I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the coolest person in the world. I don’t think I ever have been or ever will be, so I can freely admit that I used to write fanfiction. A lot of it. And I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t.

A lot of people give fanfiction a bad rep. They think it’s all the kind of writing that "Fifty Shades of Grey" was bred from. And while there is a fair share of writing like that, it’s not just horribly written, "Twilight"-based porn.

In all honestly, I’ve read stories that were longer and better than some published books. There is real, amazing writing out there that’s hidden in the depths of websites like this one or this one. There are some pretty good stories about just every show, book, movie, or celebrity you can think of.

" Harry Potter" working in a coffee shop? Yep.

Prohibition-era "Supernatural" story? Of course.

An epic love affair between an “original female character” and Benedict Cumberbatch? Not even a question.

And while all this seems slightly ridiculous, this is where I got my start as a writer. You might not be reading this article if I hadn’t discovered that people were writing stories about "Harry Potter." And then I delved deeper into the depths of fanfiction.net.

I wasn’t a particularly good writer at the beginning. I made my debut writing lengthy teen dramas, featuring a teenage girl (who may or may not have been me) and her favorite band. Still, my stories about a girl (me) falling into a romance with Nick Jonas got me some notice. I’d only get about two reviews for a chapter if I was lucky, but those little bits of feedback meant a lot to me.

For a while, writing these stories was my little secret. I didn’t dare let my family know that I was writing these. I shared them only with my group of friends; embarrassed at the same time as I was forcing my words upon them in search of praise. Mostly because for the first time, I felt that maybe I was good at something.

I certainly wasn’t the best at it. There are stories that manage to rack up thousands on thousands of comments and likes, and my stories are nothing compared to those, but they helped me discover that I was actually pretty good at something. I was good at writing and I’d get better.

I used to think I didn’t have a talent until I realized that I could write. Now, I’m minoring in creative writing and trying to write my own novel. I love to write, even if it is frustrating. I wouldn’t be here unless I had started writing really bad fanfiction. I wouldn’t have done some of the things I’ve done or met some great people.

Fanfiction often gets a bad rep, but there’s no better place to try your hand than in a place where all the characters are fleshed out for you. Even if you’ve inserted yourself into a story where the celebrity of your dreams falls in love with you instantly. Everyone gets their start somewhere.