Fandom at the Crossroads - a review

[hells_half_acre]

I just finished reading Fandom at the Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships by Lynn Zubernis and Katherine Larson (AKA the two lovely ladies who write Fangasm!)

I had bought it for myself (shipped up from the states no less) as a housewarming present. Because I'm the type of person that buys myself books as gifts instead of more practical things like clothes. It cost me a pretty penny, but it was worth it. (I also bought myself a Moriar Tea mug.) 

It's a really interesting book. The first 2/3 is about the psychology of fandom, specifically the psychology of female-dominated fandom and fanfic. I never studied psychology, which I think might be part of the reason I was fascinated. I love learning about things that I haven't studied before, and it was even more interesting because it was someone talking about a culture that I'm actively involved in - and basically grew up with (although I wasn't a participatory member of the culture until I discovered Supernatural). 

One thing the book really sheds light on is this ingrained fan-shame that we all (or most) seem to have to some degree or another and how we internalize and externalize it. I always thought that I didn't talk about fandom because...well, I was mostly just reading it for the porn when I was a teenager (Hi Mum!)...but even though that's not true anymore (90% of what I read is gen or I SKIP the porny bits and just read for the plot/characters/emotional-porn), the instinct is still to NOT talk about it. 

Therefore, most of my family and friends don't actually know that I've already written the equivalent of three or four novels...or that I READ the equivalent of 3 to 4 novels every week (and yet struggle to finish a regular book in time for book club every month). 

And the weird thing is, even if I DID only read for the porn, I'm actually of the opinion that sex and sexuality is something that people SHOULD talk about. That it shouldn't be something that anyone is ashamed of...I mean, there's a reason that they're called Pride Parades. (And even unhealthy sexual inclinations should be talked about so that people who have them can get the help they need, rather than living in constant fear of having their life destroyed and trying and possibly failing to manage it themselves...but that's an extremely sensitive rant that I won't go into right now).

I mean, there are kinks that I just do not understand...enemas, pregnancy, feeder, D/s....but that doesn't mean that I think people who get off on that kind of thing are wrong or should be ashamed of themselves in some way...after all, it's all about perspective. Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean that it's wrong. I could tell an enema-kink fan about one of my kinks, and they could recoil in horror and say "Oh god! How on earth could you like that?! Why don't you read this nice enema fic instead..." and then I'd vomit and it'd just be a horrible scene...and someone somewhere would probably get off on it - and I'd be okay with that.

Basically, I'm saying that society is a bit fucked up - and it's also REALLY misogynistic, and sometimes I don't even realize HOW misogynistic until I read a book about women's psychology. It's amazing how much of this stuff is ingrained in people's psyche's...

For instance, the book talks about the fourth-wall breaking episodes and the divided reaction to them (The pre-S7 Chuck and Becky episodes especially)...and to be honest, I never realized how much some people didn't like these episodes. I really hate negativity, so I rarely read people's episodes reactions...I just don't want my squee harshed. The book actually includes some of the unfavourable reactions - and I found them interesting. They didn't piss me off and get me defensive about the show, instead, they actually just made me really sad for some people - because it was quite obvious that their dislike for the episodes wasn't really about the episodes, but about how their own self-perception. 

I've always had a sort of fucked-up gender identity (in my opinion anyway, I'm probably just normal)...but one thing I seem to have avoided (thankfully) is this notion that women aren't allowed/supposed to have complex sexual lives. And man, after reading this book, I realize just how much I avoided it. And I also realized how important it is for feminism and society as a whole that we all try to avoid it...I really do think that women should be less ashamed of their extremely complex sexual lives and more proud of them. We'd all be a lot happier (the men included).

Even with the sex aside - it's interesting that there's shame about just being a FAN of something...being a nerd/geek about something. I was talking about the book at bookclub (we have a slightly weird book club where we all read separate books)...and there is one other person at bookclub who is a "geek" like me. And I was describing what the authors were saying about fan-shame, and the other members of bookclub were confused and curious about...and they said to my friend

"So, do you find your censor yourself around other people?"
"Yes. All the time."
"Really?! This is you censoring yourself!? Wow! Well, please don't stop!"
...and we all had a laugh...but honestly, they had just made the book's point, and at the same time declared that it WASN'T okay for my friend to be THAT enthused about something or to actually be open and honest about her life...suggesting that she DID have something to be ashamed of, when she really does not.

