HP fanfiction: where is the magic?
Dec. 17th, 2005 04:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valis2Writing in a fandom has its perks.
Every fandom has its own set of canon rules, its own clichés, its own unique set of challenges and strengths. Those writing for X-Men get the chance to write origins for new superheroes. Those writing for Star Wars get to throw down with Jedi.
Harry Potter?
We get magic.
With just a length of wood and a few key words (or none at all, in some cases) we can destroy solid matter. We can force another to our will. We can produce a bouquet of flowers.
The possibilities are exhilarating.
I was reading a fic by one of my favorite HP fanfic writers, and it occurred to me that one of the things that draws me to her version of the HPverse is not just the exotic settings she explores. It's her use of magic. Magic for her is something to be explored and explained, something organic and fluid.
Which brings me to the reason for this entry. We have a tremendous source of inspiration for our fanfics; it's the open-ended magic system that JKR created. Many of us bring this world to life, creating a version of the HPverse where magic is an integral part of the world.
And then some of us barely scratch the surface of it.
I can't count the number of HP fanfics I've read where magic is secondary to everything else. Certainly, spells figure into the narrative flow. The plots call for someone to be under the Cruciatus Curse, for someone to hold another at wandpoint, for someone to use the Killing Curse. But once the narrative flow does not implicitly require those actions, magic takes a step back, and the characters behave almost as if there is no magic.
In writing, plot matters. Characterization matters. Language matters. And details matter.
Sometimes after I've read a fic I can't remember the OC's name. But a tiny, throwaway detail--a garden full of octupus plants--will linger with me for a long, long time. These details remind us that we have left our reality behind and brought out our imagination to play in a magical world. These tiny moments matter to the overall fic. They make the fic live and breathe.
I just re-read a passage in PoA, and in it Lupin makes tea by touching his wand to a battered teakettle, which immediately begins to whistle. Those tiny little details deepen and enrich JKR's world. I remember being absolutely delighted while reading HBP, loving that feeling of excitement as we turned corners and found new bits and pieces of magic.
How many fanfics out there have taken the time to invent new spells? And not just a spell to further the plot's flow. What I mean is a small spell, not central to the plot, something unique and interesting. How many fanfics contain a new Weasley twins invention? A new and amusing candy? A magical plant? A canon spell, used in a creative new manner?
The point is that taking shortcuts in writing sometimes robs your writing of what it needs to make an impression on a reader. I've talked before about taking shortcuts in characterization. In this case, I'm specifically talking about taking shortcuts in atmosphere. Many of the characters in HP are witches and wizards. Some of them have grown up in an almost entirely magical world. Though there are many parallels to the Muggle world, the fact remains that they only need to wave a wand to bring about many of the things they want. Yes, children aren't allowed to use wands outside of school, but they are still living in a magical environment, and that shapes them in a different manner than a Muggle child. To render this world in a convincing manner, we as writers need to place ourselves within the magical world, and think about their environment thoroughly.
One of the best things about HP fandom is how much room there is in it. Though we may be more constricted in our narratives concerning certain canon characters since HBP, we still have so much to explore in terms of world and environment. We can do so many things easily that other fandoms have to bend over backwards to accomplish.
Here's to hoping for more great, truly magical fanfic.
ETA: I apparently haven't made my point clear here. I'm not saying that people should invent incredibly powerful spells, or spells that somehow reach past the obvious bounds of canon. I'm not saying that characters should do everything with spells. I'm not even saying that characters should be All Magic All The Time. I'm just saying that writers should remember that this is first and foremost a magical world, and that many of the characters who are in it (especially the adult characters!) have known and used magic their entire lives, and that we should try to make certain that we include small, magical details that will ring true. I was simply pointing out the lack of details such as new kinds of candy and tile floors that heat themselves. Easy things that people who can do magic would invent and/or do to make their lives more pleasant. These are the things I love in JKR's writing, and these things are all too often missing from fanfiction.
Every fandom has its own set of canon rules, its own clichés, its own unique set of challenges and strengths. Those writing for X-Men get the chance to write origins for new superheroes. Those writing for Star Wars get to throw down with Jedi.
Harry Potter?
We get magic.
