Ok, ive only written some fanfiction before, but it wasnt very good. So im here to get some opinions on how to make it better.

First question.
I know how there are cliches and hard to right a story with out them, but how do i use them well so as the entire story is not cliched.

Second Question,
Does my IndependentHarry or DarkHarry have to be a giant prick, most stories ive read have him being a prick.

Third Question.
how do I avoid a SuperHarry.

 

MOVED this to the proper subforum. Fanfic Discussion for help writing fanfic. The support section is for sig tests, avatar checks, help with accessing the site or IRC, etc... This section is more appropriate for help in your writing.

First thing is that, the effort you put into things like grammar and spelling, show the effort you put into the fic. Like in your post above I'm uncertain your keyboard has an apostrophe on it given the contractions of "ive," "im," and "wasnt." Putting in the effort for proper capitalization, grammar never gets much thanks, but when it's absent, it's horribly distracting for many people.

Cliches should not be outright avoided like the plague, but at least recognized and make a conscious decision of your own rather than using what others before you have. Example, getting Harry a super-duper trunk. Everyone does it. Functionally, it serves a purpose. But couldn't you accomplish the same thing a half dozen other ways? Maybe his ancestors used to perform for muggles and he has a magical curtain he needs only to reach behind. And we certainly don't need to hear you describe all the functions and wonderful rooms and libraries and kitchens and vaults in the trunk. It's a trunk we get it. Just make sure you have a legitimate reason for rehashing a cliche. And see if there's a smooth and interesting way you can put a twist on the cliche. Forced, only-slightly-altered things seem even worse to me. Things like "I know! I'll add blood wards to the trunk! Or no one can touch the trunk unless I give them permission. Or it transfigures them into a flobberworm." Bad bad bad.

Second, you're right many stories make him into a giant prick, but many of these are written by headstrong teenagers unaware that he's turned into a giant prick. Often he ends up looking like an egotistical arse because everything he demands comes his way (once he has his law-wizard and his emancipation, and his parents' wills or Sirius's letter from the grave), and he's spending a majority of his time ranting about how unfair everything is or ripping into his "betrayers." They didn't mean to make him a prick. Well, sometimes they didn't.

Third, as for Super!Harry, I've never been bothered in the slightest by it. Now godlike!Harry for whom there is no conflict because defeating his enemies takes only a snap of his fingers, that just makes for bad fic. (And most often abandoned unfinished fic). But I finder it harder to swallow a Harry who's of average wizard power and skill, than one who is supered and closer to the level of a Voldemort or a Dumbledore (who in comparison with other canon wizards pretty much are super-wizards).

Post partials here in the Work By Author and many people will gladly tear your cliched parts to shreds.

 

Rule no 1: Don't overpower anything.

If you're gonna have a trunk, don't make it have 13 rooms, indoors olimpic size pool, shooting range and Quiditch field, and be protected by dark fidelius where the owner is his own secret keeper. Instead, make it just an ordinary muti-compartment trunk, with one small room where Harry can chill out for a while.

Rule no 2: Don't use anything you don't really need.

Is it really neccessary for Harry to be heir of Gryffindor, for instance? Are there some exciteing subplots you have in your sleeve, for which you'll need 7 vaults protected by dragons, filled with 4 billion galleons, instead of a single one with 500,000? Will Harry really need a pet snake?

If not, then DON'T do it.

Rule no 3: If you DO use a cliche, make sure you do it right.

Don't just say, "he's the heir to 4 founders, making him the owner of Hogwarts" and then proceed to sack Dumbledore. Explain why didn't James know about that. What about Voldemort's ancestry? If Hogwarts is sentient, wouldn't she give Harry a hint? etc... make sure the idea is well researched and explained.

Ugh, I'd prefer if he wasn't. Ranting!Harry is really not my thing. I usually skip rants and I'm hopeless at writing them.

Simple - always give Harry equal or more powerful opposition. If he can move mountains, make sure both Dumbledore and Voldemort can too. If you follow this simple rule, it won't matter if he's super-powered or not, because your story will stay interesting and engaging.

 

Something that works is to write whatever scene comes into your head, as it comes into your head. Just collate all the scenes, and see what fits in where, and eventually, just write small areas of filler to join then together. Its not the most structured method, but it generally keeps you writing the fic.

 

Speaking of cliche's, I honestly don't understand why Harry getting a snake is such a hated plot device. If I could to talk to snakes, I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Having a pet you can talk to would be something I can see everyone wanting.

 

Its because of how its been done so often and done so badly so often.

 

Heh, honestly, I don't think I'd like a pet I could talk to. Ruins the whole aspect of having a pet, since its a friend. Sure as shit, though, I'd buy a snake just for the conversation when I'm bored. But if I was to get a PET it'd be a dog or something, some animal I can't talk to.

 

If I got a pet, I think I'd want to get a Weasley. I'd keep it in the cage most of the time, and I'd be good about giving it food and water.

Maybe get a laser pointer that projects a gold color that matches a galleon just to see them chase it around the room and run into the wall unable to stop. Yeah, a pet Weasley might be fun.

 

Something that I think has been overlooked is characterisation. This I feel is even more important than plot because it is very obvious when the author tries to mould the character to a specific plot.

In this sense keep you plot very broad and let your characters write the story. As they grow and change according to their experiences they will impact upon the plot and make it a much more fullfilling story.

 

I think the main problem with Harry getting a pet snake is that it tends to be a incredibly-deadly-ubersnake with all kinds of special powers that never get used. I'd be happy if Harry saw an ordinary snake in the garden one day and had a chat with it, though.

 

That happens all the time when Harry is *young* and just discovering his powers. But then it gets killed by some mean kids/adults/muggles and Harry starts to hate those without magic and moves to Tom riddles side for tRu WUV!!!!!111!1!1

EDIT: I'm too risky when reading fanfiction

 

harry doesnt have to be a prick, just dont make him be so aggresively anti-everyone who doesnt use dark magic. keep his attitude passive enough so that he still avoids confrontations--thats a big part of his character.

avoiding super!harry is actually very simple and can be accomplished in a number of ways. ultimately, it happens when harry has both an extreme abundance of power and an excess of the confidence/will to use it. if you make him short of one of those, then the story pretty much will focus on his trying to build up whichever of them he needs.

Keep in mind that the path to power for harry is NEVER a straight one. it's never just a series of rituals and bam! harry's uberstrong. there needs to be conflict in the story, subplots that divert harry's 'quest' that ultimately may not end up helping him. rarely in life is there only one thing going on with a person that they can focus entirely on it; and often, once one thing is finished, another pops up in its place to further occupy the mind of the main character.

~DarkSov~

 

oh yeah--avoid the snake. its never turned out good, in my opinion. people tend to give the creature near-human like intelligence, and realistically, its a SNAKE. its brain has not developed far enough to get past the obvious needs of food, shelter and safety from predators, magical snake or not. the basilik was not that smart, for example--it needed to be constantly told what to do and how to do it.

ultimately, the snake tends to turn into a friend on equal footing mentally as any person, which i think is wrong, as i just stated. the only other avenue i've seen explored is that of comedic relief--avoid that even MORE. my god, nothing makes me take a story less seriously than a snake with a sense of humor. the only real purpose that a snake can really have is servitude--attacking enemies, watching out for enemies, that sort of thing--theyre' not inherently useful creatures otherwise.

~DarkSov~