(I should point out that one member of bookclub seems to be a walking hypocrisy machine).

(Of course, we later made the point that there's a difference between censoring yourself out of shame, and censoring yourself because whoever you are talking to just doesn't care. I mean, we've all been in the situation where someone is going on and on to us about football/computers/model-trains/history/fishingboats/finances/BattlestarGalactica and we've been saying "uh huh, yeah...uh huh" and inside we are screaming "OMG shut-up, can you not see that I don't care!!")

The last 3rd of the book talks how modern technology is breaking the 4th wall, and how Supernatural has embraced that more than any other show out there. This section was a lot of fun, of course, because it had interviews with Jared, Jensen, Kripke, and many many others from the show. And it's not your standard interviews, where they are just like "We love the fans" and "Wait until you see what we're bringing you next season!" Instead it's interviews about how Jared and Jensen manage their public personas, whether the creative team actually do listen to the fans or not, and what the creative team (Jared and Jensen included) really think about fanfiction and slashfic.

And this is where the whole internalized shame thing comes into play, because I was at a convention where someone asked Jensen a question about Dean/Cas, and I was pissed off, and the audience was pissed off, and Jensen looked pissed off too...so, naturally, my conclusion was "asking about slash pisses Jensen (and everyone) off." So, I thought it was rather hilarious that in reality, we only THINK it pisses him off. He doesn't actually give crap. (That being said, I do think that questions at conventions should only be about canon...but then, I'm a crazy canon-nazi, you may have noticed).

Jensen actually has the same opinion about slash as I do! (with the exception that he doesn't read it). He thinks he understands why people do it, and he doesn't care one way or the other about it...but he does wish that sometimes bros could just be bros. (And he says all this in the midst of a very adorable long speech about how awesome his friendship with Jared is.) Jared's opinion can basically be summed up as "whatever floats your boat."

Jared's interviews, of course, only made me like him more...which I thought was pretty hilarious, since in one of the interviews he basically says that I only like him because I've chosen to like him, and it doesn't really matter who he actually is...(and likewise, he likes me because he's decided to like me, and he doesn't really want to know who I actually am either, because this way we can all just love each other and be happy...seriously, what's not to love there?).

Anyway, yeah...interesting book. I could babble on more about it...but uh...I have a lot already, it seems. Hopefully whatever the heck I said makes sense.

Comments

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I find that there's definitely a bias against television as a medium...especially in the book community. People tend to have this belief that books can be deeply metaphorical and philosophical, but TV is just about sex, violence, and slapstick. I don't think people realize that TV can just be like a really long play...and PLAYS are certainly recognized as having the ability to be deeply metaphorical and philosophical.

Basically, I'm saying that I know what you mean about the book-people not understanding. One of my sisters works in publishing, and I haven't actually told her about my writing in fandom.

The way I see it though is that when I started writing fanfiction for fun, I was pretty goddamn depressed with my life and I hadn't touched my "real" novel in 5 years. Fanfiction basically gave me a training room...it let me practice my writing using other people's characters and stories...and then I could get my confidence up enough to start working on something that I can legally publish.

But that being said, I don't think you need to have an eye on publishing in order for fanfiction to be justified. There's a quote out there by someone...Hemmingway? Gaiman? Some author...that says that in order to live a happy life, one need only produce art. It doesn't matter what KIND of art. And that's what I see fanfiction as - we can't all be painters and musicians, but some of us can write stories - and fandom both conveniently stocks you with characters AND provides you with an eager audience.

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

For me, I was a technical writer and editor, and it sucked all the joy out of it. So I stopped writing altogether and eventually quit that job. When I discovered fanfiction, for Star Trek: Voyager, there were a few prominent fanon interpretations that bothered me, and I eventually started writing again to set them straight. Then from there on to other fandoms. I found the joy in writing again, and clung to it. Now I feel I'm starting to have original stories burn within me again, so I'll write them, but I don't care whether it's fanfiction or for publication as long as I don't lose that fire again.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thinking of going into editing...but then, I realized that it might suck the joy out of it. So, now I'm not sure what to do again. :P

[et-tu-lj.livejournal.com]

Well crap. That wasn't the intention. lol

If it helps, I very much enjoyed my time as an editor of creative fiction. I started out as a writing tutor, and providing feedback for other people's stories was very fulfilling and always inspired me to write myself. Just like beta work does now whenever I get stuck on my own stories. It was straight copyediting for technical stuff and things with no creativity in it at all that burned me out. So if beta work is fulfilling for you, then editing probably will be too.

