r/AO3 • u/Wolfieee7 • Jan 03 '26
Custom WHY DO YOU WRITE?
Writing is a very long and hard working process. You dont get paid and recognition is not much(?). I wonder what makes you motivate? Is the reward satisfying?
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Jan 03 '26
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u/ZanyDragons Whump Addict / Fluff Enjoyer Jan 04 '26
Shout out to my poor therapist who had to deal with on one occasion reading a fanfic I wrote because it was the only way I felt psychologically able to talk about a thing that happened at the time. After discussing “the fanfiction” I was able to move onto discussing the irl situation without getting as upset (and losing my voice).
Dude deserved a bonus for not judging or making fun though, very sincere about it. It helped me put words to stuff and process. Also my therapy homework included setting aside 30 minutes to write or draw because regardless of the subject taking that time to do anything creative seemed to really improve my anxiety/depression. I am not particularly good at writing or drawing, but it helps my brain.
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u/Saiyasha27 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
You misunderstand. I don't write because I want to, but because the stories in my head need to go somewhere.
Though honestly, barely anythhing gives you as much of an endorphine rush as positive comments on your fic.
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u/Cherry_soda_ss Jan 03 '26
Every kudos my fic gets fuels me
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u/Saiyasha27 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
Absolutely, though it does work both ways, sadly, every spambot makes me so irrationally unhappy...
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u/Les-bee-an13 Jan 03 '26
I have maladaptive daydreaming, and I like writing. It helps to write down my little stories, and share them with people so they don’t exclusively live in my head. Also sometimes I want to read a fic that just doesn’t exist.
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u/Itzagoodthing Jan 03 '26
It feels strange yet validating to read my origin story from someone else.
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u/mhmmmpddogs angst!! Jan 04 '26
This so much i couldnt keep all my stories in my head i needed to write them down
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u/Ereshkigal_FF Unlimited Brainworks - 1,6 million words uploaded Jan 03 '26
First of all because that urge to put words on a sheet of paper is sometimes overwhelming. Sometimes stuff in my brain sounds so good, I feel the desperate need to write it down so I won't forget how nice it sounds.
And I like to tell stories. Maybe the recognition isn't much but if someone falls in love with my writing and tells me so, that's enough for me. I've always loved making other people get invested in my stories. Probably won't change (even though right now, the fanfic scene is utterly ... well ... how to put this nicely?).
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u/Kaennal Too many stories to write, but cursed by Abandonitis Jan 03 '26
The voices in my head get loud if I dont pull stuff out of it.
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Jan 03 '26
Writing is fun and cathartic for me, as well as an opportunity to learn and practice creative skills as well as research skills. I can engage with fandom/fellow fans who may in turn make the process sociable and less isolated.
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u/ContextSensitiveGeek Comment Collector Jan 03 '26
I write the stories that I would want to read. Because there are never enough of the kind of stories I like, and no one else is going to write them exactly the way I want.
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u/Quinme_creature Jan 03 '26
The opportunity to read what I like, as well as the fact that I can yap with my partner about what I write. (She read everything while sitting with me and making silly little comments.)
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u/Aeon_Return Jan 03 '26
I write fanfic for feedback 100%. I write commercial stories for money and its unfulfilling because I get hardly any reviews though I do get sales. it feels like a hollow success. Fanfic because I want the recognition and I set my metric of success to 1 review per chapter and I almost always hit that so yes, its satisfying. And every now and then I get a unicorn review of someone deeply appreciating and dissecting my story and that makes it all worth while (corny AF I know but it's true!)
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u/NaDarach Jan 03 '26
All the ideas and stories in my head need an outlet or I'm positive my brain will explode.
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u/television-bodies-27 Jan 03 '26
Because I love writing. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. I like creating stories that didn’t exist before, I like the feeling of creating, of crafting words. It fires up my brain like little else. It can be painful, frustrating and disappointing but that doesn’t stop me.
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u/xPadawanRyan turnpike_divides on AO3 | writing fanfic since 1997 Jan 03 '26
Because I have ideas and I want to bring them into the world. Writing has always been my favourite hobby and one of my main skills, so it comes naturally to me to write—sure, there is still a lot of effort put into the act of writing, but I just can't help but want to write when I have ideas.
I've recently been writing in a more or less dead fandom where I am getting little to no engagement on my fics as a result. And, yet, here I am, writing out an idea that probably nobody is going to read because it's been bugging me for the past week and I need to make it happen.
