I’m an Adult Fanfiction Writer and Reader — Here’s What I’ve Experienced
I was eleven years old when the first Michael Bay Transformers movie came out. Transformers Animated would come out later in the year. It’s what got me hooked on the Transformers franchise overall.
But it wasn’t until I was fifteen years old and finishing up my freshman year of high school that I would stumble upon fanfiction and as a result, fandoms in general. And let me tell you, it was like entering a magical world. Not only do I come across people who love the same things as I do, but they also love them so much to create stories about them, too!
I’m twenty-six years old now and am still lurking around reading fanfiction. And I’m going to talk about the things I’ve noticed now as an adult fan.
My Preferences Have Changed
Growing up means that circumstances change. Priorities change.
And that also means needs will change as well.
As a teenager, I was HUGE on romance fanfics, and if it was Slash fanfiction? Even better.
Now, I’m more into family and friendship stories. And while I am open to having some romance in it, I no longer have a strong need for them to be in the stories.
I’m More Selective of What I Read
As someone who’s written her fair share of badly written fanfiction, I’m not going to knock too hard on the writers. Fanfiction writing is meant to be a hobby, a fun thing to share with people who are also in the same fandom as you. I don’t think we’re meant to judge fanfiction by the standards of officially published works.
Also, many fanfiction writers are young; fanfiction is a good start to getting them into writing stories. It can even be good practice for writers who are thinking of publishing an original story of their own one day.
I used to read a lot of fanfiction stories regardless of whether the grammar was good or the writing didn’t have proper grammar. All I just cared about is if I like the story.
But as I look back at my favorites list on Fanfiction.net, I’ve come to the sobering conclusion that the stories I loved in the past…aren’t that good. I still come back to read them now and then, but they just don’t hold my interest as much anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some good stories out there worth reading. But good, well-written fanfiction? Those are a dime a dozen. You’re going to have to go through many stories to find that one story.
It’s a chore, sure, but when you find that good story? You can bet it was damn well worth the search.
I No Longer Wait Around for Updates
Like many fanfic readers, I get annoyed when the fanfic I’m reading is good and when I read the latest chapter. Still kind of do, actually.
This is pretty hypocritical coming from me since it’s been years since I’ve updated my stories, too.
But as an adult now, I get it. Life gets busy, the older we get, the more responsibilities we have.
That’s not to say that there aren’t adults who regularly update their stories to their completion. But some people just don’t have that kind of motivation or have other priorities that are more important than fanfiction writing.
Outside of the rare instances where writers do come back to update their stories, I’ve just come to accept that some stories will never be updated, but that I will appreciate the story for what it is and come to my conclusions on how the story would have ended.
Hating Old Works
It’s the same for any kind of writer. I remember being so happy writing my first fanfiction story, but now I don’t even dare to look at it. It just makes me cringe.
I used to say that I left my stories up because it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come as a writer, but I’m starting to think it’s better if I deleted them altogether. Or maybe I’ll rewrite some of them, there are still some writings that I like just enough to want that much.
I Think of Story Ideas More Than I Write
Hoo boy, this is probably one of the reasons why it takes forever for me to update stories, let alone publish new ones.
Remember the term plot bunnies? Yeah, I have those pretty much all the time. All. The. Damn. Time.
I could be minding my own business, watching a Youtube video or a TV show, or just listening to music, and then bam! An idea in my head. It sounds so fun that it makes me want to write it all down!
But actually, writing the scenes out? I scream internally at such a thought.
Not even because of how unfeasible my ideas are to create a good story, let alone a one-shot, to want to publish. It’s the fact that I have to write them out in a way that does the scene justice. And let me tell you, it ain’t easy.
I have so many unfinished pieces of writing in my Google Drive, and that’s not even counting all the ones I wrote purely for fun and have no intention to publish.
Being More Aware of What I Write
Despite all my gripes about writing fanfiction, that doesn’t mean I don’t like writing them. Not even close.
It’s just like getting better at anything, it requires practice. And that’s the same for writing anything, with fanfiction or original fiction. The more you write, the more your writing skill improves.
And here’s where reading good, well-written fanfiction comes to play. We get inspiration from other people’s works all the time, and this is no different. Reading good fanfiction can help us better understand what makes a good story, good story structure, as well as proper use of grammar and punctuation. We can draw inspiration from these stories when we write our own.
Normally, I would just write out the story based on how it plays in my head. But now, I take the time to figure out whether the scenes flow well in the story and write them in a way that will keep readers engaged. It’ll take longer for when I’ll publish them and when I update them in the future, but I think it’ll be well worth the wait so long as I’m consistent.
I can’t speak for other adult fanfiction writers and readers on whether they share the same sentiments I do, but let it be known that they do exist out there and if you’re feeling subconscious about it, you’re not alone. We’re definitely around!
So tell me, what’s your experience like as a fanfiction writer or reader?
