When I say “Fanfiction is free”...
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| Title: | When I say “Fanfiction is free”..... (essay is not titled; the title used here on Fanlore is from the 1st line) |
| Creator: | kedreeva |
| Date(s): | December 1, 2018 |
| Medium: | tumblr |
| Fandom: | |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | When I say “Fanfiction is free”, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
When I say “Fanfiction is free"... is a Tumblr meta post by kedreeva. It was posted December 1, 2018 and as of 3rd July 2023 has over 51,000 notes.
Some Topics Discussed
- fanfiction
- fandom as a gift economy
- the importance of feedback and comments as the coin of the fannish realm
- the need to keep monetary gain outside fandom
The Essay
When I say “Fanfiction is free” part of what I’m saying is yes, you did not pay for the thing.
But I saw a comment from someone that made me realize the rest of the intention behind these words is being lost.
Fanfiction is provided for free, but it is not produced for free.
Authors pay their effort, including physical and emotional and mental. Authors pay their time, in planning the story (mental time) and writing the story (physical time). Sometimes it’s less than an hour for something quick and dirty, like askbox prompts. Sometimes it’s years of their lives in epic fic hundreds of thousands of words long. Authors pay additional time to alpha read their own stories, trying to make sure that they’re free of SPAG errors and make sense and sound good. Beta readers pay their time and effort alongside the authors for editing the stories. Authors pay for posting their stories with all of the anxieties that come from allowing their work - which to this point they have invested all of the above - into the public eye because while it has certainly cost them a good amount to produce the story, fandom history has proved that many other people out there enjoy fanfiction, and authors believe that at least someone else will enjoy their story, too.
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that it costs the writers a lot of something in order to produce it. Alot has already been paid into a piece of fanfiction by the time it is available for readers to read. The expense of fanfiction creation is, by and large, resting squarely atop the shoulders of writers.
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay the cost of creating fanfiction.
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is that readers don’t have to pay in anything - not time, not money, not effort, not anything - in order for fanfiction to be created. It’s a donation. It’s a gift. It’s available for you to take or leave, at the expense of someone else.
Writers have, for a very long time, requested donations of one thing as remuneration for everything they put into making fanfiction: comments. Authors have asked, in so many different iterations: “If you have consumed what I have labored and invested in to create and if you have found any enjoyment in it, please tell me, so that I can recharge enough to do this again.” Some of them may recharge on critical comments, but most of us don’t because we’ve already paid everything we want to pay to create the story.
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” isn’t just that it doesn’t cost you any money. I am saying “Please respect the time and effort you didn’t have to pay into creating this thing you enjoyed, by respecting the individual creator’s requests.”
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “be kind to authors, they have paid a lot for this gift they’re sharing with all of us, and they deserve to feel like it was worth it.”
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t charge authors more time and emotional effort than what they’ve already provided you at no absolute cost.”
I’m not saying any of this to argue. It’s a fact that authors pay into providing fanfiction. They do it for fun. They do it out of love. They do it because they enjoy writing. No one is making them do it. No one is paying them to start or finish the story. That doesn’t mean it’s not WORK. And the only return they get on what they put into the story is the kindness of strangers that invest a little bit back by leaving a nice comment. That is why they stay, that is why they do it again, that is why we have fanfiction.
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please don’t be the one charging authors so much more that they leave.”
What I am saying when I say “fanfiction is free” is “please keep it that way.”
Reactions/Comments
[lower-east-side]: I looked into how many words I wrote in 2018. I know my average words per hour, and then I figured I put half as much time as writing into outlining, editing, coding, etc. #...should I have a kofi?#I don’t think my output is enough for that#I have a feeling this years word count will be much less alas
[randomcat1832]:THIS ^^^
#writing #fanfiction #fanfiction discourse #i'm not just saying this for nwabbw either #comment on the fanfics you read #do it for all of them #and respect the writers #oh lordy please respect the writers #thank you for coming to my ted talk
[rbl-m1a2tanker]: Never really considered it that way myself. But...in retrospect, it’s quite accurate.
[just-a-dalish]: Please let these awesome authors (yes you are as much an author as the famous ones) know you liked their work. Fanfiction may be free but let's pay them back with comments, kudos and favourites...let's will their heart with joy.
[arcaneglitch] This is why I have all the respect for my fellow fanfiction authors. Major props to all the writers out there
[caredofthebasement-blog] Fanfiction Readers: This is a nice reminder to all Fanfiction readers out there to be sure to leave a comment, for the author, as a token of appreciation. Us readers are very fortunate that they share the fruits of their labor with us, often catering to requests. I know I’m very grateful for the stories I’ve been privileged to read. Very grateful. Please keep them coming. Especially where Auston Matthews is concerned ;)
[rbl-m1a2tanker] Never really considered it that way myself. But...in retrospect, it’s quite accurate.
[rebornforavel] the passion and eloquence... I love this
[winterofthedarkestlight] This has been a PSA, for the benefit of all fandom
[diva-gonzo] So I received a review overnight and I thought I’d post it here:Do you guys (well, my friends do but back on task) realize that I woke up to this review and I am absolutely stoked to keep working on my current one? How enthused I am now to keep working?
All because of one review/aka amazing review.
Artists (including writers) invest so much time and money.
All we/they ask is a facesmash or “I loved this” review.
Trust me when I say, it’s worth it to get even more.
#Writing #reference #resource #how to review #facesmash works #one simple sentence works #doesn't have to be deep or even in-depth #just some feedback
[dannybagpipesarecalling] Fanfiction is a beautiful, wonderful gift, and I appreciate every single writer. Even if I read one that I don’t care for, or it didn’t hit me the way I hoped, I appreciate the immense amount of time, effort, imagination, editing, and courage it took for these authors to write and share their stories. Thank you to all the fanfiction writers who make our favorite characters come to life.
[labelleizzy ]I only recently realized that, like Burning Man, the Archive of Our Own and Tumblr both exist and flourish because of a commitment by people who Love Things to share in a Gift Economy with other people who Love Things. We make art because it's satisfying and feeds us as Creators, and we give away what we create because it's satisfying to do so, and feeds US and OTHERS... and food is love, whether food for the body, the mind, or the heart.
#fandom lore #fandom #gifting #gift economy #ao3 #i support ao3 #i support fanartists #i support fanfiction writers #i love everyone in this bar
[greensword101] I feel hurt whenever I write something that I really wanted to write about and no one bothers to give more than a review per chapter.
[stagofwar] Two of my favorite fanfics, both over 2,000,000 words, were written or curated by the same guy.
[divasiren84] I’m not much of an author at this point with 3 completed works (all short smutty things) but every comment I’ve gotten has brightened my *life* considerably!!! If you stop in, please leave some kind words? It can mean EVERYTHING to someone who angsted, cried, sweated, screamed & labored to bring a work of imagination to life. Something so simple as a smiley face would even be awesome!!! So, show some love peeps. It’s appreciated beyond measure. :) #fanfic rant #give love to authors #kudos and comments #PLEASE SUPPORT #need love to continue #applies to artists too
[theriu] This is beautiful and encouraging to me both as a reader and a creator of fanworks! Thank you! #fanfiction #fanworks #creation #art #writing #comments #love#appreciation #free