I attempted to contact researchers and experts within the Transcultural Fandom for expert feedback on my intervention of comparing fanfic with original literature, but up till now nobody was available for an online chat for work, life and health reasons. So I extended my scope of researchers and managed to reach a professor of fandom studies from University of Novi Sad—–Prof. Bojana Vujin.
The professor explained that fanfiction mostly focused on specific characters and original fiction focused on literary techniques. As my stakeholders were all in original writing communities, it wasn’t hard for them to decipher this.
This explained what Prof. Henry Jenkins said during our interview: “What’s so good about fanfic is so much of it is bad. it creates a space where you can be bad and get better.” If I look at this result from a more holistic perspective, it does alter how I evaluate the results in a positive way.
Bonus: one of the stakeholders contacted me afterwards and told me she had started to read fantasy-based fanfics. Which was an astonishing surprise for me. Interventions do give the feedback that you are not aware of.
Because my last intervention is based on his works, I sent an interview invitation to Mr. James Riley in hopes of gaining his feedback. (I sent the same email twice on 11.27 and 11.29)
AND HE REPLIED!!!!!
Although Mr.Riley wasn’t able to participate, it was still really exciting to receive an email from one of my favorite authors.
“Dear Writers” proved to be a fruitful intervention and managed to reduce fanfiction’s marginalization by showing one evidence that it is beyond its stereotype. Although the change is tiny, it is still a change.
I interviewed Sherry Liu, fellow cohort of MAAI and also an avid fanfic reader and writer.
CONTENT: Sherry started her fanfic writing journey by watching the first movie of Spiderman in 2017. Mesmorized by the plot and a lot of the memes in the story, and the way it linked to the Ironman movies in the Marvel Universe. Being an original writer initially, she found the “shipping”(fans writing romantic stories between Spiderman and Ironman) intriguing and started writing fan stories herself and posting them online. Writing fanfiction was a psychological sanctuary for her as it is for me. She used to check for comments on her posts online during math classes in high school, and it kept her happy during a stressful period at work.
“One of the best things about being a fanfic writer for so long is that I forget about the fics I write,” Sherry laughs. “I would go back to some of the characters I shipped several years back, come across a fic that I really enjoy and suits my flavors completely, and then find out that I wrote it myself!!”
She states that fanfiction is an outlet for her emotions when school and work gets unbearably stressful. She explained that this creative freedom wouldn’t be possible if she was doing this as professional work rather than a hobby.
I showed her my intervention of comparing fanfiction to actual literature. “I really like the idea, but I’m not really surprised that most of your stakeholders could tell the difference between the two. The ultimate reason for writing fanfic is that people have love for one or two specific characters. Unlike original fiction, which starts on worldbuilding and backgrounds of main protagonists and antagonists, fanfic is more likely going to focus on one specific plot and dimm the stories of other characters, so readers can immediately tell the difference.”
REFLECTION: Sherry’s journey highlights the emotional and creative sanctuary fanfiction provides. Her experiences reflect how writing fanfiction can be a deeply personal and emotionally driven activity.fostering a deep connection to characters. Her humorous realization of rediscovering her own work demonstrates how personal and immersive fanfiction is, showcasing its ability to offer not just escapism but also a sense of accomplishment and creativity.
EVALUATION:
I was deeply inspired by Sherry’s passion and enthusiasm for retelling stories about the characters she loved, which highlighted the unique focus of fanfiction on specific characters and plots. Unlike original literature, fanfiction often prioritizes emotional connections and personal expression, offering a creative outlet free from the pressures of professional expectations. Her feedback on my intervention validated why stakeholders could distinguish between fanfiction and original works, reinforcing the idea that fanfiction is rooted in love for existing narratives rather than extensive worldbuilding.
Sherry’s experiences further emphasized the emotional and creative freedom that fanfiction provides. It serves as a therapeutic outlet, allowing writers to reclaim control over narratives and channel their emotions into storytelling. Moreover, her insights reflected the communal nature of fanfiction, where shared passion fosters a sense of belonging and motivation. These perspectives align closely with my project’s goals, showcasing fanfiction as not just an artistic medium but also a powerful tool for emotional empowerment and creative growth.
I interviewed Prof. Henry Jenkins, and he provided an excellent insight that changed my initial view of fanfiction and the fandom.
HIGHLIGHTS
“When you write fanfic. Are you trying to do art? Mostly not. And I think that’s what’s so good about fanfic is so much of it is bad. I say that because it creates a space where you can be bad and get better. You can be bad, get feedback, get better, and that makes it a more democratized art form.
And it also motivates you because you read a piece of bad fanfic, and you say, well, I can write better than that. Whereas if you read Moby Dick, you don’t say that. Or if you watch The Godfather, you don’t say, I can make a better movie than that.”
If you’re in a world where only the very best gets released, which is the world of mass media. It doesn’t create incentives for us to create art. Whereas participatory culture depends on there being bad art that we can push beyond. Yeah. Definitely. To have a space to be bad and improve. And both of those are key parts, I think, of fan fiction.”
——Prof. Henry Jenkins
REFLECTION: Henry was very down-to-earth in our talk and he really nailed at saying what makes fanfiction unique to people within the fandom. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about having the freedom to mess up, learn, and get better. Fanfiction lets anyone try their hand at storytelling, no matter their skill level, and that’s what makes it so empowering and fun.
EVALUATION: It’s easier to be creative if we focus on creating “bad art” as a starting point. This creates a safe space where people can grow and experiment, making fanfiction a unique and inclusive way to spark creativity and tell stories.
EXPERT INTRODUCTION:
Henry Jenkins is a renowned media scholar and cultural critic, best known for his work on participatory culture, convergence culture, and fan studies. He is a professor at the University of Southern California and the author of numerous influential books, including “Convergence: The Future of Media” and “Fandom: Identities and Communities in the Age of the Internet.” Jenkins’ research explores how media technologies and fan communities shape our understanding of culture and identity.
BONUS: being invited to join the Transcultural Fandom of East Asia, a group of researchers of fan studies that Mr.Jenkins is recruiting along his travels. The aim of the Fandom is to broadcast the voice of the East-Asian fandom (Mr.Jenkins mentioned that he had fallen in love with Shanghai based fandom, which he thinks is the most vibrant and creative and engaging fan culture in the world). I was overjoyed to be invited. I really look forward to being with a group of researchers and looking at their direction of work. Because it’s definitely gonna be different than simply investigating alone on this area.
(Definition: Narrative inquiry records the experiences of an individual or small group, revealing the lived experience or particular perspective of that individual, usually primarily through interview which is then recorded and ordered into a chronological narrative.)
Feeling that this type of method was the best way to gather qualitative info from an interview, I used this method for Leah’s interview.
Leah Holmes is a London-based PhD student at Bath Spa University, specialising in anime and manga, fandom, and cultural studies. Her MPhil thesis is about the history of UK anime fandom and talks about hostility and resistance from wider society.
