Wow, I feel so loved these days with everyone visiting my MTA page! (Well, okay, I guess "everyone" might be an overstatement. But still!)
Anyway, first, to crumble:
Oh, don't worry, I didn't think that you meant they were cliche! I was just calling myself out on it.
But seriously, you're so nice to me on the subject of Mary and Anna. Writing about them and Lily was one of the things that I've always found really interesting, and I always wanted to do it justice to what I imagined in my head. I'm so, so pleased that other people have found their friendship to be a compelling part of the story, because it makes me feel like I must have achieved something of the effect that I wanted to.
I think after writing about Lily's friendships, I really get that "write what you know" adage—because friendship has unfortunately not played the biggest part in my life. I've moved several times and I'm pretty shy, so I've always had a hard time making friends, and even when I did, I never really met anyone that I felt like I completely clicked with and felt like I could share anything with (apart from my boyfriend, who I can say without hesitation is the best friend that I've ever had). I don't mean to throw myself a pity party here, especially because it's actually made it easier for me to write about Lily, Mary, and Anna. I get drifting away from people. I get having to switch from one group of friends to another. I get leaving things unsaid. Of course, then I have trouble writing James' friendships, so it's not all good. Writing is the funniest thing, though, because it allows us to take the not-so-nice experiences of our lives and use it for our benefit. It's kind of empowering in that sense. "Write what you know" is kind of self-fulfilling, I think. We're often interested in writing the same emotions and situations we've experienced, because it's cathartic.
Anyway, getting back to the point...like I said, I actually love it when people say they dislike my characters. (Well, I wouldn't be too thrilled if they said that about James or Lily, I guess.) And I think that one of the reasons that people end up with flat OCs or even the dreaded Mary-Sue is because they feel like they have to work so hard to make a character that everyone will sympathize with and admire. Personally, I think that our psyches when we're reading just naturally work in a way that predisposes us to sympathize with the protagonists. You can give a character flaws and still be fairly assured that people will feel for them, even if they make mistakes or are blatantly in the wrong. And with other characters that aren't really the main character, I think that as long as there's something to sympathize with and you show that to your readers, you'll come out okay. So, yes, Anna isn't always very nice, she's fairly demanding and critical, and she's quick to make judgments...but she also doesn't really fit in with the rest of her family, there's as much criticism directed at her as she doles out herself, and she does make some pretty astute points. She's sharp; she's not going to pretend or mince words, because no one in her family ever accorded her that kindness. She had to learn to be tough and brush off criticism because she probably would have gone crazy otherwise.
As for canon characters, though, you're absolutely right about people disregarding the personalities of Sirius and Remus that we see in the books themselves (especially Sirius). Which is pretty strange, but I suppose it's for exactly the reason you said. And I don't begrudge anyone it, honeslty, because there are so many stories that I've read and loved that have included every single thing that I'll personally rail against. I'm less discriminating than I sound when it comes to story choice (see answers below).
That quote about "Sorting too soon" definitely applies with Peter. I've just always wondered what it was that initially made him so Gryffindor-ish, and what it was that made his friends like him so much. I've tried to supply a little bit of my own answer to that, but it does kind of contradict the characterization that JKR showed us.
Hmm...Harry/Ginny. I'm kind of ambivalent, to tell you the truth. I don't really have feelings either way...which I guess is kind of an indication of the way it was written. That I do have an opinion on, because I agree that it was forced, or at least not built up properly. It was fairly strange that Harry never had any romantic feelings toward her until—BAM—he realizes that she's the only one he wants. I guess he was more focused on Cho beforehand, but...I don't know, couldn't there have been a developing friendship between him and Ginny? A couple exchanges that foreshadowed it? I can see where the compatibility came from (although I do have to admit that I found it a little oddly Freudian that Harry looked exactly like James and then he married a girl with red hair), but you can't just jump from compatible to in love in a couple paragraphs and expect people to completely buy it. But when it comes down to it, I agree with you that there wasn't really another option for Harry that made sense in my mind. Except I always kind of thought that JKR could have put him with Susan Bones, for some strange reason. But yeah, Ron/Hermione is definitely a good pairing. And I wonder if that might be because there was actually a bit of build-up to it...? Haha.
