Fanfiction 101
Those of us who have been a part of, or in my case, adjacent to this part of fandom for a long time can often forget how niche it really is. While fan fiction is comparable to fantasy sports, its still true that there is a lot more visibility for that kind of fandom then for writing or reading fanfiction. And just like with sports, there are semi-impenetrable unwritten rules and jargon. So here are some of the basics to demystify fanfiction.
Some Vocabulary
Shipping: Shipping is a major cornerstone of fanfiction and it has nothing to do with boats. It comes from shortening the word relationship. As in, you want two characters in a work to be in a relationship. Really it should have an apostrophe in front of it – ‘ship – but it’s hard enough to get the internet to use basic grammar, so I think its understandable that we’ve collectively let that slide. Ship can also be used as both a noun – as in “I love this ship” – and a verb – as in “I ship them.” It’s an all-purpose word really.
Slash: Slash is a term for gay male fanfiction. It came from one of the major ships out there – Kirk/Spock. As you can see, there is a slash between the names, hence the word being used as shorthand for that type of fanfiction. While most pairings, whether they are straight or gay, are written with a slash or a portmanteau of the characters’ names, the term “slash” still refers specifically to gay male pairings. Lesbian pairings are called “femslash.”
It’s not all Smut
Fanfiction has something of a reputation that it is just a lot of smut. And don’t get me wrong, many people enjoy writing and reading smutty fiction. And there is a lot of kinky stuff out there. There is a reason that 50 Shades of Grey started as fanfiction. But that is definitely not all there is. Much like romance novels, some people want to read the explicit stuff, and some people keep it PG. Responsible writers and websites make it clear what you are getting into before you start reading a work with ratings and tags.
It’s Not All Romantic
The vast majority of fan fiction is romantic in nature. Shipping is one of the main reasons people get into fanfiction. But it isn’t everything. Some people just want to write a character’s unseen backstory, or write their own adventures with a group of characters. Non-romantic fanfiction is referred to as “gen” as in “general” fiction. Arguably, a great deal of non-canon fanfiction works – such as Star Wars novels, the TV show Orville, or something like the novel Wicked could be considered gen fanfiction.
Not Everyone Writes Fanfiction
There is an image of fanfiction as a bunch of girls writing kinky stuff on their computers and putting it on the internet. Calling it a community likewise makes it seem like everyone is reading, writing, and commenting on each other’s works all the time. Which isn’t false, but it also isn’t the entire story. Plenty of people, myself included, are more passive (for lack of a better word) and read fanfiction but do nothing else. Others read and comment, or interact with people in the community, but don’t write anything themselves. Like anything else, there are levels of engagement in the process. Not everyone is hardcore.
If you're interested in going down this rabbit hole and learning more about the world of fanfiction, I highly recommend Shipper's Guide to the Galaxy's Fandom Basics videos.
