Fanfiction 101: what is it and how to write it better
Handout for a panel at Cryptic Confusion 2009
What is fanfic?
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"A transformative work takes something existing and turns it into something with a new purpose,
sensibility, or mode of expression." - OTW faq
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"Fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired work or series of works, especially a television
show, often posted on the Internet or published in fanzines." - http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fanfic
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"… is a broadly defined term for stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work,
rather than by the original creator." - Wikipedia
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"fiction written by fans of a TV series, movie, etc., using existing characters and situations to develop
new plots" - dictionary.com
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Introduce basic types of fanfic: slash, femslash, het, gen, ship, smarm, pre-slash, UST, crack,
crossover, fusion, RPS/RPF, AU, Bob, etc.
Who writes fanfic?
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fanfic fandom as a historically predominately female culture
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fanfic fandom as a fandom that crosses other fannish boundaries: sf/fantasy lit fanfic,
tv/movie/anime/videogame fanfic, rpf and rps (bandom, rockfic, actorfic)
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address the Henry Jenkins myth of fic, esp. slash, written only by middle class heterosexual
housewives vs. the media portrayal of fanfic as only written by pre-teen girls.
Why write fanfic?
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People write fanfiction for many reasons, and none of them have anything to do with creating work for
financial gain. Fanfic fandom is often spoken of as a "gift economy," where the currencies of exchange
are the fanworks (fic, vids, meta, etc) and the audience's response to those works. Some of the main
reasons people consume, create and use fanfic are:
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as transformative works ex. OTW faq http://transformativeworks.org/faq
as porn! As women retaking power and control over their own fantasies
as remix culture ex. Remix culture on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix_culture
as fun and entertainment
as participation in a community with shared interests
as training wheels for aspiring pro writers
as participation a historically predominately female culture/community
as commentary on/analysis of larger issues in both source and fandom. ex. "Only a Ghetto Pass
Will Allow You Safe Passage" (Stargate:Atlantis, Stargate SG-1) by sugargroupie http://sugarwater.com/ink/ghettopass.php and "Untitled Anthropomor-Fic" (Meta/Fandom, Adult and sexual content)
by Alyse http://alyse.livejournal.com/496779.html
9. as literary masturbation (instant emotional and participatory gratification)
10. as self insertion/fantasy (Mary Sue) ex. Making Light post on the Mary Sue phenomenon
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004188.html
11. as modern folk stories ex. Reflections on the Modern Folk Process essay
http://sff.net/people/thyme/main.htp
Where can you find fanfic?
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Print zines, mailing lists, forums, archives, social networking sites (Livejournal and its clones), social
bookmarking sites (delicious.com)
Next Semester: fanfiction 102
Organization for Transformative Works http://transformativeworks.org/
Collection of meta posts on fanfic http://community.livejournal.com/metabib/5398.html
The Fanfic Symposium http://www.trickster.org/symposium/
Fanfic 101 http://www.fanfic101.com/
Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfic http://firefox.org/news/articles/650/1/Dr-Merlin039s-Guide-to-Fanfiction/Page1.html
Frequently Asked Questions List: What is fan fiction? http://www.loony-archivist.com/lowerdecks/faql.html
Columns on fanfic http://ljconstantine.com/column1.htm
Arduinna's fanfiction essays http://trickster.org/arduinna/essays.html
The Fic Kit http://infanity.ficlaundering.com/fic-kit.html
1/22/09
created by splash_the_cat