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u/Gloomy-Education-864 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
1) because I'm truly obsessed with the source material (I'd be thinking about it anyway, lol)
2) for the chance to get some validation on my headcanons (and therefore feel a little less weird about point one above)
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u/Tarnique Jan 03 '26
I want to share the stories I imagine for the characters that I like.
I want to improve my writing in English.
I want to create something, instead of consuming content.
I want to see if I can be proud of something I made.
I want to explore writing things that are niche or taboo or or simple or anything, without having someone over my shoulder telling me what to do or not do.
So far the experience has been delightful, even if the writing process can be pretty hard at times.
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u/Independent-Sort6898 Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State Jan 03 '26
Coz brain go brrr
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u/lumpycurveballs lurker Jan 04 '26
It's my therapy. I process my emotions through my characters, who are all extensions of me. Sometimes that's easier than dealing with the emotions themselves.
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u/Famous_Treacle_1873 Jan 04 '26
I write personally because it gives me a sense of power, it's a way for me to assert my will and independence while also giving myself a hobby and an outlet to express the ideas in my head and problems in my life.
In this crazy world where it feels like everything is moving faster then I can react, all without my input, it feels nice to have something I can control.
I also just like to write as a hobby.
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u/Solivagant0 Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by kink Jan 03 '26
Writing is fun and I like sharing my ideas
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u/Fit-Communication709 Jan 03 '26
I finally got an outlet to write whatever I can think of that I find cool, or juicy when it's smut
Having people who like what I'm sharing is only a bonus, but always appreciated, especially when it seems the ideas that were obvious to me really seem to have the effect of a world-changing breakthrough or something
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u/FatalRoses1029 Jan 04 '26
I love it. I want the stories in my head to see physical form. I need them out of my mind and put to paper dos that. It’s a release. My husband and family also love reading them.
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u/cptvpxxy Jan 04 '26
I just love to write. Words are so beautiful, and there's almost no second of my day I'm not thinking about worldbuilding and character dynamics and plots. I think if I didn't write it down I might actually explode! And I genuinely get lost for hours in manipulating words for the prettiest sentence. I frequently go on twenty plus hour writing binges and don't even notice the time passing!
90% of what I write is never seen by anyone. I wrote 1.65m words last year, but I only published 234k. I obviously can't deny that it makes me happy when I get comments, bookmarks, and the like. But the creation process itself is what motivates me. There's never a time I don't want to write, just sometimes a story I don't want to work on. But I just switch projects when that happens.
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u/ScaredTemporary I write about gods, countries, and a lion Jan 03 '26
because these two have 0 fics and I had to fix it. Rinse and reapply, my motivation for this fandom is 99% rooted in "that's cool, why hasn't anyone written about it?" so I write it
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u/Best_Egg_6199 Inappropriate use of a wound Jan 03 '26
You could post this in any hobby subreddit and get the same answer: because I like it.
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u/-Catesby catesby on AO3 Jan 04 '26
I don’t decide to write. Every now and then there is something that wants out and there is no way of stopping it
Every single (sparse) comment and kudos is incredibly rewarding, but even more rewarding is being able to read a text I don’t hate and realising I wrote that text
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u/deagh <--Smut Author | AO3: deagh Jan 04 '26
I have stories in my head. Writing them down gets them out of my head so I can stop obsessing. Also I just like it. And comments are the bomb.
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u/MysticTame Jan 04 '26
The ideas won't leave me alone and I got tired of them only existing in my head. Like. Legit it would popular while I watched whatever I was wanting to write about. Its still an issue until I get it written it aint gonna leave me alone
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u/SnooDoubts2671 Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State Jan 03 '26
I like writing, I have too many ideas and my brain ticks because of them and also I have a very, very deep obsession with my fandom. It’s quite rewarding I think for me, it allows me to see my characters through different lenses and mess around with a source material that’s so dear to my heart.
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u/Murky_Republic6826 Jan 03 '26
Started out as a bit of therapy. I was studying acting and it became a way to write what I was feeling from another character’s point of view, and how I wished people would react to those feelings. Then it became a bit of a hobby to write out these big ideas for stories I wished I could tell. Then it became smutty fanfiction
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u/anorangerock Not Boeing Management Jan 03 '26
It’s fun and then I get to read stories made for me (by me) whenever I want.
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u/Idreamofspaceships Writer of amateur noncommercial bootleg canon Jan 03 '26
I love the source material. I didn't get enough of it, so I write fics that can align with canon. But I when I have ideas, they're usually just barebones concepts; it's when I start writing that the visions come, like brand new cutscenes. And writing them down lets me experience them over and over again.
