Alright here is my own personal version of `The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Harry Potter Fanfiction.' I can assure everyone that this guide will be updated as more things come to mind to avoid getting headaches while reading.
Now here we go!
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Heavy steps plodded down the corridor, prompting a surprised Harry Potter into action. He immediately turned in the opposite direction of the steps and after a moment's hesitation, ducked into an old classroom that he had never seen be used. A quick two spells later and the room was silenced and locked. Taking a calming breath, he let it out slowly, willing his heart to stop beating so viciously against his chest.
“Bloody hell that was a close one,” he said to himself, raking a hand through his hair. He let it down with a sigh. “That's what I get for trying to be complicated and wanting a snog in the middle of the night.” A humourless chuckle left his lips and for the first time, he actually looked about the room.
Directly across from the door was a window, allowing the dense moonlight to filter in. In the streams, he could see the dust he had disturbed swirling in its centre, settling back on the ground after a moment. The room was mostly empty, except for the book that sat atop a pedestal in the middle, directly shined upon by the light. Curiosity swirled within his chest and so he took a step forward, coming to a stop directly in front of the book. Cocking his head to the side, Harry realized that the cover was well covered in dust. He gently blew on it, regretting his decision when the dust floated up into his mouth. Sputtering around dramatically, he waved his arms in front of his face, inadvertently hitting the book and knocking it off the pedestal. The sudden thump of noise shocked him back to his senses and he quickly cast an alohomora at the window, popping it open and allowing the wind the clear out all the offending dust. Problem solved, he picked up the book, reading the title, `The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Harry Potter Fanfics'. More than a little surprised, he settled down against one wall and opened it to the first page…
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Welcome to the wonderful world of fanfiction. As an author, it is your duty to give your readers the most interesting and fulfilling stories that you can. Here is something that will hopefully help you on your quest. These are just basic guidelines that will help even the most inexperienced writer. Further into the book things start getting a bit more specific.
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TIP #1: As you, the writer, are typing out your story, you should safely assume that the reader, if he or she is reading HARRY POTTER fanfiction, is somewhat knowledgeable in basic Harry Potter history.
I.E.: Voldemort attacking at him one, where his scar came from, Quirrell attacked him in first year, the Chamber of Secrets in second, and so on and so forth.
You DO NOT need to go over his ENTIRE history in the beginning. If you are going over it, do it only in terms of telling your reader when they should expect the story to take place. If Harry is depressed, it is probably after fourth or fifth year. If he is happy, it is probably before fourth. Do not give out the whole history; it is rather annoying to read repeatedly.
TIP #2: GRAMMAR! Being good at it, or having a friend who is good at it, will only help you in the long run. Most readers give up on a good story simply because it has horrible grammar. Learn the verb tenses, especially if English isn't your first language.
TIP #3: Spelling is also a must.
There is a difference between `QUITE' and `QUIET'. Knowing the difference helps with confusion.
I.E.: `Ron was quite finished with his meal' VERSUS `Ron was quiet finished with his meal.'
TIP #4: If you're going to write super!Harry, at least make him take some time to learn it all. I'm sorry but there's no way in the world you can learn all the martial arts in the world in under twenty minutes. I mean, not even the almighty Neo learned everything in twenty minutes. If he DOES learn it all in one chapter, there had better be a time skip in there somewhere.
TIP #5: If you're writing a betrayal story that lands Harry in Azkaban, don't make all his closest friends abandon him over flimsy evidence. Okay, if his wand was found in his hand with the spells still in said wand, that's classified as circumstantial. Although it is hard to use another wizard's wand, it is not impossible. If they are going to betray him, at least make it for a good reason.
TIP #6: As an author, you should write for the pleasure of writing. Do not beg for reviews because I can guarantee, even if you're not getting reviews, the hit count number is still going up. Reviews are just sprinkles on top of an ice-cream cone. They are nice, but not NECESSARY. Do not hold your story for ransom. It is very unprofessional.
TIP #7: If you are going to borrow some idea from another author, ASK FOR PERMISSION FIRST. It is extremely rude to take without asking. And if you cannot get a response, simply say at the end of the chapter of your story that you got it from someone else. It is very flattering for another writer to see their ideas being used in someone else's story. Always ask for permission and thank the author. It makes it easier to share things when credit is properly given.
TIP #8: Do not get angry with people who flame you for not keeping the story in canon. Reality check people: THIS IS FANFICTION. IF YOU LIKE CANON SO MUCH, READ THE BLOODY BOOKS!!!
TIP #9: Keep your author's notes to the beginning or the end of the chapter. Mark an asterisk or something that leads to the author's note. Readers want the story, not comments after every single sentence.
TIP #10: Make things believable. You have a revenge story, don't just say he woke up one morning and said to himself, `Gee, a lot of people have been awful mean to me this past week. I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!!! *insert evil cackle here*'. Making things believable makes the readers more impressed with your ideas so it pays off to wrack your brains for a little bit to create something new.
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Snapping the book shut in his shock, Harry jumped to his feet, and bolted out of the room, determined to show it to Hermione and Ron.
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And that's all I can think of at the moment.
PLEASE!!!!
If you have something to add, leave it in a review or email me! I'm trying to write this for all the annoyed readers and frustrated authors. We all want to read good fanfiction so why not tell each other what is generally annoying and what is generally acceptable? I'll add anything that pops up and is general enough to be added.
Thanks to everyone who is responding like they are. I am truly surprised with how much feedback I'm getting. Even now, I'm working on a part two for all the little things everyone is bring to my attention.
Also, as soon as I can, this is going up on ff.net so tell all your fellow authors that there is a guide to writing good HP fanfiction.
And to just make it like an actual fanfiction, I'll be rewriting it as a book the characters read, fair enough? I don't really want it taken down so no one report me yet kay?
Hey, I might even get around to writing a guide for reviewing stories, what you should say and what you shouldn't. What do you think? Would it work?
-->Text from the Wayback Machine's capture of the site, 10 March 2008.