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Harry Potter and the Realm of Terrible, No-good Fanon

Or, Why do we prefer to change a character to suite our wants?

Part I

by Mina

(Who really isn’t egotistical or anything like that, but she’s trying to figure out why people like trite and cliché things so much. She’s an English major, emphasis in Creative Writing and Linguistics. She’s allowed to be wingy about such things, since it’s considered a learning experience or some such bullshit.)

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Okay, so this is actually going to be a serious if a bit informal essay, but I can’t seem to stop myself from having fun with the shift key and number row. Yes, I’m easily amused.

[Because everytime a fanficcer plagiarizes, an angel gets beaten with a tire iron.] Quote stolen from Kristi, and though I’m Buddhist, this not only seems true, it presents an interesting mental image.

So, my minor plagiarism out of the way (which, technically it isn’t, since I ad sic-ed it properly and attributed the author), let’s get to yanking petals off this flower. Er, sorry…I’m still on a bit of a ‘mum tangent at the moment. ‘S what I get for writing this right after finishing another chapter of Deep As You Go.

To begin with, I am a fan fic author. Yes, feel free to insert wild laughter here. I’ve written stories for PlayStation RPGs, for anime, for manga, and for novels. However, I have also had a couple minor short stories published and am working on a novel which should be ready for submission this summer. Why do I refer to my short stories as minor? Because I’m never happy with my short work, even if someone else is. Call it a character flaw, if you will. I’m not the foremost authority on writing by any means, but I do like to think I know a little bit about this after three years of constant schoolwork. Then again, I also like to think that night is actually day, so I’m a bit delusional.

The real purpose of this essay, other than the enjoyment of hearing—um, reading—my own voice in action? (Since all authors are full of themselves, of course.) Why, to discuss canon versus fanon, and to try and figure out just why it is people are so head-over-heels for fanon characterisations of already intriguing characters.

I. First Concept —

- We don’t like the way the character is portrayed, because we think [they] should behave in [such and such] manner.

- We prefer to see the character in a ‘what if’ scenario, wondering how [they] would react if we threw [such and such] obstacles at them. *Note, this is what is referred to as Alternate Universe or Alternate Timeline, dependent on the story’s premise. In such cases, a certain amount of out-of-character action/reaction is usually permissible.

- We prefer to put ourselves in the character’s shoes, since we identify with [them] the most out of all the characters. However, we would do things differently, so we change the character’s behaviour accordingly. *Note, this is where an author needs to be careful, since their treading very closely to either self-insertion or Mary/Marty Sue.

II. Second Concept —

- We truly don’t care one way or the other what the character is really like. We’d much rather have [them] act the way we want them to. This is similar but different from the last notation of the first concept. *Note, this is pretty much like having a Mary or Marty Sue (a paragon original character) and labelling them with a character’s name.

- We don’t care about the real plot of the book or the actions of the characters in the past. We’d rather make [their] past up and ignore what’s already been stated about them as far as looks/actions/reactions go. *Note, this again strays into the AU/AT style of writing.

III. Third Concept —

- We’re actually writing an original story, but happened to (coincidentally, we assure you) choose the exact same names for our characters and give [them] the same basic physical characteristics and emotional/thought/speech tendencies. *Note, this is really rather silly to state, but I’ve seen it done.

Now, these are the basic concepts for why people ignore the canon of a novel (in this case, the “laws” or “rules” of the book’s premise). I’m sure that these concepts by no means encompass everything out there as far as reasons go, but these seem to be the most popular generalisations I can come up with.

Something to note, if you happen to read this essay (you’re very bored, aren’t you?) is that I also write what is commonly known as slash/femslash/yaoi/yuri as far as “pairings” go in my stories. This means that my main characters are involved with a member of the same gender. In my original writings, I have written heterosexual relationships, but I’ve chosen not to in my fan fic writings. Why? Because nearly every [source] that I would write such stories for has got hundreds of stories all written, and even if they’re not that good, it seems as though no-one in the fandom really cares.