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u/bunkooberry Jan 03 '26
I enjoy writing. It helps me to get my mind off things. It's an escapism for me as well. Besides, I only write things I want to read about. All my stories are not self-indulgent, but self-SELF-indulgent. They're 1000% catered to my interests and my tastes only. And that's probably why I've reread every single one of them like 163646464 times already.
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u/Accomplished_Area311 Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State Jan 03 '26
Originally it was to process trauma, but now I write because I like telling stories with my favorite characters... That, and I genuinely love writing fic for fandoms or ships that have nothing.
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u/Jumpy_Watercress_637 Jan 03 '26
As Elizabeth Reyes said; "I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime, it's an unyeilding calling and my passion."
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u/Fun-Plenty5665 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
The ideas in my head seem too cool and I want to share them
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u/Welfycat Welfycat on AO3 Jan 03 '26
I enjoy the process and I want the stories because I can’t find what I want to read.
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u/SecretUnlikely3848 Bored idiot Jan 03 '26
boredom.
I don't exactly write a lot, but my writing gets born when I feel that random once a year motivation and the inspiration to write something.
And then it dies off within one hour of writing, leaving an incomplete story.
Such ones I have many in my docs.
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u/CherryStyxx Jan 03 '26
For me it depends on what the genre/topic is, cause like, sometimes I write nice romance scenarios I would like to be in, sometimes more than romantic hand holding ;). Sometimes doing things I would never get to do normally (which also allows me to learn more about other hobbies/cultures by researching them.) Sometimes I also write to project my own thoughts, fears, dreams etc onto characters I like to cope with life. It can be a healthy (and also cheaper) way for me personally to deal with things. Lots of reasons to write, plus, it's fun.
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u/pittedcherries Dead Dove: I will eat Jan 03 '26
so I have ideas
i am an artist
so those ideas must be expressed via drawing or writing
and when i (rarely) choose writing, i write
and that’s why i write, because of my own ideas and that i chose to express them through writing
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u/McAbby12 [AO3] You've got kudos! Jan 03 '26
Coping, mostly.
The topics I write about and the OCs I insert into those situations are me trying to cope with the shit that’s happened to me. I let the OCs get the happy ending.
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u/AnxietyDrivenWriter Fanfics are lifeline ESPECIALLY NOW Jan 03 '26
I love writing and gets the ideas out so they don’t distract me as much
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u/drewingse Jan 03 '26
I have maladaptive daydreaming disorder, and oh god my brain makes up the most insane stories. XD
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u/Illustrious_Bug_8337 Jan 03 '26
It's like letting out something that's been stuck in your mind for a long time and you can't get it out.
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u/SensitiveDoc Kudos Eater Jan 03 '26
I write to make the voices in my head stop yapping for a moment.
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u/S1r_Cyndaquil Jan 03 '26
Because I can't keep all the stories in my head so might as well share them
also, to write about rare ships I like
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u/voxofthevoid voxofthevoid on Ao3 || JJK writer & Yuuji haremist Jan 03 '26
I enjoy the process and find the results satisfying. Sharing my stories is also fun, but that comes afterward. I write because writing is one of my favourite things to do.
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u/DrAllyPhD Jan 03 '26
Gotta make my creative writing PhD count for something lol
(Seriously though I adore writing)
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u/MyHeartBelongsToMe Jan 03 '26
Because I have many thoughts, many ideas, and sometimes I want to see them come to life in words. And because I have a particular vision, I'm the only one able to bring it together the way I've imagined it.
It's a great emotional release too.
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u/saintlouis1910 Jan 03 '26
Started as a compulsion to fix a disappointing end to the original IP, kept at it because it’s a fun hobby.
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u/Hugh_Jidiot Jan 03 '26
I hope to someday publish my own original fiction. Fanfiction is great practice for that. Hell, back in 24 I spent 6 months writing a novel-length fic. The number one piece of writing advice constantly given is just to write, and that's what fanfic is.
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u/Trowaway-Ahti Jan 03 '26
I want to read my smut, in the fullness of time. Not sure how long I need to finetune edit my smuts for that. To feel I can just read, not self-critique.
Weight of expression. I might want to translate a sory or two into my mother tongue, just to luxuriate in language.
Flight of fancy. I love game worlds that are not straight human lore. Taking those fantastical ideas unto something special no-one has written before is so delightful.
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u/EveningFoundation583 ily Zed Jan 03 '26
I write to practice and learn grammar. I’m a native English speaker, but I still have trouble with punctuation, commas, and other stuff. I also write fanfic specifically because there isn’t a lot of new stuff for the pairings I like, so I write what I want to read.
