Certain television shows, certain films, even certain novels seem to cry out for someone to elaborate on this or that character’s trait; to more deeply explore a relationship only hinted at; to fill in the blanks left tantalizingly between the lines of dialogue. And so was born "fanfiction."
Readers gravitate to seeing their favorite characters in new or different situations, situations that time and script constraints don’t allow. What happens after the credits roll? What was that look exchanged between Wilson and House? What gives Cuddy and House the hint of intimacy that is ever present in their heated exchanges? Readers of fanfiction ("fanfic" for short) gobble it up, wanting ever more. For fanfiction writers, these sorts of questions provide fertile ground for exploration. But writing (especially good writing) requires time and commitment; devotion to the craft, as it were. People write fanfiction for lots of reasons; some write to hone their own writing chops; using someone else’s characters and backdrop helps them focus on dialogue and developing points of view, writing situations, etc. Some simply like to play with the characters, hopefully leaving them unharmed, writing for the simple pleasure of exploring intriguing characters and placing them in altered settings. Some do it because fanfiction allows the sort of instant gratification and feedback that is simply not possible writing original fiction in more mainstream venues.
Some of us have been imagining movie, television, and literary characters in other settings since long before someone coined the phrase. Namaste (and I'm only using pen names in this article), who is one of the most respected writers in the House fanfiction community, explains, “I think I was into fanfiction before I knew it existed. Back in the days before the Internet—way back, like in the 1970s—my friends and I used to make up stories related to our favorite shows: the original runs of The Rookies, Emergency, Starsky & Hutch, you name it.” In the days before the Internet, there were “fanzines,” which were filled with fanfiction and shared within the fandoms of television series like The Man from UNCLE and Star Trek.
People write fanfiction about movies, comic books, anime, video games, novels, and of course, television. The mega-site FanFiction.Net archives stories of every genre—and every quality—from the embarrassingly terrible to the virtually professional. It is the variety that is really astonishing. For example, there are more than 344,000 stories about the characters and plots of the Harry Potter novel series and 15,000 fanfics about Pirates of the Caribbean. Pop culture icons are not the only subjects fertile for fan-fictional treatment. Monty Python, the Marx Brothers, even the very serious film Schindler’s List have their fanfiction devotees represented on FanFiction.Net.I first encountered the term “fanfiction” at a science fiction convention I was coerced into attending about 18 years ago. I laughed sarcastically at the idea of writing stories about television characters for no other reason but to share them with other fans. “Waste of time,” I grumbled derisively as I walked among the costume-clad Klingons, Romulans, and Tatooinians as my friends scattered off to fanfiction workshops and panel discussions.
Article comments
1 - Susanne
Brilliant as always Barbara!
I have thought about everything that you have said in your reviews and went back to my english literature teachings in University and I have come to realise that I agree with you and I am enjoying this season but I hope to see more reflective and angst moments.
Wonderful.
2 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks Susanne,
Like you, I'm hoping for more reflective moments to come.
3 - Tall Writer
Outstanding article. I'm a big House fan and can't get enough of it. Thanks for the references near the end. Hugh Laurie is amazing.
4 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks, Tall Writer. I completely agree that Hugh Laurie is indeed amazing.
barbara
5 - sgr11
Great article!! It encompassed so much!! And so many of the reasons why we love House and fanfiction, our motivations for writing it and our reasons for reading it! Well done!
6 - Orange450
I loved your article! I'd never heard of fanfiction before I became addicted to House. After reading a few stories on the Fox forum, I was impressed by the dedication of the very prolific authors there. But it wasn't until seeing "Need to Know" three times that I felt compelled to write one of my own (and I'd never written any multi-chapter fiction before)! So I wanted to add a reason to your list, above.
One very important reason to write fanfiction is to ensure that the storyline goes the way you want it to :) Since the House production staff had decided that Stacy had to leave, I took matters into my own hands last year, and wrote my own version of a series finale in which House and Stacy end up together (my action takes place some years out, allowing for a few more seasons). Now I can rest easy, knowing that whatever may happen in canon - I've provided myself with the ending that I want to see!
7 - Jet in Columbus
It's nice to see fan fiction put in a good light. We're not actually plagarizing as much as trying to bring closure to a story that for whatever reason wasn't closed. In my case I wrote a fanfiction closing to Brokeback Mountain giving my version on how Ennis DelMar went on after Jack's death. Now that Heath has gone, it was the only way to feel closure to a story that touched me so deeply.
I also expanded Annie's original very short story in the New Yorker, and the loose ends left by the movie by fleshing out the characters and their motives and inner thoughts before presenting my own end to the story at Ennis' death in 2006. Including his daugher's wedding, Ennis is accused of Jack's murder, etc.
Any and all interested are welcome to click here
8 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks, all (except, I think OMGSTFU). Jet, you're right that we're not really plagiarizing so much as lovingly borrowing the objects our affection. My favorite type of fanfiction to write (and read, I suppose) is the sort that explores the deeper thoughts and motivations of my character(s). I love to get into their heads and allow them to express emotions they might not otherwise be able to express.
barbara
9 - hl_lover
Did a troll leave you a comment, Barbara? Glad to see whatever trash he/she had to say was removed.
Thanks for this look into the psyche of what makes fanfiction writers tick. It's important, I think, for people to realize that it's a broad crosscut through the fandom who writes...not just starstruck teenagers, and that the writing can be phenomenally good, exceeding the quality of some of the novels thrown out yearly by published 'popular' authors who routinely make the bestseller lists.
Good job! :)
10 - Barbara Barnett
Thanks HL_L. I agree that some fanfiction is better written than a lot of published work. It's surprising (or maybe not so much) that many House fanfiction writers are mature adults, and their writing shows it.
11 - Alice Jester
Thanks for trying to tackle this complex fan phenomenon. You made many great points about the time and commitment it takes to create these stories, and why we love our characters. I like how you got comments from actual writers, and I loved you sharing your tales of writing in the X-Files days.
I do have a constructive nitpick, for this article did have a slant. As someone who has been very active in the House fanfic community for a few years, it’s a splintered fandom. Your examples used quotes from writers that like to explore primarily House/Wilson or House/Cuddy. There is also a huge contingent out there that long for well written stories featuring the secondary characters of Chase, Cameron, and Foreman. Many of those stories aren’t ship oriented either, but are gen fics that raise genuine issues these characters must face. Those stories are in pretty high demand (I know from experience).
A huge part of the fandom loves these characters, and feels slighted by the way the show has discarded them this season. The media also seems to have slighted these characters, even though they were singing their praises for three seasons. New stories also are emerging all the time about the new team as well, and they weren’t mentioned at all here. Also, I noticed the member counts that you used were on livejournal, which are communities geared toward shippers (the Chase/Cameron site BTW has 531 members). Another accurate count is story searches by character on ff.net.
Anyway, nitpicks aside, I did like the article. Thanks again for writing it, and add IT Professional to the career list!
12 - Barbara Barnett
Hi Alice. Thanks for your insightful comments. You are quite correct that there are several camps of House fanfic fans and writers--and not all of them "ship." I've even written a couple of "general" fanfiction stories (although I'm a confessed Cuddy/House shipper). I used the Live Journal stats as examples. And I would not want to diminish the other parts of the fandom at all.
I will add IT pro to that ever-growing list of professional folk who write fanfic.