“I think I’d be happier burning my manuscripts. Much, much happier.”

Well, I think that’s a shame. But I stand by my point above; if you’re really unwilling to let your characters out into the world and into the hearts and minds of readers, you probably shouldn’t be writing at all. Same as a band who aren’t willing to accept that young kids might bash out bad covers; if it bothers you, make sure no one ever hears your stuff.

I agree that fanfic (at least that of it which I have encountered) is pretty dreadful, but that’s not the point. The point is it’s done out of love of the originals. If you can’t live with your work being loved, no matter how messily, you’d best fetch the brazier and do as you suggest.

If you are a good writer, in my view, you ought to be writing something new and wholly your own; and if you aren’t, then you’re embarrassing yourself and the author by trying to puppet someone else’s creations. It’s much more personal than covering someone else’s song, I think. It’s more like trying to wear their clothes, imitate their voices, wear their perfumes. Embarrassing for all concerned, if not outright creepy.

Would you write “fanfiction” involving real people under real names in real life, without their permission? No. Because it would be unutterably presumptuous to pretend you knew them that well, and quite a lot of them would be insulted. I feel it’s much the same with using other people’s characters. They aren’t yours; you don’t know them; you can’t possibly do them right, so don’t use them. To me, it’s that simple.

And, of course, it doesn’t help that so much fanfiction is poorly written porn. If *I* were an author, and my lovingly written characters were being used in semi-literate slash porn… I think I’d be happier burning my manuscripts. Much, much happier.