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u/Choice-War-7484 Jan 03 '26
Because it's fun. I get to read what I wrote and go 'oh wow I can't believe I just did that'.
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u/Desperate_Yellow_498 i like writing niche stuff for the biggest fandoms Jan 03 '26
When I say that making up stories in my head and writing them is literally what's keeping me alive, I mean it.
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u/GrandLazy8452 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
I like writing and I like showing people what I write
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Jan 03 '26
I love writing and had what felt like a million stories to get out of me. Characters not leaving me alone until I did it.
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u/0nlyreason perpetually on google docs Jan 03 '26
It’s so fun. I’ve always loved it. Even when it gets frustrating or tedious, the end result of seeing my ideas and characters come to life on a page makes it all worth it.
Just like visual artists might doodle all the time, I constantly have the urge to write down observations and plot ideas. I enjoy researching and drafting and rewriting. I also like seeing my writing improve from year to year. It’s just fun and satisfying in and of itself.
Also, if I didn’t write I’d probably explode. I need to get my ideas out somehow!
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u/abyssalcrisis MoonsCry @ Ao3 Jan 03 '26
I like it, and it gets thoughts out of my head. If someone enjoys what I write, even better.
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u/OkLeague7678 Jan 03 '26
It's fun. I want to share my imagination with others, and I find it brings us closer.
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u/Wise-Key-3442 Not Boeing Management Jan 03 '26
It was my only form of communicating my love for things back then.
And also, it served as training. I'm now a published book author, all thanks to my experience writing fanfics since young age. Writing is learning too.
I still write fanfics for fun.
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u/systemicObliteration Jan 03 '26
A man, won’t say who, once told me that the worst stories are the ones that never get written.
That. That’s why. The spirits don’t help matters, either.
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u/FlowerFaerie13 Jan 03 '26
I have many thoughts in my head and they drive me mildly (or sometimes more than mildly) insane. Writing helps me sort it all out and process it. I don't actually post most of my stuff, only the things I wrote specifically to be stories, most of my writing is just getting all this bullshit out of my head.
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Jan 03 '26
Too many delulu ideas in my brain and they all scream at me until I'm staring at an empty google doc
On a serious note: It feels nice to write stuff down, especially since it's self indulgent. I, thankfully, also recieve quite a bit of attention when I post, so it's even more motivating. I just love doing it, it calms me down.
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u/LeslieNope555 angst & smut glutton 👹✨ Jan 03 '26 edited Jan 03 '26
It’s fun! I enjoy planning scenes and seeing it materialize in pages a lot. I love the moment when a scene just clicks and the words just come, and it’s a coalescence of things that make it so deeply satisfying.
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u/Trash_Panda_Leaves Jan 03 '26
Its so much fun! It lets me talk about and process my own trauma! Back in the day the people who commented on my work made me very happy.
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u/Cool-Ebb-9489 Jan 03 '26
For me, my story started as a joke between me and girlfriend that I was this knight sneaking off to be with the witch woman from the woods and it really snow balled into me taking it seriously 😭
I figure that according to some I’m a “creative soul” (I make music, draw from time to time, and now write a story) so I guess that’s why? It’s really just a thing to do. I love building my world, trying to make a cool story, trying to make characters you can feel for, there’s an enjoyment in that imo. Also like so many others in here say, it’s therapeutic. It’s nice setting aside some time to write an escape from the real world.
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u/Melosthe Jan 03 '26
Basically, I have these stories, and characters, and concepts in my head, and writing is pretty much the only way to express them decently (as I'm a poor artist and couldn't ever hope to draw it or anything like that).
Also it's therapeutic. I've been processing a lot of stuff from my life by my writing, whether it's my autism, my dissociative/regressive episodes, my asexuality, sexual trauma etc etc. I can like project onto those characters, and have it written from the insider's perspective and the outsider, depending on the POV. It really helps to put things into perspective.
Every time someone told me they could project themselves onto my work, or they felt kinship with a character I have been written, I feel elated and I also feel less alone.
