I agree that there's been histrionics from both sides, but I maintain that Diana Gabaldon's the guilty party here; her first reaction to fanfic was completely overblown and ridiculous. Fanfic's something near and dear to my heart, but even if it wasn't something that I enjoyed, I'd never go on a _poorly written_ rampage about how fanfic's like burglary or stealing someone's husband.

She's not only insulting fanfic, but the people who write it. It's her prerogative as an author to disallow fanfic because she fears/hates it, but once she start insulting fanficcers, she looses all my sympathy.