A Fanfiction writer's tools: character, plots, and preexisting stories.
Overview of Fan Fiction
Definition: Fan Fiction (or Fan fic, Fanfic) is fiction about characters and settings for an original work of fiction, written by fans - not the original creator.
Fan Fiction is not limited to just literary characters. Fanfic can be written about politicians, celebrities, athletes, and musicians to name a few.
Use in the classroom:
Fan Fiction is not limited to just literary characters. Fanfic can be written about politicians, celebrities, athletes, and musicians to name a few.
Use in the classroom:
- Provides opportunities for students to start developing their skills writing narratives.
- Kim Karalius (n.d.) believes that fanfic helps students "learn to interact with and manipulate ideas ... to best articulate [their stories] so readers can understand [what is written]".
- Welcomes digital literacy activities into the classroom which younger generations tend to find more engaging than traditional print-based ones.
- Can be used to assess understanding of characters, settings, imagery, symbolism, and other literary terms, assess grammar and mechanics - particularly dialogue.
- Encourage Peer View: 1.Compliments, 2. Suggestions, 3. Corrections.
A Brief History
It is no surprise that the internet assisted in the explosion of fanfic. Despite the fact that fanfic has become more prevalent thanks to the internet, fanfic existed in paper form for decades. Though fanfic's modern roots can be traced back to Star Trek: The Original Series, Jordan West (2014) believes that fanfic really got its start back in ancient times. Fanfic is just taking original ideas and adding your own twist, a common occurrence in oral storytelling. West states that if you have ever been in a bookstore, you have encountered published fanfiction. From Gregory Maguire's Wicked to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, there is no limit to the ways fanfic comes into our lives.
Teaching Possibilities
A fantastic resource for teaching fanfic can be found on website: Fanfiction for Literacy*.
The ideas below and more can be found on that site.
The ideas below and more can be found on that site.
- "Read Like a Fan": Encourages close reading and gets students thinking about writing at the same time.
- After reading a classroom novel, have students write fanfic with the same literary elements or through songs, dramas, and video productions.
- Re-imagine the classroom novel through different media. For example, Facebook profiles, Tumblr posts, series of Vines, etc.
- Write a prequel: If anything is left unanswered in the original text, have students play with those ideas in a prequel filling in the missing details.
- Create missing scenes: Take a scene written by one student and have other students turn that scene into a skit or a video to help the original writer understand how their writing is perceived by others.
- Alternate Perspectives: Rewrite a story from another character's point of view.
Examples of Mentor Texts
Fanfic is unique because, for the most part, it is completely interest based. People write fanfic based on what appeals to them. Many people, children and young adults included, fall in love with the characters and settings in their favorite books and want to know more! Below are some examples of popular works of literary fiction that have been adopted by many in the fanfic community.
And remember, fanfic is not limited to literary characters and settings. Fans also develop ideas from movies, television shows, musicals, video games, and more.
And, ideas are not only shared through writing, but also drawings, songs, scripts, and music.
Educational Resources
Below are some resources that will help ease your classroom into using fanfiction. The important thing to remember is fanfiction is supposed to be fun! Keep it light so your students will stay interested. It is also important to note that fanfiction also requires research. You have to stay true to the heart of the work you are building from. You must stay in character, remain within the created world and follow the laws that govern that universe. For example, if you write a scene in which Katniss Everdeen, a fighter and independent woman - decides to be a placating housewife - you better have a really good reason for doing so that you can explain or you will receive a lot of criticism from other fans of the Hunger Games who read your piece.