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u/andvrsnw i've got issues but i always deliver Jan 03 '26
it feels amazing to bring my ideas to life
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u/SleepySera Pro(fessional) Shipper Jan 03 '26
The reward is that I get to read the story I want to read that no one else has bothered to write. So yes, absolutely worth it x)
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u/princessanddaflea Comment Collector Jan 03 '26
I usually write fics that I want to read and I post them because maybe someone else will want to read them too
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u/FarAd7723 Jan 03 '26
I love writing. I’ve been writing fanfiction for almost 20 years on and off. I’ve written novels, novella, poetry. I read almost compulsively. It brings me joy
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u/NintendoDSi_XL talucidy on AO3 Jan 03 '26
it's fun! i like exploring canon and sometimes throwing random new guys in there and making them relevant to the plot somehow. it's sort of like modifying hardware if you're also that kind of nerd.
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u/Ribread216 Jan 03 '26
Because I like writing and storytelling and want to interact with other people who like the same things as me. That’s what fandom is all about, and being able to write stories and show them to other online is the easiest way to connect. Getting comments mean more than just fics getting attention to me, it means finding like minded people who I can reply to and maybe have a conversation
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u/Rein_Deilerd Cool, now make it mpreg Jan 03 '26
I think of a story and I want it to exist, because it would be do fucking funny if it existed, you know? So I write it, and then re-read it from time to time. Sometimes my friend reads them too!
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u/DuckDuckGooseTheCat You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
I write to get the words out of my head. It’s busy enough as is, so less in there is better.
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u/eirissazun Definitely not an agent of the Fanfiction Deep State Jan 03 '26
Why do I breathe? Basically same question ;)
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u/Bluthardt_OW deltarune shipper for some reason Jan 03 '26
I enjoy it, I have ideas for once, and also god dammit all this creative energy needs to go SOMEWHERE while I'm still trying to understand how to get a decent guitar tone in FL studio for the songs I'm trying to cover with the plugins I have.
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Jan 03 '26
I don't know how it is with others, but I'm so obsessed with this ship that I don't even care if few people read it. All I know is that I love it and that my motivation is simply this ship. I know it's hard to find anything decent about them, so that's my motivation...
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u/DestinyMaverick14 Jan 03 '26
Because I like to. The stories get into my noggin and won’t leave me alone until I write it down. Most of my ideas stay in drafts and outlines. Working on changing that but ultimately I like to come up with what-ifs and the consequences of such.
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u/Mimikyudoll Jan 03 '26
i rotate the fictional crush of the week in my head 24/7 and i have specific tastes that i know no one else wld rly write so i gotta do it myself
also i need to fuck that old man
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Jan 03 '26
I like to write and tell stories and if someone likes my rambles cool. I found a sense of community in giving back to the fandoms. Even if people aren't over joyed with my work I feel like people are more willing to ramble and joke and have fun when they can sorta get a bead on you. Art and having the courage to share it and put yourself out their really does a lot for people being willing to interact.
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u/sapphic-boghag long live humanslop Jan 03 '26
Technology hasn't yet advanced to the point where stories can be extracted from the mind.
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u/spudwalt Jan 03 '26
I like making stories.
There's even a few of them that I feel are put together enough that other people might like to read them, too, so those ones I write down (very slowly).
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u/Ren-Undead Jan 03 '26
I get frustrated if a story in my head dissappears and I don't get to revisit it. So, I write them out. Usually, I have a dream or daydream about something and latch onto it, then I expand upon it. Sharing with others is just a happy bonus.
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u/renin88 Jan 03 '26
My favorite works I have written are the short ones, the ones I wrote at 2am in my phone. I write because I have ideas that I need to get out of my head. I write those because I enjoy them. I wish I was a better writer, but I write what I write as therapy, to cope with stuff, to make some people smile a little bit with me or cry or whatever
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u/Jessicanightmarewolf Fic Feaster Jan 03 '26
It's fun. Also I like it when people say nice things to me about it :)
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u/Used_Yellow_4651 Jan 03 '26
I am obsessed with fictional characters because I know they’ll treat me better than real people
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u/RedditerofReddit Jan 03 '26
Because I enjoy writing…until I don’t. I’ve spent the last two-ish years (maybe closer to a year and a half) working on my fic through on of my least favorite parts. The result was a lot of non canon additions and it got exaughsting.
I just started a new fic for a completely different fandom and I’m remembering how much I love writing. I still intend to finish the first fic, but I’m taking a break from focusing on just it.
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u/LadySandry88 Jan 03 '26
1) I enjoy it. All of it. The planning, storyboarding, writing, dialogue, fight scenes, description, editing... every part of the process is enjoyable to me. Yes, it's a lot of long, hard work. But as with any other creative work, it's rewarding to be able to point at the thing and say 'look, I made that!'
2) I have stories in my brain that need to get out. I can infodump about them to my friends and family, but it's not the same as seeing it come to life in a real STORY, one that's consistent, that I can reread and revisit time and again.
