Reading was my lifeline as a child. I consumed full novels daily, so much so that my parents panicked for me. They had to beg me to get up and take a shower, eat dinner, change my bedsheets, anything that would stop me from reading. They always joked that most parents have to plead with their kids to pick up a book. So why is it so difficult for me to start a novel at 21? I can read a good fanfiction until three in the morning, but my to-read list is growing vastly larger on my bookshelf.
I dove into the world of fanfiction when I was 12 years old (yikes, I know). For those who are unfamiliar, fanfiction is unauthorized amateur writing, written by fans about an existing work of fiction. For instance, any book series, tv show or movie franchise is fair game. Some authors even write about celebrities and bands. There are no limits to fanfiction, and there are millions of works available online.
I mainly read Harry Potter fanfics growing up, as HP was the most influential series for me as a kid. Nothing too fancy, nothing too smutty, just good old-fashioned fluff. From an outsider’s perspective, the fics I read probably looked terribly boring; they were just so comforting to me. I got to use fanfiction as a way to imagine my favorite characters as something better, more relatable and more me. With JK Rowling’s exposure to transphobia and inherent racism, I felt less attached to HP than I did before I read the books. However, reading other people’s works allowed these characters to finally be Asian, Black, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, Hispanic/Latinx, queer, atheist and honestly f*cking brilliant.
But I’m sitting here now at 21, staring at my bookshelf, wondering why I keep buying books when I haven’t read the ones I already own. Good books, too! Lots of self-help… Without the thralls of fanfiction, I could be a better person by now. I’ve been sitting on this question for a while now, and I think I’ve finally figured out why fanfictions are so much easier to read than new books.
The whole point of fanfiction is that you already know what’s going on; you choose to read a fic based on something you love. With fanfiction, you’re already invested in these characters and worlds. With a new novel or series, you have to make that initial connection all over again. You must adapt to the world and learn about the characters and writing style from page one, and that takes a lot of energy.
Through fanfiction, readers are allowed to take part in an international collective. Many of these works and authors create a safe space for people to participate and find joy in reading again. However, my school-year resolution is to read no fanfiction until I’ve read five new books from my shelf. I may even write an article at the end of the quarter reviewing the new books I’ve read. Hold me to it!
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