Recently I deleted any and all fan fiction I had posted on several websites. It was oddly difficult to do, because I had literally been posting and participating on those sites since I was 17 years old. I made the choice to delete the stories for three main reasons:
The first reason I chose to take them down was because I am converting my most popular fan fiction into an original novel. It will have major cuts, several changes and some re-invented characters, but I was told several times by readers that the story could hold its own and I am up for that challenge. The story is always lingering somewhere in my thoughts, because it brings me a great deal of joy to think about and work on. Why not try to make it something to share on a wider scale? Writing a novel (published or not) is on my bucket list after all.
The second reason has a lot to do with accountability. A few times throughout the years I found myself relying heavily on reader comments and honestly, it felt a little futile and self-absorbed to be logging on daily to the sites just to see if there happened to be a new comment to stroke my ego. Why was I trying to please others? I’m happy with my writing and that’s all that actually matters in the end. There was no and is no reason for me to be so concerned over what others thought and think when I could have used and can use the time to be writing something new instead. I mean no disrespect to anyone who adores getting comments, because, hey, I obviously love it too. It makes me feel like I accomplished something and I enjoy responding to people and building new online friendships that way, but enough is enough. I have to hold myself accountable to working on this original draft and constantly checking in on old content online isn’t helping.
The third reason was because I reached a point where I simply felt uncomfortable having some of my old stories posted online, because while readers seemed to like them, I would look at them and cringe. My writing was dreadful, the plotlines were rushed and too over-the-top dramatic. Things weren’t properly researched and I know that I can do so much better now. Since I know I’m capable of creating better content, I want a do-over. I want to recreate the stories as originals and I want them to be of greater quality than what 17 year old me was able to produce at that stage in my life.
I will always keep copies of the fan fictions I wrote. They will always be something special, because they were a huge part of my life and friendships I developed online. I am just finally ready for a new challenge.
I will continue to be a reader and supporter of fan fiction. There are too many pros for it to be undermined by anyone at any age. You can read my thoughts on fan fiction HERE.
Were you or are you a fan fiction writer? What fandom did/do you write for? Drop a comment or link below!