Fanfic Meme

[paulamcg]

Snagged from gwenhwyfar1984. I left out the question about choosing fandoms, because I never choose new ones.

Why did you start writing fanfic?

When waiting for the fifth Harry Potter book, I imagined an opening scene, and it featured Remus Lupin, because I’d missed him since PoA and he’d been mentioned at the end of GoF. After reading the book, I had no one to discuss it with. I’d never heard of fandoms, but when I googled Harry Potter, I found a small friendly forum (and it remained such a home for me that it took me a year and hacking of the forum before I looked for fic elsewhere).

I didn’t first care for the fanfic section, but someone dragged me there by asking me to read and review her first few paragraphs of a Harry’s-sixth-year fic. That made me think: why not write and post my own fiction, too, for discussion? I adapted the scene I’d imagined into an opening for a Remus-pov post-OotP novel, and the rest was… if not history, a passion for the rest of my life, it seems.

Why do you write fanfic?

The chance for discussion in which writers and readers are equal has made me write and share fiction – publish it, as I’ve liked to say (just without selling my fiction to anyone). I’ve enjoyed learning to write better, and encouraging others to write. I’ve enjoyed being absorbed in stories and loving my characters, hearing how my stories have touched readers, and meeting alternative versions of the characters and the world written by people who appreciate my feedback.

I got devoted to the long story I was writing, and although after completing the novel, I managed to leave fandom, something essential must have been missing from my life for the eight years of hiatus, and it’s turned out I’m still addicted. There’s more to learn, there are new challenges and unwritten moments and dimensions to explore in the same story, and that’s why I continue to add short fics to my universe.

Do you have themes or plot devices you return to?

Since I’m motivated by the challenge to write short stories which can be read separately while they add something essential to the same old story I’m addicted to, my deeper themes must be the same. I think it’s up to readers to recognise them or rather give meaning to the stories when interpreting them. But perhaps there are themes like precarious identity, challenges for solidarity in communities, the concept of art, change, learning… That sounds too solemn.

As for topics or scenarios, I return to issues of poverty – to the extent that I can’t resist making my Remus suffer from hunger and cold at any opportunity, even before he loses all his friends, and sometimes making even another character face such situations. While I’ve insisted that poverty’s an important theme, I’ve started to realise that this obsession of mine could be compared to a kink and that I don’t have to be ashamed of indulging myself. In my view, poor characters don’t appear in fanfic (or entertainment) often enough, and I try to portray mine without abusing them with blatant descriptions of misery (and that’s a challenge because of the kink I have).

Do you have any pet peeves?

No, actually no peeves related to the contents of fics in the sense that I could make lists of what I refuse to read about. Before my hiatus I avoided reading PWP or any high-rated sex scenes, but I’ve found that now I’m able to read even those. I can read any HP characters in any pairings.

While I’m limited in what I write, because I’m not motivated to tell any stories which would contradict my earlier fic, my pet peeve is perhaps the way that, when choosing what to read, a lot of people have ruled out categories of fic according to contents or style (and here I don’t mean bad SPAG but techniques like first-person narration). I wish there were more reciprocity and that writers gave a chance to fic written by their (reviewing) readers.

I’ve learnt that this is not the way a lot of people see how fandom works or even should work. Still, I was surprised recently when someone pointed out that they’ve never clicked at the commentor’s name on AO3 to see if that reader has written fic. I always do that, hoping to find something I’d enjoy reading and reviewing in turn, and I’m often disappointed when the reader has no works in the HP fandom. And this year I’ve even read and reviewed a couple of fics in fandoms I knew nothing about.

I, too, stop reading when I see that the writer is not skilled, because I do not enjoy bad writing, and unlike in my first fandom home back in 2003, it’s obviously not acceptable to offer even private concrit to someone who hasn’t asked for it.


Which story/stories are you the most proud over and why?

