For about five years now, I've always been obsessed about something. It's usually a TV Show or book series. I remember when I had three tapes filled with as many That '70s Show episodes as I could fit. I used to watch that tape whenever I felt upset because it could always cheer me up. I think I created my obsessions as a way of escape. During that time I was going through a really bad rough spot of life, and I would always resort to my obsessions so that I wouldn't have to think about it.
I kept getting new "obsessions" every few months until a year ago when suddenly everything stopped, which I will get to later. I don't know if I just liked to shy away from reality because in my own, personal reality things could be the way I wanted them . . . or if I was still hiding from life in general. I guess it doesn't matter anymore.
Anyway, three years ago last spring, I discovered fanfiction. I had my new obsession, Buffy, and while searching the Net for info on the show, I ran into fanfiction. I laugh now when I remember it, because the stuff I read was atrocious. And even the authors that I worshipped and was so jealous of, now I go back and read their fics . . . and I just think, "Wow. How coudl I ever think this was good?" I won't name anybody because the one I'm thinking of in particular is quite popular in the Buffy fandom.
My obsession with Buffy curved over to an obsession with Angel - well, Doyle, in particular. I wrote my first fanfics with Angel, but both of the ones I'm thinking of just disappeared. They were probably terrible anyway - in fact, more than likely. If you think my writing's bad now, you should read some of my old stuff!
Then I was done obsessing over Angel. By this point, my life was better, and I had no reason to continue obsessing. But without my obsession, things in life just seemed so . . . bland. So I subconsciously was looking for something new. And - luck would have it - FOX started playing the episodes of Friends where Monica and Chandler first got together. It was with this obsession that I first made a name for myself and discovered fanfiction.net. God, I used to live on that website. My fanfics from Friends were the absolute worst. I'm contemplating on putting them up on my site because one of the points of this is for people to see how much I've grown as an author. But then, I don't want anyone to know just how icky I used to write. ;)
After Friends I went through another blank period in the obsession front. But, as luck would have it, the first Harry Potter movie had just come out. I started out reading Ron/Hermione fics, I really did. But after I'd read everything in that category at ff.net, I ran into one fic by . . . Gwen, I think it was. It was where R/H had a one night stand on New Years, I think. And Harry and Ginny had some unfinished business that was never finished because the fic only had three chapters. Anyway, this fic got me interested in Harry/Ginny. It's kind of ironic that I started out R/H with a passion - ever since I'd read the fourth book . . . but after reading a very good fic, I became even more obsessed with H/G. In fact, if you read my fanfic Secrets, you can tell where I started becoming more H/G than R/H. I never quite went back to R/H, and that's one of the major reasons I have trouble writing that fic.
Well, my H/G obsession lastest the longest, I think. That's where I came out with the first fic I ever liked: Just for the Summer. But that one never got finished for many reasons that I don't want to go into.
When my H/G obsession was wavering, the book to Star Wars: Episode II came out. I bought it with the knowledge that Ani/Padme would be my next obsession. I was right, of course, but I don't regret being a geek and loving Star Wars. It was at this point that my writing began to take a curve. After JFTS, I realized how much easer things are if you plan the plot. I was finally doing drama when all I'd done before was humor. I really think you should check out my longer SW fics because those are my favorite of mine. (Well, some of my faves.)
My A/P obsession led the way to my Obi-Wan/Sabe obsession. SW was the shortest out of all my obsessions, lasting only about a month or two. And when it left, so did my desire to ever read fanfics again. I was too caught up in life, but I don't remember what I really did without my obsessions. I probably watched a lot of TV. I know that I started going out with my friends a lot, lot more.
Anyway, back to fanfiction. I went into this slow mo for several months. Then the second HP movie came out, and I started reading fanfics again. I didn't read them as obsessively as before, and I didn't write much. I picked up Secrets again a few months later because I wanted to be done with it. I've always felt that when that fic is over, I will have removed a huge weight from my shoulders. Despite what ppl think, it is always in the back of my mind.
That summer the new book came out, and again I started reading fanfics. I became a fan of Tonks/Lupin, if you hadn't noticed. I wrote quite a few short fics. What with all the trouble I'd had with Secrets, I had and still have no intention of writing a series again.
Then this past October, I was bored and looking for something to read. I wandered into Roswell, a TV show that I'd been obsessed with before I discovered fanfiction. Well, that sparked something. I'm not exactly obsessed with Roswell, but I do spend most of my time reading Roswell fanfiction.
Now life is a lot peachier. I can write for whatever genre I want, whenever I want. Although I admit I'm afraid to write anything HP in case people start up their "continue Secrets" rampage again. That's why I opened up a new account on ff.net. Well, that and I never go there. I admit that I only opened up a new account to plug my Roswell fics. I guess I still have some of that conceited bitch I turned into around the middle of Secrets. She was a lot of the reason I stopped writing it.
God, I can't believe I carried on for this long. Well . . . now you know about me. Maybe you can understand more about my fics and myself. That was the whole point of this.
Love,
Haley