Katie Kawa - A Modern Nerds Guide to Fan Fiction

Words in the glossary appear in bold type the first time they are used in the text.

Please visit our website, www.garethstevens.com. For a free color catalog of all our high-quality books, call toll free 1-800-542-2595 or fax 1-877-542-2596.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kawa, Katie.

Title: A modern nerds guide to fan fiction / Katie Kawa.

Description: New York : Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2020. | Series: Geek out! | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781538240144 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538240168 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538240151 (6 pack)

Subjects: LCSH: Fan fiction--Authorship--Juvenile literature. | Fan fiction--History and criticism--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC PN3377.5.F33 K39 2020 | DDC 808.3--dc23

First Edition

Published in 2020 by

Gareth Stevens Publishing

111 East 14th Street, Suite 349

New York, NY 10003

Copyright 2020 Gareth Stevens Publishing

Designer: Sarah Liddell

Editor: Abby Badach Doyle

Photo credits: Cover, pp. 1, 23 Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com; texture used throughout StrelaStudio/ Shutterstock.com; p. 5 Daniel Zuchnik/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; p. 7 Noam Galai/ Contributor/WireImage/Getty Images; p. 8 Flamingo Images/Shutterstock.com; p. 9 Neilson Barnard/Staff/ Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; p. 11 PYMCA/Contributor/Universal Images Group/Getty Images;p. 12 Sharaf Maksumov/Shutterstock.com; pp. 13, 19 wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com; p. 15 VGstockstudio/ Shutterstock.com; p. 16 Sunset Boulevard/Contributor/Corbis Historical/Getty Images; p. 17 WeAre/Shutterstock.com; p. 22 Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com; p. 25 Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com; p. 28 ANURAK PONGPATIMET/ Shutterstock.com; p. 29 Johnny Louis/Contributor/FilmMagic/Getty Images.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Printed in the United States of America

CPSIA compliance information: Batch #CS19GS: For further information contact Gareth Stevens, New York, New York at 1-800-542-2595.

WHAT IF?

What if Captain America and Wonder Woman were friends? What if the Harry Potter books ended differently? What if Ben Solo never became Kylo Ren in the Star Wars movies?

It can be fun to think about how youd answer these kinds of questions about the books, movies, and TV shows you love. Some people have so much fun imagining these new stories that they write them down and share them with other fans. This kind of writing, which is created by fans but uses famous characters and settings, is called fan fiction. Keep reading to learn more about this popular part of fandom!

EVERY FAN IS DIFFERENT!

Some people have written hundreds of their own pieces of fan fiction, while other fan fiction writers have only written one story. Many fans dont write fan fiction at all. They only read other peoples fan fiction, or they dont read any. Every fan is different, and they should all be treated with respect.

Many fan fiction writers and readers proudly call themselves nerds. A nerd, or geek, is someone who cares a lot about something, such as a book, movie, video game, or even a sports team!

NOTHING NEW

People have been writing fan fiction for hundreds of years! Some people argue that the famous British writer William Shakespeare wrote his own kind of fan fiction based on other writers work. The earliest kinds of fan fiction were often meant to be shared with a wide audience.

The kind of fan fiction people read today, which is usually shared only with other fans, started to get popular in the late 1960s. At that time, fans of the TV show Star Trek began writing their own stories about the shows characters, which were published in fan magazines known as zines.

WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?

Fan fiction has been around for a long time, and its gone by many different names throughout its history. Today, its often written as fanfiction, and its sometimes shortened to fanfic. Many writers and readers have made that even shorter and often call the stories theyre reading fics.

Most fan fiction authors today only write for fun, much like the early Star Trek fans did. However, some writers fan fiction has been turned into famous plays, books, or movies!

IS IT LAWFUL?

Some creators dont like or agree with fan fiction. However, since most people dont profit from fan fiction, many creators dont get mad that people are using their characters to make new stories. Today, there are laws that didnt exist in Shakespeares time about using other peoples ideas as your own. These are called copyright laws. Some people have argued that fan fiction goes against these laws.

Most people, though, believe fan fiction isnt about stealing anyones work to claim it as your own. Its about people responding to the original because theyre inspired by it. They believe this makes sharing fan fiction legal, or allowed.

Joss Whedon, who has directed movies such as The Avengers, supports fan fiction. He once said, Art isnt your petit s your kid. It grows up and talks back to you.

THEYRE NOT MINE!

Some writers put a disclaimer at the beginning of their fics. A disclaimer is a formal way of saying, These characters arent mine! The legal part of fan fiction can be confusing, so its helpful to talk to a trusted adult about any questions you have.

A NEW POINT OF VIEW

Fan fiction uses familiar characters to tell new stories. Those stories often have a new point of view. Many fanfic writers take characters who were in the background of the original story and make them the main characters. They often do this with characters from groups who might not always get the spotlight, such as women.

In fan fiction, anyone can be the hero of a story. This kind of writing is about giving many different kinds of people a voice. Fanfic is written by men and women from many different races, backgrounds, and ages. In the world of fan fiction, everyone has a story to tell!

ALL LOVE STORIES ARE WELCOME

Fan fiction allows fans to create the love stories they want to see. In a popular kind of fic called slash, a male character falls in love with another male character. Many other fics feature two women falling in love. All kinds of love stories are welcome in the world of fanfic!

Fans dont look the same or come from the same background. Theyre all unique, and fan fiction is a way for them to tell their stories using characters they know and love.