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Approve or Disapprove: What 8 famous authors think of fanfiction

By Monique Jacobs

SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 25: Writer George R.R. Martin of "Game of Thrones" signs autographs during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention-Day 3 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 25: Writer George R.R. Martin of "Game of Thrones" signs autographs during the 2014 Comic-Con International Convention-Day 3 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 25, 2014 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 05: Stephenie Meyer meets fans and signs copies of her book at Waterstones Piccadilly on March 5, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 05: Stephenie Meyer meets fans and signs copies of her book at Waterstones Piccadilly on March 5, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images) /

Twilight author Stephenie Meyer is torn on fanfiction

Vampires shouldn’t sparkle and Bella Swan is awfully depressing, but I adore Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga and the movies based on it nonetheless. The series has amassed a cult-like following and it’s no mystery why there’s so much Twilight fanfiction out there.

During the Remember Twilight? Podcast in August 2020, Meyer said that she doesn’t read fanfiction and that she’s torn on the topic. She completely understands that sometimes fans want more, and they have a need to keep living in the story past the point of what the author has written. While she sees fanfiction as good practice, her concern is that fanfic writers are investing so much time in works they can’t lay claim to.

"I hear stories about it, particularly about Harry Potter fanfiction. And people write things longer than the Harry Potter universe. And I find that incredibly frustrating because it’s like obviously, you’re a writer. Obviously, you love characters and you love story-building. Go do something you can claim. Go do something that can be yours, that you can put your name on and be like, ‘I wrote this book.’"

She fears that these writers are “using up” all their words and they may run out before getting a chance to create their own stories.

Interestingly, E.L. James — author of the risqué Fifty Shades trilogy — was a massive Twilight fan. Fifty Shades of Grey originated as a Twilight fanfiction named Master of the Universe before James removed all Twilight references and reworked it into the stories we know today.

What are Meyer’s thoughts on this? She doesn’t take credit for inspiring the stories and believes James had the idea in her mind and would’ve created them regardless. Meyer says she hasn’t read the books because it’s not a genre she enjoys — it’s a subtle jibe if ever I saw one, but I’m not here to start drama. However, she was lovely enough to congratulate James for doing so well.

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