Cowley, J., Lunny, J., Prentice, N., Waseem, S. (n.d). Classroom activities. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/fanfiction-for-literacy/resources/classroom-activities
Fan fiction: Examples, lessons, and scaffolding (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.inclusiveclassrooms.org
/inquiries/fan-fiction-examples-lessons-and-scaffolding
Gutierrez, P. (2012). Guest post by christopher shamburg: When the lit hits the fan in teacher education. Retrieved
from: http://blogs.slj.com/connect-the-pop/2012/11/comics/guest-post-by-christopher-shamburg-
when-the-lit-hits-the-fan-in-teacher-education/
Karalius, K. (n.d.) Fan fiction in the composition classroom. Retrieved from http://writingcommons.org/open-
text/new-media/fan-fiction/653-fan-fiction-in-the-composition-classroom
Cowley, J., Lunny, J., Prentice, N., Waseem, S. (n.d). Classroom activities. Retrieved from
https://sites.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/fanfiction-for-literacy/resources/classroom-activities
Fan fiction: Examples, lessons, and scaffolding (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.inclusiveclassrooms.org
/inquiries/fan-fiction-examples-lessons-and-scaffolding
Gutierrez, P. (2012). Guest post by christopher shamburg: When the lit hits the fan in teacher education. Retrieved
from: http://blogs.slj.com/connect-the-pop/2012/11/comics/guest-post-by-christopher-shamburg-
when-the-lit-hits-the-fan-in-teacher-education/
Karalius, K. (n.d.) Fan fiction in the composition classroom. Retrieved from http://writingcommons.org/open-
text/new-media/fan-fiction/653-fan-fiction-in-the-composition-classroom
Current Research
Current research indicates that fan fiction is a worthy endeavor. Despite some criticism that fan fiction does not belong in the classroom as it is "plagiarizing", it is clear that fan fiction writers are dedicating large amounts of time to writing - and as a result, academic literacy practices. Rebecca Black (2005) describes an instance where ELL and school age children were posting on fanfiction.net using their favorite anime characters to work through issues that they were grappling with - teen pregnancy, school violence, suicide. In return, the readers of their work were responding with reviews that offered support and reassurance. Black (2005) believes this demonstrates the power of social interaction and identity that come from a writing and reading community. In short, the research has overwhelmingly demonstrated the positive benefits of encouraging students to practice their literary skills through the use of their favorite characters and settings.
Berkowski, D.E. (2012). Framing the future of fanfiction: How the new york times portrayal of a youth
media subculture influences the beliefs about media literacy education. Journal of Media Literacy
Education, 4(3), 198-212. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer
/pdfviewer?sid=67306b60-af64-4117-8342-e62571cb2786%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=121
Black, R. W. (2005). Access and affiliation: The literacy and composition practices of english-language
learners in an online fanfiction community. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 49(2), 118-128.
Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f9149e1f-63e4-4c0e-
9227-d603a602133d%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=121
Black, R. W. (2009). Online fan fiction and critical media literacy. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education,
26(2), 75-80. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ907122.pdf
Black, R. W. (n.d.) Online fanfiction: What technology and popular culture can teach us about writing and
literacy instruction. Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics
/literacy/articles/online-fanfiction/
Berkowski, D.E. (2012). Framing the future of fanfiction: How the new york times portrayal of a youth
media subculture influences the beliefs about media literacy education. Journal of Media Literacy
Education, 4(3), 198-212. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer
/pdfviewer?sid=67306b60-af64-4117-8342-e62571cb2786%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=121
Black, R. W. (2005). Access and affiliation: The literacy and composition practices of english-language
learners in an online fanfiction community. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 49(2), 118-128.
Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f9149e1f-63e4-4c0e-
9227-d603a602133d%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=121
Black, R. W. (2009). Online fan fiction and critical media literacy. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education,
26(2), 75-80. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ907122.pdf
Black, R. W. (n.d.) Online fanfiction: What technology and popular culture can teach us about writing and
literacy instruction. Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics
/literacy/articles/online-fanfiction/
Other Resources
West, J. (2014 November 2). None of this is new: An oral history of fanfiction. Retrieved from
http://www.themarysue.com/none-of-this-is-new-an-oral-history-of-fanfiction/
http://www.themarysue.com/none-of-this-is-new-an-oral-history-of-fanfiction/