Sharing the Sandbox: Fan Fiction vs. Open-Source Authorship
Eric Flint himself said in the afterword to 1634: The Galileo Affair, just before the first print edition of the Grantville Gazette came out, that “ “Fan fiction” usually has a negative connotation to science fiction readers-“derivative, unimaginative, poorly written dreck[10]” being the gist of most complaints-but there is no intrinsic reason that needs to be true.” This negative reputation of fan fiction in the publishing industry was one of the first topics of my initial email conversation with Paula Goodlett, the current editor of the Grantville Gazette. When asked what made the Grantville Gazette’s attitude toward fan fiction different than that of many other publishers, she responded,
“Jim Baen was never opposed to experimenting. Eric Flint was impressed by the stories that were being written. The Gazette is different because the authors have Eric Flint’s permission to write in his universe, for one thing. Most authors aren’t willing to allow fan fiction, much less publish it. And certainly they aren’t usually willing to modify their own plans for a series to accommodate events written in a fan fic story. But Eric is.”
Henry Jenkins in Convergence Culture wrote that the normal approach to fan fiction is to “-get to know your characters, remain consistent with the aired [or written] material, and speculate based on what you know about people in the real world.” This may be a good basic approach for generic fan fiction, but the structure of the Grantville Gazette means that these writers need to go through several extra steps. The expected end point for their stories is not just an online forum; it’s a web magazine with paid subscribers and certain standards of professionalism. Stories must pass through a peer review system before even being considered for publication. Arguably, the willingness of Eric Flint and Baen Books to incorporate these divergent storylines into the main series canon, along with the self-correcting nature of the forums, has taken the stories of the Gazette to a place beyond simple fan fiction. The Grantville Gazette occupies some kind of happy middle ground, between the free-for-all continuity-less space of speculative fanfic and the structured collaborative novel.
Eric Flint perhaps said it best in his afterword to 1634:The Galileo Affair:
“In terms of its narrative structure-as well as the way it’s written-the 1632 series could just as easily be considered a shared universe as a series in the traditional sense of that term . . . The basic premises of the setting and the story as a whole are established in 1632 and then expanded and elaborated in 1633. From there, the story branches in many directions. Branches-and constantly reconnects. Characters who play a major role in one novel will not necessarily appear onstage in another, although their actions will often have an indirect effect. Minor or secondary characters in one story will become major characters in their own right in another.” (670)
In attempting to give new writers/tech advisers access, one could argue that Eric Flint and Baen actually followed an old science fiction publishing model of the shared universe, where multiple authors contribute stories with different characters and plotlines that do not necessarily overlap but are all based in the same “world.” Robert Aspirin’s Thieves’ World springs to mind as a good example of the genre. This shared universe, however, is a place whose continuity and rules are policed and in part defined by the readers themselves, and is in effect an open-source universe.
Towards a Convergence Culture
Henry Jenkins suggests in Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers that academic studies of fandom have gone through three generational developments, from outside objectivity to attempting to integrate new media studies to the new hybrid academic fan (13). However, since Jenkins’ book was published, a new generation has arisen, which doesn’t consider participatory culture to be “fandom” at all, but an ordinary part of life in a digital world. The authors and reviewers of the Grantville Gazette may be the pioneering wave of this generation in the literary world. Their work is a striking example of what can happen when the barriers between creators and fans break down, or never come into existence in the first place.
In Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers, Jenkins states of Levy’s concept of knowledge community, that fandom is a rehearsal for the real world, that the way these people interact to a shared purpose is a model for future politics or online communities. The Grantville Gazette is certainly an example of a collective intelligence[11], but it does not need to serve as a model of anything other than itself; a shared community space where fans/technical consultants/series readers can share ideas, improve writing skills, and ultimately produce a finished product for the enjoyment of the community.
I would politely assert that this community is not a model for all online knowledge communities; I think we have already seen in the development of niche groups online that different paradigms beget different digital environments based on the needs of their users. The early alt message boards were not a scaled-down version of today’s social media, nor is the Grantville Gazette an early utopian version of the way in which all writing interaction needs to work. What the Grantville Gazette is, and what it can serve as a model for, is a means of sharing this fan-supported collective intelligence within an existing world framework, without infringing on creative license or intellectual property rights. The end result is a sort of open-source, distributed authorship, produced and policed by the fans.
