Tag Archives: HP fanfic

Happy 20th Anniversary, Harry Potter!

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I feel like I’m a little late in the celebratory Harry Potter has been around for 20 years posts, but I just really wanted to talk about it!

 

Because Harry Potter, obviously.  How can I not talk about Harry Potter?  If you need to know two things about me, it’s that I like Harry Potter and yarn.  Yarn is a completely different post, but Harry Potter…that’s why we’re here today.  I’m almost positive I’ve mentioned some of this before, but it’s worth talking about again…because this is Harry Potter we’re talking about here.

I can’t believe Sorcerer’s Stone has been around for 20 years!  I’ve spent most of my life reading and obsessing over Harry Potter, and I can’t imagine life without it.  I started reading Harry Potter when I was in high school, and I honestly have a hard time remembering what life was like before Harry Potter.

I have a lot of memories of Harry Potter, and it’s had such a big impact on my life.  I’m totally taking a trip down memory lane here:

  • I remember hearing about the books, and thinking they sounded a little stupid.  It wasn’t until I saw Sorcerer’s Stone on DVD one weekend that I checked out the first 4 books from the library and read them.  That DVD I saw?  A rental from Blockbuster…I can’t believe Harry Potter’s been around long enough that Blockbuster used to be a thing.
  • I only went to the midnight release parties for Deathly Hallows and Cursed Child.  Deathly Hallows…it was the first midnight release party I could go to, since I had no way to get to the ones for Order Of The Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.  I honestly thought it would be the only one I’d ever go to, until Cursed Child came out.
  • I remember for Deathly Hallows, I went to the Barnes And Noble by my house, in a costume I threw together at the last minute, and then getting the book and staying up all night to read it.  I went into work that day tired, but glad I had done it, knowing it would be my last time staying up all night reading Harry Potter.  For a few weeks, everyone was reading it during their lunch break, and it was really hard waiting for them to finish so I could actually talk about it.
  • And when the Cursed Child script was released, I found myself at Mysterious Galaxy, dressed up as Fleur Delacour, and feeling like the magic was back, even if it was a script for a play I’d never see.  I don’t think I ever did a review on the script, and I haven’t picked it up since then, but still, the magic of Harry Potter was back for a night.
  • All of the time reading Mugglenet, and wondering what would happen next.  Also: all of the time I spent on fanfiction.net, and all of the fanfics I read.  Not to mention when I starting writing my own fanfiction.  Which I still do, and it’s the one thing I keep coming back to, at least for writing.  When in doubt, write Harry Potter fanfic!
  • That time I was obsessed with A Very Potter Musical.  I saw that one, and the sequel, but I never saw the third one I know is out there…
  • Really identifying as a Hufflepuff.  I always thought I was a Ravenclaw, since I LOVE reading.  But then I was sorted into Pottermore, and I was like, nope, I am not a Ravenclaw, I am a Hufflepuff, I have found my people.
  • I will always remember waiting anxiously for the next book to come out, and all of time spent reading theories and discussions.  In a way, all of the people who are reading Harry Potter for the first time are really lucky, because they don’t have to wait for each book to come out…but I don’t think I’d want to give up all of the title hoaxes and JKR’s interactive website with clues and all of the hype surrounding each book.
  • Being able to crochet some of the really cool things mentioned in the series.  I made the Luna Lovegood scarf, I have a Hufflepuff scarf, and I crocheted the hat and capelet I wore when I dressed up as Fleur Delacour.  There are so many other things I want to make, and one of these days, I will have to make more HP-themed things.

I do think a big reason why I really got into writing was my desire to write my own take on the series.  Would I still on gone on to write my stories?  Maybe, but I’ll never know for sure.  14-year-old me wasn’t very confident in her ability to write a story, but writing HP fanfic helped me believe in myself and feel more confident that I could write.

The Luna Lovegood Scarf

As evidenced by this list of Harry Potter podcasts, this post about reading Harry Potter with a sibling, a post wondering what would happen if Hermione had more female friends, Harry Potter tattoos, a wonderful post about reading Harry Potter as the series came out, and lessons we’ve learned from Harry Potter, a lot of people have been influenced by the series.  I know all of those links come from one blog, but…a lot of people have had their own experiences with HP, and I love that there’s such a range of thoughts and discussions, and things we’ve learned because of one series.