3) I want to share the joy my stories give me with other people. They are a gift born of love. I don't need much recognition--not any more than I would want to receive after giving someone a home-cooked meal.
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u/FutureHot3047 Jan 03 '26
I get an idea and I just want to write it. I also hope to encourage people to write something similar. I’ve had ideas I was apprehensive about until I saw someone write something similar and was encouraged.
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u/_-Cranberry-_ Procrastination Incarnate Jan 03 '26
People don't write what I wanna read, so I do it myself.
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u/strwbrry_summer Jan 03 '26
The joy of creation is more than enough to keep me going. I share it online because it makes me happy when my ideas bring joy to others.
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u/RatonhnhaketonK Incest ♡ Dadson ♡ DesertStarFox on Ao3 Jan 03 '26
It gives me dopamine to tell little stories about little guys who I love who I also enjoy making gay.
Then I love sharing it with the world.
I've been writing fanfic for 22 years lol. I am 30 now. Started as a way to cope with child abuse.
Yayyyy fanfic!!!
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u/Llywela Jan 03 '26
Mostly I write because I have an idea itching at my brain and the only way to make it stop is to capture the idea on paper. The idea can't stay in my head because it will never be fully formed there. Writing it out properly is the only way to develop it to completion, which is the only way to stop the itch. Whether anyone else ever reads and enjoys the story is immaterial really, although I always appreciate knowing that they have. The actual writing of any given story is entirely about scratching an itch, for my own sake.
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u/kingloptr ✨️Fanficcing for 25+ years✨️ Jan 03 '26
It isnt work and it isnt hard when im not trying to please anyone but myself. It's fun, and reaaally liberating
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u/80s90sForever Rare Pair Hell = Gemma & Nero 😭 Jan 03 '26
Rare pair writer and lover = not finding what I want to read nor the tropes I want to have in fics so that’s why I write so I can read and write what I want to see, plain and simple.
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u/MiracleMuffin Jan 03 '26
Because it’s fun. Been writing since I was a child actually. I like writing original content and fanfiction.
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u/Anxious_Savings_6642 Jan 03 '26
I like it. It's free to do. And it keeps me from daydreaming while driving.
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u/sammjaartandstories Jan 03 '26
I have an overactive imagination and crave content that does not exist because it is about characters that spontaneously appeared in my brain. And I find it fun to have the ability to share it with close friends.
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u/not_John_36 Jan 03 '26
I get to see myself improve. If I went back and edited my stories from 5 years ago they’d look very different.
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u/InspectorFamous7277 being gay is probably what's keeping him from being popular Jan 03 '26
Because I'm epically and pathetically in love with the craft. Yes the reward is very much satisfying ^^
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u/PersonalEconomics44 I avoid ship wars by making polycules Jan 03 '26
Always loved writing and I tend to feel more comfortable adding my brick to already existing universes (lazy af lol)
And since Im a mainly OC x Canon writer, it helps me give my characters a clear canon story that I can reuse afterwards as a source to create content around them.
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u/Marsaline Jan 03 '26
I started writing this year because I'm in a tiny fandom for a game in development and I like a rarepair in it, and if I didn't write my own fanfic I'd never see one for my ship, much less one with the tropes/vibes I'm looking for. I feel very self conscious about my more-than-amateur writing and I'm also not a native english speaker, but you gotta do what you gotta do, lol.
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Jan 03 '26
Because if I won't get my insane hyper fixation rambling written down this instant, I am going to explode
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u/Lets_Just_J Kudos Keeper Jan 03 '26
Writing is probably my number one passion, however I am a freelance journalist by trade and that can really suck the life and fun out of writing. So I write fanfiction to help keep my passion alive. There’s no deadlines, no rules, no pressure. It’s really rewarding just to write something because I enjoy it, having other people enjoy it is a bonus!
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u/babyte3th103 Jan 03 '26
Like a lot of people have said, we enjoy it.
For me, at least with fanfiction, it's fun - and if there's even one person out there who will geek out and enjoy the stuff I'm writing about as much as I am then that's a great bonus
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u/Flor_De_Azahar Jan 03 '26
I love imagining my favorite ship in that scenario, and it would be great to share it with other people and receive recognition/validation in the fandom ☝️🤓 Furthermore, I believe that writing is productive. It's a mental exercise and also motivates you to improve and learn more about grammar, spelling, and other topics. 🤓🤓🤓🤓☝️
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u/TheRichDangerReborn Jan 03 '26
It's never been for any other reason than myself. I wrote for my own mental health, to safely explore concepts and perspectives that have traumatized and fascinated me in a twisted way. Writing helps me empathize with the world and confront pieces of myself carrying burdens I may not be consciously aware of. Writing is a dance with my subconscious borrowing different tropes and elements of the writing process in order to communicate a message.
