Growing up, I used to love going to the movies with my family, but often dreaded the inevitable conversation afterwards. Not that it was particularly awful or anything, but I would want to talk about the story and what did or didn’t work, and my dad would often complain, “Why can’t you just enjoy it?”
The thing is, I was enjoying it. The post-show discussion and analysis was part of that enjoyment, but my family was simply the wrong audience for that.
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That was probably the first sign that I would grow up to be a writer.
The drive to know everything I can about a particular piece of media or narrative and then pick it apart to see the inner workings, is just not something my family understood. To them, I was nitpicking.
Is it a wonder that once the internet became mainstream and my family got broadband for the first time, I would end up neck-deep in fandom?
I’m talking late nights on ICQ and message boards kind of fandom. Sci-Fi/Fantasy conventions with room parties, trivia, and Klingon Karaoke sort of fandom.
Even now, though I have left the most obsessive phase behind me, I still can’t help but devour every bit of ancillary media when I find something I love.
Though my fandom has always been much more focused on narrative and character stories than actors or ‘ships.
And through it all, I’ve found my people.
Now, when I finish a TV show or a movie or a narrative-driven video game, I have people who aren’t just willing to let me peel back the layers of craft and story, but are active participants.
So find your people too. It’s awesome.
Last Updated on July 8, 2020 by Amy Pilkington
