'Twas four years ago today...

[redbeardjim]

...that I wrote my first fanfic and sent it out into the world. I had really just started watching Buffy regularly at that point, having gotten hooked by various online information and summer reruns. I don't remember the name of the episode that week, but it was the one where Buffy figures out that Dawn isn't really her sister, but still has all the memories of their life together. That idea percolated in me and woke me up on a Sunday morning with a story kicking its way out of my head. It was a very strange experience -- I'd never had that happen before, the feeling that I couldn't not write something down. The story just took over, and I kept at it until I was done. I was pretty new to online fandom then, wasn't really familiar with the concept of a beta reader, so I just went ahead and posted it to the Buffy fanfic newsgroup. I was heartened to receive some very positive feedback (from a BNF, no less!) and posted it a few other places. It's been recced a few times, and I still get feedback emails from time to time. It was a really nice way to get my feet wet for the first time.

Anyway: The Gang of Four (original Usenet posting)

It's been, all in all, a good four years.