Timeline of Fanfiction Meta

This page lists meta, news media commentary, and other written discussion about fanfiction, arranged in chronological order.
There is a great deal of discussion of fanfiction in :Category:Perspectives on Fans, and its subcategories, :Category:Academic Commentaries, :Category:Industry, and :Category:News Media. For fannish meta on fanfiction, see :Category:Slash Meta, :Category:Concrit & Feedback Meta, :Category:Fanfiction Meta, :Category:Mary Sue Meta.
===Undated/General===
* Metafandom's fanfic tag on Delicious. (2007-2011) (Delicious is offline and long-gone)
* Tips for writing a good fanfic (undated, around 1997 or 1998)
===1983===
* Shady Thoughts: "Why Do You Waste Your Time Writing This Stuff?" by Roberta Stuemke (1983)
===1985===
* Shady Thoughts: Why I Like Reading/Writing Fan Fiction by Misty Lackey (1985)
===1996===
* (discussion at alt.startrek.creative) (1996)
===1998===
* The Advantages of Erotic Fan Fiction as an Art Form and The Advantages of Fan Fiction as an Art Form by Jane Mortimer (1998)
* Fanfic Advice by angel_roswell (1998)
* Survival Guide to Electronic Fanfic by Margaret A Martin (1998)
* What If? How Fan Fiction Creates An Interactive Media by J.P. McLaughlin (1998)
===1999=== 
* The Misery Trap by Emily Brunson (1999)
* Fan Fiction and Story Structure: Working within an established milieu to hone story-telling skills by Anne Haynes (likely 1999)
*Slash Fiction is Like a Banquet by Arduinna (March 1999)
*What Makes Fan.Fic Tick? by Laughlin B. Cunned (1999)
===2000===
* I read a story then I forgot it right away by Alison V. Taylor (2000)
* I'm Not Crazy--and I write Hansonfiction by Misty (2000)
* by The Brat Queen (probably 2000)
* When Guys Write Fanfiction by Jean Marie Ward (2000)
* The Feminine Tendencies of Fandom by Fialka (2000)
* Fanfiction: A New Form Of Internet Literature by Erwin Anciano (2000)
* Amateur to Amateur: A Non-expert's Guide to Expert Writing (Adapted for Writing Fan Fiction) by Wayne Schmidt (June 24, 2000)
===2001===
* Religion in fan fiction -- essential or sacrilege? by Cairnsy (March 8)
* Lame TV season? Write your own episodes online (August 22 2001)
* In defense Of Hansonerotica: Sin Or Pleasure by Nanaja (2001)
* Why Write Fanfiction? by Naomi Prince (2001)
* Anatomy of a Fanfic by Helena Handbasket (2001)
* The I Hate Fanfic Rant O' Doom by Mie Tsukikoushi (2001)
*How to Write Bad Fanfic in 10 Easy Steps
* Researching Fiction by CLS
* Blurred Vision: Writers Tips and Essays: General fanfiction advice (2001?)
* Philosophy of Fan Fiction by Deva
===2002===
* Crimes of the Heart: Why Fan Fiction Sucks by Steve Darlington (January 2002)
* Anxiety, Influences and Fanfic ; archive link, page 1; archive link, page 2 by Thamiris (January 2002) 
* On Swinging Both Ways: Fannish and Pro by Kass (2002)
* Quality vs. Quantity or How I learned to stop editing and love the bomb by Helena Handbasket (2002)
* It's Only Fan Fiction by Mary Jean Holmes (2002)
* Mythology and Fandom by Jenavira (July 2002)
* Language: The Foundation on Which Fic Was Built (July 30 2002)
* Fanfic Writers. Gah. I Hate You All. (Aug 2002)
* Fan Fiction: Bane or Boone?
* >>fanfiction tips by Jessica A. Walker
* The Scenic Route by Merlin Missy (2002)
===2003===
* Older Authors vs. Younger Authors (March 2003)
* Fan Fiction and the Internet (March 2003)
* 28 things I hate in fanfiction by allaire mikháil (March 2003)
* Ficcer pride by kattahj (April 2003)
* Fan Fiction Comes Home to Roost (April 2003)
===2004===
* Fanfic: is it right to write?
