Dear FanFiction,
The year was 2009. The times were simple, the times were fun and my love for writing had just begun. I remember being at my then-best-friend Sami’s house. We were in her totally retro room, which was in the basement, with the color purple splattered all over the walls. We were laying across her king-size bed when she pulled out a dingy old notebook whose pages were filled to the brim with words. She began to tell me about a story she was writing.
“I can’t wait to put it on FanFiction,” she said.
“What’s that?” I asked curiously.
Between Sami’s gasp and the look of utter shock on her face, it seemed as if I had just asked for the answer to the simplest question ever. She looked at me and proceeded to tell me everything that I needed to know about FanFiction: that it’s a website that allows writers to publish stories about any character or any character’s universe for all to read, that it allows both writers and readers alike to dive deeper into their beloved character’s universe, that it gives fans of anime, Manga, books, cartoons, comics, games, movies, plays, and television the opportunity to tell the story of how they envisioned the lives of their favorite characters after their original story’s end.
So, Fanfiction, it is because of you that my love for writing began, and it is because of you that I was able to grow as a writer.
I remember being obsessed with all the different types of writing that the writers on your website had. I loved the fact that you were able to let me read the work of so many different and talented writers. I became obsessed with trying to find as many different writing styles as I could and attempt to write my own stories in those styles. FanFiction, it is because of you that I was able to hone in on the type of writing that I do now and know who I want my audience to be. It’s because of you, that from a young age, I had dreams of becoming the world’s youngest best-selling author.
Once I was confident enough in my writing, I moved from reading the work of other writers to posting my own. The great thing about FanFictionis that any person could post their work. As a writer, you were given the chance to post your work under a username, and that username could have nothing at all to do with your real identity. As someone who was shy about people tying her work to her, this was perfect. So, FanFiction, thank you so much for not only giving me the opportunity to be able to post my work somewhere, but to do so anonymously.
Another thing that I have to thank you for is for allowing others to give me feedback. As a writer, it is second nature to us to re-read our work and catch mistakes. But as we reread our work, we already know what we’re trying to communicate, so, obviously, it is going to make sense to us. However, readers don’t always understand what’s going on in our minds, and they are able to point out when there are continuity issues or when something doesn’t make sense. When readers pointed out these mistakes to me, it helped me grow as a writer and actually made me become a more detailed writer.
So, Fanfiction, thank you for always allowing me to have something new to read. Thank you for allowing me to explore my creative side. Thank you for helping me create a pathway to become the writer that I am today.
Sincerely,
Paola, a girl who will never stop reading you.