Why I Love Fanfic

If you know me or have been keeping up with this blog, then you probably know that I've written my fair share of fanfiction in my short lifetime. In fact, it was one of the ways I started learning how to write a real narrative--even in second and third grade, I was writing in my notebook about the Warriors book series...yes, I was literally writing fanfic about cats. I quickly moved on to Harry Potter, writing multi-chapter fics and reading colossal, 60k stories on fanfiction.net. For years in elementary and middle school, I wrote fic about nearly everything--Disney shows, Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, even some anime. And I still write fanfiction even now, albeit less often. It's stuck with me for what I would guess is maybe a little less than a decade, and I consider fanfic and fandom to be one of the most important parts of pop culture and my own journey as a writer.

Anyone who has tried to write a story knows that it's incredibly hard to build a narrative, especially if you're trying to create a sci-fi and fantasy story. As a young writer, it was so much easier for me to start with a world that had already been developed so well, like that in Harry Potter. I already knew that world like the back of my hand, so being able to create a story became that much easier--I didn't have to slave over every little logistic detail, and could instead have fun with characters and plot. It's a good way to start out--it's like a playground for people who don't quite know how to create powerful characters and logical scenery. By now, I've graduated to forming my own worlds and characters (even the dreaded Mary-Sue helped me learn about that), but playing with Harry, Ron, and Hermione as a child helped me get a hang of things that much faster.

Not only did writing fanfiction help me, reading it did as well. A lot of people seem to think fanfiction is just filled with people writing fantasies and pornos, but that's no the case at all. I've read incredibly well-written fanfiction in many different fandoms. All of us know how it feels to love a book, movie or TV show so much that we want it to go on forever--with fanfiction, it does, and for us young writers, it's a good place for us to learn how to write and how not to write. Authors would take the stories in such unique and fun directions that I was surprised the original author hadn't thought to do so!

For me, fanfiction has also always been a very communal experience. Back on fanfiction.net, and now on Archive of Our Own, people are usually incredibly lovely and give positive feedback and constructive criticism. I remember there was once someone who would always comment on my Neville/Luna multi-chapter fic and give me incredible feedback on how the story made them feel and what I could do to improve it. Not only was I encouraged by the feedback online, but I also learned from it. Being able to share my creativity with people other than those I thought would just lie to please me, like people I knew in real live, helped jumpstart my confidence and excitement to write.

Now, fandom is a large part of pop culture, but when I was starting out in it, it still wasn't this mainstream or accepted. I'm happy that fanfiction is more popular nowadays, because it means it's instilling a love of writing and creativity in fans everywhere, no matter their age, gender, or occupation. Anyone can write fanfic, and that's extremely empowering. I can say without a doubt I wouldn't be where I am with my craft without the wonderful world of fanfiction. If you've ever felt the desire to write about something you've read, I highly encourage you to do it. Pick up a pen or open your computer. Start writing. You'll be surprised by how empowered you feel.

Kekai