Essay: What I Learned From Fanfiction

 On the one hand, fanfiction could be construed as a massive waste of time.  I don't get paid for it, I can't get paid for it, and it sucks time and attention away from Real Life, not to mention Real Literature.  If I like to write so much, why don't I write my own stories with original characters?

I have, and I do, and I will.  And my original writing wouldn't be as good as it is without a base of knowledge I gathered from the fanfiction community.

( Mark of the Asphodel meets Mary Sue )