For me, it was that I enjoyed developmental editing (even when it was on something fairly dry), helping them figure out what to say and how to say it well, but hated the mundane SPAG and fact-checking. I enjoy the process when it's still a dialogue and a process, but hate it once the story's a done deal and I'm basically just a glorified spell check. So know thyself and which parts you find compelling and you can find a spot that works.

response to the past four or so responses

[cynthia blackburn (from livejournal.com)]

First of all: fist pump! (Do people still do that anymore, or does that just sound like an obscene gesture, now?) Let me try this: I'm sitting here in my room saying "Yes! YEEES!" Practically squeeing in affirmation and agreement.

Fanfiction has lifted (and still is lifting) me from some pretty damn hard depression. I've gone completely away from my romance writing buddies and critique partners in part because I'm about as creative as dirt, but mostly because ALL they talk about are their Amazon ratings and social networking and marketing and conference swag and--faugh. Whatever happened to story? Now that everyone's self-publishing, no one cares about craft anymore.

In fanfic, people are still writing for the joy of it. And, because they love writing and love "their" characters and their worldbuilding.

I love that.

I love that there's a community of fanfic writers, too. Because you can't write in a vacuum. Unless you're Emily Dickinson--and she's a dead poet. (But I'll bet you Castiel's trenchcoat that if she'd had access to Twitter, she'd be kindly stopping for Death more publicly.) It's good to have readers and immediate response.

Anyhow, I've been nodding along with what you and others are saying about how fanfic is sort of rekindling your Muses. Mine, too. :) Sam and Dean are just sort of an extremely pleasing to watch bonus. (I'm trying not to admit that I watch SPN incessantly. Obsessively, even. Damn it. Let me continue to quietly delude myself--but you know the truth. I know you do...)

One other (non-SPN related) thing: yes--editing will kill your Muse and your joy faster than anything. Speaking from personal experience, here...and getting ready to go back into the editing fray as soon as my temporary contract expires and I have no work, again. Editing is so left brained, it ruins ALL creative impulses. Avoid it unless you know you're strong and ready to fight the left/right brain battle.(Incidentally, my Inner Editor popped up when you called some types of fanfic "Porn" and announced, "It's not called Porn, it's Erotica." So I ganked the bitch and sent her back to the depths of novel hell. Hah! Shut up, you know it all Editorial Demon.)

Thanks for the great review of what sounds like a thought-compelling book. I'm off to buy the last (or so they say) copy on Amazon. (I wonder if Drs. Katherine and Lynne are compulsively checking their ratings? Hmmm...I'll have to see if I can email them and find out.)

Re: response to the past four or so responses

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

I love that there's a community of fanfic writers, too. Because you can't write in a vacuum [...]It's good to have readers and immediate response.

Yes, I think this is the best part of fandom/fanfic - it's just so encouraging! Even when you know that there's room for improvement in your work, there will be people who are telling you that they love what you are doing and that they want to read more. And since the way to become better at anything, including writing, is to PRACTICE, what you get is constant encouragement to practice! It makes you WANT to practice.

I've been trying to write original novels on the side, and it's SO MUCH HARDER, and not because I have to think of and introduce my own characters, because I've done that in fanfic before without trouble. It's that when I write something, I just see how bad it is, and there's no one to ignore the bad stuff and tell me to keep writing anyway, there's no one leaving comments saying "Please write more!" So, I just get discouraged. That immediate feedback is so helpful.

Editing is so left brained, it ruins ALL creative impulses. Avoid it unless you know you're strong and ready to fight the left/right brain battle.(Incidentally, my Inner Editor popped up when you called some types of fanfic "Porn" and announced, "It's not called Porn, it's Erotica." So I ganked the bitch and sent her back to the depths of novel hell. Hah! Shut up, you know it all Editorial Demon.)

Good job defeating the Editing Demon! Haha.. it's hard when the lingo is different in two different worlds. In the "outside world" or "IRL", the word for what we write is Erotica, but in the fanfic world, the most used, and therefore correct term is "Porn". Frustrating to any editor who would rather have consistency across the board. Where's our universal style-guide?!

Thanks for the great review of what sounds like a thought-compelling book. I'm off to buy the last (or so they say) copy on Amazon.

I hope you enjoy it! :)