The shift from print novels to fanfiction caught me off guard

I teach a writing workshop at a local library in Portland, and over the last five years, I noticed more students under 25 cite AO3 as their main inspiration instead of classic books. They learn pacing and dialogue from serialized online stories, not from Hemingway or Austen. Has anyone else seen this change in what fuels young writers, and do you think it helps or hurts their craft?

3 comments

3 Comments

hugo_nelson19d ago

lol fanfic taught me way more about pacing than any textbook ever did.

karen_nelson4019d ago

Haven't those online stories taught them more about writing to a crowd than crafting something lasting?

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emery87917d ago

oh yeah totally, a friend of mine actually spent years writing fanfic on a whim (she did it between jobs) and now she's got a published novel that's pretty solid. the thing is, she learned how to hook readers in the first few paragraphs and keep them coming back for more. but at the same time, she says the crowd-pleasing stuff taught her bad habits-like rushing endings or over-explaining emotions. i guess the trick is figuring out which online lessons stick and which ones you gotta unlearn when you're aiming for something that'll hold up over time.