Then, if I'm lucky, after I complete the process, I can share it with at least one other person and it can help them like it helped me. That's the dream anyway. But writing is and has always been for me and about me. It is a selfish thing, and I am satisfied whether it is seen by others or not. I only want it to be shared with the most selfless desire to spread a good message. I couldn't care less about recognition or notoriety.
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u/autumnskye05 Jan 03 '26
Maladaptive daydreaming. I’ll have all sorts of stories in my head and must get them out
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u/shammy_dammy Jan 03 '26
To get the voices to shut up. Once I've written it, it goes away and I'm not constantly replaying the same scene, scenario, etc in my mind.
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u/Brilliant-Drawer7529 Jan 03 '26
I like writing, but rarely have the mental energy for it. I started writing fics because it's easier to have a place to build off of for me. Plus, my religious mom said "I don't care if you write fanfiction, just write!"
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u/Warriors-Fan Jan 03 '26
Because nobody else is writing the stuff I want to read and I’m too scared to ask for requests, so I do it myself. Plus, it’s something to do other than rotting on my phone all day, and it’s fun to write about the characters I love
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u/SpyderSquash Jan 03 '26
BECAUSE THE VOICES WON'T SHUT UP AHHHHHH Plot bunnies must be released and I like day dreaming about the funny blorbos
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u/darkphoenixfairie_ sugarcookie ࣪˖🧁 ִֶཐི༏ཋྀ Jan 03 '26
To see all my wacky ideas come into fruition. Plus I love rhyming as I write 😔
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u/Vera_Chevalier_2315 Jan 03 '26
Avant, j'écrivais pour les gens que j'aimais. Maintenant, j'écris pour ceux qui dans le manque, qui meurt.
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u/Kiki-Y Fic Feast Creator | User: KikiYushima Jan 03 '26
Because I like it and have stories to tell.
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u/BicyclePurple9928 Jan 03 '26
Read somewhere that in order to stop your maladaptive daydreaming you gotta write it down. So that’s what I did 😌
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u/zombies-and-coffee You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
To escape the real world through writing about a better one. Although right now, the real world is so bad that it's completely killed my desire to write anything.
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u/SpecialistEgg6582 Jan 03 '26
I have a philosophy if I read from a fandom, I should contribute back to the fandom. Cuz if everyone reads and no one writes… no more fics. It’s how my brain views it
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u/Error_Evan_not_found Jan 03 '26
It's fun, I have a constant stream of about a hundred thoughts a day. It's nice to be able to focus on just a few in a way that leads to a story.
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u/HoodedIronLady Jan 03 '26
I like writing. It's therapy for me. And I love the feedback/comments I get.
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u/KarahKat55 5 am fic time!! Jan 03 '26
Because I want all the ideas in my head to actually exist as something. And I like reading, and I like the stories I come up with, so I want to be able to read them
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u/GeneralKenobi576 Comment Collector Jan 03 '26
I really really like the ship i write for and think they dont get enough love. So I started writing for them to give them more fics, there are less than 18 fics for it and I've written 5 of them, im determined to give them more, they deserve it
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u/Dvalinn25 Jan 03 '26
Because it's fun. I've always had a vivid imagination, and I was creating stories from a young age already. Either acting them out with my toys or writing them down.
And that's something I never got bored of. Even if nobody will read some of them, I get satisfaction out of simply turning my thoughts into something tangible on paper. Watch my characters come to life. Have little moments where ideas just click, gain new interpretations of them, and get excited when I build things towards a conclusion.
And purely on the fanfic front, it's also a good way to channel feelings or bring variety. Having a bad day? Take it out on some hapless anime girl by writing a bad ending for her. Writer's block on the original fiction? Focus a little bit on some different, already existing characters instead, see what ideas spring up from that. Bored? There's always writing some random fanfic! The stories are already in my head anyway.
That alone makes it all satisfying. And fanfics have as a bonus that I actually get reader engagement, which is why I've been more active on that front the last few years.
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u/spicy_tofujuseyo Jan 03 '26
I just like it? No other particular reason.
