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Oh HP Fandom, You're Like An Old Friend
Feb. 19th, 2009 01:42 pmThat I Stopped Speaking To Because I Realized We've Grown Apart But For Some Reason Contact Every So Often, Think We Should Spend More Time Together, And Then End Up Frustrated All Over Again And Vow To Stop Speaking To You Once And For All.
There are certain cliches that run rampant through every fandom. Sometimes I feel like I read the same fic over and over again with varying degrees of finesse. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel like pouring so much work into a piece of fanfiction is nothing but a waste of my time.
But it's my time, and I can waste it if I want to, right?
But in my Harry Potter fanfic, I will not fall prey to these traps:
1. I will not have an evil/unreasonable Ron.
I really like the idea of doing a fanfic where Draco is a more central character. I've been obsessing over Harry, to varying degrees, since, oh, 1999 or so, but the world of fandom is where Draco really seems to thrive. In the books he's a pretty minor character. But I read so many fics where he's portrayed in a much more sympathetic way but somehow Ron turns all evil and nasty - I guess because they don't get along, and if the reader/writer are on Draco's side, then Ron must be awful? Ron is a very noble character and one of my favorites. Giving Draco more attention in my fic will not mean Ron goes all OOC.
2. Draco will not be nice for no reason
Draco is not nice! He is not nice at all! He finds fun in making other people feel small - nice people do not do that. Yes, I know that people can change, but not for no reason! I refuse to start my fic with Draco being OOC either - I know in the book he turns out not to be fundamentally evil, but there is a huge difference between not being a despicable excuse for a human and being nice
3. I will try my best to resist the lure of the love story
Yeah, see, I can't even be definitive on that one! I guess, intellectually, I do understand why most fanfics turn into love stories of some sort. I mean, yeah, I read the epilogue, and I know it's all canon and whatnot, but the books themselves are not love stories even if there is some romance in them. I guess so many writers fall back (or fall for, maybe I should say) on the love story is because, well, aren't we all in love with the story anyway? And because it's not in the book much, well, that gives so much freedom to creative minds to think up all kinds of alternate scenarios. But I don't want to write a love story - I want to write a mystery/adventure! I swear! I really do! That's what I want! No sappy romance for me, and no, no no writing of sex scenes! I am shit for a smut writer, I really am!
4. The characters are teenagers and will act like it
This is the hardest one to adhere to. JK did it beautifully. Fanfic often fails. I'm having trouble wrapping my own head around it as well, I mean, I'm not a teenager myself, and it's a mindset I've tried to put behind me, not hold onto in case I need to write a teenage character!
There are certain cliches that run rampant through every fandom. Sometimes I feel like I read the same fic over and over again with varying degrees of finesse. This is the kind of thing that makes me feel like pouring so much work into a piece of fanfiction is nothing but a waste of my time.
But it's my time, and I can waste it if I want to, right?
But in my Harry Potter fanfic, I will not fall prey to these traps:
1. I will not have an evil/unreasonable Ron.
I really like the idea of doing a fanfic where Draco is a more central character. I've been obsessing over Harry, to varying degrees, since, oh, 1999 or so, but the world of fandom is where Draco really seems to thrive. In the books he's a pretty minor character. But I read so many fics where he's portrayed in a much more sympathetic way but somehow Ron turns all evil and nasty - I guess because they don't get along, and if the reader/writer are on Draco's side, then Ron must be awful? Ron is a very noble character and one of my favorites. Giving Draco more attention in my fic will not mean Ron goes all OOC.
2. Draco will not be nice for no reason
Draco is not nice! He is not nice at all! He finds fun in making other people feel small - nice people do not do that. Yes, I know that people can change, but not for no reason! I refuse to start my fic with Draco being OOC either - I know in the book he turns out not to be fundamentally evil, but there is a huge difference between not being a despicable excuse for a human and being nice
3. I will try my best to resist the lure of the love story
Yeah, see, I can't even be definitive on that one! I guess, intellectually, I do understand why most fanfics turn into love stories of some sort. I mean, yeah, I read the epilogue, and I know it's all canon and whatnot, but the books themselves are not love stories even if there is some romance in them. I guess so many writers fall back (or fall for, maybe I should say) on the love story is because, well, aren't we all in love with the story anyway? And because it's not in the book much, well, that gives so much freedom to creative minds to think up all kinds of alternate scenarios. But I don't want to write a love story - I want to write a mystery/adventure! I swear! I really do! That's what I want! No sappy romance for me, and no, no no writing of sex scenes! I am shit for a smut writer, I really am!
4. The characters are teenagers and will act like it
This is the hardest one to adhere to. JK did it beautifully. Fanfic often fails. I'm having trouble wrapping my own head around it as well, I mean, I'm not a teenager myself, and it's a mindset I've tried to put behind me, not hold onto in case I need to write a teenage character!