I’m particularly proud of the novel, as it’s my main work (of seven years) and I still believe it’s good, deep and extensive, full of plot and worldbuilding while character-driven. (I haven’t reread it for more than a year now, though.) Even after the editing I did upon completing the fic, I can’t possibly be satisfied with the style in the early chapters. We’ll see if I end up revising them when I start posting that fic on AO3 (when I’ve posted all my post-hiatus short stories). That fic’s now only on my LiveJournal, here:

Remus Lupin and the Revolt of the Creatures

Otherwise, (just as I remember always being before the hiatus) I’m most proud of my most recent fic, and at the moment it is

Sharing Breaths (Amelia Bones/Nymphadora Tonks, PG-13).

And why? Because I’ve finally written the asexuality fic I’ve wanted to find and read. Because I’ve developed a pairing that nobody seems to have thought of. Because I’ve developed a character who appears only briefly in canon (and I’ve shown her in a few fics set in an earlier decade, but her character here works without the knowledge of that background, too). Because I’ve set her love story in the contexts of the time and canon and my earlier fic – my Remus’s life. Because I’ve covered five months but shown vivid scenes of interaction, emotion and setting…


With more distance, I now assess these two fics particularly worth being proud of:

Sense of Strategy (Severus, James, Peter, Poppy, Albus, Remus and Sirius)

Because of the multi-pov style, and my own take on a scenario which we’re only told about in canon and which must have been done countless time in fanfic.

The Angel of Charity or This Awfully Long Month (Remus/Sirius)

Because I’ve handled a hard month in Remus’s life, showing his characteristic resilience and him in interaction with various humans and some other creatures, too. Because I’ve worked on setting the story in magical and Muggle London of 1978.

Comments

[rhoda_rants]

I feel like a lot of people got into fic, and fandom culture in general, during the 3 Year Summer. I'd been writing fic before then, because I do have other fandoms, but that's when I started posting on HP forums and FF.net. There was just so much time to wait and speculation to be done!

On your peeve about clicking on commenters names and finding out they don't have anything in your fandom--yeah. I've recently discovered--and maybe this is just how fandom culture has changed since we ported everything over from LiveJournal and FF.net, I dunno--but there seems to be a more stark divide between Readers and Writers. And I have no idea why. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have had that experience lately, where people will spend most of their time either writing OR reading, but rarely doing both.

[paulamcg]

I entered just when the three-year summer ended :) However, speculation was still fun between OotP and HBP, and that’s what I enjoyed on discussion threads particularly in my first fandom month, before getting into writing and reading fic.

I’m glad you’ve worded my pet peeve anew. I really don’t want to complain about writers not reading and reviewing my fic, although, to be honest, I wish they did. It sounds better to say that I’m disappointed with my readers when they don’t write fic.

If the general divide between writers and readers is true, this makes me sad. On the other hand, it’s comforting to know that it can be a more general phenomenon – that it’s not only that my fic appeals only to non-writers. I can somehow relate to writers who don’t read much fic. For a couple of years before my hiatus I possibly read less and less, because I needed to devote my fandom time on finally completing my big fic. Still, I’d read at least fest fics written by those people who’d commented on my contribution, because I could expect enjoyable fic from people who enjoyed my story or appreciated my writing. And I don’t believe that most writers can be slower readers than I am. (I’m awfully slow.)

While the HP fandom is spread on various platforms (some of which I find confusing – like Tumblr), and I’ve enjoyed making friends on DW, I’ve felt it’s a pity that the fic is away from here, on AO3, and my DW friends seldom come there to have a look at my fic. Besides, they seem to avoid my fic posts here, too. Thanks to your observations, I now understand and can accept this more easily.

Still, I wish there could be a corner on DW where writers read and review each other’s stories. I suggested such a community in February, and I got some cautiously positive response here. The setback seems to be that people are not willing to read just anything. Another issue is that people want different types of feedback, but I still think the writer could make it clear in each header what kind of comments are welcome.

