It's almost summer time. School is out, and all the television shows are on hiatus. So what is there to do when you are hiding inside in the AC avoiding the extreme summer heat?
I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite pastimes: fan fiction. If you already read fan fictions, then you know what I am about to talk about. Fan fiction is great to read and it is a great way to practice writing.
The two sites that I frequent are Fanfiction.net and Archiveofourown.com. There are several other forums to enjoy a good fan fiction, but these two are my favorite.
What is fan fiction? Fan fiction is fan created stories about the characters that they enjoy. There is fan fiction for everything from movies to YouTube celebrities and everything in between.
Who can write fan fiction? Anyone who loves the characters in a television show, play, book or movie can write a story using those characters.
A particular group of stories surrounding a set of characters is called a fandom. I have written for the Psych, Numbers, Doctor Who and NCIS fandoms.
Can't you get in trouble using a television character that is owned by someone else? Yeah, there are a few people that get a little snippy about using their characters, but most places realize that fan fiction is something that keeps the buzz about a show growing and most stories you will see they have a disclaimer that they are only writing for entertainment and will make no money off of their stories. It really is a win-win for fans and creators.
One thing you need to remember when you find a fandom and start to read is fan fiction has its own language and you need to understand that language or you may be caught off guard.
Cannon — This term references the general storyline of the fandom. Like NCIS Gibbs is the boss of a bunch of NCIS agents. The stories that stick with cannon will use the same premise of that show.
OC — Original Character meaning a character the author created.
OOC — Out Of Character meaning that they are going to write something that will be completely out of character for the person they are writing about. For instance, you find a story where Gibbs from NCIS is scared and cries, that can be considered OOC for him.
AU — Alternate Universe. Like OOC, this means that the characters in the story are in a totally different setting than the original storyline. For instance, I read a NCIS fan fiction that took place in ancient Rome. Same characters, but in a totally different environment.
UA — Universe Alteration. That is when the similar to what is seen on television but with the author's additions.
SHIP — This is when they pair two characters romantically. This can go along the cannon of the fandom, but not always.
Slash — This means that there are going to be love scenes with two male characters. If you see Femslash then that is a love scene with two female characters.
PWP — This stands for Porn without Plot. Meaning that this story is going to be a lot of intense love scenes with very little storyline. So, using NCIS again, if you come to a story with the warning OC, Slash, with the ship name Tibbs then you will be reading a story of romantic love between Gibbs and Tony with moments where both characters will not act like themselves.
Fluff — Just a happy, feel good story.
Whump — Injury to a character. You will notice that usually there are certain characters that authors like to Whump the most. If a person loves to read and seeks out stories where the character has to overcome injury then they are called whump hounds.
Prompt — This means the author got the idea from a story prompt posted by a fellow author. It is common to see LJ prompt on stories. That means the idea for the story was given to the author by someone on Live Journal which is another fan fiction site.
Fanfiction.net stories are rated K, K+, T, and M. K and K+ are good for anyone to read, T is probably okay for any age to read. M rating may be for sexual content or it may be for intense violence or graphic depictions of violence.
Every site for fan fiction has some sort of rating system. Some sites if the rating is too high you actually have to click something where you promise you are over 18. They will only rate a story explicit if a child under 18 should not read it. You can imagine the reasons why a story would get that rating.
That covers the basics of fan fiction. It is a whole world of its own with some truly gifted writers as well as some not-so-gifted. There are stories that could easily be turned into a script (fan fiction has been used for scripts in several fandoms) and some with storylines that are just laughable, I read one NCIS story where Gibbs was truly a Centaur that was shamed from his herd. Needless to say, they can get a little weird.
As you struggle this summer with things to do, take a few minutes to explore the wonderful world of fan fiction. You won't be disappointed.
If you're looking for your first dose of fan fiction, you can find me writing about my favorite shows. I started writing fan fiction when I decided to go back to college and wanted a place to practice my story telling skills. My writing has thankfully improved dramatically since I started college. Have fun in your favorite fandom.
