Fandom: A Neofan's View
| Meta | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fandom: A Neofan's View |
| Creator: | Judith Hanhisalo |
| Date(s): | July 1978 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Fandom: A Neofan's View is a 1978 essay by Judith Hanhisalo.
It was printed in Spectrum #38.
It was printed as a response to Jeff Johnston's essay The Glory and the Dream.
Some Topics Discussed
- the stages of fandom: "1) First Steps or "We have to go home now so you can watch what?" 2) Getting Involved or "Can you imagine: these were actually written by fans?" 3) Conventions or "Wow, look at all those other people who are as crazy as I am" 4) Contributing or "Do you suppose I could do that, too?" and 5) The Death of Fandom or "Oh, Hell, I just got here and everybody's leaving.""
- the importance of fan mentoring
- contributing to fandom
- the limitations of large procons
- the summary: "To summarize, from my viewpoint on the edge of fandom, things look pretty good. The numerous arguments aren't in them selves bad, as long as they don't become bitter. Lots of view points keep things from getting dull. To keep something alive for a decade, to nurture it, expand it and to help people explore their creativity through it, is a fine and worthwhile thing. The shape of things in fandom has changed and will continue to change, but if change is welcomed rather than resisted, the Star Trek phenomenon could go on forever. After all, look how long the Sherlock Holmes fans have been at it, and they show no signs of letting up."
The Essay
FIRST STEPS, or "We have to go home so you can watch what TV."
It is sometimes theorized that people are drawn to Star Trek by its action-adventure format, its reputation, its science-fiction subject matter, etc. Personally, I fell into it. I turned on the TV one day, and there it was. In such a simple way an addiction began which has lasted a year so far, and cost me uncounted hours and quite a bit of money. It has also brought me a good deal of happiness and satisfaction, mainly through the phenomenon called fandom.
A neofan is a little like Alice in Wonderland. Nothing quite makes sense to begin with, but it's all terribly interesting. Initially, the fan may feel a certain resistance to the pull of ST. She (most likely) rationalizes her interest in terms of entertainment, relaxation and the like; and resists all of those interesting paperbacks at the local book store. My own downfall was New Voyages. I started Shirley Maiewski's Mindsifter in the bookstore and had to buy the book to finish it. This proved to be a turning point and with in a few weeks thirty or thirty-five paperbacks had found their way into my home.
GETTING INVOLVED, or "Can you imagine these were actually written by fans?"
The decision to turn over an entire bookcase to ST books, good or bad, signifies some kind of commitment. Star Trek has ceased to become entertainment and has become very real and the fan finds that she wants to spend more and more time with them. This is accomplished through fanzines—a species of publication discussed in Star Trek Lives!. Today there is a lot of negative comments about fanzines. These comments seem to center about three themes: they're too much alike; more and more non-ST material (particularly Star Wars stories, etc.) is being included; and there is too much sex, particularly Kirk/Spock sex.
There's something to be said for each of these points, but to the newcomer the most astonishing thing about fanzines is their quality. People are doing the most back-breaking work, not for profit, but because it means something to them. A great deal of the art and writing is competent, and some of it is excellent. There is something for just about every taste: straight adventure, straight sex, gay sex, character analysis of alien cultures, friendship, technological articles, alternate universes, humor—you name it. If it gets repetitious now and then, what doesn't? There are just so many plots in the world and you're going to get a re-run now and then. Maybe the writers of letters of comment could include more suggestions with their criticisms [of fanzines]. Just what areas are left to be explored, anyway? There are some, but perhaps they need to be articulated more thoroughly in print. As for the non-ST stuff and the Kirk/Spock sex, it is entirely a matter of taste. Personally, I'm not crazy about Star Wars and I do like the Kirk/Spock stuff, but if you don't, fine. There's room for everybody.
CONVENTIONS, or, "Wow, look at all those other people who are as crazy as I am."
One comment that has been printed many times is that fandom is dying because fewer people are going to the big conventions. What the falling attendance at these extravaganzas may really mean is that the fans are maturing and looking for more active ways to get together, rather than being treated as the source of some quick cash by organizers, dealers and large hotels. A big con is fun once. You can see the stars, watch some of the episodes on a big screen, buy lots of fanzines and slides and other stuff and go home happy. But this isn't something to do very often. It would be a lot more rewarding, I suspect, to get together with a couple of hundred other fans at a small regional convention and actually be able to talk about things. But TV Guide is never going to cover a bunch of people having discussions.
CONTRIBUTING, or, "Do you suppose I could do that too?"
Eventually a neofan will probably want to be more active. Fans are doers or they wouldn't be fans. Reading is all very well, but writing or illustrating is better. At this point the real problem starts. Lots of people want to write stories and most people don't know how to do so. The neofan doesn't really know where to turn. We newcomers can't compete with the BNF who have been doing this for years and we don't want to. We're expressing our admiration for them and their work and feel that through our stories and drawings we'd like to join the conversation. It is a little bit disturbing that the same name turns up in all of the quality zines. Are these the only talented people or are others just not able to find the right route to publication? Certainly there doesn't seem to be any hostility towards the neofen. I have submitted two stories, one was accepted and.one was rejected. The editor who rejected my story was extremely helpful and even offered to work with me in the future. No one could ask for more. But could there be some clearer guidelines for new writers? Johanna Cantor, in Archive, has made some helpful suggestions, but other established authors, artists and editors could be more involved as well.
This involvement of the established fans with neofen is important because of the natural order of change. Many older zines are folding as their editors want to move in other directions and this is understandable. I hope that fandom won't lose them, but they shouldn't be expected to do all the work forever. Encouragingly, a lot of new zines seem to be starting up, but the best of them are heavily populated with familiar names. Stands are extremely important and there is no excuse for printing trash, as some zines have, apparently just to fill pages, but how often do the neofen learn to do this kind of quality work? It can't happen in a vacuum. Things are apparently tighter and more competitive than they were a few years ago, and this can be discouraging.
THE DEATH OF FAMDOM, or "Oh, Hell, I just got here and everybody's leaving."
The lettercols of some of the leading zines have been filled with dire predictions. Fandom is dying, everybody is gafiating. Paramount is going to close the zines down,'etc. etc; etc. Frankly, for a terminal case, there are a surprising number of healthy signs. New Voyages and the Fotonovel series are selling very well, bringing in new fans and reviving interest in the older ones.
Perhaps the movie will pacify people who have been complaining about the lack of fresh material and turning to Star Wars. How that two-hour movie can compete with 79 hours of TV is a bit hard to understand, but I suppose if you've seen each episode enough times, a certain sameness does set in. Long-time fans ought to be proud right now, because without their effort, there would be no Star Trek movie.