Fanfiction - online reading and writing

Ever since the Internet was invented, more and more net-related stuff has become part of our everyday lives. People like to watch news online; social networks myspace or facebook are also very popular. This is especially true for my family, although in my case the one website that has sparked my children's interest is online reading and writing.

At first, I thought reading online was just their extra hobby, and I never realized the good that came with it. Seeing them read stories and gradually come to like them and eventually start writing some was my first comfort, but the real surprise came when they started making friends on the site and absorbing their culture. By giving reviews to a particular writer and getting a response, you get to communicate with the writer and sometimes you see that you share the same interests and become pen friends. The same goes with being the reader.

My son Jeremy (Secondary Six):

I discovered fanfiction.net not long ago, and I’m already hooked. Sometimes, besides reading stories, I write some too. At first, I thought that the popularity of each category depended on the popularity of the original story only. However, over time, I’ve come to learn that the ease of adding new elements to a particular story is also a factor.

There’s one important difference between writing a story book and writing a story that you constantly put online. You cannot publish your book when it’s only half-finished, but the case is much more flexible with fanfiction. Even if it’s not finished, you can publish it online and update the story later with new elements. Plus, you get really motivating reviews that make you want to finish it. The online system is also very convenient. You can store favorite stories in your profile and you can access it as long as you can access the internet.

However, the best thing about fanfiction is perhaps the chance for you to get to know people from all over the world. Sometimes, the writer and the reader may share the same interests and become pen friends. You get to learn other things besides writing stories by keeping contact with them.

My story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6149855/1/LA2_in_Lunar_Knights

My daughter Daisy (Primary Six):

My brother showed me this website one year ago. Then it became my hobby to read the stories there.

It was so new to me at first. I was so excited about this website because I can see what the people think about my favorite animation character. I opened an account at once and started writing animation and books.

At first, it was fun to write. But as time pass, it became a way for me to kill time. Still, it was fun to read stories. It was at that time when I realize I like to read stories in fanfiction more because unlike books (the story may not always be what you want it to be), you can change it.

But if you don’t know what you want, you won’t be able to rewrite it. However, when you read stories of other authors, you will fell excited when the author wrote what you want.