Chasing Cliffhangers❤️📓
NO.2 How Childhood Fanfiction and Saturday Cartoons Made Me a Writer
I have been writing for as long as I can remember, from writing my own Dr. Seuss-style books in grade school to creating and selling flipbooks in middle school. I've always known I wanted to be a writer.
Whenever I read a book, I feel deeply connected to the characters. I am immersed in their emotions, backgrounds, and challenges. Reading has always been a way for me to step into someone else’s world and get lost in their journey. That’s one reason I adore series and chapter-by-chapter releases: the suspense, the cliffhangers, the anticipation of what’s next.
Growing up, I was hooked on weekly episodes from CW11, Cartoon Network, Disney, Crunchyroll, and Animax. I’d wake up early every Saturday just to catch new episodes of my favorite shows—Sailor Moon, One Piece, Hunter X Hunter, Cardcaptor Sakura, Fairy Tail, Kim Possible, Totally Spies, Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Ben 10, Supernatural, Winx Club, Danny Phantom, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teen Titans, Scooby-Doo, and so many more!!!
I LOVE cliffhangers. The thrill of being left at the edge of a scene, of rewatching or rereading to pick up subtle details I may have missed—that excitement never faded.
Because of what I watched and read, I became a natural storyteller. When we lived in New York, my parents sent me and my brothers to a babysitter two floors down. As the oldest, I often helped keep the younger kids entertained by reading or making up stories. Around that time, I fell in love with books from the Scholastic Book Fair—Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Captain Underpants—some of my all-time favorites.
In middle school, I made my first side hustle. I teamed up with a classmate—she was an amazing artist, and I was the writer. Every day before lunch, we’d fold and staple 4–6 sheets of paper into a mini-book. I’d create the storyboards and write the dialogue, while she drew the pictures. Then at lunchtime, we’d go table to table, selling our little comics for $1.50. We made over $100 in a month—until the teachers shut us down!
Another unforgettable memory was a writing notebook we got from our teacher. The idea was to write a story and pass it on. But my friend and I took it a step further—we turned it into a Supernatural and Vampire Diaries fanfic chain. We’d each write a new part of the story, pass it on, and read the whole thing aloud together on Fridays. It was chaotic, messy, and unbelievably fun.
Looking back, I miss that wild, free, unstructured creativity. I used to binge-watch shows and write under the covers late at night, just for the joy of it. I had so much time—and no fear.
Now, as an adult, I’m trying to find my way back to that spark. Writing has felt scary. Impostor syndrome creeps in. I second-guess myself. I wonder if I’ll ever find that rhythm again.
But I’m ready to change that.
It’s time to reconnect with the passion that’s always been a part of me. Step by step. Show by show. Chapter by chapter. I’m going to write the stories that inspired me growing up—and in doing so, I hope to rediscover the writer I’ve always been.
