Something that my closest friends know about me that is a secret to most others is that I have been a fanfiction writer for about six years. Yes, that's right—six whole freaking years writing fanfiction. If you are unfamiliar with fandoms, fangirls, and fanfiction, I invite you to brush up on what these words mean.

Now, why is this a secret, exactly? Well, for starters, fanfiction is surrounded by stigma (often inaccurate stigma, FYI). What are these preconceived notions?

Firstly, there's the stigma largely caused by 50 Shades of Grey and the many fanfiction like it. 50 Shades of Grey, prior to being the world-known trilogy it is today, was called Master of the Universe, a fanfiction for Twilight. There are plenty (plenty) of other fanfictions out there that have a similar level of... sexiness (if you get what I mean). There's nothing wrong with this in the slightest—if people want to read that, they're welcome to. To each their own, you know?

This is the side of fanfiction almost everyone sees and hears about and has probably read a bit of in their time of using the Internet. And again, there's nothing wrong with writing/reading/enjoying the dirtier side of fanfiction. However, it blurs the lines of what fanfiction truly is in all of its forms (at least to someone like me who's passionate about it as a form of storytelling).

The next stigma around it is that it's for obsessed 13 year old fangirls. I'm not saying that I'm not a fangirl. Nor is there a lack of 13 year olds reading and writing fanfiction. The problem with this is that there is an insinuation of immaturity associated with fanfiction (the 13 year old bit) and there's the whole "obsessed" assumption.

Am I a very big fan of the things about which I write fanfiction? Absolutely. One hundred percent.

Have I ever visited these band members' houses? Sent their girlfriends hate messages? Tried to friend their families on Facebook? Followed them around a city for a day just hoping to get a photo? To all of these I shall answer a big fat NO, nor would I ever do any of these things.

Okay, so there's some stigma around fanfiction, and it's not without reason, to be fair, however it's part of why I usually choose not to associate myself publicly with my role as fanfiction author.

Here is what I'm trying to say—I'm not writing fanfiction to convince myself or anyone else that any of the plot lines are real or realistic. It's fan fiction. I'm not so obsessed with the subject of my fanfiction that I know where they're staying at the moment, nor would I even call myself obsessed.

I write fanfiction for a few reasons. The number one reason: I love to write. That's part of why I write for Odyssey. Another reason? I love reading romance novels. Another reason? I love 5 Seconds of Summer (the current band about whom I write fanfiction). Another reason? Fanfiction is one of the most popular categories on Wattpad, the site where I read and write, so if I want to be sure that people are actually reading my work, an easy way to guarantee it is to make it fanfiction.

Am I going to share my fanfiction with people the way I share my Odyssey work with people? Not in the near future, no. Am I proud to be a fanfiction writer? Absolutely. Do I want 5 Seconds of Summer to read the books I've written about them? Not really, but if they do, I hope they enjoy them and don't think of me as an obsessed 13 year old fangirl but instead as a writer who loves to write YA romance and just happens to also enjoy their music (and is 20 years old).

I'm proud to be a part of the still-growing world of fanfiction. The fanfiction community is made up of creative, driven, unique, articulate young people who all share a common love for something—whether it's a television show, book series, band, celebrity, whatever, you can find people who write about things you care about.

Fanfiction writers don't get paid. We do it for fun. A fanfiction chapter that has more than 5,000 words in it? That author loves to write. There's nothing wrong with that. A fanfiction that has more than six chapters? That author is in love with their story and is proud of it. A fanfiction that gets updated frequently? The author cares about their audience and wants to please them and they really love their story and want the world to see it.

As I begin my sixth summer writing fanfiction, I'm looking back on the years of things I've read—some wonderful, some could've used a heavy edit—and things I've written—some were better than others, but that's life. I'm looking back and thinking that I've probably read over 300 fanfictions and I know for a fact that I've written well over 300,000 words of fanfiction. It's a hobby, and it's one that I love. It's one that I want to be more proud of, because gosh darn it, I work hard on those fanfictions.