I'm currently writing my first fan fiction story! And I've already published the first six chapters! Hurray! Only 10 or 20 more to follow...OK, it's bloody hard work but brilliant fun. People actually read fan fiction and I noticed how in that respect it’s more rewarding than blogging or script-writing.
It’s amazing, people actually demand you to write your story, to finish it, to put the next chapter up asap. It's called a Story Alert. As a reader, you are notified when an author you like has published a new piece of work. But it works both ways- the author is notified as well when someone is alerting their stories. I know for sure there's at least ten people out there who are biting their nails in anticipation for my next chapter (that's how I like to picture it anyway). Believe it or not, it's actually important for a writer that someone is reading their work. And if it it's just one person. Someone else has to read it. Imagine a baker whose cakes no one is eating, a painter whose paintings no one is looking at, a celebrity whose reality TV show no one is watching...you get the idea. You feel like an ice pick in the dessert. Totally useless.
But not in the world of FF.
Writing fan fiction is also such a refreshing experience because it's free from any professional pressure or expectations. I don't want to sell it because it's nor for sale, I don't need to pitch it to anyone as I just press 'publish' and the job's done, there's no competition as reading someone else's work is just as much fun as coming up with your own story. In short, the geeky world of FF is an appreciative and safe one. And one of the best parts of it is the instant feedback you're getting from your 'audience'. Not much can make my day like another raving story review.
In case you're wondering my choice of fiction is Star Trek- The Original Series. It should be noted that I'm not a 'dressing in a yellow Starfleet Uniform, going to a convention and trying to get William Shatner's autograph with 500 people ahead of you in the queue' kind of Trekkie. I'm more of a 'having the Science insignia tattooed on your forearm' kind of fan. But as the word count is already working against me, the reason why I love Trek should be the subject for another blog.
Anyway, I never knew such a thing like fan fiction existed until I came across it coincidentally when browsing the internet. I can't quite remember how by researching a possible PHD subject I ended up on a page called OrionPress but there you go...
Now, I also believed until that point that Slash is either one of two things: the guitarist in Guns'n'Roses or a punctuation mark that you either use in between two subjects that are somehow listed/or are related to one another. It also means homoerotic fan fiction and I quickly realised that Kirk/Spock (romantic fiction) stories are very strange and not my cup of tea at all and that Kirk&Spock (friendship and adventure fiction) is more like it and stays true to what was initially intended for those characters.
Interestingly, one of the many things we own to Star Trek is fan fiction itself. Already during its initial run on NBC from 1966-1969 fans were picking up on the endless possibilities the Trek Universe was offering to tell stories that were science-fiction and utopian but at the same time deeply grounded in our realty due to the human (and Vulcan) characters. But when the series hit syndication in the early 1970's the Star Trek Universe really started to manifest itself in our world: conventions, marathon viewing sessions, fan memorabilia and fan fiction became the pillars of a Trekkie's life. Dozens of fanzine's were published mainly around the USA but also in Europe. Well-known science-fiction authors were providing the content, alongside amateur writers. You can imagine what the invention of the World Wide Web meant for this sub-culture: the printed 'zines gradually disappeared but the stories multiplied and became accessible more easily. Now, anyone, anywhere at anytime can publish their stories instantly. For most of us, that's 3 AM in the morning for some reason. Probably, because that's when you've got time to do it.
'Look, we're in it!'
What is fascinating (!) about FF is the fact that a considerable large amount of it is of such a high standard, it makes you wonder why the writers aren't published. An American mother of three (that is not her pen name, but her self-description) is my favourite author. Another one I like is a Russian who writes some of the best English I've ever read. But writers do get published sometimes- my American idol told me recently that one of her stories was picked up by a fanzine. That's wonderful news, as those brilliant writers deserve all the kudos they can get. But that's the point with FF you see- people don't write because they have ambitions to be recognised outside the scene or to become famous. Everyone's got a pen name for starters. The motivation is to pay respect to the fiction you love by creating your own stories and to share those with like-minded fans. It's purely writing for writing sake's. It's total freedom. FF is the one-night stand of creative writing. No strings attached.
Oh, and if you think there's only Star Trek, Harry Potter or Twilight FF- wrong! Stories are written (and read) as we speak about any possible film or TV series you can imagine, including Perry Mason, Baywatch, Roseanne and Dad's Army. No? Yes!
Fascinating indeed. With a raised eyebrow.
'Why would anyone subject David Hasselhoff to a literary treatment? Highly illogical!'
What’s Going On?
We Are The Mods trailer success
The trailer for my 2010 mod documentary We Are The Mods has now over 10 000 hits on YouTube.
Pandora’s Box PromoRecently I’ve done a short promo for the excellent Pandora’s Box event in Shoreditch, East-London. Pandora’s Box is a great night that showcases female poets and musicians.
New documentary- We Are The People
The English language version of my new documentary about the groundbreaking and independent internet channel fluegel.tv in Germany is now online.
I’d like to close by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with a quote from the wonderful Frank Capra Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life: ‘No man is a failure who has friends.’
