Fanac

(See Fanac disambiguation page for others.)

Fanac is What Fans Do.

Short for fan activity, which means writing in fanzines or on fandom-related websites, corresponding with other fans, participating in apas, sf club meetings or conventions, or other activities involving interaction with fandom. The exact origin of the contraction is not clear: Fancyclopedia 1 did not use it yet in 1949, even while explaining the concept, but it appeared as a common term not requiring unpacking by 1952 at the latest.

Some fans claim that there are three types of fans: club fans, fanzine fans, and con fans — and that fanac (like Gaul) is therefore divided into three parts. Zealous FIAWOLists claim that daily life interaction with other fans also constitutes a form of fanac, giving rise to the catchphrase, "Anything two fans do together is fanac" (often uttered with a nudge and a wink).

The hero of Larry Niven's "Fourth Profession" (1971, went on to a Best Novella Hugo nomination), takes a RNA language pill, is tested on its wonders a. o. by the surprising question "What's fanac?" (being mundane himself), and replies automagically: “Might be anything. Putting out a zine, writing to the lettercol, helping put on a Con..." (capitalisation sic; then he interrupts himself, and a bit later the interrogator summarizes "Spanish, French, Monkish [alien race], technical languages, even fannish.")

Fancyclopedia 1 (1949) wrote and Fancyclopedia 2 (1959, see both below) repeated that fanac "includes reading, collecting, corresponding, belonging to organizations, writing, publishing, recruiting new fans, visiting fellow stfnists, perhaps living with them in a science fiction house, and attending fan gatherings." However, since SF became a mass-popular genre, it has been generally acknowledged that reading (or watching) without some sort of fannish interaction is not by itself fanac.

Mundane life can get in the way of fanac: see FAFIA. And after a while, the fascination of fanac tends to wear a little thin — one reason long-time fans are sometimes termed Old and Tired. In an extreme case, this can lead to the fan becoming burned out.

The importance of engaging in fanac is such that, in The Enchanted Duplicator, the name of the second magic wand the Spirit of Fandom touches Jophan with so as to show him fandom's inner essence was called “Fanac.” (The first was called “Contact.”)

See also: Crifanac, Hyperfanac, actifan.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

Fan activity. Devoting time, energy, and money to non-profit pursuits in the general field of fantasy and fandom. This includes reading, collecting, corresponding, belonging to organizations, writing, publishing, recruiting new fans, visiting fellow stfnists, perhaps living with them in a science fiction house, and attending fan gatherings. Most fen pass thru a certain cycle of activeness; after getting familiar with the field they start taking on projects left and right, not realizing that they're building up to a peak that they haven't time to maintain. Suddenly they announce that they must drop all fanac (except subbing to a couple of fanzines and writing a couple of correspondents) because activities in the mundane world are demanding most of their time and energy. Some disappear from fandom at this point, but many others discover after a while that they still need the intellectual companionship and means of self-expression in fandom and can find time to take on a little more activity, and so at length find a fairly constant level that they can keep up, barring catastrophes like getting married or drafted. (Not that there aren't quite a number of GIs and husbands keeping up a fair degree of activity.) Oh, and also we note here Fanac: a news-and-chatter 'zine published by Terry Carr and Ron Ellik, begun 1958. It was part of the trend mentioned in the second sentence under "Seventh Fandom", and, indeed, a noble example of it. But due to its activity the news of the series of deaths in fandom in 1958 got that wide circulation and general impact that gave the Year of the Jackpot its name.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

activity, fan - Devoting time, energy, and money to non-profit pursuits in the general field of fantasy and fandom. It includes reading, collecting, corresponding, belonging to organizations, writing, publishing, recruiting new fans, visiting fellow-scientifictionists, perhaps living with them in a science fiction house, and attending fan gatherings. For membership in the FAPA, applicants must show "proof by credential of their interest in fantasy amateur activity, which shall consist of one of the following: (a) Contributions, in form of poetry, drawing, fiction, or non-fiction writing, published in two fantasy amateur publications not produced in the same city. (b) Position as editor or publisher of at least one issue of a fantasy amateur publication". Most fen pass thru a certain cycle of activeness: After getting familiar with the field they start taking on projects right and left, not realizing that they're building up to a peak that they haven't time to maintain. Suddenly they announce that they must discontinue all fan activity, except maybe subscribing to one or two fanzines and keeping up with one or two correspondents, because activities of the outside world must take most of their time and energy. Some disappear from fandom at this point, but many others discover after a while that they still need the intellectual companionship and means of scifi expression in fandom and can find time to take on a little bit more activity and so at length find a fairly constant level that they can keep up, barring catastrophes like getting drafted, or married. (Not that there aren't quite a number of GI's and husbands keeping up a fair degree of activity).

• “fanac n.” entry in the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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Fanspeak

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