Welcome!

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://www.wattpad.com/

https://www.fanfiction.net/

https://archiveofourown.org/

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.

Fanfiction... as Literature?!

 I was embarrassed as a teenager to admit that I read fanfiction. Even more embarrassed to admit I wrote it. There is such a taboo feeling when one reads and writes fanfiction that it’s juvenile or childish. I wholeheartedly disagree. Writing can happen at any age, and if writing fanfiction is what gets you started and builds up your confidence, do it! If reading fanfiction keeps you reading, do it! You're still building upon the skills you already have by exposing yourself to other works. 

 

While I do think fanfiction writing can be amateur writing, it can also be used as a catalyst to improve one’s writing skills. Writing fan fiction allows you to use a world that already exists and characters that have already been established while still creating a new character to add. Every writer starts by writing something. But the real question here… should it be considered literature?

 

The short answer is yes! Realistically, what is literature? Stuff we read, right? In all honesty, it’s any writing published on any one subject. But when we think about literature, we think about the “stuffy” and “boring” books written by old, dead white guys from centuries ago. When you consider the amount of work a fanfiction author has to put into it to make it their own and to create new characters and events, it should be considered literature. Especially if the author decides to make it an alternate universe from the original content. Fanfiction has its own cadence when it comes to the way it’s written. The style is all its own. But the tone, and the content is all decided upon by the author. 

 

While the art of fanfiction has its own merit, some think it should not be considered literature because of the “smut” factor. Because many forms of fanfiction turn to the romance genre, and in many cases, adult scenes are written, people do not think fanfiction should be taken seriously. I disagree. Those scenes are not easy to write.

 

Sometimes it’s these alternate universes that can then be rewritten and create whole new stories to be published. What I mean is there are current books out there that started as fanfiction.

 

Fifty Shades of Grey was famously published but began as Twilight fanfiction.

City of Bones started as Harry Potter fanfiction.

Beautiful Bastard began as Twilight fanfiction.

Point Pleasant was a fanfiction based on the show Supernatural

We’d Know By Then was originally based on Star Wars

After was written as a fanfiction surrounding the boyband One Direction.

 

Sources:

 

Arzbaecher, Lauren. “10 Books You Didn’t Know Started out as Fan Fiction, from ‘Twilight’ to ’Star Wars’-Inspired Stories.” Business Insider, Business Insider, www.businessinsider.com/guides/learning/fanfiction-books. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

 

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.

 

“Published Fanfiction Is Part of Literary History (for Better or Worse).” Paste Magazine, 17 Jan. 2024, www.pastemagazine.com/books/fiction/history-of-published-fanfiction-explained-trend.