Author/Fan

I had an idea back here about the rebirth of the author: I think authors are taking a new place within their fan communities and no longer stand as authoritative figures over them. Thanks to the internet, of course. If you follow your favourite writer online, tell me you haven't noticed that the author/fan boundary seems to be getting blurred.

Author Lynn Flewelling has a book coming out soon inspired by fan artwork. This, I think, is collaboration at its best. There's a blog on the topic here.

I was discussing a related concept with my thesis supervisor last week: sometimes, it seems, the fanbase has more say in 'what goes' in a fictional world than the actual writer does (think Star Trek). This seems to happen most with extraordinarily geeky fanbases. (Actually, on a sidenote, cult TV shows are beginning to cash in on this, enlisting famous author-fans to write episodes, such as Neil Gaiman's upcoming Dr Who episode.) The fanbase's authority does depend, however, on whether the fans worship the story or the writer. Joss Whedon, I think, is an example of the latter. Incidentally, a transcript of his keynote session at the Melbourne Writer's Festival is available here.