How to Write Fanfiction

Focus: Harry Potter Next Generation Fanfiction

Ways to write a Harry Potter Next Generation Fanfiction
by Concealyourfeelings

Writing fanfiction can be tricky. There are so many things to consider, from the way the characters act to the way the fanfic must follow the order of the book and perhaps not stray too much. Writing Harry Potter fanfictions is not much different, however, things get somewhat more complicated when you choose to write a fanfiction about a character that was born after the second wizarding war, because there is an obstacle in your way, otherwise known as The Cursed Child.

As we all know, The Cursed Child is a book Rowling wrote some years ago, and it is considered to be the sequel to the Harry Potter series. However, many fans around the world have expressed that they were disappointed by the book, and some don't even like it. That leads you, as writers that want to write a fanfiction about a character mentioned in The Cursed Child with a dilemma. Should you follow the events of the book, or be creative and do your own thing?

Well, my answer is that you can do both. You could always write a book that is based on the events of The Cursed Child, but you could also challenge yourself by being imaginative and creative and come up with something that's completely your own. The choice is up to you, and truly, there is no right and wrong.

Writing Fanfiction based on The Cursed Child

If you choose to follow the events of the sequel, then the way you write is not much different to the way you would write if your fanfiction was about a character that was mentioned in the Harry Potter series. That means, that the characters that have already been mentioned in the series have their personalities and traits already formed for you to use, their appearance is already given and so is their house, their friends etc.

What you have to do is stick chronologically to the events of the book and respect the way the characters are. When you do that, you can finally add your own character in the mix. Or you could not add a character of your own, you could always write a fanfiction from the point of view of a character that actually existed in the book, e.g. Rose. From then on, you'll see that you'll have no problem writing the book.

As expected, there are some benefits and some setbacks in this way of writing.

Benefits:

• The storyline is already written for you, which means that the important parts of the story are already written, so you already know in which scenes you have to focus to. Your plan of the story is already ready, and that makes it easier for you to go from a scene to another without having seemingly huge gaps in between. You know when you have to put emphasis into a situation, or when it's best to keep a scene quiet. The book can serve as some kind of help book for your fanfiction and not only for this specific book. Studying the way it changes from one scene to the other and being observant can help you in your writing too, no matter the genre.

• There are characters that have already been written. This can help you, as you don't have to try to find a friend for your own character and have to build their personality from scratch. Your character already has others they can interact with, helping them grow in the process.

• If there is a chance that a reader would get confused by the events of your story, they could always search for the plot of The Cursed Child and find the answers they need. That will make your story more easily read and you'll get into less trouble to make others understand your way of thinking.