Thank you so much for commenting on this post and giving me a chance for further rambling!

[author_by_night]

I think part of the problem too is that because the fandom is so much smaller, it's harder to find people who want to read fic that you (universal "you") post. I actually always felt that on some level, I was never really thrilled about posting here because getting reviews from anyone was often a mixed bag, but I could still post on sites that had the sorts of fics I was reading and writing.

Besides... LJ/DW just don't seem to be that nerdy anymore. People are a lot more "real life" focused. So that also eliminates a lot of fanfic, because people aren't really doing fandom as much since they're really just focused on very pragmatic, real-world stuff to begin with. (And that's not even exclusive to fandom stuff. I've often felt that I would get more comments if I stuck to posting what I had for lunch instead of talking about how I know life isn't all a dream or the reality of living in a historic time period. But I'm here to talk exactly about that sort of stuff, not what I had for lunch. Sigh.)

And by the way, you're allowed to say you're disappointed. I hate the idea that you're not supposed to want reviews because "you write for you." No. Art is meant to be shared. It's only natural for us to want to know what other people thought.

[paulamcg]

Thank you so much for your comment! It’s wonderful to hear from someone who can relate.

I think it’s hard to know how the size of the HP fandom affects readership. In the small community where I started people were often willing to read anything as long as the writer was friendly. Of course, not everyone read my fic. I think I had about ten active readers, and that was just the right amount for intimacy and for varied response to my writing as well as for reciprocity. On Live Journal I could post on Remus/Sirius communities and genfic communites, and yes, it was easier to find people who were interested in my OTP or my kind of not-romance-focused fic.

Now what would the site be where there’d be people interested in my sort of fic? Tumblr? I still can’t figure out how it works. (I’ve made my first post – so that HP Femslash would reblog my fic, but I wonder if they’ll do it.)

People are a lot more "real life" focused. Perhaps the pandemia situation emphasises this. Even though I think I friended people who seemed to have some interest in HP fic, there’re more posts about baking in my feed these days than about fic :) And in my “real life” there’s more reading and writing than baking!

I absolutely agree with you: I’ve always solemnly declared that art (and I’ve boldly regarded my fiction as at least attempts at art) is finalised in the recipient’s interpretation. But I meant that I don’t want to complain about any particular writer, whose fic I’ve read and reviewed, having not cared to read mine (unless the writer promised to do so). I admit that again and again I get disappointed when I’ve had new hopes that I’ll hear what people – and particularly people who know something about good writing – think about my fic.

And again and again I end up having these conversation instead of discussing fic. Now I hope I’ll soon get to do the commenting I promised, although this week in my “real life” there’s too much packing to do!

I think you can find pauraque’s comment and rhoda_rants's further comment below interesting, too.

[rhoda_rants]

I can somehow relate to writers who don’t read much fic. For a couple of years before my hiatus I possibly read less and less, because I needed to devote my fandom time on finally completing my big fic.

I definitely write way more than I read these days. I can't handle longer works anymore. And it's not like I don't *read* anymore, just I can only deal with one-shots these days, with very rare exceptions. So much more of my fandom energy is devoted to my own work.

The setback seems to be that people are not willing to read just anything.

And then there's this. My tastes have only gotten more specific and particular over the years, and since HP has been around for literal decades now, I can only assume the rest of the fandom has gone in a similar direction. There's so much out there, we don't have time for stuff we just *kinda* like anymore. For better or worse. Finding good betas is just part of that, unfortunately.

[paulamcg]

I, too, hardly ever read chaptered fics. An exception can be a fic with only a few chapters by a writer with whom I’ve started making friends, and now recently I started following one WIP (by a writer who’d commented on a fic-related post of mine and started a long conversation) because I want to experience once again the thrill of interacting with the writer during the process. But otherwise I read only one-shots, and I prefer short ones. And (even though I sometimes – perhaps too often – mention my novel, including the link) I don’t cherish hopes that any writer will read a long fic by me. No, it’s one-shots I mean when I keep having hopes, if not expectations.

