What do Dante’s Inferno, Fifty Shades of Grey, Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, and James by Percival Everett all have in common? They’re all derivative works. This, in short, means all of these works can be considered fanfiction. Although Fifty Shades of Grey may have sullied the image of fanfiction amongst the general public, it remains an age-old form of self-expression and persists today as an exciting and uniquely engaging form of fiction. For anyone who wants to explore a different sort of writing, or if they want to read something new yet familiar, it may be worth it to give fanfiction a shot!
The only requirement for a work to be considered fanfiction is that it must have a basis in a previously existing work of literature. With the sky as the limit, there is more than enough room for writers to experiment and explore through the lens of an already established media. This creative freedom can appeal to many different sorts of people, from potential authors, to long-time fans, to someone just looking for something to read.
While it may be difficult for people who don’t fall in the “usual” audience demographics to regularly see themselves represented in mainstream media, fanfiction can give these audiences the space to explore and interact with fanfiction that caters to them. With so many people posting and interacting with fanfiction, it becomes easy for groups and communities to form on these sites; the very nature of fanfiction sites encourages interaction between readers, writers, and users of any kind. Users leave comments on an author’s work to express a variety of feelings about their writing, ranging from compliments, emotional exclamations, to constructive criticisms. No matter the stereotypes and assumptions, fanfiction, at its core, fosters the creation of communities that promote the growth and celebration of one’s identity and the skill of one’s reading and writing.
Payton Hayes, a blogger and fanfiction writer, believes that fanfiction sites “[are] one of, if not the single best writing community when it comes to […] constructive criticism.” These stories are crafted because writers want to have fun and explore new ideas, and the community responds with genuinely kind comments and useful advice! And, like many authors partaking in other sorts of writing, inter-user critique can pave the way for genuine improvement in someone’s writing. This shared love of media and desire to create forms a community and propels aspiring writers to new friendships and skill.
Writing fanfiction gives a lot of agency to the authors themselves. Writers are given the chance to express their identities, their wants, and their desires through expanding on or rewriting pre-established media. That gives authors the opportunity to explore that identity—as a writer and an individual—and push their skills and creativity to the limits. Doing so can mean altering the source material in one way or another. Whether it be changing the ending, placing characters in different environments, removing a character death, or queering a character; each alteration exposes readers to different perspectives and viewpoints.
For some, like the user Satviki, reading fanfiction helped them come to terms with their own queer identity. In a VICE post, Satviki states that “I had started subconsciously associating myself with the characters.” They state that, by talking to other users, they came to understand that they weren’t the only one to go through this realization, and “since the fanfiction community is abundant with queer authors … it has never felt safer.” Satviki is one of many people to use fanfiction as a gateway to self-discovery for their queerness, but that is not the only avenue for exploration. Much like the communities formed on these sites, exploring your identity and use of language is a vital aspect of interacting with fanfiction and fandom.
A lesser-known aspect within fanfiction is the relationship with language. Since English is widely considered to be the lingua franca of the fanfiction world, how do non-English speakers interact with fanfiction? In short, some people use fanfiction as a way to supplement their language learning through interactions with native English speakers and writing. Through that, language and identity become intertwined through a “shared appreciation for multiple languages.”
Since sites like Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction.net are free to use and publish on, English learners can often be exposed to more authentic English writing than what could be found in a formal textbook, and are much more accessible. Interacting with fanfiction can help learners grow skills in reading and writing while shaping their identity as both a fan and a student. They become a part of a community that encourages them to write more, read more, and learn more.
Each of these aspects are interconnected and hold a large influence over fanfiction communities. Language is tied to our identities, which is tied to our communities. Those two aspects work together to create an environment that promotes learning, growth, and self-realization. While the extent is different from person to person, the positive impact that fanfiction can have on an individual is clear. So give it a shot! Go read, or write, some fanfiction!
