Awesome Indulgence: Twilight Fan Fiction featuring Guest Blogger Pam Wong

Well I made it one week of blogging before I mention Twilight or post photos of cats! I can't wait any longer to talk about Twilight Fan Fiction. I've asked my friend and Twilight Überfan, the awesome Pam Wong, to write about it. Enjoy!

73,870. That is the number of fan fiction stories on the internet devoted to Twilight. Never heard of fan fiction before this post? You’re not alone. I discovered this little corner of the online universe just two months ago. I had just finished the Twilight series and was suffering from withdrawal. When I heard there was a website that housed stories about the book’s characters written by fans, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, really? How good could these possibly be? The answer: damn good!

What began as an outlet to help wean me off of my Twilight addiction has only fueled it. To put it mildly, I am obsessed! I’ve spent countless hours reading on my computer (my eyesight is totally shot), reveling in the alternative universes these budding authors have created. I’ve read so many stories now that I find it hard to remember what the actual characters Stephenie Meyer created are like. If you love Twilight, I highly recommend you check out Twilighted.net. Once you visit this site, I promise you will become as hooked as me.

To first-timers, this site can be a bit overwhelming. To help you navigate through the Twilighted.net waters, I’ve compiled some information/tips/suggestions I‘ve garnered over the past couple of months:
1) The most of the stories on this website leave little to the imagination. If you are opposed to reading about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, I suggest you bypass this site altogether. The stories on this site come with ratings, from G all the way to NC-17. And yes, those stories with the NC-17 rating definitely earn it!
2) In order to read stories rated R and NC-17, you’ll have to register on the site. Trust me, REGISTER. Totally worth it.
3) The stories are lumped in several categories: those that take place before, during and after each of the books, as well as stories that take place in alternative universes. There are stories that remove the vampire aspect altogether (my personal favorite category – alternative universe, human) and others that cross Twilight with other books (i.e., Harry Potter).
4) If you don’t know what you want to read first, I recommend looking at the “Top Tens” listing. You’ll find the most popular, favorite, reviewed, etc. stories here.
5) Abbreviations: as you read the story synopses, you’ll see several abbreviations. I had no idea what these meant so I had to look it up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_fan_fiction_terms

Now to the good stuff! Here are some stories I highly recommend:

Hiding In Plain Sight
Boycotts and Barflies
Shadows
My Brother’s Best Friend
Wide Awake


Hope you enjoy!
Pam