The enemy's gate is down.
So if you read the article about fanfic from the Wall Street Journal yesterday, you perhaps noticed many things! Most of which I will not talk about, because I'm... tired of fandom being seen as this monolithic entity full of the worst stereotypes of what we are, and/or an extraordinary freak happenstance, like a solar eclipse where two white dudes are boning.
But here is one that I did notice!
Some authors' attitudes toward fan fiction are evolving. After spending years fending off fan fiction, and occasionally sending out "cease and desist" letters through his lawyer to block potential copyright violations, science-fiction novelist Orson Scott Card has started courting fan writers. Mr. Card, author of the best-selling "Ender's Game" series, is planning to host a contest for "Ender's Game" fan fiction this fall. Fans will be able to submit their work to his Web site. The winning stories will be published as an anthology that will become part of the official "canon" of the "Ender's Game" series.
"Every piece of fan fiction is an ad for my book," Mr. Card says. "What kind of idiot would I be to want that to disappear?"
Two things about that.
FIRST OF ALL, I am really intrigued by how OSC thinks he can DECIDE what would "become part of the official 'canon' of the 'Ender's Game' series." The idea that that's an author's choice is just... well, it's hilarious. Mostly because it assumes the author is in much more control of the fandom based on his/her works than is actually true. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU ANYMORE, BRO. THE FANDOM WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU.
(I was taking this survey on being in fandom (which as a side note, go take it! even though doing the math of how long you've been in fandom will make you feel old, jsyk, FIFTEEN YEARS JFC), and I went back in and find links to a bunch of posts I'd made on my feelings on fic, so I will just refer everyone back to this LJ entry I wrote in 2010, about how I see fic and fanart and etc. as a form of lit crit.)
Anyway, the other important part here is that people are submitting fic for OSC to decide what will be part of his official canon. Rephrase: there will be an open call for fic for noted homophobe Orson Scott Card to read to decide what will be part of his official canon.
So who's running the slashficathon to bombard him with queer-themed stories in the Enderverse? The article's been out over 24 hours, so I refuse to believe someone hasn't already started planning this.
In other fic-related news, Clark Gregg tweeted about loving Sharktopus and Sharktopus tweeted about loving Avengers, so basically what I'm saying is that someone should write the fic about SHIELD designing Sharktopus or rescuing Sharktopus or possibly about how he becomes an Avenger.
Normally I'd say it should be me, but I'm already working on a story which involves a color-coded excel spreadsheet, and I do not have enough colors left for Sharktopus to be in this one.
Cross-posted at http://fox1013.dreamwidth.org/94269.html. Comment wherever you feel more comfortable.
But here is one that I did notice!
Some authors' attitudes toward fan fiction are evolving. After spending years fending off fan fiction, and occasionally sending out "cease and desist" letters through his lawyer to block potential copyright violations, science-fiction novelist Orson Scott Card has started courting fan writers. Mr. Card, author of the best-selling "Ender's Game" series, is planning to host a contest for "Ender's Game" fan fiction this fall. Fans will be able to submit their work to his Web site. The winning stories will be published as an anthology that will become part of the official "canon" of the "Ender's Game" series.
"Every piece of fan fiction is an ad for my book," Mr. Card says. "What kind of idiot would I be to want that to disappear?"
Two things about that.
FIRST OF ALL, I am really intrigued by how OSC thinks he can DECIDE what would "become part of the official 'canon' of the 'Ender's Game' series." The idea that that's an author's choice is just... well, it's hilarious. Mostly because it assumes the author is in much more control of the fandom based on his/her works than is actually true. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU ANYMORE, BRO. THE FANDOM WAS NEVER ABOUT YOU.
(I was taking this survey on being in fandom (which as a side note, go take it! even though doing the math of how long you've been in fandom will make you feel old, jsyk, FIFTEEN YEARS JFC), and I went back in and find links to a bunch of posts I'd made on my feelings on fic, so I will just refer everyone back to this LJ entry I wrote in 2010, about how I see fic and fanart and etc. as a form of lit crit.)
Anyway, the other important part here is that people are submitting fic for OSC to decide what will be part of his official canon. Rephrase: there will be an open call for fic for noted homophobe Orson Scott Card to read to decide what will be part of his official canon.
So who's running the slashficathon to bombard him with queer-themed stories in the Enderverse? The article's been out over 24 hours, so I refuse to believe someone hasn't already started planning this.
In other fic-related news, Clark Gregg tweeted about loving Sharktopus and Sharktopus tweeted about loving Avengers, so basically what I'm saying is that someone should write the fic about SHIELD designing Sharktopus or rescuing Sharktopus or possibly about how he becomes an Avenger.
Normally I'd say it should be me, but I'm already working on a story which involves a color-coded excel spreadsheet, and I do not have enough colors left for Sharktopus to be in this one.
Cross-posted at http://fox1013.dreamwidth.org/94269.html. Comment wherever you feel more comfortable.