Writer, Agilist, Elder Geek
Welcome to my new series – a series on Promoting Professional Geekery.
We, as profans, progeeks, and protaku take pride in our dreams – and achievements – to turn our interests into careers. We build ourselves into our own ideals, we realize dreams others aspire to, we turn the daily grind into something far more.
It's time we promote that.
A lot of us work in or want to produce media, including fiction. For those of us writing fiction, or planning to film it, or whatever, there may be some concerns about how to deal with fanfic and the like. Fans are why we're here and how we get paid, and their fanworks help promote our works and draw everyone into a community. However fanworks can also accidentally "brand" your work, something creators don't always seek or like – as we've had discussed here by our own Rob Barba.
I'm pro-fanwork as long as there's mutual respect and understanding. I also know some authors fear what happens when people begin "playing in their world," and it's not always irrational (i can immediately think of two series I avoided due to fanfic battles and fanwank that gave me the wrong impression). For authors and creators who want the best of both worlds, I had an idea.
When I attend various conventions, I keep becoming aware of various odd age gaps among fans, geeks, and otaku. Since i'm used to moving among various cultures, age groups, and fandoms, these things become apparent quickly.