And yes, I must be an anomaly – as a Fandom Old in an old fandom – when I can say that I’d read anything. It’s partly nostalgia. Partly I’ve truly become more open for different stories (particularly ratings), as long as it’s well-written fic. And finally it’s that I care more about the interaction with the writers (the discussion on both their fic and my fic) than about anybody else’s stories besides the one I keep writing. Of course, I sometimes find fic that touches me and impresses me deeply (fic I wish I’d written:)) But I don’t think I can find such fic by limiting my reading by characters or pairing or genre. And in any well-written fic there’s something to enjoy and admire and comment on.

Oh, one more finally… Perhaps the real reason is that after my hiatus I’m a newbie again. I haven’t found too many good writers of my OTP or my favourite characters (such writers who'd be still around for conversation). I can understand that people who aren’t newbies are selective, and that people are particularly selective about what they care to beta.

[pauraque]

I've also felt there was something missing in my life during times when I wasn't active in fandom. The community aspect makes writing and reading in fandom rewarding to me in a way that writing and reading in other contexts isn't. When I finish reading a published novel, I often get the urge to leave feedback. Which of course I can write and share with other readers, but the author will never see it! I've found that writing professionally can feel a little unsatisfying in the same way. I might get some comments on my work from the editor or from a reviewer, but it all feels so... formal, I guess. I miss the intimacy and immediacy of fandom when I'm not in it.

[paulamcg]

The community aspect makes writing and reading in fandom rewarding Yes, exactly! Community is the word I’ve used a lot when talking about what’s made fanfic so important in my life. I failed to do so this time, so thank you for usng it!At some point before my hiatus, when some readers or non-fandom friends asked me when I’d write original fiction and try to publish it (to which I’ve said that my writing is mine and original enough, and that it’s posted publicly online), I realised I wasn’t eager to do that (what they meant), because it wouldn’t be as rewarding. But after my hiatus I still miss some of the intimacy and immediacy I experienced earlier – perhaps because there’s a new divide between readers and writers, as rhoda_rants suspects. That’s why I wonder if I should still consider doing something about the community idea I posted about in February here

[pauraque]

perhaps because there’s a new divide between readers and writers

Is it new, though? I wouldn't have thought so. I think there have always been a lot of people who read but and don't write much (or any) fic. Maybe what's changed is how they interact and make their voices heard. On LJ I knew a lot of people in HP fandom who didn't write fic but actively posted recs and meta. Even in the mailing list era, people maintained fan sites, rec sites, or fic archives, and became known for that. Not all of those people were writers. But some of the ways they used to contribute to fandom have become obsolete or much less visible, as the era of personal web sites and pairing-specific archives fades in the rear view mirror. That may make it more difficult for non-writers to feel fully integrated into the community.

As for writers not reading much, I think that's a cyclical thing. When people come to a new fandom, they usually read voraciously for a while, and then become more selective, reading only preferred characters, pairings, and authors. When they get interested in another fandom, the cycle begins again. HP is a well-established old fandom, and for many of us it's been a very long time since we had that New Fandom Energy pushing us to devour every HP fic we came across. But people who are just coming to the fandom still have it -- some mornings I wake up to find the same person has left kudos on five or ten of my HP fics in one day, and I would bet someone who does that has not been in the fandom for 20 years!

[paulamcg]

You’ve got such insight! Thank you for once again telling me about what I should have been aware of after my years in the fandom. I realise that my experience is limited (like everyone’s, but clearly more limited than yours). I think I knew only one or two readers on Livejournal who didn’t write fic, because I remember being surprised they didn’t write and discussing their reasons. Of course, there must have been more (on Remus/Sirius communities, too) but my readers were always typically writers themselves. (Maybe that’s why when I started getting kudos from people who had no works I suspected they hadn’t really read my fic, just clicked on kudos by mistake:) By the way, nowadays I do get a kudos notification email every day, but never ten kudos a day – yet?) Perhaps one more reason why non-writers don’t make their voices heard so much now is the possibility to only leave kudos, and never end up in conversation with writers.

