Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

Hello,

My name is Zo and I write fan fiction. Primarily I write Buffy & Angel stories, and my stories are mostly rated NC-17.

I completely agree that this is an obsession. I am not a professional writer nor did I take any kind of writing classes. I've always enjoyed writing. As a teenager I wrote alot of poetry and even attempted to start a short story. But as with a lot of teenagers other things occupied my time and the writing was put aside.

Now since I've started writing fan fiction I am completely obsessed with writing...anything! I now find myself wondering if I have enough skills to write professionally. Personally I don't think I'm a bad writer but then again I don’t think that I'm novelist material either. But my hope is that my writing improves with every story that I write.

Which leads me to your post on 'Fan Fiction is Hard to Write'. Again I agree with you. Fan fiction readers are very astute reviewers and can be at times very harsh. However, I for one applaud it because without honest critiques a writer cannot improve on their skills, which is what most fan fiction writer’s want.

Fan Fiction communities in general can be wonderful and welcoming. They can also be extremely catty and cliquey, which I do not like and has recently led me to re-consider the extent of my involvement within the community.

But overall, it is a wonderful place to learn to write, or to better your writing skills, and most importantly become comfortable with publishing what you're writing.

:)

Dear Zo,
Thanks for that wonderful letter! This was my favorite part, and it's a point I haven't made yet:
"most importantly become comfortable with publishing what you're writing."

I think fan fiction communities are really important for that reason. It takes a lot of mental energy and self-esteem to publish, and fan fiction sites help you spread your wings.

Keep reading and posting, it's great to get some feedback...

Cheers,
Jason Boog