Everything Wrong With HARRY POTTER Fanfictions

DON'T NO 9: Too Many References

I'm just going to politely ask you to stop there.

It's okay if you want to add references, but remember that too many references might confuse the readers and dissolve the main plot of the story.

Like just take a story on Golden Trio, Voldemort and an OC and there's going to be some sort of action scene where Voldypants is chasing them, and then some random person (or the OC, or Ron) gives advice to Harry which is: "Hold tight and pretend it's a plan."

Chances are you'll get a whole thread of Doctor Who fans understanding that reference.

Or take another example where Voldemort is holding a meeting with his loyal Death Eaters and when someone does something stupid or informs him that Harry Potter is still alive and well, he mentions how pissed he is to be surrounded by idiots/fools and someone from the back shouts, "that was Scar's line from the Lion King!"

Or a Ron and Hermione fanfic where Ron says something stupid and Hermione replies simply with a "Oh not that, seaweed brain." 

Or any story where two people are fighting and one of them says "I hate everything about you." And people are commenting, "Three Days Grace!!! I love that song!"

Or any love story where someone accidentally quotes a lyric from a famous song and then every single person starts going haywire because they just discovered another goddamn reference.

And then there are yet a lot of other people commenting with a "wtf?" (and usually I'm one of them).

Remember, references are great when inserted carefully but too many of them confuses people and most of the readers are like, "ah, come on, I came to read a book on Wolfstar not on Ed Sheeran lyrics."

So don't insert too many references. Keep it clear in your mind which fandom you are writing for and stick to that. Do not deviate.

And that is solely for the benefit of both your readers as well as your piece of writing. At least, this is what I think.

***

Stay tuned for more, fellas!