The Magicians by Lev Grossman |
Fanworks are art forms dreamed
up by fans for other fans to enjoy, sharing their love of the original
creator’s characters and world. The fans who make them often introduce as many
people as they can—friends, family, total strangers—to the original works that
provide the foundation of their own. Though some people who create fanworks also
have professional lives or ambitions as artists or writers, the majority are
only interested in making art for their fandoms. Many are amazingly talented, designing
things of great power and beauty. And the love shines through, touching other
fans. There’s a great spirit of generosity and community here, which is
important: for fanworks are paid only in appreciation and the joy of playing in
a beloved universe.
Indeed, “joyful play” is the name of the game: this apt description for fanfiction comes from Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series of fantasy novels and cofounder of Archive of Our Own, a nonprofit and inclusive repository of fanworks that received a Hugo Award in 2019 for Best Related Work. A fanfic author herself, she’s among those interviewed for “The Boy Who Lived Forever,” an insightful article about fanfic by Lev Grossman, author of the Magicians series of fantasy novels—whose characters and world I celebrate in my own fanworks.