I'm not embarrassed about writing fanfiction for Inuyasha, but it is extremely difficult to explain why I like it to other folks. I've noticed that the hardest ones to explain it to are the ones that have no hobbies themselves. They're also the ones who complain the most about being bored all the time.
I suppose that those that have difficulty entertaining themselves without someone showing them how would have trouble understanding this.

I don’t write fanfiction, but I love to read it. I’ve never had a problem explaining it others. My close family and friends knows that I read fanfiction. To them its just my hobby, no big deal. They know that I love to read and reading fanfiction is just a different form of reading. Heck, they even ask what’s the name of the story, is it good tell us about it.

I’m always telling them that there are some really talented and skilled writers out there. Some of those writers should even try writing their own novel. I guess I see things differently. If you enjoy doing something do it. Even after you explain it to someone and they still don’t understand.

I’ve been reading fanfiction for about 7 years and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. After reading some of the posts a few of you have written, I don’t see why any of you should feel embarrassed about what you do. I’ve read some amazing stories and can picture some of the situations written about happening if the anime/manga would end like that or like this. To people like me you provide fuel to the imagination.

In short, you have people out there who enjoy your works and appreciates the hard work and effort you put into your stories. We realize this is something that you do because you want too not because you have to.

Funnny I started writing fanfiction at a young age but I never finished my old stories and back then my thought process was a little wierd and alot less complex than it is now (but somwhoe I'm still wierd according to family and some close friends but hey everyone is wierd in their own way *shurgs* I don't remember when I started to write probably...oh around hmmm maybe first grade so fanficiton isn't all that new to me. Actually, I prefer fanfiction because you have a bit more freedom as far as the storyline goes (not as much as if you are writing your own stories with your own characters but its enough for me) That's also why I kinda hate research papers or eassays because they to me a restraint and I don't have more freedom to play around with the sotry. Though I started writing at a young age I'd say my fanfic writing didn't officially become part of my life till about a couple of years ago. And yes for some reason I'm too afraid to show my family and some of my friends my writing because they'd be either LTAO or shocked (sometimes I can be overly sensitive to criticism though it might not seem like I'm the kind of person to be sensitive but its apart of having a meloncholic personality. If you don't believe me google it and you'll find links to the many different personality types- Myer Briggs is a good personality test and fun to do but was kinda an official personality test that was done at my private school and all the high school students had to take it to find out their personality types and I ended up being and INFP I think and halfway between thinking and feeling. But basically like I said before- Meloncholic)

I started writing fanfiction about six years ago and was totally embarassed by it. I too would minimize my window on my computer when my roommate in college would walk in or if I was at home I would minimize the screen if my mom or sister walked by ( my sister has admitted to reading and writing fanfiction too! lol). To this day I am not embarassed like I was. My husband knows I read fanfiction and write too. In fact he has helped me write a few of them! But he understands that its my way of getting away from reality for a little while. Though sometimes to does bother him (feels like he's being ignored. lol), he knows its just a hobby for me. So if you feel comfortable enough to tell anyone you might be surprised at what they tell you. I'm pretty sure that many other people write fanfiction on various things but they are more than likely not going to tell you because they too are embarassed. So I just say embrace it! There are odder things out there!

I started getting into fanfiction when I was too impatient for the next issue of the manga to come out. I would fill the time between issues reading fanfiction. To me it's essentially the same as reading any other published story only with characters you've already grown to love in a new creative light. you could almost call the many endless published romance novels fanfiction of jane austin or the like. they all have the same character set and basic scenarios it's just about the individual authors take and direction of the story.

Like a lot of you have said before fanfiction is something I try to keep mostly secret. Though I see no real reason too becouse it really is no different than any other hobby. The way I explain it to the people that do know is that it's just reading, it's just a story, one that I have the chance to make my own and share if I want.

The real stigma I think comes from the appearance of obsession which at times is true , and also the apparently childish material which is also true.. until we get to it that is .The only real way to avoid those assuptions though is to prove them wrong.

If people don't listen or judge you because of this they are blind, because if there wasn't a great number of people that were a part of it then it would cease to exist, and if there are a great number of poeple taking part, it must not be completely out of the norm. Which it isn't, there really is a shocking amount of people doing the exact same thing as us, not only inuyasha but every imaginable subject. If you were open with it you would probably find many people you'd never suspect were doing it too, it was that way for me at least [img/] .

