Writing and Living and an RPF World

RPF.



RP Fic.



Real Person Fiction.



Whether you write Robsten, Rob/OC, Jackson/OC, or Kellan/OC, whatever it maybe - you write RPF, and I love you for it. To say we are a dying breed is onoverstatement, but to say that we are underappreciated is an understatement.



I'm not sure when writing RPF became this taboo area in the fandom, and itconfuses me since Slash and BDSM are more accepted than RPF. Don't get mewrong, I love a good slash fic and Tara Sue Me changed my view on BDSM fic’sfor sure. But there is this noticeable rift in the fandom where writing RPF islooked at like it's, well, wrong. Unacceptable. Unappreciated. Misunderstood.



We write about real people, yes. But what we write is 100% fiction. It's nodifferent from those who write Canon, AU, and AH fictions. We are takingestablished 'characters' - a public persona - and placing them in a fictionalworld that we create and craft. When done right, there is no harm to thispublic version of the real person. It is simply our view, or vision, of them asit fits or pertains to the story we are creating. Just as Canon, AU, and AH do.I have always viewed RPF as more of an offshoot of the AH world of fan fictionwriting.



Yet, we are not always viewed as 'valid' by some in the fandom. And thatbothers me.



We write.



We craft.



We create.



We follow the rules of grammar.



We outline.



We develop storylines and plots.



We create conflict and resolution.



We create angst and romance.



We drive a wedge in the couple and resolve the tension.



Is that not writing? Is that not what writers of fiction (and romance) do?



So why, then, is RPF viewed as 'fringe' in the fandom. Are RPF stories notas carefully thought out and crafted as a Canon fiction? Do RPF writers notdeal with writers block? Can we not be as hurt by a flaming review as someonewho writes AU? I sometimes wonder if it rests on issues like our heroine isKristen, or Rob is a jerk-turned-softie, or Kellan falls in love with athirty-five year old mother of twins, or Jackson gives up music to be with histrue love in South Africa. I don't know - just some random thoughts.



It is well known in the fandom that there are some great fictions out there and some that are trying to find their stride. One thing is fact - theyare RPF and the author took the same chance publishing them that any other fanfiction author took. Fear of rejection and fear of acceptance does not go awayjust because we have graduated high school.



So, here we sit - a fiction-writing world of women of varying ages,all of us loving the fandom. And that should be the point, the goal, and theguideline -as it were.



There are so many amazing authors out there. Some have ten reviews forwhat they have posted so far, others have a hundred. But we all love what wewrite and love that there is maybe just one other person out there that isloving what we write too.



And I write for that one person. Whether it is RPF, AH, or AU. I writefor myself, that one person, and anyone in the fandom that stumbles upon mycreation.



Amazing writers who give their free time to a fandom is a wonderful thing.Amazing readers who do the same.



To you, I say thank you.


jakeward