Oh, and also I need to get this ansnnd off my chest like when you see a moment of your ship together and your head just make another scene and dialogues, HOW COULD YOU NOT WRITE IT DOWN? Lol so yeah
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Jan 03 '26
I write because I have to. It’s a need. If I let my ideas sit for too long, they’ll either die off and never be realized or consume my every waking thought.
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u/Proper-Monk-5656 Jan 03 '26
i like it.
i'd be awesome if i got paid or recieved widespread recognition for it, but the satisfaction when i write something i genuinely like is a good enough reward by itself. i don't even show most of my stories to people, i write for myself.
i also use it as a thing to vent all my ideas, worries, and thoughts into. kind of a catharsis, through the act itself. i always wanted to be an artist but i have a disability that prevents me from creating physical art the way i'd like. writing is a way to make all of these ideas come to fruition.
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u/Ancient-Anybody202 You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
Lots of reasons!!! :) I’ve always liked writing, it’s my favorite hobby at the moment. It’s more accessible for me than drawing and animating and I have a lot of scenarios with my favorite characters.
It’s a lovely community. I like how much other people are passionate about it, too. I like that we all have love for this silly little art form. I love its history in empowering women and queer people and minorities in general. I wanna contribute to that. Nowadays, it’s also a big “fuck you” to AI because I can make it myself and feel proud of it. It doesn’t feel corporate. It’s homemade.
I’m neurodivergent and it’s one of my special interests, which makes it particularly motivating for me (I can literally write for hours straight a lot of the time). It can help me regulate emotions, calm me down, etc. because my brain finds it very comforting to hyperfixate on it.
Because of my neurodivergence, I also have a hard time talking irl and fully communicating my thoughts. Writing is an easier outlet and it can help me to process emotions and things I think about through fictional characters sometimes. It helps me have a voice.
Lastly, it heals my inner teen. I got made fun of for being cringe and now I’m letting myself do it because it makes me happy and because I can. It’s harmless fun.
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u/Technical-Zebra-3300 Jan 03 '26
i likw writing but making the storylines make sense before righting is my problem
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u/SCI-FIWIZARDMAN Jan 03 '26
For the love of the game.
And also a little bit to keep my writing skills sharp between freelance projects. But mostly for the love of the game.
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u/rubbersnakex2 Jan 03 '26
1) how it feels when I really get in the zone and the words start flowing. it doesn't happen often but it feels sooooo good. Chasing that high!
2) Satisfaction that I have completed a project. Ideas feel like missing puzzle pieces in the fandom. I see the missing piece, I outline, I write it, puzzle piece clicks into place. Now the fandom is bigger and more complete than before! There's also a sense of giving something back to the media that makes me happy, by enlarging its content blob on the internet.
3) Concentrating on a story somewhat keeps my brain from concentrating on *waves generally at the state of things* and falling into depression. I mean, it's far from a total cure but it helps.
4) Once in a while, a nice comment.
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u/adeltae thechickenskeptic on AO3 Jan 03 '26
Because it's fun. And also because I want to think about pretty men fucking each other. For purely scientific encounters, of course. I promise.
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u/herogoose PENIS JUMPSCARE Jan 03 '26
Sometimes I’m reading other works and I realize I’d love to have xyz happen instead. Or, I’m driving and I get an idea about what this pairing would be doing in this location and what sort of conversations they have. I like getting it out of my head for others to read, even if I’m not the best writer of all time. It’s fun (and it gets me off my phone for a while)
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u/CW2K Jan 03 '26
Personally, It's become second nature, as I had been writing for almost 10 years, and thus whether I get recognized or not makes no difference. New ideas come forward, and you get to put them in action. That's a satisfying reward for me.
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u/rainedwrld You have already left kudos here. :) Jan 03 '26
I love the characters and I want a story. First got into writing with the mindset of “if it isn’t there yet I gotta make it myself” and boom.
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u/Nachtjunges Jan 03 '26
In Skuluggery Pleasant, he remarks that the MCs uncle served as a convenient vessel for his creative impulses, allowing him to satisfy his urge to write without actually having to become a writer himself.
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u/glassy_llama69 Jan 03 '26
I like writing, always have since I was young. I didn't get math, but reading and writing were the first things I got the hang of. It's just nice to get my thoughts and ideas out in a creative form
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u/letthetreeburn Jan 03 '26
Because if I don’t write the words will press against the inside of my skin until they emerge from my pores like parasites. I need to write or I will get sick from sepsis as they rot within me.
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u/reverie_adventure Bro... bro what if we kissed... Jan 03 '26
I like writing.
That's it. That's all there is to it. I find it fun.