Hello! Welcome to All Things Fanfiction!
There is a small corner of the internet that has been booming since its conception. Many consider it to be a “dirty little secret.” Others consider it to be an escape or a way to continue the story after the original story ends. It's called fanfiction. Whether you have heard of this genre of writing or not, it is not new to this generation or even the last. It’s been around for decades. Circling every fandom you can imagine.
So, what is fanfiction? I’m glad you asked! It’s fan-created content based on a fictional world, in most cases, that already exists. In other words, it’s continuing a story that has already been told or adding an element you’d like to see within that world. For example, you could create a new wizarding character and write a storyline alongside Harry Potter and friends at Hogwarts. There are so many facets to fanfiction, so there is a flavor for everyone. The most amazing part of fanfiction is that it is not boxed into being just literary universes. You can find a ton of work dedicated to your favorite movies, shows, and musicians. In your favorite fandom, you can find works within the known universe or an alternate universe. Within those universes, you can find a myriad of genres and subgenres that will satisfy your palate. The possibilities are essentially endless. But really though, where did it start?
Some traces of fanfiction date back to as early as Shakespearean times. I even heard it argued that the Ancient Greeks changed their oral stories to be something different. (See what they did there? Took an existing story and put their own spin on it.) Fanfiction, as it is now, started with the creation of Star Trek. Trekkies, fans of Star Trek, began making “fanzines” about the characters in the Star Trek universe and published them themselves and gave them away at conventions. With the creation of the internet in the early 1990s, the consumption of fanfiction became much easier. And since then, it’s been growing and reaching further than one can imagine.
What you’ll find in the coming posts is some basic information about fanfiction, including how to write your own and an interview with fanfiction author, D.L. White, who is also a published author! The full interview will be its own post; however, you will find smatterings of quotes from her throughout the blog.
If you’re interested in dabbling in reading fanfiction, there are many popular websites available to read and post to: the first three are general sites where you can find a variety of fandoms. The fourth is a specific fandom for *NSYNC fanfiction.
https://nsync-fiction.com/archive/index.php
Coming up in the next post: An interview with a published author!
Sources:
Burt, Stephanie. “The Promise and Potential of Fan Fiction.” The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-promise-and-potential-of-fan-fiction.
Miller, Jonathan. “Fanfiction: What Critics Say and What Literature Really Is.” Year Round Riders, 8 June 2020, yearroundriders.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-fanfiction/.
Mumal, Ayesha. “The Renaissance of Fanfiction.” Open Book, open-book.ca/Columnists/The-Renaissance-of-Fanfiction. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
Unsplash. “350+ Writing Pictures [HD]: Download Free Images on Unsplash.” 350+ Writing Pictures [HD] | Download Free Images on Unsplash, unsplash.com/s/photos/writing. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
