Just an excuse to show of your typesetting skills

[threemonkeys]

I had a LOC published in Banana Wings 31. Basically just noting how disconnected I had become from that aspect of fandom (based on reading Banana Wings 30) and how I was interested in seeing if I could reconnect. So what happens is that now I have other fanzines sitting here now because they multiply. Actually - fanzine may not be the word - perzine perhaps since that is what Claire calls No Sin But Ignorance. The thing is that an awful lot of the stuff in these publications is about personal history, thoughts, opinions, travel, people met and so on. So what are they a fan of? As far as I can see they are fans of fandon. Science Fiction just comes in as a trigger. Once sucked in then fandom becomes an end unto itself.

That isn't new. The thoughts aren't new. In pretty much the last fanzine I received before this long drought there is an article by Nigel Rowe expressing those same thoughts. I am enjoying reading these fanzines though. So why was it that I stopped?

Comments

[fishlifter.livejournal.com]

So what are they a fan of? As far as I can see they are fans of fandom

Personally, this wasn't exactly the worry that was exercising me in my perzine editorial. I am a science fiction fan. I continue to read (and watch) science fiction and enjoy it, and enjoy discussing it. But I'm finding it incredibly hard to write about SF at the moment -- perhaps because I feel that there isn't a fannish idiom for it, or really a place to do it. I can't write about SF in any sort of intellectual way, and we could all write goshwow articles so it doesn't seem to add anything to the mix to do that. And yet I do still want to communicate with people, and I am a fan in fandom, so fanzines still seem to be the natural way to do that.

You're right, of course, that the non-science fictional content of science fiction fanzines isn't a new phenomenon -- although I do find it odd that for some fans that has been a badge of honour. Maybe, as an SF fan, you needed a break to find this sort of fanzine worthwhile? Maybe it will wear off again? (You might, though, enjoy the long-promised science fiction fanzine about science fiction that Rich Coad is editing, Sense of Wonder Stories.)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

When I did a welcome to cons/fandom talk for a con recently, I spent big chunk of the time talking about the community aspects of fandom. If you just want to read or watch SF you can do that in your home. Fandom adds a community of common interest - well sort of common but that's another story. The point is that community is important or even central to fandom and in a community you share your stories - all your stories not just the SFnal ones. And over time, you tell all your SF stories - there are just not that many to tell that add anything. So you end up with the personal stories dominating.

Well, thats my theory of fanzine (and blog etc) content (and it isn't original either). I guess I got a whole bunch of deja vu when confronted with it again in this form but it wasn't unexpected or unwelcome.