- Two articles popped up recently that showed how introducing people to fanfiction through, well, fiction could spark discoveries. At Book Riot, Cassandra Neace used Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl as a way to jumpstart her imagination. “This is what I’ve learned: writers of fan fiction are incredibly capable and inventive…I even, at one point, dabbled in writing my own because it occurred to me that it was a great way to get used to writing on a regular basis. When the stress of world-building is taken away, it’s much easier to let the words flow. Eventually, the act of writing becomes so comfortable that the idea of building my own world from the ground up isn’t as intimidating as it once was.”
- Blogger Jules instead used Fangirl to learn more about the lives of her students and her inner slashgirl. “When I finished Fangirl, I was sad to leave behind Simon/Baz. Then, a few days later I–swear, no joke–went online to see if anyone else liked the idea of a Harry/Draco pairing. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah, turns out one or two other Harry Potter fans like the idea of Harry/Draco.”
- Metro UK wrote about one music group’s enjoyment of fanfiction: “Little Mix are well aware of the erotic fan fiction written about them – and they love it.” Discussing their lesbian fandom, singer Jade Thirlwall said “It is very saucy and quite hardcore. I’ve read a lot of lesbian ones about us all being lesbians with each other…But they can write what they want – as long as it stays fiction.”
- Saginaw Valley State University’s Valley Vanguard wrote about the importance of fandom on campus. “Fandoms are important, though, especially in college. Falling in love with the university, and also in love with the family-like relationships that come from these fandoms, is sometimes very essential to a successful college career. Without the reference group that is a fandom, individuals would feel like they don’t belong or feel lonely because they can’t share something that is very important to them. So, I encourage any of you that feel as though you are a part of a fandom to find others that share that specific craziness and be crazy together, geeking out about your fandom until you can’t anymore.”
What fandom self-discoveries have you made? Write about them on Fanlore! Contributions are welcome from all fans.
We want your suggestions! If you know of an essay, video, article, podcast, or link you think we should know about, comment on the most recent OTW Fannews post. Links are welcome in all languages! Submitting a link doesn’t guarantee that it will be included in a roundup post, and inclusion of a link doesn’t mean that it is endorsed by the OTW.