With just a length of wood and a few key words (or none at all, in some cases) we can destroy solid matter. We can force another to our will. We can produce a bouquet of flowers.
The possibilities are exhilarating.
I was reading a fic by one of my favorite HP fanfic writers, and it occurred to me that one of the things that draws me to her version of the HPverse is not just the exotic settings she explores. It's her use of magic. Magic for her is something to be explored and explained, something organic and fluid.
Which brings me to the reason for this entry. We have a tremendous source of inspiration for our fanfics; it's the open-ended magic system that JKR created. Many of us bring this world to life, creating a version of the HPverse where magic is an integral part of the world.
And then some of us barely scratch the surface of it.
I can't count the number of HP fanfics I've read where magic is secondary to everything else. Certainly, spells figure into the narrative flow. The plots call for someone to be under the Cruciatus Curse, for someone to hold another at wandpoint, for someone to use the Killing Curse. But once the narrative flow does not implicitly require those actions, magic takes a step back, and the characters behave almost as if there is no magic.
In writing, plot matters. Characterization matters. Language matters. And details matter.
Sometimes after I've read a fic I can't remember the OC's name. But a tiny, throwaway detail--a garden full of octupus plants--will linger with me for a long, long time. These details remind us that we have left our reality behind and brought out our imagination to play in a magical world. These tiny moments matter to the overall fic. They make the fic live and breathe.
I just re-read a passage in PoA, and in it Lupin makes tea by touching his wand to a battered teakettle, which immediately begins to whistle. Those tiny little details deepen and enrich JKR's world. I remember being absolutely delighted while reading HBP, loving that feeling of excitement as we turned corners and found new bits and pieces of magic.
How many fanfics out there have taken the time to invent new spells? And not just a spell to further the plot's flow. What I mean is a small spell, not central to the plot, something unique and interesting. How many fanfics contain a new Weasley twins invention? A new and amusing candy? A magical plant? A canon spell, used in a creative new manner?
The point is that taking shortcuts in writing sometimes robs your writing of what it needs to make an impression on a reader. I've talked before about taking shortcuts in characterization. In this case, I'm specifically talking about taking shortcuts in atmosphere. Many of the characters in HP are witches and wizards. Some of them have grown up in an almost entirely magical world. Though there are many parallels to the Muggle world, the fact remains that they only need to wave a wand to bring about many of the things they want. Yes, children aren't allowed to use wands outside of school, but they are still living in a magical environment, and that shapes them in a different manner than a Muggle child. To render this world in a convincing manner, we as writers need to place ourselves within the magical world, and think about their environment thoroughly.
One of the best things about HP fandom is how much room there is in it. Though we may be more constricted in our narratives concerning certain canon characters since HBP, we still have so much to explore in terms of world and environment. We can do so many things easily that other fandoms have to bend over backwards to accomplish.
Here's to hoping for more great, truly magical fanfic.
ETA: I apparently haven't made my point clear here. I'm not saying that people should invent incredibly powerful spells, or spells that somehow reach past the obvious bounds of canon. I'm not saying that characters should do everything with spells. I'm not even saying that characters should be All Magic All The Time. I'm just saying that writers should remember that this is first and foremost a magical world, and that many of the characters who are in it (especially the adult characters!) have known and used magic their entire lives, and that we should try to make certain that we include small, magical details that will ring true. I was simply pointing out the lack of details such as new kinds of candy and tile floors that heat themselves. Easy things that people who can do magic would invent and/or do to make their lives more pleasant. These are the things I love in JKR's writing, and these things are all too often missing from fanfiction.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-17 09:34 pm (UTC)I also wonder if there are authors who purposely decide not to use magic if doing so appears to be taking the "easy way out" to solving problems. I know I've debated with myself the merit of writing the characters using lubrication spells vs. doing it the Muggle way.
That said, it'd be neat to see more magical details like new twins inventions or a garden full of octopus plants. I'm not one to say no to the magical :)
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-17 09:42 pm (UTC)Gen!fic, too. Very good point!
You're right...it could look like the easy way out, but still, it's a magical world, and magic is so easily called upon...
And I am now suddenly obsessed with an octopus's garden. hee!