HELLO!
Welcome to Friends of Fanfic's first Sanditon anthology.
This is a group anthology based on the shared prompt: The Last Austen Heroine. A lot of careful and creative thought went into this title, and it is there precisely because of its connotations. The fact is that Sanditon has become about men, and to us, that is not the essence of Austen. While Austen celebrates praiseworthy romantic figures, at the end of the day, the women are at the heart of her stories, they are the ones she is striving through wit and wisdom to give a voice to. And in the case of Sanditon, we have something utterly unique. We have, literally, the last Austen heroine in Charlotte. No others exist after her, all her predecessors have had their stories reach a contented conclusion by Austen, but not Miss Heywood. And actually, there is something else to note here. Austen's stories and her characters, they are set in stone, they are already written and so they are sealed in the pages of time and the legacy of literary love. But we have an unique opportunity here, and that is to have our say in shaping the life and love of an Austen heroine, and that, to us, is something special.
This anthology seeks to be inclusive, since we know that, sadly, the fandom has experienced a significant rift. Therefore, we actively welcome Sidlotte, Heybourne and alternative outcomes. All we ask is that readers and writers respect everyone's right to enjoy Sanditon in their own way, so if you do not like a particular type of story, we ask that you politely just move on and read a different one without resorting to negative commenting to make an unnecessary point – thank you kindly. Also, please remember that some of these people have never shared their work before, so please be kind, be supportive, and also do remember that each story is different, so if you're up for commenting, it would be lovely if you could find the time to leave a review on each story, but only if you want to.
Submitting a Story:
-The story should be between 200-8,000 words.
-The story should be a one-shot.
-The story can be fluff, angst, or both. Mild smut is permitted.
-Stories can be new or have been previously published.
-Authors can submit more than one story.
-People of all writing backgrounds welcome. In fact, we are especially keen to meet those who have never written or do not usually write.
-Friends of Fanfic will not be judging the stories in any way, so we do not need to approve them, all stories are welcome, provided they do not contain any blatant issues, such as hateful language or sentiments towards groups in society without creative or contextual relevance.
-Please, do not be afraid to express your own cultural identity. For instance, while Sanditon is an English Regency novel/series, if you feel more comfortable writing using American jargon/phraseology, then please don't be put off by that.
-Stories do not need to be in canon.
-Authors will need to proofread and edit their own stories, we will not be able to do that for each individual.
-All stories are to be sent to: friendsoffanfiction at gmail dot com (sorry, can't use the full email here), and we will upload them.
-If you could please send them as a Word document that can be edited, that would be appreciated. Please do not forget to include a story title, (if different from the prompt name), your chosen pen-name, and if there are any accompanying notes. And please, to save unnecessary problems, please note if your story is Sidlotte, Heybourne or other.
About Friends of Fanfic:
Set up by The Scribbler CMB, we are a group of friends and reading enthusiasts who have decided that we would like to write about the stories and characters that we love from our favourite books.
We realised that lots of people who love reading fan fiction, and would like to try their hand at writing it, do not feel comfortable taking that leap. This can be for various reasons, such as: language barriers, a lack of knowledge about posting online and navigating sites, preferring to have prompts to get them started, not wanting to stand out and wishing to have a bit of anonymity, and feeling the need to be motivated by a project/deadline and sense of encouragement along the way…just to name a few.
By doing this together, we are sharing in our love of fan fiction, and this time round, we are giving a shout-out to our beloved North and South. And again, by doing it together, we are working to create a fun, inclusive and reassuring community where everybody feels emboldened to take up the pen and tell their own story.