Fan Fiction

[MJE]

     Amazing how many people seem to think Enid Blyton's books have a hidden subtext full of post-modern symbolism, political messages, gender identity analysis, and the like. Makes me feel naive for thinking that she was probably just intending to write absorbing stories you can get involved in, and creating a world you can immerse yourself in.
     These "variant" forms of fan-fiction may be interesting in many ways; but I think the type I like best is stories that you could actually take to have been written by Enid Blyton, if you didn't know otherwise.

Regards, Michael.

[TheOriginalFive]

Yeah, I might have been over-thinking it. I might as well put a disclaimer later if I get around to it.

Just a note: I also prefer the original-mimics, but as I can't mimic a style to save my life, I'll leave it to someone else.

[Courtenay]

     Amazing how many people seem to think Enid Blyton's books have a hidden subtext full of post-modern symbolism, political messages, gender identity analysis, and the like. Makes me feel naive for thinking that she was probably just intending to write absorbing stories you can get involved in, and creating a world you can immerse yourself in.
     These "variant" forms of fan-fiction may be interesting in many ways; but I think the type I like best is stories that you could actually take to have been written by Enid Blyton, if you didn't know otherwise.

Hear hear, Michael!

[Tony Summerfield]

And I strongly agree with you both, Michael and Courtenay! These are the only ones that I am prepared to put in the Secret Passage on our website. We've got a couple of good ones on the way for our weekly serial!!

[Moonraker]

The enchanting beauty of Enid's school stories is enhanced by the era in which they are set. To transform any of Enid's books into a futuristic era is of absolutely no interest to me. Each to his own, of course!

[walter raleigh]

I've tried a few fan fictions but don't feel that any I've read quite captures Blyton's authorial voice, if you know what I mean. I can never forget that I'm not really reading something by Enid, so can't fully immerse myself in the story. I do understand the appeal though - both reading and writing. I've attempted to have a go myself at a follow up to one or two of my favourite books in the past so I know how jolly dificult it is.

[MJE]

     Oh, I can understand the desire for fan-fiction; and I have enjoyed some continuations of Blyton's series by other authors. Few if any of them have truly, truly captured her style in all its essence, but a few have come respectably close. I suspect none would truly meet the standard, no matter how close they were in style, simply because I didn't read them as a child and so they never captured that nostalgia that best originates in childhood, that Enid Blyton's own work did. This is illustrated by the fact that even authentic Blyton work that for some reason I first read only recently lacks some of the magic - such as "Five Have a Puzzling Time", and a few other works.
     Still, when I ran out of Famous Five books in my teens, I almost felt bereft, to the extent that I used to quite often dream about new Famous Five books; and I wished some newly-discovered Famous Five manuscripts would come to light. And in my dreams, these new books totally had the essence of Enid Blyton's style.
     A year or two ago I woke up with the memory of a dream in which a new Famous Five story featured. It was never quite clear in the dream whether I was reading the story, living it, or writing it - it seemed like all of these in some way. And, briefly at least, it seemed that I remembered just enough detail of the story that I contemplated whether to try and write that story.
     But I think the vision faded a few hours later, and I realized I had insufficient detail to go on, and would have to make up most of the detail I used. In any case, I am far more interested in creating my own work than in trying to continue another author's work (no matter how much I like the other author), and feel I would be a lot better at creating my own work.
     So nothing came of that, and I don't expect I will ever write a Blyton continuation. (I've actually been asked to, but I'm afraid I could not do it justice, and feel it will never happen.) But this incident with the dream may show that, in some way, I would still like to have further authentic Blyton works, if they existed in the series that most interest me.

Regards, Michael.

[Rob Houghton]

I'm not a big fan of 'fan fiction' but do enjoy the continuation novels in the secret passage, most of which I think are much more 'Blytonesque' than any of the others that have been published legitimately. It really is difficult to emulate a writers style, and particularly Enid's, probably because her writing flowed so easily, and that's hard to copy. I enjoyed doing my 'Disappearing Tramp' story but I never felt it was quite right as a typical Blyton-style book.

I do like Julies follow-on to the Find Outers, when they are older - good idea, well written, and something unusual.

[Moonraker]

Rob, your Disappearing Tramp was an excellent story - up there with the best of the Find-Outers' books.

[Daisy]

Hear hear, I quite agree with Nigel... I have read Disappearing Tramp at least three times... a very good story.

[Rob Houghton]

Thank you both! I'm blushing now!

Daisy - I'm flattered you've read it a few times - wow! That really is a compliment!

[Julie2owlsdene]

I do like Julies follow-on to the Find Outers, when they are older - good idea, well written, and something unusual.

Thank you, Robert. I too am one of those people who loved your Disappearing Tramp.

[Rob Houghton]

Thank you, Robert. I too am one of those people who loved your Disappearing Tramp.

Thank you Julie. That means a lot. Sadly, when Disappearing Tramp was originally serialised, we were coping with my mom's death, and so at the time I didnt take much notice of the feedback. It's good to know people enjoyed it.

[TheOriginalFive]

I feel so embarrassed for posting about my idea, but the stories I've seen on the Society are great reads. Then again, that's to be expected from avid readers.

[MJE]

I'm not a big fan of 'fan fiction' but do enjoy the continuation novels in the secret passage, most of which I think are much more 'Blytonesque' than any of the others that have been published legitimately.

     I might just add that, in my previous comments, I was referring more to this type of work than the amateurish and sometimes quite incompetent fan-fiction you can see in various places. Perhaps I should have chosen my wording a bit better. Something actually doesn't have to be precisely in Blyton's style for me to enjoy it: if it's it its own style, written and plotted well, and adds a story to a Blyton series, I can enjoy it on its own terms, and some of it I have got quite engrossed in, as I would an original Blyton novel.

Regards, Michael.