The Fleur Delacour Capelet (Left) and The Beauxbatons Hat (Right)

There’s something very special about Harry Potter, and it means so much to me.  I have a lot of really good memories associated with Harry Potter, and it’s something I’ll be re-reading for years to come.  My life would not be the same without Harry Potter.

The Final 2016 NaNoWriMo Update

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I meant to do this post a while ago, and never got around to it, but I did want to wrap it up somehow!

It went really well this year, and I finished with 55,000 words!  I finished early, which I was glad about.  Partly because I’ve found that validating as early as possible is a good thing, but also because the last few days were Monday through Wednesday, and those were the days that I had almost no motivation to write.

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I did keep writing once I reached 50,000, but the pace slowed down a lot after that.  I do want to go back to this story, which is a little strange because once November is over, I’m pretty much done noveling until the next NaNo comes.  I’m definitely taking a break for a while, partially because November is always sort of intense, but I have a crochet project I’m trying to finish before Christmas, and I want to get some reading in, since I barely read anything last month.

I had originally planned for the story to be finished by the end of the November, but my story had other ideas in mind.  As it turns out, it’s only about halfway there, and I really want to re-do the middle portion to match up with some of the things that happen later on.  Plus, that part was really repetitive, to the point that I didn’t want to write it, so that needs more work.

Assuming that I actually go back to it in January, because I feel like I say I’m going to go back to it a lot, and then I never do.

There are a couple of things to check out: why you SHOULD participate in NaNoWriMo and why you SHOULDN’T participate.  Random, I know, but both are worth checking out.

I do love it- this was my 11th year, and I keep coming back to it because I really like the community, and it’s a way to challenge myself and do something different.  It’s a reminder that I can accomplish a big goal, if I dedicate myself to it, and if I make the time for it.  But it’s also not for everyone, but maybe it’ll inspire someone to challenge themselves in another way, even if you’re not writing a novel.  It’s definitely something I look forward to, and I have a lot of ideas that I ended up not going with, plus a couple of others that are floating around in my head, so I’ll have a lot of ideas for next year.

Speaking of next year, I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do next year- it involves Little Red Riding Hood and Norse mythology, but I don’t know how it all fits because I don’t know anything about Norse mythology. Maybe it won’t work, but I won’t know until I start doing some research.  If it doesn’t work out, I still have a bunch of other ideas I can go with, and that’s assuming I don’t get any other random ideas, which is entirely possible.  In general, I’d rather have too many ideas that I can narrow down than scrambling for an idea at the last minute.  I’ve done two novels enough times that if I can get it down to two, I’ll be fine.  I learned that three is one too many.

I think that might be all, because I don’t know what else to say about how it went this year!

NaNoWriMo 2016: Update #3

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I have another update about NaNoWrimo!

I’m doing really well so far!  I ended up doing a bunch of scenes set in Romania, since Hermione and Charlie take an unexpected detour.

I did skip quite a bit of the middle, because I was doing only the slightest variation on the same thing, and I was just so bored writing it.  I definitely wasn’t getting anywhere with it, and I knew if I wanted to keep going, I had to go for the stuff I wanted to write.  And that, apparently, was Romania, so I went for it.  I jump back to the story, and I ended up writing the last few chapters I had outlined…only to realize that the story was nowhere near done.  I, of course, had planned for the story to be over and done with on November 30, but clearly, the characters have other plans.  They always seem to go off in their own direction, and never mind what I wanted them to do.

I did add on an extra chapter, and it actually gave me some ideas for the middle part of it. Assuming I actually go back to it, but let’s be honest here:  I’m probably not going to go back to it or keep going once November is over, and this time next year, I’ll probably be on some other new idea (or ideas, because that’s what I usually do) and completely forget this one ever existed.

There is a part of me that wants to actually finish this one, but I know I’ve said that before.  And there was that one year where I did keeping writing after November.  If I remember correctly, I was still working on stuff in December or January before I stopped.  And the novel I did last year was a re-write of the one I did 2 years ago, so it’s possible I could keep going.  Who knows how I’ll feel after 50k/November 30.  Maybe I should just get through this month first before deciding.

I have noticed something interesting this year with my writing- Mondays and Tuesdays seem to be the days I have the least motivation.