* Why we write by The Brat Queen
* (2004)
* Writing fanfiction is a HOBBY. I do it because it is FUN. by Shieldmaiden of Encinitas (mirabellawotr) (May 2004)
* Fanfic is Good for Two Things - Greasing Engines and Killing Brain Cells (May 2004)
* (2004)
* by Melusina (2004)
* by Silent Bystander (2004)
* The Hidden Authors: A Study and Survey of Fan Fiction Writers by William Lewis Bolt (May 2004)
* Actually, I think debates about fanfiction are boring. And pointless. And such a waste of perfectly good time when people could be telling stories. by matociquala (July 2004)
===2005===
* by C.M. Decarnin (January 4, 2005)
* by Catherine Rain (2005)
* Steal, schmeal by carenejeans (February 2005)
* by Nikki (May 2005)
* Fanfic: Electrifying the Oral Tradition, essay by Red Hen on their website (May 2005)
* Of Fanfics and Roleplaying Games as two sides of the Geekdom coin (August 7 2005)
* To Save or Not To Save (Fanfic); archive link page 1; archive link page 2; archive link page 3 by bethbethbeth (August 2005)
* by aelfgifu (2005)
* Who's fic is it anyway? by profshallowness (2005)
* by janni (2005)
* The Fan Fiction Rant by Robin Hobb, including all the response posts and comments (May 2005)
* , November 09, 2005
* You Don't Know Jack, is a post that is likely related to Fan-Fiction and Moral Conundrums, by Lee Goldberg, June 30, 2005
* by caras_galadhon (comments on "You Don't Know Jack") (July 2005)
* on fanfic by Salieri (July 2005)
* Warning: Opinions of the Story are Not Necessarily the Opinons of the Author. by astrogirl2
===2006===
* A History of Male Involvement in the Fan Fiction Community by Laura Hale (January 15, 2006)
* Getting What You Need Out of Writing Fanfic aka Why Do People Write?, discussion at Fanthropology (February 2006)
* Fan fiction. Good or evil? You decide! by Meg Cabot (March 2006)
* by idlerat (March 2006)
* by seperis (August 1, 2006)
* by liviapenn (August 10, 2006)
* Slashers who write hetsex.; archive link page 1; archive link page 2; archive link page 3, discussion at Fanficrants (October 2006)
===2007===
* The difference between fanfic and profic (2007 post), kradical (April 6, 2007), one set of response posts: "It's an exhibition not a competition, please no wagering." Part One; archive link page one; archive link page two -- , telesilla (April 9, 2007)
* by yourlibrarian
* How Fanfiction Makes Us Poor by cupidsbow
* by AstroGirl (January 2007)
* Further thoughts on fan fiction...; archive link page 1; archive link page 2 ; archive link page 3 ; archive link page 4 by ursulav (January 2007)
* In Defense of Crud by Henry Jenkins (February 11, 2007) 
* by ellen fremedon (April 26, 2007)
* by executrix (April 27, 2007)
* by agilebrit (April 27, 2007)
* Putting Yourself in Your Fic on Slashcast (May 19)
* This is not about “intellectual property” by Teresa Nielsen Hayden (May 2007) 
* In Praise of Fanfic by Cory Doctorow (May 2007)
* "You Mean Everyone Brought Potato Salad?" by Merlin Missy (December 28th, 2007)
===2008===
* by eurydice72 (2008)
* Fanfiction: A Cautionary Tale by Sylvia Bond (2008)
* Why I'm Not Going to Read Your Fanfic by Shana Mlawski (September 22, 2008)
===2009===
* (January 2009)
* So you want to write fanfictions on the internets by CC (traveller) (December 11, 2009}
===2010===
* by Grace Westcott (2010)
* Professional Writers vs. The People Who Love Their Work, Round Umpty-Snout by thefourthvine (2010)
* Inside the World of Fan Fiction by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie (February 9, 2010)
* (2010)
* (May 2010)
* Fan-Fiction and Moral Conundrums by Diana Gabaldon, including the many comments and response posts (May 2010)
* , posted by seawasp (May 13, 2010)
* , , , , , , , , , , , , , , posted by Aja Romano (May 3, 2010)
* Author Pokes Fanfic Hive! Film at 11! by John Scalzi (May 5, 2010)
* Someone Is Angry On the Internet by George R.R. Martin (May 2010)
* The Pitfalls of Romance as a Genre, by yourlibrarian (June 2010)
* by Jane Elliot (July 2010)
===2011===
* Silence in the Library: Archives and the preservation of fannish history (2011)
* , WebCite page 2, WebCite page 3, WebCite page 4, WebCite page 5, WebCite page 6 (February 2011)
* Some uses for fanfiction by Patricia C. Wrede (May 2011)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by “Contributor” at Spark Life (May 6, 2011)
* Berlynn Wohl's Awesome Slash Tutorial For Cool People, by Berlynn Wohl (December 2011)
===2012===
* How a Professionals slash writer disrupts readers' expectations by S. W. (2012)
* Fan fiction is more than smut, post at Club Jade (2012)
* (2012)
* How I Came to Appreciate Fan Fiction by Sunita (March 14, 2012)
* An Academic's Defense of Fanfic by Emily for Tosche Station (April 18, 2012)
* As a professor, may I ask you what you think about fanfiction? (August 9, 2012)
