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.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-18 01:21 am (UTC)1) Magic is a bit of a dangerous thing to have in a story, because you can literally do anything with it - which means you can suck the tension right out of your story by making every problem solvable with the flick of a wand. It can't be too easy for your protagonist to solve his or her problems with magic, or the story becomes dull and your protagonist becomes a Mary/Gary Sue.
JKR set up certain rules when she invented her world, and a fanfic writer that invents too much magic beyond what JKR did might end up with a flat uninteresting fanfic. Small things, like a new Weasley invention, aren't a problem, but restraint is the key.
2) There's no consensus about why people read and write fanfic, but I think that it's simply because the original world and characters in canon were so convincing that they "came to life" inside the reader's head. If the reader is herself a creative individual, then she might start coming up with her own stories for these very vivid characters that run about inside her skull. Fanfic and fanart result.
The thing is, if it's the characters, more than the world, that captured that reader's imagination, then she might be more interested in writing stories about the characters than about magic. That can be quite interesting, but I agree with you that the writer has to keep in mind that this is still JKR's world, and the existence of magic alters how these characters think and react. Magic is an essential part of who the characters are.
Basically I'm saying that a writer can go too far in either direction. Too much magic and the story becomes a wish-fulfillment fantasy, and too little magic leaves you with an original story that inexplicably has characters answering to HP names.
3) One of my favourite magic-moments in canon is when Harry tosses something at a garbage bin in Grimmauld Place and the garbage bin eats it (and burps). No bells or whistles; there's nothing malevolent about it - that's just what this garbage bin does.
If you put too much description in a fantasy or science fiction story, it becomes boring, so some writers try to hint at how their world works using the "edges" of ideas. Rather than explaining how it all functions, they just show a few little things - enough that your brain can fill in the blanks. This is the way JKR handles her world-building, with things like animate garbage cans and talking mirrors.
If I read you correctly, you're advocating that fanfic writers do this also - add a few hints of magic to their stories, to keep JKR's atmosphere intact. I would consider that very good advice, but it can be a tricky thing for an inexperienced writer to pull off well. As I said, you can go too far in both directions, and wind up with a weaker story because of it.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-12-18 01:36 am (UTC)2) Oh, yes, there is definitely a balance involved.
3) One of the other commenters mentioned that taking too long to describe the magical innovations is a sure way to defeat the purpose, absolutely.
It is a tricky thing, definitely, but worth doing well, in the end. Er, at least I think so. :)