I was willing to write it off that first week (because being on my period combined with not taking the election results well meant my writing took a hit).  But last week?  It made me wonder if maybe Mondays/Tuesdays weren’t my best days for writing.  The only way to know for sure is to see what happens the next couple of weeks, but two weeks isn’t going to give me a definite answer.

Still, I’m way ahead of where I’m supposed to be, so I’m not at all worried about falling behind.  I was a little bit nervous a few days ago, knowing that the last few days of the month are the days I’m the least motivated to write, but at the same time, I write the most on weekends.  Especially Sundays. And with Thanksgiving this week, I have a couple of extra writing days.  There’s nothing like a 4-day weekend to (hopefully) reach 50k.

And speaking of word count…

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I’m at 43,343 words!  I can definitely reach 50k this week.  That’s the goal.  Which means I won’t need to worry about trying to finish when I’m potentially not motivated to finish.  Because anything I write after 50k will be icing on the cake.  And I will be eating cake when I finish.  Because cake.

That’s all of the update I have for today, and hopefully I’ll have a really awesome update soon.  In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving if you’re in the U.S., and a great week if you’re not!

NaNoWriMo 2016: Update #2

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It’s been a busy week!  NaNo is going pretty well so far.  I think last time I mentioned having really bad back pain, and I am really glad to report that it went away.  Writing is a lot easier when you can actually sit long enough to do it.

Last Sunday was a really good day for writing, and I ended up being really glad I had a buffer.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I didn’t have a lot of motivation to write.  The results of the election really got to me (more than any other year) and as much as I wanted and hoped writing would be a good distraction, it wasn’t.  By Thursday, though, I was starting to feel more motivated to write, and now my writing is back to normal.

I did go to a few fun write-ins that I really want to talk about.  My co-ML and I hosted one at the Ghiradelli store we have in downtown San Diego because chocolate and ice cream and writing go together.  I was on a little bit of a sugar high, since I had an eclair for breakfast and then the sundae and root beer float.  I was glad I arrived late to a friend’s birthday thing at Extraordinary Desserts and didn’t order anything because as it was, I went to bed at, like, 8:30 which is insanely early for me.  The sugar crash was not fun.

That worked out well, though, since a bunch of us took the train up to L.A. and I had to be up early.  I did look out the window for a while, looking at the ocean, but then I settled into writing.  A few of us ate at the train station at this really good crepe place, and I took a writing break.  I did crochet, just because I needed to clear my mind and do something creative that I didn’t have to think about.  It turned out to be a pretty good idea, because I was super-focused on the way home and got a lot of writing done.

We also did this cafe hop last week, and went to four different coffee shops.  That was a pretty productive day too, but I had a massive caffeine crash when I got home because I had like, 4 cups of coffee.  I could barely stay awake during Once Upon A Time, and I ended up not watching Walking Dead because I was too tired.  But I know they have re-runs, so I know I’ll catch the episode another time.

As for the actual writing (since I’m talking more about the stuff going on around the writing), I’ve definitely hit the middle part of the story where I just feel very blah about writing quite a few chapters.  I mean, Hermione and Charlie are wandering around, the way Hermione, Ron and Harry wandered around the Forests Of Dean for months, and I’m just bored writing it.  I normally write out of order anyway, because sometimes I don’t want to write certain scenes or chapters, but I’m jumping around a lot more than normal.

I did want to include Hermione and Charlie hiding out in Romania on the dragon reserve, but I wasn’t sure how to work it in.  I still don’t, but for now, I’m just writing it.  I can always fit it in later- assuming I actually go back to the story at some point, and that’s not likely.

*But it is possible.  At least writing random scenes are helping, and it’s a nice change from what I was writing for the story.

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As for my actual word count: I’m currently at 30,021 words!  Which is really good, and I have a pretty good buffer. I’m a good 5 days or so ahead of where I’m supposed to be, and I’m really proud of that, considering some of the things going on this month.  Writing wasn’t always the distraction I was hoping it would be, but I’m glad that I’m still writing something every day.

Hopefully I’ll have another update next week!

NaNoWriMo 2016: An Update From The Trenches

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I can’t believe I’m 5 days into November!  I thought I’d give an update today so everyone knows how it’s going so far.

