Whether you prefer reading fanfiction or writing it, you aren’t alone in your interest. It’s estimated that over 12 million users worldwide participate in one or the other. Many popular works started as fanfic, including 50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James, After by Anna Todd, and The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. If you’re looking for where to post or find some new and original Harry Potter stories, here are some of the most popular places on the web.
FanFiction.net
FanFiction.net started in 1998 and is the largest place for fanfic on the internet. It has millions of stories posted in over 40 languages. It is certainly a good place to dabble, read, or post your own stories. (However, many people think the large numbers make it difficult to find high quality writing, and there are rating and genre restrictions.)
Archive of Our Own
Archive of Our Own or AO3 is a fanfic website that started in 2009 as a nonprofit organization that promotes the transformative nature of fan work. A lot of the restrictions based on content from FanFiction.net are not blocked on AO3. They also host a yearly event called Yuletide where participants give and receive fanfic, with the recipient of the given work getting to decide which characters it will involve before it’s written.
Wattpad
Wattpad is a community that inspires writers to post their original stories and fanfics for all to read. They have an app with a simple user interface that makes it easy to peruse, read, and post. There are 48 available language options, but many find the app is flooded with stories that violate the community guidelines. There also appears to be no moderation.
If you’re looking for a space for a specific type of fanfic, you can easily find a like-minded fanbase on Reddit. r/FanFiction is a great place to talk about fanfic sites, trends in the community, and find subreddits that focus on your niche. You can also complain, discuss, or just read people’s venting on their own writer’s block, pet peeves, and more.
Looking for more writing inspiration? Learn about other fun hobbies and cool things to do at the Carrington Oaks blog.