the brains behind the Harry Potter series. It is general knowledge to most Americans who are moderate readers that J.K. Rowling is the creator of the Harry Potter series.

For the most part, artists and writers see fan work as flattering tributes to the original. Inspired by the original work, fan artists and writers often share their inspired creations with friends and online groups (aka fandom’s) of people who share the same interests. Some critics of fan work may look at this and say, "What a shame. It’s a blatant rip-off of an original!" Others see it as a flattering tribute to a famous writer or artist.

Francisca Solar, a Harry Potter fan and writer, wasn't happy with J.K. Rowling's fifth book in the Harry Potter series titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, so she wrote her own sequel, titled "Harry Potter and the Decline of the High Elves." Published on fanfiction.net, her story received positive reviews from all over the world, and her story was viewed more than 80,000 times. Harry Potter publisher Random House took notice of the popularity of Solar’s fan fiction and liked her work so much they offered her a contract to write her own original trilogy. You can read more about Francisca and her series by clicking here.

Many industry jobs involve drawing or writing for characters series, including the wildly popular Gossip Girl book series and the TV classic, The Simpson’s. How many people have worked on your favorite comic, cartoon or TV series over the years? Is your favorite character a product of the original artist or the spawn of the staff who worked on it?

Writing fan fiction or drawing fan art can be a simple labor of love, fun hobby and a way for a fan to give back to their fandom or express their inspired fantasies. In many cases, fan work serves a more professional service, acting as a form of practice for the growing artist or writer. Fan work can prove to be a fun exercise in emulating existing styles in drawing or writing. This can lead artists and writers to branch off and create their own original pieces. Fan work also makes great online portfolio bait. Think about how many people Google search their favorite books, shows and characters. Lure viewers to your portfolio website with fan work of a popular subject, and you have a better chance of getting your original work noticed.

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