I went to the midnight write-in/kick-off party in my region (which is good, considering I am one of the ML’s and help plan events).  It was super-fun, and I got a bunch of writing done.

I also took the 1st off, since I knew I was going to be up late, and I figured sleep was more important than going to work exhausted because I either got no sleep or very little sleep.  I also figured I’d get some more writing done, and try to write ahead as much as I could.  I didn’t write as much as I hoped, in terms of the novel, but I was able to get a couple of blog posts done.  If I can manage to get the day off again next year, I definitely plan on doing it again.

I know I mentioned not being sure what I was going to write- I was deciding between an alternate 7th year fic where Hermione gets separated from Harry and Ron but ends up with Charlie Weasley instead and a post-Deathly Hallows but before the epilogue Marriage Law fic.

I literally decided what I was going to write an hour before midnight by rolling dice.  True story.  It’s easily the most interesting way I’ve picked what to write.

So what am I writing?  The alternate 7th year!

It helped that I was okay with writing either idea and that both ideas were vaguely outlined.  I was definitely prepared no matter what I decided to write.

I’ve been writing during my lunch break, and it’s been working really well so far.  I’m sort of surprised by how much I can get done, but it’s a good thing because it means I have less to write when I get home.  I think that’s part of why I’m ahead of where I should be- I end up writing more than I plan to, and even though I could probably take a day or two off of writing completely, I’ve decided to keep the momentum going.

I’m particularly glad that I’ve been writing during lunch because I’ve had horrible lower back pain the last few days, to the point where sitting has been super-uncomfortable at home.  I know it’s going to resolve in a few days (because PMS, not that anyone wanted to know or cares, and I’m sorry if it’s TMI), but it’s sort of something that’s going on right now.

MOVING ON: I was still able to write (even though I did have to write standing one night), but at least I’m enough ahead that if I only write at work, I’m still in pretty good shape.

It’s why I like having some sort of buffer- it’s great for when the unexpected happens, or when I can’t write as much.

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I am currently at 12,833 words!

It’s a really good start, considering I’m only writing one novel this year.  If I keep up this pace, I’m supposed to hit 50k on November 20…at which point I will stop writing, keep going or start one of the other ideas I have.  Assuming I finish early, of course, but I’ll figure it out if/when that happens.

I’ve also had some really funny/interesting sentences, and I’m going to have to share those.  When you’re writing and not paying attention to your inner editor, you end up with really random things. At least I got a laugh out of it!

That’s all I have for an update, but I’ll definitely be back with another update!

I Still Have No Idea What I’m Writing For NaNoWriMo

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In just a few days, I will be starting NaNoWriMo!  It’s a little bit weird because this will be my 11th year doing it, and I can’t believe it’s been for that long.  Definitely long enough that I actually have to think about how long I’ve been doing it.

For those who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it is National Novel Writing Month.  It’s a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days, and while it can be intense, it’s also something I look forward to doing every year.  I love the community and hearing what other people are doing, and this year in particular, it will be a good distraction and a way to focus on something else for a while.

It’s definitely not for everyone, and even writing something is so much better than writing nothing.  I really do believe that by just deciding to go for it, and to just write something, you’re a winner.  And I’m totally cool with having buddies, so if you’re participating…you can friend me.

I usually have an idea of what I’m writing, and for quite a while I was consistently doing two 50,000 word novels at the same time.  Then came the year I did three, then I did a few different ideas because I burned out after the insane 3 novel year, and since then I’ve stuck with one.  I know I listed fanfic as my genre this year, because that’s what I’m leaning towards, but if it changes, I’m totally going to have to update my novel.

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Idea #1: The only original idea I have- a YA in which I have not picked a genre.

I randomly got an idea for a novel set in a boarding school, and my main character is new there.  There are a lot of secrets and mysterious/weird things happening, but I haven’t decided if it’s going to be more either contemporary, mystery, horror or if I want to do paranormal or urban fantasy.  It’s vague enough that if I do it, it can go in any direction, and it could be fun to see where it ends up.

My only hesitation with doing this one is that I don’t know if I’m in the right frame of mind for something completely original.  Even though things are a lot more calm now, I’m still feeling sort of blah and not motivated to do much of anything, and even though I like this idea a lot, I just don’t feel interested enough to actually do it.  I feel like I’d start it and then abandon it for something else.  I do have an outline, though, so maybe I’ll do it for a Camp NaNo or save it for another November.

