Could someone explain to me why fanfic writing would hurt someones chance to get a job, more the say bonsai gardening? Surely people allowed to have hobbies?
I can think of a few possible reasons, most of which I really don't agree with, but they might seem compelling to a potential employer. So, to play devil's advocate a little:
1) "Fan" is derived from "fanatic" - if you're writing fan fiction, you're probably a little fanatical about the thing you're writing about. Many people think this is weird, as Sue pointed out. Personally, I don't see why being a little obsessive about a book or TV show is any weirder than being obsessive about football, but there's no telling my husband that.
2) Full participation in fandom takes lots and lots of time, which is why I'm no longer a full participant in fandom. But if you do the whole thing - writing, reading, reviewing, beta-reading for others, participation in discussions, chats, LJ, etc., you're spending huge amounts of time on it. If an employer knew how much time it took (and some probably have an idea) they might well be suspicious that some of that time might be coming out of the work day. Not that anyone
here would read or write fan fic on company time, of course.
I'm just saying...
3) Fan fiction is on the shady side of being legal, and some employers might have problems with it for that reason.
4) Fan fiction, as you have pointed out, has a (largely undeserved) reputation with some people for being synonymous with pornography.
There are probably others, so feel free to add to my list. However, I am here on "company time" at the moment, which means that my children are currently running wild instead of doing their Latin lesson... I should probably do something about that
Caroline