I remember when I first got into it. Being in a mentally abusive marriage, I was always looking for ways to escape my reality, thus began my involvement in fanfiction. I remember that I was sitting up one night because I was very close to giving birth to my third son and I found Inu Yasha and loved it from that point on. If I had to explain it to outsiders, I think that I would use the same explanation that any hobby has...it is a way to unwind and escape the hassle of everyday life. In many ways, it has helped me cope with my situation and was something I was able to turn to when my marriage finally disolved. Even now, it allows me to expand my imagination and enjoy the little fantasies that come with such a hobby. Also, I love the fact that it bugs the hell out of my mom, whom says that all I write is smut, and the look on her face makes me giggle quite a bit.

I don't mind telling people I write fanfictions.


If the stories are a bit too gory or naughty then I'll be discrete about them.


I've got many reactions from my friends. And I remember only one:

I told my classmate, who i never spoke to before, that i write fanfictions for the sake of continuing a conversation. The reaction I got was priceless. She said, "ME TOO!"

But she's writing them for Naruto and Bleach.

It's not bad telling people about fanfic ^_^
We might just make more and more friends!



Besides, I have no problem voicing out my opinions. Forgive my bluntness please =)
Never go soft! Never!! Hooray for blunt honesty!!

Just like any other hobby, there will be those who understand and share your love of it, and those who don't. Ask anyone who collects things. Comics, coins, stamps, dolls, etc. They will tell you stories of people, even close friends and family members, who have insulted and belittled them and their hobby.

People tend to put down those who don't conform to their ideal of normalcy. You can either be a sheep and follow along miserably, or be your own person and do your own thing. I read a line on someone's profile on ff that I loved. It is so very true. 97% of the teens in the world would stop breathing if Abercrombie & Fitch said it wasn't cool. I would so be one of the 3% lmao at the sheep.

I am lucky. My husband and my sons understand my hobby. Although my husband has read some of my reviews and wants to know when I am going to start on a serious novel. I am thinking about it. But if I decide to do it, it will not be because someone else expects it of me. It will be for my enjoyment. Life is too short to let someone else tell you what is cool. Independence is cool. All the sheep? Just wannabes.

Only one of my friends knows that I have been writing at all . . . and he understands it a little because he used to write fanfiction for Castlevania (although he didn't know there was such a thing as fanfiction at the time).

I would let my family know about it, but none of them know what Inuyasha is, much less being fans of it, so I don't think they would understand what is going on in my stories. (I really tried to get my dad into it, I got him into South Park, after all. I guess he just doesn't like fantasy stuff.)

As far as letting other people know about it . . . I think it has something to do with letting others actually see my work -- something that I created and is a little part of me. It's one thing to write a story and post it on a website that offers you anonymity, but to actually know the people who have read your work can be a little nerve-wracking. Not to mention, for some of us newer writers, we may be a little uncomfortable with sharing our hobby if we are still developing our skills and style.

Of course, that is just my opinion, speaking as a person who is naturally shy and private, and a fairly new writer.

For me, writing fan fiction is a top-secret activity. My husband is the only one who knows I do it, and he has not read a word I have written. Since he knows me, he teases me at times about my "story" being filled with sex and violence, but I think for the most part he is grateful for anything that keeps me home, instead of out hiking in the woods. When I do that, he usually ends up waiting for me all day along some two track, where a trail crosses a road. I am guessing that most of the people I know do not even suspect that I am more than marginally literate. They know I can schedule the movements of trucks, and do the accounting for a small business, but it would probably surprise the heck out of my friends if they knew... My boss thinks I play a lot of solitaire on my laptop...

(I don't write that much, but I read tons.) Hard to explain? Definately. Embarrased by it? Mehh, it depends.

What embarrasses me is when my mother is talking to someone (and whether she's making fun of me or trying to explain how I love to read/write) she says, "Oh, she's just up there all day on that computer reading/writing animes..."

And no matter how many times I correct her... ughh, it's just really annoying (especially when she's talking to neighbors and such).

I am old... too old for most of my family to understand the fascination with the anime, manga, OR the fan fiction. TOO BAD.

I'm a big girl and have my likes and dislikes. I have my interests, my hobbies, and my fascinations. If they can't understand it, they can just leave it alone, y'know? But no, my children tend to run around telling anyone who'll listen that their mother is addicted to internet pr0n. LOL!! And, yes, they are old enough to read it, but it isn't their 'cuppa tea,' even if it IS their fault I got hooked on it in the first place.

I have since started explaining that I read it because I find it interesting... and that not ALL of it is smut. It is intriguing to see other people's takes on what might have happened with the characters if other things had taken place, in other settings, with other characters. When my favorite authors weren't updating, I started playing beta occasionally. That grew into some terrific friendships with people across the country.

