The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

Magical Resources

Rowling devised countless spells, potions, ingredients, people, books, and bounds of other things for her books. The Harry Potter fandom has an advantage over most others in that we have rich detail on almost anything we can think of, and we should put that knowledge to good use! Here, I'm putting together an ever-expanding list of amazing resources that I use all the time for my own books, and even if you don't write, it's still incredibly fascinating to read all of the specifics of everything.

1. Pottermore

"Well, duh," you say. "I thought this was going to be helpful?"

It is, just hold on. I have this on here because it really is a better resource than anything else you could find on Harry Potter things. Get sorted into your House and read the description, then I'd suggest going online and finding screenshots of the descriptions others from other Houses receive. Read every article you can find on a certain character you're trying to write about. Read every bit of wand lore (and I know there's quite a lot) because putting hidden meanings in your characters' wands is super cool for the dedicated fans who bother to look into it. All I'm saying is, don't take this amazing website for granted!

2. Patron-a-bum

This is a blog on tumblr that I've mentioned before, in the chapter on Animagi and Patronuses. It is the single most helpful thing I've found on the subject, even more helpful than the Potter Wikia and Pottermore itself. Why? Because it doesn't just focus on the canon Patronuses of the characters, but it lists the actual core personality traits of people who have all sorts of Patronuses, like collies and lambs and vultures, even. With over forty to read through, you're bound to find one that works for your character!

3. TheFriendlyEditor.com

Used to be called WriteLikeRowling.com! This website focuses a lot more of the writing aspect than the wizarding aspect, but it's still super helpful, especially for us as we work to craft a tribute to JKR and her amazing series in the form of a fanfiction. It has many articles on everything from plot outlines to publishing, and it's definitely worth your time to browse through.

4. Pojo.com's Spell List

Yes, I know, the Potter wikia had a spell list too. However, I think this one is more practical, because instead of having to click a spell name and be taken to another page to learn more about it, pojo.com's list also tells what the spell does and whether it is a charm, spell, hex, or curse. It's a whole lot more useful than you think when you don't know exactly what sort of spell you're looking for for a duel or class!

Really, all of this website is cool. It's basically just a giant Harry Potter hodge-podge, and though I obviously haven't been through the whole thing, it's really got a lot of information and fun things. It doesn't get updated very often anymore (one of the most recent posts on the homepage was about Order of the Phoenix coming out), but it's still really cool. It's got a lot about the "Wizards of the Coast Trading Card Game," which I've never heard of but apparently isn't around anymore. However, it's got other things as well! Check it out sometime when you've got a free hour!

5. The Potter Wikia

Another obvious one, I know, but this is a very useful resource. It has lists of everyone who was ever in a specific House on the page of that House. It has class schedules for every year! Not only that, but every character who was ever mentioned in the books or films has their own page, and if you're looking for an obscure yet canon character to fill a role in your Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts (see Hestia Carrow, my Minister of Magic as of Light and Dark), this is the place to go! I would definitely suggest you use this website as much as possible! Nowhere else will you find all the information about any topic, person, spell, or class in one page!

6. Pinterest

A lot of what you'll find when you search "writing" on Pinterest will be motivational quotes and things like that. However, that's not all there is! I've found some amazing articles on there, some of which I've shared here, that have really helped my writing! Also, it's always good to see the motivational quotes from successful authors, because I can tell you first hand, a lot of times it's hard to want to write.

Also, it can be really helpful to create a Pinterest board for your story. I have a secret board for several of my works, and if I'm not feeling in the mood to write, looking through that can often help! If anything, it can give you a clear idea of what your characters look like, and having a picture of what you're describing is never a bad thing.

7. thewritershelpers

Another Tumblr blog, this is one I stumbled upon just recently. It's got a lot of advice for aspiring authors, which includes everyone in the fanfic world! I would highly recommend checking it out.

8. The Harry Potter Lexicon

This site is amazing! I just found it, thanks to hiling99, and it looks so cool! Apparently, it's got timelines of all the books, though I haven't gotten that deep yet. Whatever you do, go check out hp-lexicon.org!

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Well, that's all I have for now! Do you guys have any go to resources for your writing needs? Let me know, and I'll check them out and possibly add them to the list!