Fan Fiction and the Real Girl
As I have said in a previous blog, it has been my goal this year to read more. I have accomplished this. I have read way more than I did last year. Also next year one of my goals is to do every single homework from the Nerdette Podcast so that will require me to read a ton more. However one thing that has stuck more than anything else is fan fiction.
I can’t tell you when I started reading fan fiction, but I can tell you how I got started. I read an article on MSN about fan fiction, and they talked about how this particular work of fan fiction was even better than the work it was based off of, which was Twilight. It was called Wide Awake and imagine my surprise that it was a lot of people’s gateway drug into fan fiction. Since then I have probably read over a thousand stories. Most of them are Twilight. Occasionally I will branch off into Harry Potter or even Supernatural. But for some reason Twilight has always felt like home to me as far as fan fiction goes.
The Twilight fandom also paved the way for a lot of people who wouldn’t normally have gotten published to actually be published. Snow Queens Ice Dragon, or as you guys know her as E.L James burst onto the scene with her 50 Shades of Gray books. This further expanded the universe for people. Say what you want about those books (I read the initial one when it was still a fan fiction), she helped show the publishing world that there are other ways to find new talent. It also helped to show the world new voices and new genres of works. I wanted to write here that gay shape shifting animals chopping wood is a new genre, but then I thought of Anita Blake. It’s totally not a new genre.
Anyway, with this post today I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite fan fictions and authors.
Debra Anastasia – Fire Down Below
Crack fiction is a type of fan fiction not a lot of people rock with. In crack fiction (crackfic) the sky can be green. Your favorites are doing everything completely out of character (ooc) everything is silly and depending on how you feel about it is enough to make you bust a gut. Debra (Ms. Anastasia if you nasty) burst on the scene with the hilarious story of Gynazole, a crackfic featuring all of our Twilight friends. Fast forward a few years and Debra Anastasia is a published author with several books under her belt, most notably the Poughkeepsie series. I lost touch with her on twitter several years ago, but recently made contact again, as I was reminiscing about Gynazole to some friends, and they informed me that she published it under the name Fire Down Below. I went ahead and purchased it, and the second book, and spent the next few days howling laughing. I was doubled over with tears in my eyes at the hilarious antics of Dove Glitch. I now keep bugging Debra to make a third book. I’m fairly certain she is going to block me on twitter any day now.
Twist and Shout – Supernatural Fan Fiction
Over here at Geeky Girl’s Guide to Life, all three of us are Supernatural fans. Kim was the one who encouraged me to watch, and it took some years but I finally did. Rebekah…girl, I am not even going to go there. She is a fanatic. They have both been to cons, and that is how they actually ended up meeting in person. Like I said before I typically stick to Twilight fan fiction, and I am not entirely sure what possessed me to read this one. But I am so glad I do. This fan fiction (which is a Destiel paring) took my heart out of my chest, squeezed it and put it back in. To refresh myself I re-read it a couple of days ago, and my husband found me laying face down on my desk sobbing. I don’t even know where to begin with this. Dean and Castiel are heartwarming and refreshing with true conflicts that match the age in which this store was placed (the 1960’s-80’s). Make sure you have tissues on hand if you pick this up.
So look. I struggled to add this fan fiction. It is going to sound ridiculous because I have read it multiple times. It keeps me entertained. However, I am not a huge fan of the characters. I can’t decide if it is because of Edward, the religion, or what. However, I do know that I would be remiss in not adding it. It is a well written story. The characters are well fleshed out. But “The Cannabean Way” makes me so irrationally angry. LET THESE WOMEN LIVE! Stop being a spoiled bitch because you didn’t get to have sex Edward. STOP HOLDING OUT ON INFORMATION THAT BELLA NEEDS CHARLIE. Man, I hate the Cannabean religion. It isn’t even a real religion, and I hate it. Read this story. Then message me.
Look. Lissa Bryan did her homework. The history in this story is impeccable. This story was one of the things that helped me realize that I enjoy historical fiction. I enjoy the eventual love that Bella and Edward share. The mini stories that play out in this story are also wonderful. I didn’t know any of this history before reading this work. There is a part two to this, but it is unfinished. I have spoken with the author, and she does plan to get back into it. She just has some things going on right now. I can’t wait.
So these are just a few of the ones that enjoy. Do you read fan fiction? Are there any that you recommend? Have any of your favorite authors been published?
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