I Do Not Own Gossip Girl”: Examining the Relationship between Teens, Fan Fiction, and Gossip Girl

Abstract

After reading Gossip Girl, I explored several pieces of fan fiction related to the series that were created by teen authors. From these pieces, I observed how teens can use fan fiction to exercise their own creative ideas, align a fictional world with their own, connect with other fans and writers, and receive instant feedback on their work. From these findings, I suggest how teachers and librarians can use this knowledge to support teens that are engaged or interested in the practices of writing fan fiction and writing for pleasure.

Keywords

• writing
• fan fiction
• teenagers