How far a leap has fanfiction made in an era of easy access to online platforms and tools as well as the recent resurgence of traditional publishing? The answer might take you by surprise. We're here to talk about how fanfiction has developed from quick blog posts in the early days of the Internet to full books in print as we cover the episode from our Creatinuum podcast entitled: "'I Ship It': The Evolution of Fanfiction."
Picture the last time you consumed media that consumed you in return: a thrilling and visually stunning movie, a beautifully written novel with compelling characters and expert world building, a series that kept you on your seat with every episode. Did you ever wish for the story to go on, for it to have a happier ending, or even for this character to end up with that character? Passionate fans know that the journey to enjoying a great narrative doesn't stop with the last chapter, the last episode, or the last few minutes when the credits roll on the silver screen. It can go on and on if you write stories of your own that spin off of this very narrative, and how you put together these stories is limited only by your own imagination. Thus is the inception of fanfiction ("fanfics" for short).
For countless fans worldwide—regardless of age, race, and what media they enjoy—fanfiction has become an indomitable means of creative expression, and it can hardly be considered a new phenomenon. Back when websites such as MySpace and Livejournal were the go-to platforms of the Internet, people not only posted their fanfics on their personal blogs but also collaborated with other users to role-play as the characters they loved from notable books, series, and movies. These fictional role-playing sessions would range from on-the-spot interactions to fully prepped/outlined events that would keep readers hooked and eager for the next round of conversations. On top of being entertaining, it was an efficient way for fans to develop their writing styles without the tedium of creating original characters and worlds from scratch.
Perhaps one of the earliest and well-recognized online archives for fanfiction was, aptly named, Fanfiction.net, which encouraged fans to post their stories according to which media they wrote for and with the appropriate tags and content ratings as well as encouraged readers and fellow writers to leave comments and feedback for these fanfics. The communities built on the foundation of FF.net were so closely knit that writers would request one another to beta-read their fanfics before posting.
This practice has continued with the use of the more recent fanfiction platform Archive Of Our Own (shortened to "AO3), where writers would not only leave reviews but also offer "kudos" to these fanfics (equivalent to the "thumbs up" button on social media) as well as organize writing challenges and fanfic exchanges to keep the creative juices flowing. It truly is astounding how fanfic writers encourage and support one another in this creative hobby—full-fledged stories, all posted for free, borne out of love for what these fans enjoy and discuss with other fans.
Indeed, the ubiquitous presence of fanfiction in online communities has reached a point where some notable fanfics written for incredibly popular media (e.g., Harry Potter, Star Wars and the like) have become well-known among fans the way readers would gush about their favorite New York Times bestsellers. Such booming reception would manifest in avid readers printing and binding their own copies of these fanfics as well as creating fanmade art/edits inspired by these stories (can you say "fanception"?).
To kick things up a notch, in the current day, it's no longer surprising to find that a recent hit novel actually began as fanfiction before the author decided to see whether the story could stand on its own two feet and be traditionally published (all names changed, of course). Take, for example, the Fifty Shades of Grey series' author admitting that the books were originally spicy Twilight fanfiction, with Edward and Bella as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively. In addition, "shippers" of Rey and Kylo Ren from the Star Wars franchise (or "Reylo," as the ship is more commonly known as) recognize some commercially successful romance novels as beginning as Reylo fanfics, such as The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. This definitely goes to show that fanfiction has grown immensely from being a niche online hobby to being acknowledged as a place where well-developed stories borne of passion and dedication are created.
At the rate things are going, we don't think fanfiction is showing any signs of slowing down, what with fanfic-inspired novels growing in number and with fans still eager to post their stories on AO3 as well as Tumblr and X (formerly known as Twitter). The question still on our minds is whether, discounting the fact that it borrows original properties, fanfiction would be well accepted as a legitimate means of creativity or still frequently dismissed as a trope-y, sappy practice of self-indulgence. Then again, isn't self-indulgence the point of fanfiction or even any work inspired by other works in general? Regardless of its perception by fans and non-fans alike, we believe that fanfiction—a space fueled by a love for writing and reading stories as well as by feelings of community, fun intellectual banter, and acceptance—is a remarkable space to occupy for any creative.
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