Pedagogical Implications

Non-experts

Fan-fiction writing, in general, has also become a popular topic in New Literacy Studies because of its collaborative nature coupled with a non-expert mediated learning space. Though they are not necessarily trained writing “experts,” fan-fiction writers in online communities offer support and advice to one another. With their novice skills combined, fan-fiction writers and readers are able to fine tune their stories and collaboratively develop writing skills that offer them success in their stories’ development. This reliance on other non-experts is highlighted by Kathy Ann Mills (2010): “New Literacy Studies scholars have demonstrated how Web 2.0 tools also leverage ‘distributed intelligence,’ including fewer ‘expert-dominated’ or ‘author-centric’ practices than conventional forms of writing” (p. 257). Because the forums and comment features are open for discussion, writers and readers in an online fan-fiction community, like Fanfiction.net, are able to work together as they develop new stories, bringing a variety of voices and ideas to the conversation. This distribution of expertise creates a highly effective collaborative network of writing scholars as different reviewers offer different skill sets.

Much like forming a guild or team in gaming, fan-fiction collaboration is at its best when all compositional skill sets are represented.  On the Fanfiction.net website, some of these roles are filled by “beta readers,” [1] but in the classroom, these roles can also be filled by students who possess specific skills or a desire to learn those skills.  For instance, students who feel confident in their ability to formulate cohesive paragraphs or those who want to gain more experience with MLA documentation can become the group “experts” in those areas, granting them personal agency over a part of the revision process.  To facilitate this team-building exercise, instructors can guide students through a deconstruction of the writing process, helping them pinpoint the specific areas they’d like to work on during their revisions.  By deconstructing the writing process, students can feel less overwhelmed by the prospect of editing since they will only be responsible for specific aspects of the group’s papers.  No one needs to be a writing expert and can instead offer only the advice they feel most comfortable suggesting.

Additionally, gamers who have experience forming raiding groups can be easily coached to develop cohesive writing groups after a discussion about the importance of balanced raiding groups. That is, though they may not be experts when it comes to creating writing teams, gamers possess the literacy of creating teams needed to defeat bosses within a game. These gaming teams are comprised of specialized characters who can tackle the boss as a combined force (typically the group consists of a character who can absorb damage, a character who can heal damage, and one or two characters that can deal damage). Because they recognize the importance of teamwork and collaboration in gaming, student writers of gaming fan-fiction would be able to see the benefits of working together as a team. And just as no single player possesses the skills needed to defeat the boss on his or her own, no single writer possesses the “expert” skills to draft and revise a paper on his or her own.

In the classroom, this can translate to student-defined group work and peer editing—once again highlighting the constructivist nature of incorporating gaming fan-fiction into the classroom. By working together to “form their own representations of knowledge” (Keengwe, Onchwari, & Agamba, 2013, p. 888), student writers and readers will be able to critically assess their epistemological methods and make more informed (and, therefore, more effective) decisions about their writing. Students will be able to depend on the skills of their peers in order to effectively review and revise their texts. Instead of relying solely on instructor (i.e., “expert”) feedback, students will begin to see the benefit of peer feedback both online and in the classroom, especially if the instructor defers to the students for issues regarding assessment.

It’s also important to highlight the lack of “expert” voices since readers and reviewers frequently draw attention to the fact that they aren’t “English teachers,” who are the apparent antagonists to fan-fiction writers and seen as “rule-checkers” and formulaic writing masters.  With the absence of this “expert” voice, writers are able to more comfortably share their stories amongst peers, and readers feel like they have something significant to share with the authors. As a New Literacy Studies practice, fan-fiction affords educators with the opportunity to introduce their students to a lower-risk version of writing altogether.  Jwa (2012) elaborated on the benefits of fan-fiction writing for inexperienced writers:

In fanfiction discourse, it is knowledge of pop-culture that forges engagement with the fiction writing practice, not language proficiency; therefore, “the roles of ‘expert’ and ‘novice’ are highly variable and contingent on activity and context”…writers within fanfiction discourse are not limited to identifying themselves as mere learners; rather, they are aware that their role is subject to change from writer (or collaborative writer) to reader, discusser, and beta-reader. (p. 337)

Because students bring their own literate proficiencies and pop culture expertise to the writing process when they engage in fan-fiction writing, they are more at ease during the composing process.  Gaming fan-fiction offers a prime example of the “knowledge of pop culture” that Jwa discusses because gaming knowledge is a diverse literacy that student gamers can utilize when crafting their stories.  Instead of focusing on whether or not they are writing “according to the rules,” students can effectively communicate their private literacy expertise.  And by exploring the various roles of teacher, learner, writer, and reader, students are able to engage in multiple literacies and expand their critical thinking skills. 

Much like fan-fiction writers, composition students feel this same antagonism towards “rule checkers” and frequently dread peer editing with the claim that they “have nothing to contribute” to another peer’s revision process.  Because fan-fiction removes the focus of an “expert” voice, students who write fan-fiction will feel less pressure about the peer editing and revision process because they won’t feel the pressure to fulfill the roles of the writing instructor.