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Now for all the fanfic ideas…which involve shipping Hermione with different Weasleys that are not Ron.

Fanfic Idea #1: Hermione and George

I’ve read quite a few Marriage Law fics, and I always thought the idea was interesting, so I figured I’d try writing my own.  Hermione also goes back to Hogwarts, so there’s also that going on.  This is actually one of the ideas I’m leaning towards, now that I think about it, so there’s a good chance I could pick this one.  I also have this one outlined- at least enough to (hopefully) get me through November.  Where it ends is not the end of the story, but I honestly wanted enough to get me through a month.

FanFic Idea #2: Hermione and Charlie

This one is totally an alternate 7th year where Hermione gets separated from Ron and Harry at Bill and Fleur’s wedding and somehow ends up on the run with Charlie.  It also has what I’m officially calling a NaNo outline- I have enough outlined to get me through the month, even if it’s not completely finished.  It is more finished/complete than my 1st idea, but it’s not completely finished.  This is the other idea I’m leaning towards, so apparently I have narrowed things down without even realizing it.

FanFic Idea #3: Hermione and Percy

This is post-Battle, and the wizarding world is trying to get itself together.  At least, that’s the basic idea.  I only have about half a NaNo-outline, because I sort of hit a wall with outlining.  Which is fine, since I have a couple of other ideas I’m leaning towards.  I think it’s one of those things that just needs to be written.  If the other two fanfic ideas don’t pan out, I think this will be a good back-up.  Or I might do it during Camp NaNo, where I can set my own word count and not have to worry about writing a 50k (or beyond).

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And the plot bunnies that I never got around to thinking about!  Well, I do admit to thinking more about some of them than others, but considering how little I’ve done with them, I’m still going to consider them plot bunnies.

Plot Bunny #1: More FanFic…this time with Fred and Hermione

I swear, Weasley twins + Hermione is my favorite non-canon ship, but I’ve been shipping Hermione and Fred since high school.  HIGH SCHOOL, PEOPLE.  That’s a long time, and I did start a Hermione/Fred fanfic at one point in high school.

For this one, I was thinking maybe something starting in her 4th year, around the Yule Ball, but that’s it.  I got distracted by other things and never got around to doing anything with it.  Maybe in December, I’ll come back to it.

Plot Bunny #2: Something YA Contemporary, preferably during summer 

I tried doing this one year, and it didn’t work out, but I so want to do something like this.  I don’t know what exactly, but I’ve had the idea just floating around for ages and I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.  I don’t have enough of an actual idea to actually do something with it, so maybe I need to go back to YA Contemporary to see if something will spark an idea.

Plot Bunny #3: New Adult Romance?

I don’t read a lot of it, and it’s TOTALLY out of my comfort zone, so I’m nervous about doing it.  I have a vague idea of how it ends, and for some reason I want to start with the ending and then you see how things got to that point. But I’m sort of nervous to write romance because I’m not at all comfortable writing it, even though I really like books with romance.  Maybe it’ll end up being more contemporary?  I don’t know but I need to think about it.  Oddly enough, I got the idea to write something in this genre the first time I heard Hello by Adele, so maybe I should think more of the mood I’m going for instead of a genre?  Because contemporary could work for it too, I think.  It depends on what I end up deciding.

Not Exactly A Plot Bunny But It Also Doesn’t Fit Anywhere Else:

Plus the story I’ve worked on for the last couple of NaNo’s.  I still want to do a lot more with it, but my noveling efforts tend to be in November, with some prep in September/October and maybe a half-hearted attempt during a Camp NaNo session.  At the same time, I want to write something different, and I also know that right now, I just want to write fanfic and not focus on something original, because I think that’s where I’m at this year.

I think I’m going to end up deciding which idea I’m going with on Halloween, right before I start writing at midnight. I’m definitely not doing two 50k novels, but maybe 25k of each if I absolutely cannot decide.

Is anyone else doing NaNo this year or has done it in the past? What’s everyone writing this year, if you are?  Maybe you’re not writing but instead doing some other creative project?  I definitely want to hear what really awesome things you’re working on!