Is someone taking pot shots at fanfic again? Buddies, I have bought many writing books JUST TO IMPROVE MY FANFICS. I didn't even *consider* writing a """real book""" until, mmm... let's say 3-4 years into writing and posting fic, because people genuinely seemed to like my work. But I still practice and work my way through genres and plot elements in fic. It's great exercise.
It is fantastic exercise! There is no reason to dumb down your writing because you happen to be writing fanfic, and as I said earlier, if you’re not setting a scene, introducing your characters, giving us something NEW to care about, you’re a shit writer. Don’t blame fanfiction for your own shortcomings.
Is there bad fanfic out there? JFC, of course there is! A large swathe of it, in fact. But the same can be said about the books for sale on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, at the library. “Published” does not automatically mean “good,” because “good” is subjective. Should people *only* read fanfic? No, just like they shouldn’t subsist *only* on a steady diet of mountain dew and twizzlers, or go grocery shopping *only* wearing socks with sandals.
Also--I freaking love that you made the effort to improve your craft for "just fanfic." Writing is writing. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing well. Fanfic is a great exercise, it’s a great way to stretch your limits as a writer, try new things. In the fandom for which I used to write, another member of the community (heyyyyy @soignante!) used to do deep character asks, as well as musical prompts. I would happily volunteer as tribute to spearhead something like that in these parts, although it’s not as easy to do when everyone is writing their own original work/writing in different fandoms.
Read widely and often. When you do find good fanfic, the stuff that you’d pay money for, that challenges your perception of characters you already know well and transports you someplace new, support the hell out of it. Reblog it, leave comments, follow that author to their next fandom and read there work there as well.
