Status Update

I've been trying to get some of my marketing done while my betas (the fanfiction version of an editor, someone who works for free and offers advice and/or commentary. Most fanfiction writers only deal with one beta at a time, but I double up to get a better idea of what I need to change) are combing through my... piece, but so far I'm just in the waiting process.

First and foremost, I'll be posting on www.fanfiction.net and www.fictionpress.com (the sister site) because this... monstrosity can literally be considered as both. That way I'm guaranteed to get some kind of response, just because I have a wide reader base of people that love to leave me comments. It will be interesting to see what they actually have to say, however, because I'm certain they've never seen a fanfiction piece DEFENDING fanfiction before. There are plenty of crack fics (farce, parody, etc.) that take the characters of a show or book and have them discover fanfiction (think Harry Potter realizing that there's a bunch of stories based around him "getting it on" with Snape or Draco), but nothing serious that I'VE seen. I won't be putting that up until later in the week, though, because I haven't heard back from the betas.

I've also submitted requests to both Blogging Shakespeare and henryjenkins.org (he runs a blog based on being an aca-fan, or an academic-fanfictioner) asking if I could do a minor post about the potential nature of fanfiction as a scholarly tool. I've put a generic request similar to what I sent to them here:

       
       My name is Cortnie Beatty, and I am both a student at Brigham Young University and an avid fanfiction       reader, writer, and editor on various fanfiction sites. This semester I've been involved in a Shakespeare Course focused on the digital aspects of current Shakespeare studies, and, as a part of the class, I submitted a paper and reformatted piece defending the use of fanfiction as a scholarly tool of analysis for plot, setting, and characterization--not only for studying Shakespeare, but also any category found within fanfiction. The subject is extremely relevant with the growing concern revolving the legitimacy of fanfiction (consider the controversy now surrounding the "Shades of Grey" series previously written as Twilight fanfiction), and I would feel honored if I could share my argument by having a brief space to post on your blog. I would include the original paper, the repurposed paper, and possibly a brief introductory video. If you could get back to me on this matter, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your time. - Cortnie Beatty


Finally, I also plan on posting on my own blog, following a line of argument that I've proposed to Dr. Burton. It will essentially be the same post that I hope to have uploaded on the above sites, but that way I've covered all of my bases. Wish me luck!