Those friendships grew over the years and, when 'A Single Spark' started its decline, I was around to encourage those who started Dokuga in its place. Which, obviously, led to my further involvement in the site, as many know.

My family can laugh all they want, and accuse me of having a 'Parlor Family' (ala the book "1984"), but I'm happy here. I'm glad when I can help others and encourage new writers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

~~Wiccan~~

fallendoll wrote:
I'm not embarrassed about writing fanfiction for Inuyasha, but it is extremely difficult to explain why I like it to other folks. I've noticed that the hardest ones to explain it to are the ones that have no hobbies themselves. They're also the ones who complain the most about being bored all the time.
I suppose that those that have difficulty entertaining themselves without someone showing them how would have trouble understanding this.

Omg it's true. My roommate called me crazy the other day because I've been typing a lot on my computer lately, but then she is always whining about how bored she is (me and her have the same classes and we haven't had homework lately) but yet I manage to run three miles, work on a few chapters, watch about two movies, and job hunt during my days

OMG

OMG

Sorry to start a dicussion like this, but I just relaized something. I've offically been writing Inuyasha fanfiction for seven years? It started as badly put together fics in the middle school, and now I'm in college rekindling it again.

Anyway that little burst of randomness can have some purpose, because I've managed to make it seven years without my fanfiction embarrasing the hell out of me? How have I managed that? Simple I don't tell anyone.

Last night when I was working on one of my fics my roomate, though I almost don't blame her in our small little boring dorm, kept glancing at my computer and asking what I was doing. For some reason, though I think fanfiction is great writing experience since it let's you focus more on the basic craft by eliminating character development, I lied and said I was just writing a letter before minimizing it.

For years I have been hiding what I always do in my spare time, and I have no clue why. In high school if anyone seen me writing I quickly hid it and told them I was writing a note, because I was always in classes with dumbasses who would call me a loser if they knew what I was doing. And then it sucks when my mom use to ask me what I was doing. She would ask, "Are you writing a novel?" And I would say no because she would want to read it, and since she thinks Inuyasha is just some child's cartoon I obsess over she wouldn't be able to understand the characters.

Basically what I'm getting at is there anyone else who is embarrased by the fact that they write fanfiction, or just has trouble explaining it? How do you explain what you do to those on the outside who judge.

When I first encountered fanfiction at the age of 14 I was horrified. I was a lover of Lord of the Rings since I was very young and having Tolkien's works treated in such a way seemed like blasphemy The fact that the first fanfiction I read was absolutely horrific (Mary-Sue, appalling grammar and spelling, huge text blocks of incoherent fangirl raving about Orli!(Bloom) etc) did not make the experience any easier. The my friend took to sending me the most horrific pieces of fanfiction she could find from the oddest fandoms (no offence to people who like Bible fanfiction 0_o). Of course, thankfully I stumbled on some quality work but that initial impression has scarred me and I think that's why I've never told anyone except my boyfriend. When I 'confessed' to him a little while ago he just laughed and said it was cute. Then he confessed to having read some Dragonball Z fanfiction

I'd never tell my parents though-they'd think I'm crazy. Well, crazier. They already think I'm nuts because I love anime, manga and cosplaying,

I actually don't know what I thought about fanfiction when I first ran into it. I don't even remember what the fandom was that I ran into. I rstumbled into more bad ones (appalling grammar, no paragraph spacing so it was a huge chunk of text, total OOCness, Mary Sues, you name it) than good ones in the beginning, so I might have disliked it. But I think I ran into some good ones thatI was remotely interested in and those fics saved me from turning away from fanfiction. I got into so many fandoms I didn't even know existed and I had no interest in them beforehand. There are some very talented writers out there and I think I'll be stuck to reading and writing fanfiction for the rest of my life.

Once and a while I get discouraged because the people I talk to in real life don't really understand my obsessions. My music obsessions are easy to share because I have a friend who shares the same interests, but no one is into the same animes or movies or any other type of series that I enjoy from the fanfiction fandoms. I also have one friend who is totally against fanfiction and she often makes me feel like I should be embarrassed to like it so much and spend lots of time on it, but I try not to let it get to me. Sometimes it does, but hopefully one day it won't bother me at all.

I always view reading and writing fanfiction as like writing stories and reading books. It's borrowing a lot of elements from the actual things, but a lot of ideas are elaborated on or totally made up and I think that's worth something. A lot of fanfiction I've read lately have been better than a lot of published work I run into so most of the time I feel like its vastly undervalued.