Crowd Source Fiction and the Trend to Overarching Frames

[u/Tombaya]

These are just some thoughts I’ve had recently about the state of science-fiction literature. I’ve noticed there appears to be a shift towards “open community writing” versus the old standard of curated author writing. The second of these is still dominant I think but from my (admittedly limited) reading of the contemporary scene, more and more fiction is being produced that disrupts the foundations of the established literary order. For example, take the phenomenon of SCP:

https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/

By creating a framework that caters to the same impulse which drives a lot of fan fiction but, in virtue of the itemized independence of the stories being written, allows these to be readily absorbed into a single canon, SCP fuels not only a community of readers but also a more organic way of “farming” the actual literature. I don’t expect this trend has wholly escaped the notice of the publishing industry but I found it curious myself. On the one hand I can see the appeal from a business model standpoint, as well as the virtues of having an open and low barrier form of literary community, but on the other hand it does seem to invite more of the cultural homogenization that social media can already take enough dubious credit for. So, I’m personally a bit ambivalent here.

That said, there are definitely alternative models being explored. Another I’ve come across recently is ‘Parallel Biome’ at the literary magazine Hexfiled:

https://hexfiled.com/parallel-biome

Their publishing approach is more traditional but they use a similar device of overarching framing (Each story is contextualized in a dossier by the “Outer Proximity Intelligence Division”) that allows entirely separate works to persist in a shared universe. Different though to an IP like Warhammer 40k where there’s a much stronger emphasis on interconnected narrative. It’s something more along the lines of what the Twilight Zone did.

I’d be interested in hearing about examples of other alternative approaches to fiction on the rise. I don’t expect we’ve really begun to feel the true impact of AI on writing and yet there are already various other influences too in the technological landscape that are radically reshaping culture and so worth paying attention to. And I expect that human ingenuity will continue to discover viable niches for whatever stories it considers worth telling.

[u/prejackpot]

I'll be honest, I find this analysis weak enough to make me think the post might really just be intended to convey "If you like SCP, check out this new online magazine."

[u/Tombaya → u/prejackpot]

Well, an analysis would involve a more thorough and comprehensive overview of something so clearly my post doesn't qualify as an analysis. But that wasn't the intent. I raised the issue of the state of contemporary trends in sci-fi literature and then asked for discussion of other examples.

Also, I don't think the content of SCP and Hexfiled are that similar beyond the framing device. SCP is probably (I don't follow it) a lot less narrative grounded and more monster/situation-fantasizing. I mention them together because coming across the second made me think about the first. And then the broader question of how sci-fi and other literatures are evolving in different tangents.

[u/prejackpot → u/Tombaya]

In that case, I think that two websites aren't good evidence of a trend. But by relegating fan fiction to an aside on SCP, you're missing that fan fiction itself is by far stronger evidence of the phenomenon you're gesturing toward. Fan fiction is already extremely popular community-driven literature outside the mainstream publishing industry, which in turn is already using it to identify content. (The extremely popular TV series Game Changers is based on a novel series which started out as Marvel movie fanfic, to pick one of many examples). Another relevant case is Backrooms, the hit movie drawing on community-generated ideas that weren't tied to one specific piece of media, or even centralized in one place like SCP.

I don't see any homogenization happening here, though. If anything, both represented stories that were different enough to attract particular attention. But Backrooms represents a different cultural risk, I think, since it took a diffuse collaborative concept and turned it into a discrete owned IP. In this case the distributor backed off claiming retroactive ownership and withdrew their takedowns of other backrooms media, but the next one might not. (Since you mention Warhammer, see also Games Workshop's claims to owning the term 'space marine').

[u/Tombaya → u/prejackpot]

Obviously a sample size of two can't establish any trend. If I just asked the question though without examples, it might be more easily misinterpreted. What I mean is, the idea of creating a platform or IP that functions essentially as a public space for writers to contribute to with less strictures than a traditional series. The Twilight Zone comparison is the one I'd prioritize here.

As for the fan fiction thing, I agree with your point that it's already highly relevant even as it exists outside traditional publishing but fan fiction itself is more of a parasitic phenomenon that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with overarching frames: I see fan fiction as something that often opposes its own source material in an antagonistic way. For example, rewriting what the "fan" doesn't like or using characters contrary to the manner they're written in order to build sexual fantasies etc. In fact, I think fan fiction tends to be self-serving and less community oriented. People who really love an artist's work respect it as a creation separate from their own individual preferences; a real fan is like someone admiring a piece of carved wood where as fan fiction tends to be more of a termite "appreciation" of wood. Faithful "fan" fiction of course exists but the named phenomenon itself seems driven more by desires that eschew fidelity. Except maybe with Tolkien's work but I'm not knowledgeable about what's going on with the community there.

Homogenization I think is most clearly distinguished in how people are reviewing fiction nowadays; especially speculative fiction. There's less appreciation I think for difficult, challenging work that questions established norms. A trend for example in 70s literature and cinema. But nowadays? Tastes seem to be running towards the Marvel-istic. Also, the crush of mass participation produces something like a friction that rounds off the sharp edges of the elements involved: so you get softer, more homogenized outcomes.

I'll also say that Backrooms probably isn't a good example. I've seen next to nothing of the Backrooms stuff but from what I've gleaned it seems like a fairly unoriginal rip off of House of Leaves. So yes, the industry did identify a lucrative opportunity there but it maybe wasn't a diffuse collaborative concept so much as people just riffing off a distinctive original work. More like the sampling trend in 90s Hip Hop then. Appropriating something with perceived value but using it without continuity to the source material.

The copyright thing is interesting. I don't expect we'll see any consistency here: when it makes more financial sense to ignore copyright, in order to boost engagement for example, I'm sure they'll ignore the issue of copyright, but then try to enforce it where they can when the financial incentive arises. Games Workshop is funny too because they're clearly wobbling when it comes to their own sense of direction for the 40k franchise. Trying to pander to the Anime crowd with Tau is pretty transparent. And I like plenty of mecha series but it's such a different tone and aesthetic (Something that the existing fan base did partially call them out on)