The Benefits of Fan Fiction Reading and Writing in the Classroom
Fan fiction is fictional writing written by a fan. Usually, fan fiction writing is based on an existing work of art such as a fictional novel, movie, TV show, comic book…you get the idea. If you have never heard of fan fiction, we can almost guarantee you that your students have. Many of our students are avid readers and writers of fan fiction.
Sites Where Students Can Read Fan Fiction
Wattpad - Connects a global community of millions of readers and writers through the power of story.
Commaful - The Largest Library of Multimedia Stories. Kids can read and share fan fiction, stories, poetry, and comics in their unique picture book format!
Archive of Our Own - Users can make profiles, create works and other content, post comments, give kudos, create collections and bookmarks, participate in challenges, and import works of their own.
Tumblr - Have students search using the various hashtags #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom #archiveofourown #wattpad #writing.
Benefits of Reading and Writing Fan Fiction
In the Atlantic article, “What Fan Fiction Teaches That the Classroom Doesn’t” by Julie Beck, we learn that writing and sharing fan fiction has many benefits. Many fan fiction sites have a built-in community of readers willing to offer constructive feedback. Also, because fan fiction already has a built-in world, setting, characters, and fan base, writers are challenged with creating a unique perspective that will hold a reader’s attention.
Fan Fiction sites also have a robust online community from amateur authors of all ages, to prestigious and published authors who are trying out new material. Authors can receive thousands of reviews and endless feedback on just one piece of written work. Fan fiction teaches what a classroom assignment rarely does: what it is like to write for a real audience. Students are often tasked with writing a story or essay, but they know that the only person reading it will be their teacher, maybe their parents, and/or a few fellow classmates. When writing fan fiction and publishing it on a website, students will learn the value of what it is like to write for a true audience.
By reading fan fiction works and their reviews, students can see the writing process at work and understand the value of revising and editing their own work…something many younger writers often struggle with. Often their mentality is write it once and submit it. It is very hard to get a student to sit back, reflect, and revise their written work. However, by reading fan fiction and visiting the various fan fiction websites, they can see their favorite stories evolve over time from first draft to revised draft after revised draft.
Why We Love It
We love teaching fan fiction at the end of the year. It is such a great culmination of every skill and standard that our students have learned throughout the year. We have an extensive fan fiction unit that we sell with a complete presentation and student activities. It will take your students from start to finish of the writing process and includes some awesome editing and revision lessons as well. Some of our students have become so engrossed in this unit that they have written over 60 pages of awesomeness. Even our most reluctant writers enjoy this unit because they don’t have to start from scratch. The great thing about fan fiction is that the hard part is done. Students get to jump in and create a new story with already developed characters, settings, and maybe even plot points. We hope you give this writing type a try. We think your students will love it!
Happy teaching!