An ode to fanfiction
I've been in "fandom" almost 2 years now and I've yet to find the mountains of cringe content I was told to expect.
What I found were authors who exceed many a published writer in skill and vision.
There are many good stories in this world, but often they lack convincing language. There are many beautifully written books, but often their plot is mediocre. And we forgive that...why are we so nitpicky with fanfic?
Taking a character/a world/a dynamic and expanding on it is a basic feature of literature since the beginning of writing.
Shifting, transforming, and adapting those features is a known and respected feature in literature as well.
Mashing together different storylines to blend them into something new has given us some of the most beloved books in the world.
And no, not every fanfiction writer is a literary genius...some are just really good at their thing. So are most popular authors who produce a new novel every few years. (And those books are bought eagerly!)
BUT (and it's a big but) many an author I've found in my fandom can easily hold a candle to published (and much respected and praised) authors in terms of storytelling, pacing, vocabulary, characterisation, actual plot, and original ideas perfectly blended with a pre-existing framework.
I wish people would stop dismissing that, because it sounds as if they don't really like to read for the pleasure of it, they just like to brag about the name on the cover...