Why Chloe Zhao Won't Reveal Her Fanfiction Pen Name to You

Chloe Zhao writes fanfiction.

The Academy Award-winning director of Best Picture Nomadland and director of upcoming Marvel movie The Eternals admitted in an interview that she once penned fanfiction.

I was so prepared to jump for joy at this revelation, but then Zhao promptly dragged me back to reality.

Here is an excerpt taken from Zhao’s interview with Variety in 2020:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Chinese filmmaker grew up writing fan fiction. In fact, she still finds time to do so. Though she hasn’t revealed the canon, Zhao previously shared with Variety that Livejournal and FanFiction.net used to be her go-tos. “Never reveal your pen name. Many people ask me, but you will never find out,” she said.

I thought we had arrived, that it was finally acceptable to “own your weird”, to announce that you embrace fanfiction. That you not only read it, you may even dabble in it from time to time.

And it is!…to a point.

Oh sure, you can admit to the masses that you partake in fanfiction, but heaven forbid you reveal your pen name.

Which makes me wonder: Is it bad for emerging writers to go public with their fanfic?

Successful published authors who are forthcoming with their admission of indulging in fanfic stopped short of revealing the names by which they’ve done the deed.

Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone, admitted she once wrote Naruto fanfiction.

Rainbow Rowell, author of Fangirl and Eleanor & Park, wrote fanfics for the Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and Star Wars fandom.

Even S.E. Hinton of The Outsiders fame got down and dirty with some Supernatural fanfiction.

What do these 3 authors have in common?

They refuse to tell you where you can find their past works.

This tells me one of two things:

1. They are ashamed that they used to write fanfiction
2. They STILL write fanfiction, but choose to keep it separate from their mainstream work

In the case of point 1: I get it. If an author was just starting out and using fanfiction to get their feet wet with writing conventions, then I could understand the hesitation to share their pen name.

The past works may be sloppy, immature, full of spelling and grammatical mistakes and plot holes.

Even if the subject matter is enjoyable, I can imagine it would difficult to separate one’s clumsy beginnings from their current reputation as an established best-selling author.

I’m also obliged to sympathize with point 2: if an author is still writing fanfiction under a pseudonym, perhaps they do so out of integrity for their grassroots writing days.

Perhaps the last thing they want is for readers to follow their fanfics only because of their association with their mainstream best-selling hits.

They’d prefer pure, unadulterated feedback not influenced by their current success.

But I want to be like Marissa Meyer, who is open about her fanfiction past.

I want to be like Neil Gaiman, who uses his own name for both fanfiction and his traditionally published works.

I want to erase the stigma attached to being a fanfiction author.

800

Mokichan

Shameonpretzel

Unsure Dreamer 87

Pandering to You

NaNoWriTJMo

Shamona Pretz

Red Binder Diaries

No, these are not the code words to activate The Winter Soldier (though you can try them and see what happens).

These are all of my pen names. Every single pseudonym I’ve used to write Hey Arnold!, Pokemon, Frozen and (yes!) even Alan Tudyk fanfiction.

Some of these stories are lost to the cyberspace ether. But a quick Google search will grant you a look into my indelible mark on fanfiction.

I’m revealing this because I’m determined to prove it’s possible to make it as an author while still embracing my fanfiction roots.

Being vocal about one’s fanfiction past is not encouraged, but it is my goal to pioneer a movement where admitting to fanfiction does not vilify you.

Rather, it elevates you on your published author journey.

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Sylvie is a dual American/Canadian citizen living in Toronto, Canada. She has written for numerous sites, including Screen Rant, The Spool and Midnight & Indigo. Sylvie is currently writing her first YA novel; follow her writing journey at https://sylviesoul.com and @sylvsoulwriter on Twitter.