I have a secret.

It’s why I haven’t finished a book all year, despite sometimes devouring 50,000 words in a day (or rather, a night). It’s why my homework gets put off, why I never clean my room, why my head’s always buried in my phone, hell, it’s why I didn’t finish this article until about 5 minutes before its deadline. So, here goes:

My name is Maggie, and I’m addicted to fanfiction.

(this is where you say, “Hi Maggie”)

I’ve been afflicted with this addiction since about 6th grade, when I binge read a 100,000 word fanfic all about...Codename: Kids Next Door. I remember waiting for updates for weeks on end and feeling so immensely satisfied when it finally ended well for all involved (especially when the actual series ended in such a deeply UNSATISFYING way; goddamnit Numbuh 1, why did you have to join the Galactic Kids Next Door at a time like THIS?)

I made my way through fanfic after fanfic from Cardcaptor: Sakura to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, from Gravity Falls to Undertale, before finally settling in the divide between Harry Potter and Phanfiction (yes, the ‘Ph’ is on purpose). Basically, if you want fic recs across fandoms, I’m your girl.

And, even though fanfiction has totally destroyed my will to read anything not involving minor characters from Harry Potter in a pivotal role, I am a firm believer in the positive aspects of fanfiction on young people as burgeoning creators and citizens of the world.

Fanfiction helped me realize that I was queer (when I was 12 I knew I was REALLY into Clarisse LaRue, but it wasn’t until I read Clarabeth fanfic that I realized ‘oh shit, it’s because I’m as queer as a clockwork orange’). In fact, this isn’t uncommon: many young, queer people read fanfiction to see themselves in ways mainstream pop culture often neglects to portray them. Fanfiction gave me friendships across ages, cultures, and time zones. It strengthened my real life friendships. It made me a better writer and opened me up to critique from my peers to improve my story arcs, characterization, and even my grammar!

I hope if you haven’t already, you’ll try to get into fanfiction (I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve sprinkled some great fic recs throughout this article, and you should read them.) It’s truly a rewarding experience, even if you never read a real book again.