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We, as Transformer fans, face many contradictions.

The original concept was meant for children; yet many of us first became fans as teenagers, and we stay with it even today as adults. The cartoon had a number of continuity and story errors, and its level of animation is antiquated by today's standards; but it remains compelling enough to inspire countless fan writing projects, art and magazines like this one. The Transformers realm contains many paradoxes, but for writers of fanfiction, one in particular stands paramount.

No new official material has been added to the pre-Beast Wars universe in almost a decade--since the end of the Generation 2 comic in 1994 at the very latest. That makes it all too easy, and tempting, to re-invent the wheel. There is nothing at all wrong with adding your own spin to the Transformers saga, but to totally rewrite what first drew us into the mythos is risky towards both our own work and its intended audience. Where should fanfiction writers draw the line between storytelling to share with the fandom and a strictly personal flight of fantasy?

The answer is simple. Of course, if you're only writing to satisfy the creative urge, then heed no boundaries: it's your own universe. But our fandom exists because we wish to exchange writing, ideas and stories, and the moment a work is written for more eyes than just its author's, it should strike a balance between two things: being original, and following the established format of either comic or cartoon canon.

Most importantly, if you have to preface a story with, "Well, it's not like you saw on the show," or "you just have to read between the lines," then you have already given readers a reason not to accept your work. Canon is both a unifying thread and a lifeline; without it none of our work would be Transformers fanfiction. Deviating from canon is something even I have been guilty of doing; for example, in very early writing, I had mortal enemies Galvatron and Starscream in the same splinter faction that sometimes cooperated with the Autobots. Most fans simply couldn't buy it, and by this point, neither can I. But it was accepting the honest critiques of other fans, particularly those who could only remember official sources such as the cartoon--from my old roommate through my first few penpals all the way to my fiance'--that has made my stories better. Ironically enough, in spite of hours of arguing, sniping and "you should change this", the more they enjoyed my writing afterward, nine times out of ten the more I did, too. And every time, my stories fit official sources better.

Remember, canon does not have to be a restriction. In fact, if the original cartoon or comic presented something you disagreed with or disliked, then accept it as a challenge to work around in your own universe. If your writing is indeed made of sterner stuff, then no challenge from the original universe is insurmountable--in fact, it could be your best asset.

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