I was recommended to this site by a few friends because I was fed up with the fanfiction.net fandom, as I was seriously questioning wether a few people there were born with a brain.

I'm currently in the process of writing a story myself, I'm trying to keep it as legimate as possible as I know I hate things so out of character, so I gather other people would to.

It's under the basic premise of the war ending differently, and the Fidelius Charm never being used and there ending up being a battle where Lily and James were hiding, and in the aftermath of it realizing that Harry, Voldemort, Sirius and Peter had vanished.

I'm trying to stop from making all the typical cliques, so I apologize if it comes across like that.

The issue is wether to keep James and Lily alive, I like how their characters are in what little we've seen and I would honestly love to write them, but I'm curious what peoples opinions on it is, and wether it's been overdone or is unrealistic, as it obviously won't be where they abandonded their child like a bulk of the fanfictions made, as they loved their child, it's more that he goes missing in the conflict.

Thank you.

 

I'm curious as to how one makes a clique.

As for James & Lily : they are what you make of them. Is their existence in any way significant regarding your plot? or do you want to add them merely for the coolness factor?

If Harry, Voldemort, Sirius and Peter vanish, then am I correct in assuming that they return at some point? If so, have you planned scenes of interaction between the Potters and the various other parties? Are those interactions important to your plot?

Will J & L figure in any way towards the defeat of Voldemort?

Check all these questions with your outline for the story. If you haven't got an outline, make one.


In my opinion, James and Lily are usually little more than blank slates. Every reader passes through a face in which he/she goes "hey wouldn't it be cool if in a fic Harry meets his parents in some way? or he grows up with them? or they didn't die but abandoned him?"

Immediately after, they start searching for any and all the stories that meet those conditions. Then they realize 99.5% of such stories are shit. Then they go search for a worthwhile fic to read, without ridiculous constraints.

 

If you know where your plot is going, you'll know whether they should be kept alive or not. But it seems to me that your issue is more about your own confidence as a writer: you're questioning whether you'll be able to pull off their characters well, and whether your audience will be receptive to this.

The answer to that is to be braver. Whether they should be in your story or not should be down only to what you want to happen in your story; if you want to write them, then do it. The reader does not dictate what happens in the story - you do. And to be a successful writer, all you have to do is make them like it.

 

Thank you.

I haven't written a fanfiction before, I've written stories, but not a fanfiction, so I suppose I am a little nervous.

I'm having an issue finding out a scrap of information which is really annoying me to be honest, as "the bravest wizard of all" type of description is what I want to give someone, but I'm stuck between three people, James, Severus and Moody.

We all know James is brave, but I think it's more of a reckless-Gryffindor-brave, and I don't think Severus really become brave until the second war, and Moody is more paranoid hero which is why I'm having trouble finding out who would probably rate as "bravest".

Thanks for all the advice.

 

It's obvious you don't want to give away most of your story and because of that we really can't help you much.

I suggest finding someone you can bounce ideas off of. Someone who can tell you if your idea sucks or just put a new spin on things. It's extremely hard to come up with every detail alone and many times you create large plot holes you don't notice.

If you wish, I am willing to talk to you about your idea- just PM me. Writing is not my strong point but I am good at coming up with plots and details.

 

Some basic tips/suggestions:

Read the books again chapter by chapter, and also read the Harry Potter Lexicon outline on each chapter, preferably at the same time so its still 'fresh' within your mind; there's so much 'background' detail (eg, Hagrid using Thestrals to fly to 'The-Hut-On-The-Rock/Dumbledore using Thestrals to fly to the Ministry in PS - revealed in OotP) that could be missed.

Also, check the 'outer areas' of Harry Potter canon, eg, Chocolate Frog Cards; there's some pretty interesting background information, there.

While the Lexicon is pretty reliable for canon facts, take what the Harry Potter wiki says with a grain of salt; the writer of the articles on there can be pretty biased/buy into fanon crap (eg, Dark Magic rotting the soul when there's no evidence to suggest this within the actual canon text); there are, however, certain confirmed canon elements on there though, that aren't on the Lexicon; you'll just have to 'dig through the crap', so to speak, to find them.

Make a dedicated outline/plan of your story, and separate entries for character development/interaction.

When the time for writing actually comes, check out the 'Work by Author' section of the forums, here; you'll receive essential (and more importantly, useful) critique and feedback for your story, compared to the mindless 'ZOMG GOOD STORY MORE PLZ' shite from fanfiction.net's review system.