Chapter 7-Fan Fiction

In this chapter, we are introduced to two fan fiction writers. They are two girls and they write from each other's perspectives in their writings. They have created their own fantasy world with parts such as the character journals, the artwork, the careful plotting out of storylines, the forum discussions, the descriptions of worlds and cultures, the invention of language, the playful spoofing, the in-role poetry, and much more. All of this has been created by the girls to write/live in this fantasy world. The girls create Avatars, visual signatures shown on the screen, icons to reflect moods, music bytes, and even posters. It is an entire virtual world. What it is interesting about these virtual worlds is the intensity of emotion Tiana speaks of when discussing her role-playing reveals her depth of investment in her writing.

What I liked most about fan fiction is the dialogue between the two girls. It was like the two girls had their own language and codes for everything that they wrote. My favorite quote was, "They have mastered a range of literary techniques in their writing, drawing upon intertextual references from literature, media and personal experiences to create their intricately woven narratives." This sentence provides as much information as teachers would need to use or encourage students to use fan fiction in their own classrooms. It said at the end that teachers often write off pop culture. I feel like pop culture can be one our greatest resources because it is what our students know and understand. We need to use our resources and this is a great one.