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

[Cheryl]

Eleanna wrote:
>Why did you start reading (or writing) HP fanfiction?
I actually started writing it before I read any at all.  I didn't 
plan to, but one day my mind was wandering and I thought, "What would 
Hermione miss most from the Muggle world while she was at Hogwarts?"  
I had to grab a pen.  One week and 60 pages later my first fanfic was 
finished.

>Why do you continue to read (or write)fanfiction?
The excellent reviews!  People actually enjoyed the darned thing so I 
wrote another and I'm currently working on my version of Book 7 which 
I have to write really quickly before the real one comes out!  I also 
enjoy giving the characters emotional depth which I think is somewhat 
lacking in the series.

>What makes a good fanfic?
The writing, definitely.  Almost any character deviations can be 
tolerated if the writing is good enough to carry it.  Humor is also 
excellent because we love these characters so much and having their 
foibles exaggerated is so much fun.  Like Sirius looking into the 
Mirror of Erised:  "Sirius was peering at the Mirror, muttering, 'Oh, 
wow, you can change what you see ... there's me with that really hot 
DaDA instructor ... there's Bellatrix getting expelled ... there's me 
as a dog chasing Mrs. Norris down the hall ... mounting Kreacher's 
head on the wall ... holding a baby? James, this thing's broken ...'

>Who are your top 5 fanfic authors and/or stories?
I have to admit, I loved the Draco Trilogy by anathema Cassie Claire, 
except that I skipped all the Lupin/Sirius/Narcissa parts.  The 
ending was fantastic.  I loved The Small Green Bottles of Doom 
(exerpt above) by Flitting (Fiction Alley) but my favorites are my 
own because I'm hopelessly egocentric.  I can read Bad Medicine over 
and over.  And I don't even like that pairing.

Thanks for asking!  I'm looking forward to everyone's answers—I'm 
compiling the favorites to add to my reading list.  It's hard to 
search through the thousands of fanfics without recommendations.
 
Cheryl