Some might say that forcing fan fiction to work within set boundaries is taking away some of its best elements, that you give these authors a sandbox but take away the limitless shore. I would say that this sandbox has expanded, beyond the original shoreline to include an entire world.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the members of the Baen’s Bar Forums who answered survey questions, provided feedback, and conducted the initial reviews of this paper. Thanks also to Paula Goodlett for helping me with my initial research questions. Thank you to Virginia DeMarce for pointing out that “dreck” is a real word in the German language. I am especially indebted to Kerryn Offord for explaining the character claiming process and to Rick Boatright for pointing out that incorporating fan fiction into the main storyline is not unique to the Gazette. Thanks to Jack Carroll for very patiently explaining (twice) that the Ring of Fire was not actually a ring and not actually fire, and also for pointing out that the Gazette authorship can be considered open-source. I would also like to thank John Zeek for pointing out that non-fiction articles are there partly to help guide novice writers. A big thank you to any and all who provided useful quotes for this essay. Also grateful acknowledgements to anyone who pointed out technical mistakes along the way. Finally, thank you to Professor Ede, who helped me find my topic and let me have fun with my assignment.
References and Works Cited
"1632: Tech: The Grid." Official 1632 Fan Site. Web. 16 May 2011. .
"Baen's Bar ›› 1632 Slush." Baen's Bar -- 1632 Slush. Baen's Books. Web. 16 May 2011. .
"Baen's Bar ›› 1632 Slush Comments." Baen's Bar -- 1632 Slush Comments. Baen's Books. Web. 16 May 2011. .
"Baen's Bar ›› 1632 Tech." Baen's Bar -- 1632 Tech. Baen's Books. Web. 16 May 2011. .
Boatright, Rick. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 6 June 2011.
Boatright, Rick. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 7 June 2011.
Boatright, Rick. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 7 June 2011. Web. 9 June 2011.
"Bradley, Marion Zimmer." Fanworks.org:: Fan Fiction Policies. Fanworks. Web. 9 June 2011. .
Carroll, Jack. Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 10 June 2011. Web. 14 June 2011.
Carroll, Jack. Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 6 June 2011.
Coker, Catherine. "The Contraband Incident: The Strang
e Case of Marion Zimmer Bradley." The Contraband Incident. Transformative Works and Cultures, 2011. Web. 9 June 2011. .
David Carrico. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 6 June 2011.
Flint, Eric. 1634: The Galileo Affair. Riverdale, NY: Baen, 2004. Print. Ring of Fire
Flint, Eric. Grantville Gazette: Sequels to 1632. Vol. 1. Riverdale, NY: Baen, 2004. Print. Ring of Fire
Flint, Eric. Grantville Gazette IV: Sequels to 1632. Vol. IV. Riverdale, NY: Baen, 2008. Print. Ring of Fire.
Flint, Eric. "Grantville Gazette » Submissions." Grantville Gazette » Grantville Gazette. Baen Books, 15 June 2010. Web. 16 May 2011. .
Flint, Eric. Ring of Fire. Vol. 1. Riverdale, NY: Baen Pub., 2004. Print. Ring of Fire.
Goodlett, Paula. "Re: Researching the History of the Grantville Gazette." Message to the author. 21 May 2011. E-mail.
Goodlett, Paula. "Re: Researching the History of the Grantville Gazette." Message to the author. 11 May 2011. E-mail.
Hawnt, Andrew. "Fandemonium Books | Designer Whey Protein." Designer Whey Protein | Designer Whey Protein On Sale Now. Web. 09 June 2011.
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2008. Print.
Jenkins, Henry. Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture. New York: New York UP, 2006. Print.
Offord, Kerryn. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 6 June 2011.
Offord, Kerryn. “Online posting. Baen's Bar » 1632 Tech » English paper research questions. Baen Books. 25 May 2011. Web. 6 June 2011.
"Stargate Novels::Frequently Asked Questions." Stargate Novels::Home. Fandemonium. Web. 09 June 2011. .
Appendix A: Snippets from Question and Answer Session on Baen’s Bar Forum, with Grantville Gazette Writers
1. What is your relationship with the 1632 world (author/fan/beta reader/etc) ?
rboatright
Yes… all the above. I was recruited from fan position to consultant during the writing of 1633. Now, writer, editor, researcher, fan, etc.
Johnzeek
yes Reader, Beta reader, Fan, Writer(author would be pretensious)
Karen
I'm an author of a number of fact articles and fiction stories. I'm also one of the GG Ed Board members and so read every story posted. Every one who reads and comments on stories is a beta reader.
GWV17
I write stories, I participate in the 'writing group' discussions here on the bar, and I'm the art director for the magazine.
2. How has working with the Grantville Gazette impacted your development as a writer?
W1PK
It's entirely responsible for my becoming a fiction writer. The EB nagged me to attempt a piece of fiction, and then showed me what I was doing wrong. I had no idea I was capable of it.
kao16
It's where I've done all my writing. Looking back at my early efforts (published) sometimes makes me cringe
virginiaeasleyd..
I still have trouble thinking of myself as a writer (of fiction) rather than a historian.
