76
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
read them, and read them, and read them”) and how she then wrote her
own “novel,” evading the labeling of her early writing as fanfiction and
omitting this crucial step in her evolution as a writer, even though most of
her work was previously published in this context. When the interviewer
asked her where the idea for her novel came from, James explained: “I
was inspired by Stephenie Meyer. She just flipped this switch.” 50 James
problematically omits the fact that the format of writing she employed
(AU/AH fanf iction) existed prior to her contribution in online archives
with an established tradition. Instead, she repeatedly refers to personal
inspirations, for example, when she recounts in many interviews that
writing has helped her through her midlife crisis. 51 In the interview
with ABC, she explains that her research in BDSM practices was at least
partially undertaken in her own bedroom. When talking about the details
of her writing process, she mentions that much of it was done on her way
to work on her Blackberry and then transferred to her Mac, providing
very specif ic details while omitting any of the practices of publication
and communication of the fan community, and the engagement between
authors and readers on these sites. Even when James talks about her
relationship to Twilight, as in the interview for ABC, she generally weaves
in and privileges her past as a professional writer, a TV executive “who
worked at the BBC in London.” 52
Cassandra Clare likewise provides an author’s biography on her website.
She explains that she traveled the world with her family, which is often
referred to as the beginning of her desire to create new worlds, and that she
started to write as a high school student. Clare also stresses that she began
to write professionally, in her case for magazines and tabloids, after college
and then immediately skips to her work “on her YA novel, City of Bones, in
2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan,” and the beginning
of her career as a professional fantasy writer in 2006. 53 In the FAQ section
on her site, Clare never mentions fanfiction and the pre-text of her writing
even while answering explicit questions concerning the inspirations for
her characters and if her protagonists Clary, Jace, and Simon are based on
people she knows. For fan readers Clary does not coincidentally rhyme
with Harry, and Jace’s physical analogies to the fandom version of Draco
50 Shana Druckerman and Sean Dooley, “Fifty Shades of Grey: Author Speaks,” ABC News, April
20, 2012.
51 See “EL James Used Life Experience for ‘Fifty Shades’,” TODAY, NBC, Feb. 5, 2015.
52 Druckerman and Dooley, “Fifty Shades of Grey: Author Speaks.”
53 Clare, Cassandra. “My Bio.” Cassandra Clare. The New York Times Bestseller Author of the
Mortal Instruments. Sept. 15, 2015.
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
read them, and read them, and read them”) and how she then wrote her
own “novel,” evading the labeling of her early writing as fanfiction and
omitting this crucial step in her evolution as a writer, even though most of
her work was previously published in this context. When the interviewer
asked her where the idea for her novel came from, James explained: “I
was inspired by Stephenie Meyer. She just flipped this switch.” 50 James
problematically omits the fact that the format of writing she employed
(AU/AH fanf iction) existed prior to her contribution in online archives
with an established tradition. Instead, she repeatedly refers to personal
inspirations, for example, when she recounts in many interviews that
writing has helped her through her midlife crisis. 51 In the interview
with ABC, she explains that her research in BDSM practices was at least
partially undertaken in her own bedroom. When talking about the details
of her writing process, she mentions that much of it was done on her way
to work on her Blackberry and then transferred to her Mac, providing
very specif ic details while omitting any of the practices of publication
and communication of the fan community, and the engagement between
authors and readers on these sites. Even when James talks about her
relationship to Twilight, as in the interview for ABC, she generally weaves
in and privileges her past as a professional writer, a TV executive “who
worked at the BBC in London.” 52
Cassandra Clare likewise provides an author’s biography on her website.
She explains that she traveled the world with her family, which is often
referred to as the beginning of her desire to create new worlds, and that she
started to write as a high school student. Clare also stresses that she began
to write professionally, in her case for magazines and tabloids, after college
and then immediately skips to her work “on her YA novel, City of Bones, in
2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan,” and the beginning
of her career as a professional fantasy writer in 2006. 53 In the FAQ section
on her site, Clare never mentions fanfiction and the pre-text of her writing
even while answering explicit questions concerning the inspirations for
her characters and if her protagonists Clary, Jace, and Simon are based on
people she knows. For fan readers Clary does not coincidentally rhyme
with Harry, and Jace’s physical analogies to the fandom version of Draco
50 Shana Druckerman and Sean Dooley, “Fifty Shades of Grey: Author Speaks,” ABC News, April
20, 2012.
51 See “EL James Used Life Experience for ‘Fifty Shades’,” TODAY, NBC, Feb. 5, 2015.
52 Druckerman and Dooley, “Fifty Shades of Grey: Author Speaks.”
53 Clare, Cassandra. “My Bio.” Cassandra Clare. The New York Times Bestseller Author of the
Mortal Instruments. Sept. 15, 2015.