For a long time I was only a reader of fanfiction, and was content to just support other writers. It wasn’t until September 2007, that I had the desire to write something of my own, and it wasn’t until Early 2008 that I actually published anything for the world to read.

I quickly discovered that I had a unique writing style and that people actually liked it! To be honest I was completely shocked to hear that people actually enjoyed the way I strung words together in my stories. To me it all sounded discombobulated.

In highschool the only writing I ever really had to do was research papers, and those were never fun and didn’t encourage the idea of writing to me at all. I had always been into poetry, but poetry in my mind was a whole other world from plot development and characterization. It boggles my mind to think what I could have accomplished if I’d only realized that I had a voice that what dying to express itself through the written word.

Publishing my stories on fanfiction.net and seeing the work warmly accepted has been one of the best things to happen to me. Its a creative outlet that I don’t know what I’d do without! For me writing changed everything.

It changed the way I listen to music, now I listen to a song, and immediately go through my different ships and wonder if a fanfiction could be the byproduct of listening to those particular words. It changed the way I watch tv and movies, because the characters for me can reach beyond the story through which I originally met them.

Since I was 13 I’ve had “write a book” on my bucket list, but It wasn’t until I realized I was actually a writer, an artist, that this became more than something on a list. I realized I could actually follow through and write my own original work. I’m currently in the creative process for two different YA Novels and its an amazing feeling to know I will actually accomplish that!

I wouldn’t have become who I am today without fanfiction so I’m internally grateful!