Those are some interesting thoughts on the issue of "safety" in viewing/reading. I think that may be particularly true with Buffy (and perhaps with a growing number of series these days) since from the start we were meant to get a sense that rules of TV storytelling were being broken. In fact, those twists in Buffy were what, I think, ultimately made it such an engaging series over a long period of time.
Your point about familiarity is also telling. It is, in fact, much easier to start predicting the writing of fanfic authors because their body of work can be so prolific in a short time and we have other meta factors in understanding their approach and POV. I do think the same can happen with non-fandom writers however. For example, to me, the comics have been disappointing exactly because they have exacerbated the tendencies of Joss's writing to me, where they are unfiltered by other writers and outside influences. Sometimes it only takes a few projects for this to become apparent (M. Night Shyamalan is one example I can think of).
Which might suggest that fanfic collaborations would raise the unpredictability of stories, only since these are entirely voluntary rather than professional associations, chances are it wouldn't since those writers would be in step with one another. The safety factor may be something that varies by reader though. I notice that the widespread aversion to character death in stories suggests that despite the removal and impermanence of anything happening in fanfic, canon isn't the only thing that has the power to jolt.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-01-03 05:33 pm (UTC)Your point about familiarity is also telling. It is, in fact, much easier to start predicting the writing of fanfic authors because their body of work can be so prolific in a short time and we have other meta factors in understanding their approach and POV. I do think the same can happen with non-fandom writers however. For example, to me, the comics have been disappointing exactly because they have exacerbated the tendencies of Joss's writing to me, where they are unfiltered by other writers and outside influences. Sometimes it only takes a few projects for this to become apparent (M. Night Shyamalan is one example I can think of).
Which might suggest that fanfic collaborations would raise the unpredictability of stories, only since these are entirely voluntary rather than professional associations, chances are it wouldn't since those writers would be in step with one another. The safety factor may be something that varies by reader though. I notice that the widespread aversion to character death in stories suggests that despite the removal and impermanence of anything happening in fanfic, canon isn't the only thing that has the power to jolt.