It may sound odd to some people, but I’ve discovered that most of the people who write/like the same style/pairings that I do tend to be more open-minded, more honest, and more intelligent. This isn’t to say that there aren’t intelligent authors out there who don’t write [slash et al.], but they seem to be hard to find and their style doesn’t usually appeal to me. And there are some really trite stories in the [slash et al.] areas of fandoms as well. To me, plot-less smut is plot-less smut, whatever gender you slap on the characters.

Typically if I write “romance,” it’s very subtle, submerged beneath layers of thought, speech, action, angst, and character interaction. I can’t stand to read smut unless I’m really bored and feeling like snorting for a half hour over poorly-contrived plot devices that really need to be retired.

What I can’t understand, however, is the burning drive of the masses to read such “trite and true” stories on a consistent basis—and to hole them up there with the Bible, no less. At least the Bible took more than two weeks to write. Seriously, though, I have nothing against amateur authors, or anything against the people who enjoy reading them. I do have something against their tastes, though. Believe me, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid, in case you haven’t heard the term) still applies to writing, from poetry to short stories to novels, though you’re more likely to get away with overuse of adjective in the first and last of those.

And it’s not just amateur authors that have his problem. I enjoy the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter books by Laurell K. Hamilton, as well as the two currently published books in her new series. However, she overuses adjectives to the point where it’s abuse. If there were an adjectival ASPCA, I’d report her. And I’m serious about this; I may enjoy her work, but I’m not blind to her faults.

Similar things can be said for the works of Misty (Mercedes) Lackey. Most of her early stuff was great, filled with obvious enthusiasm, as well as detailed world building. However, she began to get more heavy-handed with her descriptions of places and clothing as time went on and forgot to focus on what should be the main focus of any story: the characters or their situation.

I like visuals as much as the next person—probably more than most, given what a graphics whore I am. Seriously, you should see how many gigabytes there are of images on my computer. Ah, but I digress.

Going overboard on details can drown the pertinent parts of a story. However, authors being authors, we think our prose is utterly brilliant, and getting us to part with any of it is like asking us to cut off our hand—or, in my case, asking me to get off the internet.

Now, some people will say that this “deadens” a story for them, sucking life from the visuals they were given. A good author can convey things with fewer well chosen words than you could get by simply scrolling through a thesaurus and randomly throwing in impressive sounding words. This is one of the reasons that I enjoy the kind of stories that are considered “high fantasy” style of writing. Yes, it may take a bit for the story to build to an actual point at first, but once it gets there…ho-boy! For example, C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Similrillion, C. S. Friedman’s The Coldfire Trilogy, and Robin Hobb’s Assassin, Live Ship, and The Tawny Man books.

Another problem with first time writers (or even older writers that prefer not to learn better) is the overuse of clichés, metaphors, similes, and generic plot premises. Unlike the romance genre, which is its own creature, you can only reuse a plot so many times before someone catches on and refuses to even give your story a chance. And you can only use so many premises in a plot, otherwise you’ll leave the reader confused. This is part of the reason that science fiction and fantasy can’t truly be combined; each genre has its own unique rules for classification. If this sounds like you, there’s a wonderful book out there to help with this. Or you can pick it up if you’re just looking for a good roll-on-the-ground laugh session. It’s entitled Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner. (‘Tis one of the textbooks for my editorial workshop class. You know, editors? Those evil beings that stab your words until they bleed and then return them with a form letter?)

A summary of these babblings? Think a bit before you write. Plot bunnies/whales/sheep/what have you are all well and good, but develop them a bit before posting them. Otherwise, things seem a bit slapdash, which leads to questioning inevitable plot holes—or inevitable plot neon signs. Giving away too much information is just as bad as withholding too much information. Find a style that suits you and stick with it for awhile before throwing up your hands and deciding it’s not working; writing, like everything else (believe it or not), takes practise.