There are several different areas of the fan fiction sites that support Jenkins’ argument, the first of which has to be the fan community’s informal instruction of new writers (188). The example given in the book is the Sugar Quill “beta reading,” a process which involves fans submitting rough drafts to the testers so they can “smooth out bugs” and “take them to the next level” (188). They emphasize their offer of GENTLE constructive criticism and technical editing to give the authors more confidence. The Sugar Quill also provides genre classifications of how different readers might want to engage with the text, like “what ifs” and postulations about what happens during the summer (190). They do, however, hold writers to a “strict literal interpretation” of Rowling’s text (190). Jenkins also argues that by building on media that already exists, kids are able to devote more attention to learning and mastering their writing and communication skills (191). Writers on the fan fiction sites have also said that writing about someone else’s characters rather than drawing on their own experience allows them a certain critical distance to “reflect on what they were trying to express” (191).
I have to say that I disagree with half of Jenkins’ argument in this section of the chapter. I do not think that it is very likely that writers in fan fiction communities are improving more than they would in school. It also does not seem very likely that school is actually detrimental to these fan fiction community kids because it is limiting their feedback and exposure to things they like (which in turn causes them to devote more attention). While these communities are helpful in some ways, they are harmful in more important and significant ones. Critical feedback is an integral part of becoming a better writer. The processes described by these “beta readers” (188, 189) are too watered down to be of much help to someone who was already lost or not motivated enough to put forth the effort to figure out what they did wrong.
Writing in fan fiction communities is also detrimental to a school environment because it detracts kids’ attention from what is going on in class. This sentence at the top of page 193 really illustrates this point: “Some teens have confessed to smuggling drafts of stories to school…and editing them during class.” The last sentence in the paragraph states that the fans can’t wait for school to get out so they can focus on their writing, but who’s to say they are even practicing the right things? They may not even be trying to have their stories edited, so they may have no idea what they’re doing wrong.
I was also torn between certain parts of Jenkins' argument on fan fiction and "Rewriting schools."
ReplyDeleteII definitely also think that it is very far-fetched to assume that school is detrimental to fan fiction communities because it's limiting their exposure to things they must learn in school. However, I do believe fan communities help kids attain necessary writing skills. In terms of getting distracted in class because they're thinking too much about their posts, I think it is a very broad generalization. There just has to be a balance between being focused in school and having an educational hobby.
I personally feel that while fan fiction writing can make you a better writer (I attribute most of my skill in writing [or lack thereof] to writing fan fiction in my teens and learning by trial and error), it doesn't have to be separate from school work. If anything, I feel like the two should be combined.
ReplyDeleteTeachers need to take an active interest in helping children write about whatever they like in addition to basic writing exercises. My brother is in the 7th grade and failed his writing class last semester simply by virtue of being completely uninterested in completing the assignments...with the exception of free writing, which he would often carry on until the bell rang. Teachers should encourage children to write what they enjoy writing, even if that means setting some time aside in class to do a bit of workshopping on free writes to help them become better writers while having the opportunity to work on something they're passionate about.
Though I see your point, I have to agree with Jon. It goes without saying that some fan fiction writers will utilize "beta practices" to improve their craft, while others won't. Young writers especially may have difficulty understanding the importance of the editing process. But if students are whiffing in school because they simply are not interested in what's being taught there, steering them away from "unnecessary distractions" like fanfic is not going to fix the problem. The fact that many students are taking lessons on reading and writing from "gentle" pedagogues like the Sugar Quill beta reading team should challenge our assumptions about the effectiveness of an educational model that gives students very little opportunity for critical feedback -- in most cases, the teacher is the only person who ever sees the work -- and that holds writers to absolute standards of excellence -- absolute in that they're often determined by one teacher working within a very hierarchical pedagogical system. Fanfic forums are not ideal pedagogues, either... as you point out, some students respond better to a little bit of severity, and the beta readers are not really in a position to be rough. But I think the two sources of instruction could complement each other in some very interesting ways. Don't know how, but it's worth thinking about.
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