It all started when some of my students (I teach middle school) were huddled over a book and talking during rehearsal when they weren't supposed to. The book was Eclipse, and they'd just bought it at the school book fair. Naturally, being the good responsible teacher I am, I confiscated the book until the end of the day as a consequence of trying to read it during rehearsal. And, well ... I got curious. Now, mind you, before this I never read a "young adult" book, not even when I was a young adult. My reading favorites include Jane Austen, Issac Asimov, Michael Crichton, Ray Bradbury, and other various science fiction authors. So it was with a wry smile that I flipped through the book.
As you might imagine, starting with the third book of a series can bring up a lot of questions, so it was only natural to go back and read the other books also to figure out what was going on. So I went in reverse order, reading New Moon and then Twilight. I told myself I was reading it so that I could better interact with my students, better understand their fragile adolescent psyche - but we all know what the truth is, don't we? I fell in love with Edward Cullen. Yup, I admit it. That was the beginning of the end.
At that point, I found myself wanting to know what happened next. Remember, this was before the movie, before Breaking Dawn, and before I'd ever heard of anything called fan fiction. (RPatz is pretty, but he isn't exactly what I pictured when I thought of Edward. And don't get me started on BD) But little did I know my life was about to completely change.
In my quest for speculations as to what would happen next, as well as my overall impatience with having to wait for the final book to be published, I did some web surfing. First, I found a couple blogs where individuals had posted their versions of what came next. And then I found this site called fanfiction.net. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In the past two and a half years, my relationship with fan fiction has grown and evolved, and it is almost difficult to remember what my life was like before. I've come to really view the fan fiction world as a community, and I've been fortunate enough to make some amazing friends that I will cherish for years to come. As well as expanding my love from Edward Cullen to several other members of the Twilight universe, I feel like I've grown and become far more comfortable with myself as well as my perv status.
I'd also never written anything of substance that wasn't required or graded - ever - until I started writing fan fiction. I wish I could better remember which author it was, but in an author's note she was responding to what I assume was a negative review. She challenged her readers to write their own story if they didn't like the one she was writing. And not that I didn't like her story, but I thought - "why the hell not?" I really wish I could go back and thank that author.
But there have been several people along the way that have encouraged me either via a review, PM, chatter on the forum, etc. that have really made my excursion into the world of fan fiction a memorable one. The friendships I've made over the past couple years are ones that I know I will work hard to maintain as the years continue to go by.
While the bulk of my writing tends to hang out on the angstier side of life, I am no stranger to the lemon. Let's just say I do my fair share of reading. Thank goodness for sites like the Perv Pack, where I can get recommendations! I am also a huge fan of the Indie Twific Awards, as they help first time authors gain readers and recognition. I have a great deal of respect for anyone posting their first story. I can vividly remember the first time I posted my first chapter, and I know how much courage it takes to put your writing out there.
So while it may have been my mental version of Edward Cullen that brought me to the fan fiction world, I am proud to say that it is my love of a well written story, beautiful men, vampire sex, heart fail, and friendship that keep me connected to this amazing community.
As with just about every other teacher, I am looking forward to summer for many reasons - my favorite being Comic Con 2010! I am a geek at heart, and last year I just about passed out when I almost ran into Edward James Olmos! Thank goodness Starbuck or Apollo or Helo weren't there, or I definitely would have passed out and made a total ass of myself. I don't know if I can fully express in words just how excited I am to go again this year, as well as be reunited and meet my twi-friends.
Until then I will settle for reading, hopefully getting back to writing, laughing at my students when they're not looking, and hanging out with my awesome black lab.
Rock on, fellow pervs!
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