LisaS
Can't really say it has.
dvdscar
Definitely improved my skills at the craft, and proved to me that I can write professional level work that editors will buy.
ivergmail
I doubt I would have written fiction otherwise. In terms of nonfiction, I have already published quite a bit, both in my field (intellectual property law) and in connection with other hobbies (in the early 80s, Apple II assembly language programming).
I was sending out queries and proposals for a book on mirrors in history and science to agents around the time I became active in the bar. If I hadn't started writing for the 1632 universe, I would have rejiggered my book proposal as one agent suggested to focus on mirrors in nature. But the Bar's quick response times rather spoiled me.
bhasseler
The two more frequent pieces of advice given are "show, don't tell" and only change the point of view at a section break. Trying to keep that in mind as I write amp; revise hopefully means that a story comes out tighter amp; more coherent. In general, I've learned to be more aware that just because I know what I meant doesn't mean a reader can automatically keep track. There's a balancing act where I want my characters to seem like they really do have some idea what's going on around them in the 1632verse but without needing to comment on every development in the series to date.
Karen
Before the Gazette I had made a few minor attempts at writing fiction. Now I am published and qualified for SFWA. Writing for the Gazette taught me how to be a writer. :-)
f/Russiaw/Love
It has helped tremendously. It helps to restrain all the crazy ideas into a workable mold. Also before this, I had no idea how to do dialogue between characters; it was a mystery.
3. How has your work contributed to the shared world of 1632?
virginiaeasleyd..
I nag, I correct, I post lots of notes and bibliographical references, I have a database of historical down-timers with over 150,000 individuals in it, and I keep reminding people that the real world is infinitely more complicated than any known theory of history wants it to be.
bhasseler
When Virginia made the 7G edition of the up-timer grid, I was surprised to see how many characters my story canonized. It was cool to see a business and an organization that I made up appear on the grid. But I was really surprised to see I was the first one to specifically mention the Jesuit Collegium of Grantville in a story.
4. If you submitted a story to the Grantville Gazette/Ring of Fire series as a first-time author, what made you start here?
W1PK
This community not only rectuits new authors, and pays professional rates, they actively teach writing to those willing to listen and act on advice, and respond with useful feedback within hours.
virginiaeasleyd..
I wrote in the first Ring of Fire anthology, before the Gazette started. I did that because Eric nagged me into it and the people on Baen's Bar urged me on.
dvdscar
It was here? :-) Seriously, I discovered the opportunity and developed my first story idea within minutes of each other. And once I sold, it was the greatest feeling in the world. Better than your intoxicant of choice.
jones
A challenge. I complained to Eric Flint (by E-mail) that his portrail of the European Jewish community of the era was less than accurate. His reply, paraphrased, was "fix it, write a story". The Joseph Hanauer series is that story. I wrote SchwarzaFalls as a crutch to support Joseph Hanauer. I had to get Joeseph into the Ring of Fire from the Soutwest, and to do that, I needed to understand the roads and geography of that side of the RoF. The crutch, being a self-contained short story, was easy to publish
GWV17
I started here because of the blurb I saw in the back of Eric Flint's 1632 (I was completely mesmerized by that novel!) that said you could work on and submit stories set in Eric's wonderful world online and they pay pro rates. I had Birdwatching half written in my head as fanfic and ended up getting to sell it, a huge boost to my career! Little did I know I would eventually become art director, which I'm pleased to say happened because I was goofing around making funny pictures and teasing Paula Goodlett, our editor extraordinaire- she saw I was fast with Photoshop and gave me the job (which no one else wanted, especially Paula!). It's been a great experience, especially the art- only a nut like me would want to take on an entire issue of diverse stories and articles single handed, its a HUGE amount of work, which I always like to take the opportunity to remind everyone of. LOL
5. If you're a beta reader, what rules do you try to follow when commenting on/editing other people's work?
kao16
Try and be constructive… and sometimes it's a real emphasis on try…
Try and read
the first few paragraphs before giving up (Ignore language problems, especially if it looks like the writer is a non native English speaker (We get a few of these… the language problems are easily dealt with if the story is good))
Look for plot.. Is the story interesting? Does it further the 1632 universe?
Are the events/ situations logical/ plausible? Economically viable? Physically viable? Is the time line too compressed (a common problem)?
Did I enjoy it?
Then start thinking about "how to make it better/ make it work".
GWV17
Rule Number One: BE NICE! -It's easy! I believe that we should offer constructive writing critique in a helpful and positive way. If I don't think someone elses' story is working I will try to help them fix it. There's little I hate worse than people in writing groups who are snide and put other writer's work down without making any attempt to help them improve (oh yeah, it has happened), there is simply no need for that kind of poor behavior and I tend to stamp it out when I come across it, ouch for them. All in all this is a great place to write, most folks are very helpful and professional, and this uniue alternate history is a lot of fun to work in, especially if you like research.
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