[HPFGU-OTChatter] Why did you start reading HP fanfiction and why do you continue?

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

> Why did you start reading (or writing) HP fanfiction?

I started reading HP fanfiction, initially, because I knew people who
wrote it.  It's fairly difficult to read over your friends' writings
when, you know, you don't know anything about the books other than the
movies.

As for the writing, I don't do much of that [in the HP fandom].  I
read a bit of HP fanfiction on occasion, but really, because the
fandom is so large, I just haven't felt the need to put pen to paper,
as it were.


> Why do you continue to read (or write)fanfiction?

Fanfiction is fun, and more times than not, it's helpful to see how
people in the fandom understand the books.  It's escapism when you
don't want to face that Sirius or Dumbledore may be dead.  It's
enlightening when you want to understand what people mean by the
"anvil sized hints" comment (or some other such comment) - I'm not
exactly a H/Hr shipper, but I've never seen the H/G thing, either, so
I turned to the fanfic writers to help me understand since the
discussions on HP4GU were getting heated and circular.  It's fun when
you want to see just how people see book 7 working out.  In short,
it's a good look into the fandom when you don't want to dig through
all the posts at HP4GU, and it isn't a half bad way to pass the time
between the book releases. :)


> What makes a good fanfic?

A good fanfic requires the same things a good novel requires, and that
may seem like a high order, but with good/pro writers writing fanfics
and poor writers getting published, there's a lot of room for
crossovers, and I'll read most anything with a good enough hook.  For
the most part, good writing with excellent flow will save almost any
plot for me - by good writing, I mean a well-crafted, plausibility
irregardless, plot, a good sense of the characters you're working
with, and an innate understanding of how to put together words to
compel the reader to keep reading.  On the other hand, a good plot can
save mediocre writing - something compelling and vaguely well-crafted
will keep me reading, even if I think the writer could use a few more
years in creative writing courses.


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

I don't have such a list.  There are authors I'll follow up on every
few months or so, but I don't know that I've read anything that would
make me think that there's something out there good enough to make
think I should compose a top 5 list.

~Ali