Hello fellow FOLCs! I am doing an essay for my class in Popular Narrative at Brock University on fanfiction and I am trying to get as many perspectives and opinions on the topic as I possibly can. To that end, I have created a survey on both writing and reading fanfiction that I am trying to get as many people to answer as possible.

Some of these questions are going to seem pretty obvious considering that this is an online community the survey is posted on, so bear with me smile

I will post it here and if people are interested, could you possibly fill it out and email it to me? My email address is:

saracat72@hotmail.com

If so I would REALLY appreciate it! Thanks a lot in advance. Here's the survey:

1) How did you come about writing your first fanfiction? (What were the circumstances surrounding it?) If you don't write it, how did you come about reading your first fanfiction?

2) How long have you been writing (or reading) fanfiction?

3)What fandoms do you write (or read) in usually?

4)Do you aspire to be an author of 'original' fiction? Is 'original' fiction a more worthy endeavor than Fanfic? Why?

5)What type of fanfiction do you normally write (or read)? ie. 'hurt/comfort', 'slash', 'shipper stories', crossovers, 'Mary Sue', etc.

6)Do you collaborate with other fic authors online or in person? If online is the case, what sort of communities are you involved in? ie. Message boards, mailing lists, web sites, blogs, etc.

7)Do you post your fic publically (online communities, archives, etc.) or do you keep it for yourself, or close personal friends to read only?

8)Did you know what fanfiction was when you started writing (or reading) it?

9)Have you ever written fanfiction involving real people? ie. Movie stars, musicians, reality show cast members, etc.

10)Are you a 'shipper'? Do you know what a 'shipper' is? And if so, who do you 'ship' and are your fics normally 'shipper' based?

11)Do you both read and write fanfiction? Or is it one moreso than the other?

12)Are you an aspiring pro-fic author? ie. books that are tied into movies and tv shows and comics, but sanctioned by their creators.

13)Do you read 'shipper' fics for 'ships' you don't agree with (ie. Spuffy, Bangel, etc.) or do you avoid them all together?

14)Do you read, write, or have an opinion on slash?

15)Do you read, write or have an opinion on Mary Sue's?

16)Do you read, write or have an opinion on cross overs?

17)Have you participated in (or won) any awards for your fanfiction in different online communities (ie. the 'spooky's' for the X-Files, or the 'Kerths' for Lois and Clark).

18)What are your feelings on the ambiguous legality of fanfiction? Is it OK as long as you post a disclaimer?

19)How do you feel about cross overs and AU's (or things in general in fic that would NEVER have happened on the show for whatever reason)?

20)Do you write under an internet handle or pen name that is not your own? Why?

21)What are your opinions on fanfic ratings and how easy it is to access these stories on the internet?

Thanks again...if you have any other comments that you would like to add about fanfiction that didn't apply to any of the questions, please do so!

-tvnerdgirl


Spike: "There's a hole in the world...feels like we ought to have known."
-Angel