FAN FICTION KEEPS 'GIRLS' ALIVE

[Brian Damage]

The CW's decision to cancel "Gilmore Girls" this past TV season upset a lot of fans, but it didn't keep 17-year-old Tally Deushane away from the show.

A self-described "GG junkie," Deushane turned to Web sites where thousands of devotees had written and posted new stories based on the original series.

In this alternate universe of so-called "fan fiction," Rory Gilmore returns home to Stars Hollow after her stint as a journalist covering the Barack Obama campaign.

Rory's imagined homecoming is just one of 12,000 fan-penned adventures on fanfiction.net, one of the most popular sites for this writing genre.

"I definitely gravitate toward TV fan fiction," said Deushane. "With TV show, the plot is constantly changing and it creates more opportunities."

Fan fiction - new material written by devotees of the original book, movie or TV series - has been around since at least the 1970s, thanks to "Star Trek" enthusiasts.

While bonding over a TV show isn't exactly new, fan-fiction sites have gained huge Internet followings and have expanded beyond canceled shows to include current hits like "Grey's Anatomy," "Heroes" and "CSI."

The latest entrant, Fanlib.com, is trying to cash in on the trend by getting major media companies, including broadcast and cable networks eager to promote their shows, on board as advertisers.

The site holds promotions to encourage fans to submit their best work, including a contest last year to write an online script for "The L Word," Showtime's drama about lesbian friends living in Los Angeles.

"The biggest thing we offer ultimately will be the connection to the people behind the shows," said Chris Williams, the co-founder and chief executive of FanLib, based in Beverly Hills.


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