You had to be there...

I recently watched an episode of SNL and was struck by how unfunny I found it. I got to reminiscing about how funny I once thought the show was but the more I contemplated, the more I realized that what seemed so funny at the time doesn't really seem so now. This is painfully obvious whenever I see a re-run of a "Classic SNL" - I am struck by how unfunny those old episodes often were, too, even though I laughed at the time. Why is this? Is it the awful writing and poor comedic timing? Sometimes, but mostly it's because the show tends to derive its humor from the popular culture in the immediate vicinity of the show. Once a referenced event in pop culture is no longer relevant, the joke becomes stale and unfunny. In fact, worse than unfunny: pathetic. In both cases (the old and the new), I have absolutely no idea or context as to what is being lampooned. It's not surprising to note that the live audience often feels the same way and this can often be heard in its unsteady laughter.

"So, Sven" you may be thinking. "What does this have to do with the Writer's den?" Ah - I'm glad you asked. It's has to do with good artwork and writing that stands on it's own without the crutch of relying on someone else's work. It's about why fan fiction is almost universally bad. Fan fiction is so frequently bad because it deigns to forsake plot and character development with the assumption that the reader already knows the pertinent expository character and plot developments. It's also why I have so little interest in Anime-based art. Unless the reader/viewer is intimately knowledgeable about the subject, there is no context and there is no story - it's all just a bunch of pointers to another's work and it's a waste of my time. "You had to be there..." is not a satisfactory plot development.

A good story should stand on it's own - even a sequel. A reader should not be burdened with having to search for the meaning of every reference dropped in a story. That's not to say that a story series can't be self-referential. Knowing the basis for a plot development should enhance the readers experience but, conversely, not knowing the reference shouldn't detract from that experience. There is a cultural level with which an author must make the assumption that the audience is familiar, but the more specialized that level is set, the more limited the interest of the audience will be. Of course, nothing is stopping an author from writing fan fiction, but there should be no surprises when the work is not well received.

Put yourself in your readers' place: if they had never seen or heard of Goddamn Wing Sailor Ghost IV, do you really think they'll get the joke when Puukatyou says "Rrr-rrr-snarf"? The correct answer is: "No, Sven, they will not."

I want to read good stories. I want to see authors improve. If you are serious about developing your writing skills, then you must free yourself of the urge to write fan fiction and instead practice developing your own plots and characters.