You also make me remember that as soon as 2004 I started reading less on the forum, while I was looking for Remus fic elsewhere, then finding well-written genfic on Fiction Alley. On the forum I still supported a few beginners (also as a beta) and enjoyed starting discussion threads on topics of writing fiction, but in that community I had become the writer who didn’t read much. In my reply to rhoda_rants above, I’ve looked for explanations why I’m now an unselective (if not a voracious) reader. Perhaps I’m somehow a newbie again after my hiatus: I haven’t found many still-present writers of good fic about my favourite characters. Above all, I care more about the interaction with the writers – discussion on both their fic and mine – than about alternative versions of specifically these characters’ lives.

[pauraque]

Perhaps one more reason why non-writers don’t make their voices heard so much now is the possibility to only leave kudos, and never end up in conversation with writers.

Great point. Before AO3, most venues where people posted fic had no option to press a "like" button or similar. It was either leave a comment (or if you were reading on mailing lists, send an email) or nothing. I suspect a lot of the people who used to be largely invisible to writers because they didn't leave feedback are now people who leave kudos. It may be a limited form of interaction, but at least we know they're out there and reading!

Perhaps I’m somehow a newbie again after my hiatus

I had a similar experience, though my break from fandom wasn't as long as yours. When I came back, a lot of people I used to know had moved on, so I was motivated to get out there and look for "new" people (who often weren't new at all, I'd just never met them or read their work before). It did reset my reading habits to some extent, motivating me to read more widely.

[paulamcg]

a lot of the people who used to be largely invisible to writers because they didn't leave feedback are now people who leave kudos. You must be right. But maybe also some of those (non-writing) people who used to leave comments – or would now leave comments, if there were no kudos option – now never get replies from us, for whatever those are worth…

Thank you also for telling me how you ended up resetting your reading habits. It’s wonderful to know you can relate to the feeling of being a newbie anew. Thanks to wonderful comments and further comments, these posts always help me understand better my experiences – and other people’s experiences, too, I hope.

[kelly_chambliss]

Thank you for this detailed post! I love reading fandom meta, especially for writers whose work I like; we get such interesting insights into method and backstory.

I will also stop reading when I realize that a writer is unskilled. I don't mean that in a judgmental way; a lot of people write for fun, not craft, and that's fine. But as a teacher of literature, I'm basically a professional reader, and when I read for pleasure, I want to spend my time with someone who knows what they're doing.

[paulamcg]

Oh, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed reading this and left such a kind comment! I’ve thought I love fiction a lot more than meta, but it’s turned out rewarding to post something like this because this evokes conversation.

As a preschool teacher I’m not a professional reader but I rather interact with children when they learn while playing, having fun. Could that be one reason why I don’t write or read fanfic so much for fun only but to a great extent for the craft (or art). That’s why I’ve willingly read also not-so-enjoyable fic by unskilled writers when there’s been the chance and the challenge to offer suitable concrit and to encourage the writer to learn – while I’ve been learning, too.

I’ve praised you and expressed my gratitude before (this year again, on this journal), but I can’t resist adding something here, because pauraque above has pointed out that people usually start reading selectively when they are no longer newbies in the fandom. I was so fortunate that when I was completing and posting my big fic on LJ, you had enough of New Fandom Energy – as well as loyalty – so as to review every chapter. Yes, I’m proud that you were my reader, because I dare believe you also liked my work and trusted I knew what I was doing, even though I hadn’t been very skilled when writing the first chapters.

I’d like to read more about other writers’ methods and backstories – yours, too! Thank you again for reading and commenting!