Does anyone write Fanfiction anymore?

 I was thinking about Fanfiction the other day and about how I don’t really hear about it so much anymore.

I associate Fanfiction with my adolescent years, where I would find myself obsessing over a game, a series, a book and would rapidly devour all the content on it and would be seeking more and more, finding the thirst for it satisfied completely and utterly in Fanfiction- reading the work of others and, even more excitingly, getting to express my creative side in writing my own.

I remember we hadn’t long purchased (or mostly likely received second hand) our first family computer, and I would spend summer holidays reading and writing, engaging with the Fanfiction community and fanbases of whatever my latest obsession was. I remember it being friendly, constructive, encouraging and I miss that. I have tried my best to engage with the Twitter writing community, and although I enjoy observing writers’ journeys and have received a friendly word here or there, it hasn’t felt quite the same. I am not sure, but I wonder if (with becoming an adult) I have become too shy (even when behind a screen) to engage as much as I would like to. As I have said, I find myself ‘observing’ and although I want to say congratulations or question things, or ask if I can learn more about their process, I don’t always feel confident enough to ask, wondering if I seem nosy or intrusive. I never felt like that as a teenager and would happily comment, praise, offer feedback, etc, with no qualms about it at all.

I miss sharing my work, writing and engaging with an audience. Of course, I would love to be able to, but again, I feel too shy to ask anyone to critique my work for me or offer advice (apart from close friends and family). Again, perhaps (with Fanfiction) by knowing that it is an adaptation of someone else’s work and not completely my own, I relished in sharing my writing and the feedback I would receive. It has made me wonder, should I delve back into this pastime to see what it is like to have that engagement and to receive that feedback, not necessarily on my ideas, but my craft and writing style alone? This has also got me wondering- does anyone else in the writing community still write Fanfiction? And do they find this helpful when then returning to write their own stuff? Please comment below 😊