* In the beginning, there was fan fiction: from the four gospels to Fifty Shades by Ewan Morrison for "The Guardian" (August 13, 2012)
* Sex, Desire and Fan Fiction by Foz Meadows for HuffPost (August 15, 2012)
===2013===
* Reader Request Week 2005: Creative Commons and FanFic/reference link, posted April 11, 2005, accessed May 34, 2013
* , posted February 2013, accessed June 5, 2013
* Like Real Writing!, posted by Charlotte Frost, March 15, 2013; WebCite
* Mako's Tank: Daily Ravings of a Slash Hysteric -- Rant Ahead/reference link, posted December 1, 2001, accessed June 5, 2013
* only a little lion - "As a professor, may I ask you what you think about fanfiction?", posted August 9, 2012, accessed July 23, 2013
* In Defense of Fan Fiction by Alex Willging (July 2, 2013)
* In Defense of Fanfiction: getting beyond a weird bias by Brent Newhall for I.M.H.O. for (November 11, 2013)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Rebecca Coffindaffer (December 16, 2013)
* Fan Fiction; Fifty Shades of Green by unknown author (December 31, 2013)
===2014===
* 365/365 Day 112: Defending Fanfiction by Will Watson at gameinformer (April 22, 2014)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Kat Giordano for Geek Insider (May 27, 2014)
* fanfiction writers are not exempt of the responsibility of creating diverse media representation (June 6, 2014)
* A guide to fanfiction for people who can't stop getting it wrong, by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw and Aja Romano, "The Daily Dot" (June 17, 2014)
* In Defense of So-Called “Bad” Fanfiction by Emmy Ellis for The Mary Sue (August 7, 2014)
* by wordstrings (August 25, 2014)
* (October 12, 2014)
* None Of This Is New: An Oral History Of Fanfiction by Jordan West for the Mary Sue (November 2, 2014)
* Should You Stop Your Fans Writing Fan Fiction? by Robert Wood (November 5, 2014)
===2015===
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Jane Smith for the Morningside Review (2015)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Mckelle George (January 15, 2015)
* How I Started Writing Fan Fiction by lazypadawan (January 2015)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Matthew Bowman at Novel Ninja (March 10, 2015) 
* , comments that begin about the article It's a Fanmade World: From One Direction to Soderbergh, but diverge later into a big discussion about fanfiction (March 2015)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Brianna H. for Electronic Literature (March 15, 2015)
* by Jenna Burne at Geek Mom (April 10, 2015)
* Fanspeak: The Brief Origins Of Fanfiction (July 23, 2015)
* Is Fan-Fiction Wrong?, WebCite by sockii (2015)
* (2015)
* (Mar 23 2015)
* An Open Letter to Fanfic Readers by bettydays (July 17, 2015)
* by Vanessa Willoughy at Book Riot by (November 18, 2015)
===2016===
* , a Tumblr discussion (January 2016)
* Sleeps With Monsters: In Defence of Fanfiction, or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Trust Myself by Liz Bourke for Tor (January 5, 2016)
* In Defense of Fanfiction by Kaitlyn Booth at WatchPlayRead (January 18, 2016)
* In Defense of Fanfiction: Part 1 + In Defense of Fanfiction: Part 2 by Carlyn Greenwald at Neon Tommy (February 2016)
* and a response: (March 2016)
 
* by Sam Fleming for "The Learned Fangirl" (March 2016)
* Fanfic (2016 essay by Ru) (2016)
* Why we're terrified of fanfiction; archive link by Constance Grady for Vox (June 2, 2016)
* Fanfiction isn't about muting the original stories. It's about heightening them. by Constance Grady for Vox (June 6, 2016)
* Authorizing Authorship: Fan Writers and Resistance to Public Reading, Cait Coker, Candace Benefiel (2016) 
* by Andy Krouse (August 1, 2016) 
* , Susan Polo (September 2016)
* In Defense of Fanfiction – A Convert’s Tale by Ryan (November 22, 2016)
* In Defense of Fanfic by Sophia Simon-Bashall for Spark Movement (November 28, 2016)
===2017===
* You don't own your fics: Against the idea of ownership in fandom, by probablyintraffic (2017)
===2018===
* In defense of fanfiction by LightningStreak (February 2018)
* (March 2018)
* ON BENEFITS OF FANFICTION; OR, VETERAN OF THE FLAME WARS by Mason Chennells (April 2018)
* When I say “Fanfiction is free”... by kedreeva (December 1, 2018)
===2019===
* Why are people ashamed of writing fanfic? (February 10, 2019)
* It Used to be Perilous to Write Fanfiction; archive link by Gita Jackson (May 16, 2019)
* Fanfiction: The Infinite Free Buffet by Alexandra Rowland, (August 2019)
===2020===
* 
===2021===
* Did you write stories based on stuff when you were young, but you didn't know it was called Fanfiction? (March 2021)
* What's in a Word? by yourlibrarian (August 22, 2021)
===2022===
* by Casey Fiesler (August 27, 2022)
Fanfiction Meta
 Fanfiction Meta