(1) Amateur sf that all too frequently gets printed in sf fanzines put out by relative neofen (although some with more experience in the microcosm persist in their ignorance). Generally looked upon with disfavor because, with rare exception, if the piece were any good it would be published professionally. Then too, people who write sf for fanzines generally learn little besides how to write bad sf for fanzines. As 75 years of experience shows, the vast majority of active fans who’ve "gone pro" have been those who contributed relatively little amateur sf and a lot of essays and articles to fanzines. Roger Zelazny was a major exception to this rule, having contributed (as a teenager) a truly terrible sf story to Thurban I, one of the worst crudzines of all time, and then went on to a brilliant career writing science fiction some time later.
(2) Among fans of media sf, fan fiction is fiction set in the other-media universe (Star Trek, X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, &c.).
Contributors: Dr. Gafia
| from Fancyclopedia 2 ca. 1959 |
| (1) Sometimes meaning by fans in the manner of pros; that is, ordinary fantasy published in a fanzine. Properly, it means (2) fiction by fans about fans (or sometimes about pros) having no necessary connection with stfantasy. "Convention reports are a nice example of this", Bob Pavlat points out. It may refer to real fans by name: "Redd Boggs silped his Nuclear Fizz in the Insurgent manner…" or it may be about types, especially Joe Fann. The background may be either fantastic, as "Joe Fann into Space", or mundane, as in "Murder at the ChiCon" (tho this would be fantasy under Speer's scheme, since it describes events we know didn't happen on our time line). Fictitious elements may be interspersed in accounts of fan activities, which may make them more interesting but is hell on truthseekers like your Thoukydides. A few special categories have been distinguished from time to time, like Ted Tubb's "Trufan fiction" (fiction about fans in fandom), and Larry Stark's Serconfanfiction for serious, and more or less mundane, fiction featuring fans. |
These are both obsolete usages. See Faanfiction for a further discussion of the second definition.
"Fan Fiction" today means non-professional fiction written by fans of a TV series, movie, book, or comic book which takes place in that universe. Also known as "fanfic".
| from Fancyclopedia 1 ca. 1944 |
| Sometimes improperly used to mean fan science fiction, that is, ordinary fantasy published in a fan magazine. Properly, the term means fiction about fans, or something about pros, and occasionally bringing in some famous characters stf stories. It may refer to real fans by name (Tucker nudged Brackney, who was nursing a "black eye"), or may be about types, especially Joe Fann. The background may be either fantastic, as Joe Fann into Space, or mundane as in Murder at the Chicon (tho this piece is fantasy under Speer's decimal scheme, describing events which we know didn't happen in our time-line). Fictitious elements are often interspersed in account of fan activities, which may make them more interesting, but plays hob with a truth-seeker like Thukydides. Round robins have been attempted in the fan fiction field. |
