Why did you start reading HP fanfiction and why do you continue?

[zgirnius]

Cindi wrote:
> Greetings:
> 
> Why did you start reading (or writing) HP fanfiction?

zgirnius:
I was curious, so I read some on another forum, and liked some of it 
a lot. I had never realized people wrote such things as fanfiction.
 
> Why do you continue to read (or write)fanfiction?

zgirnius:
I don't read all that much, just occasionally, when I am in the mood. 
I am, on the other hand, hooked on writing the stuff. It is fun, I 
have always liked writing. But is seemed a pointless hobby without 
readers, which you generally can't get unless you get published. 
Writing for publication is a profession, and I already have one.

> What makes a good fanfic?

zgirnius:
The characters have to be right. They have to act the way I imagine 
them. Within the constraint, I can deal with any sort of situation: 
AU, crossover, close to canon (like events from the books shown from 
another character's point of view, or things we know happened in the 
series but didn't see, like Neville asking Ginny to the Yule Ball), 
future or backstory of the series, whatever.

> Who are your top 5 fanfic authors and/or stories?

zgirnius:
I couldn't say. Because I read so little, I tend to stick to short 
fics, not the novel-length ones.