Was Charlie supposed to be poor? I guess I missed that. I just always figured he stayed in the house he and Renee and Bella shared when she was little, and just never moved out of habit. Charlie never struck me as the kind of guy who cared a lot about things like clothes and household decor, not poor. He obviously had enough money to go visit Bella or go on trips with her during the summer, once she decided she didn't want to visit him in Forks anymore. Poor people can't just go off to Disneyland for two weeks in the summer.

Is that something that shows up a lot in fics, and I missed it there too?

Bella WAS written as very self sacrificing, not wanting to be a burden and not being comfortable taking things from others.

YESSS. One thing that I've noticed with Twilight fanfiction is that it's very common for Bella to be written however the author sees fit, and it's pretty rare for me to see something that's super canon in the Book Bella sense. I didn't particularly care for Bella in the books, but I haven't read them in awhile, so at this point fanfiction Bella is more canon to me than SM's Bella. I just think it's interesting to see how fandom has kind of shaped this character over the years. SM laid down the foundation and ff authors are taking off with the model, making it their own and even profiting (50 Shades) from it.

I guess compared to Cullen wealth, Charlie would seem poor, lol. Also, I get the feeling that Renee wasn't particularly well off, I think I remember a lot of jobs and moving around mentioned in the books, so maybe Bella just kept on living the way she was raised with Renee, having to worry about money and just not wanting to be a burden on Charlie. Bella WAS written as very self sacrificing, not wanting to be a burden and not being comfortable taking things from others.

YESSS. One thing that I've noticed with Twilight fanfiction is that it's very common for Bella to be written however the author sees fit, and it's pretty rare for me to see something that's super canon in the Book Bella sense. I didn't particularly care for Bella in the books, but I haven't read them in awhile, so at this point fanfiction Bella is more canon to me than SM's Bella. I just think it's interesting to see how fandom has kind of shaped this character over the years. SM laid down the foundation and ff authors are taking off with the model, making it their own and even profiting (50 Shades) from it.

Bella seems like a blank canvas to me. She is like the ultimate Mary Sue. You can make her any way you want. I love the creativity and personality that has been given to her in fanfiction. She still has some of the characteristics that SM gave to her but she has blossomed in fanfiction. I never saw the Jane Eyre comparison that SM spoke of. Jane was passionate, strong willed and a frame work for modern feminism.  I don't see that in canon Bella at all but I do in the fanfiction.

That being said? My husband likes to fish.  And fishing gets to be really expensive when you start buying lures and line and rods and putting gas in the boat, etc....  Really.  It's crazy how much he spends on that crap.  When they say fish at the market costs $6.99 a pound, but fish you catch yourself is $500 a pound, it's pretty close....

Romance equals purple prose. I remember reading a Harlequin Romance when I was in my early teens and laughing silly at the writing style. As an adult I don't mind it as much. I just want a story that I can get lost in.

When I first read the Twilight Saga I liked the overall premise of it but felt it lacked something. There was something there that hooked me but I just needed more. I felt unfulfilled with it. That's what made me seek out the fanfiction and, boy, have I gotten fulfilled. LOL!

I've read a lot of fanfiction over the years also. I really loved the Harry Potter fandom and thought the writers were some of the best. I must say that I've been blown away by the Twilight writers. The stories they write are quite addictive. Just like the original books had that hook that made you crave more, so does the fiction created from it. I have tried countless times to remove myself from reading it. I know it's a lost cause now. It's better to just admit I have a Twilight fanfiction addiction and get everyone I know to start reading it. LOL!

I also like the flounced fic thread. It's very helpful. I find I skim many stories now. So many storylines have been used and reused that things can get predictable. It's better to know ahead of time and not waste the time or energy.

I have found I am pretty good at spotting a fanfic turned published fiction now. It seems that fanfiction writers have a certain style they keep even if it's an original published fic. Anyone else notice that too?

Bella seems like a blank canvas to me. She is like the ultimate Mary Sue. You can make her any way you want.

pardon my ignorance, but who is Mary Sue? Am thinking she is another book character? From what book?

I have found I am pretty good at spotting a fanfic turned published fiction now. It seems that fanfiction writers have a certain style they keep even if it's an original published fic. Anyone else notice that too?

Mary Sue has kind of evolved over the years. This is from Wikipedia that explains how I perceive a Mary Sue character.

"Mary Sue" today has changed from its original meaning and now carries a generalized, although not universal, connotation of wish-fulfillment and is commonly associated with self-insertion.

LOL!

Sex is part of it for me and also character development. The characters have become more fleshed out in Fanfiction. (I know I will pay for the fleshed out comment)