And on another ship, I have to say that writing my story has made me infinitely more endeared to the Tonks/Remus ship than I was before. I've looked at it from both sides, and now I really get what a great character Tonks was, and how much she must have loved Remus to put all other considerations aside. Before I was kind of as ambivalent about them as Harry/Ginny, but now I think they're a great couple.
Aggh, I know, I can't believe that
Match. was left where it was! Such an awful cliffhanger. Maybe one day an update will pop up on the "Recently Added" page after years, and we'll all go mental (haha, look at me making puns).
Oh, and more questions! How exciting.
1. Any other stories in the works?
Well, besides the sequels to
Once Defied, I don't have anything planned in the sense that I actually want to write it and post it anytime soon. I have some ideas floating around in my head that I would like to write (including an AU one, which is so bizarre for someone as canon-centric as I am), but the sequels are my priority. Maybe I'll get inspired one day and not be able to resist writing something else, but for now, those ideas will just dance around in the back of my mind. And really, considering how long it's taking me to write chapters these days, starting anything new would be a bad, bad idea.
2. What do you look for in a story (fanfiction or otherwise)?
First and foremost, basic readability, which I'm sure many people can relate with. If there's too many typos and grammar errors, I'm done. And then there are other kinds of errors that will also bug me, like blatant disregard of canon (i.e. James Potter with a twin sibling) or anachronisms. Then the story has to have some substance to it and hold my interest after the first couple chapters, and for that I don't have a real set of criteria. I'm sure you can relate: when you read a story, you just know from the very get-go if it's something you want to read. I think when it comes to fan fiction, one of the things that will hook me in more than anything else is if someone manages to form characterizations and plot lines that are really close to what I would imagine. That's what I like about almost all of my favourite stories. And it will always grab my interest if I feel like the author writes realistically. I like stories where the conversations, emotions, and interactions seem like they could happen.
Outside of fan fiction, I generally like stories that don't require me to think too much.
It's a sad fact, especially since I'm such an avid reader, but I'll go for a girly teen romance before a classic any day of the week, with a few exceptions. I like escapism in fiction, so I suppose that's a bit different from my insistence on realism in fan fiction. Girl from New York finds out she's a princess of a fictional country? Sure! Group of girls find pants that magically fit them all? Count me in!
When I do choose books that are more intellectual, they're usually either about history or something I kind of randomly stumble into reading. One of my favourite books is East of Eden by John Steinbeck, but I first read that because I had to for a class in high school.
3. Any non-canon pairings that you could see working?
Hmm...now this is something I haven't given too much thought to, actually. I guess you could throw Harry and Susan Bones in there, but I really don't have any coherent explanation for why I think they could work. Just chalk that up to weirdness, I guess.
I could have seen Tonks with Bill Weasley, I suppose. But generally I think everyone in the books got paired up with people that I thought were right for them. I even love the fact that Neville and Luna didn't end up together. I think Neville/Hannah is the cutest ship, and Luna with the son of Newt Scamander is just brilliant.
4. What immediately turns you off when reading fanfiction?
Mostly it's just the same stuff I said in #2: bad grammar and spelling, canon sacrilege, things that just don't make sense even in the wizarding world.
This is horrible for me to admit, but one thing that will almost always stop me from reading a story is length. If there's more than 10 chapters, the story has to be really good for me to read it fully. Like I said, I've never read Match. in its entirety, which by all accounts is worthy of a complete read. If a story has a lot of chapters, I usually end up clicking to one further in the story that looks interesting, and if I really like it then I might go back and read the rest. :S I'll be a faithful reader if I catch a story that's just starting up and I love it, but I don't really enjoy reading from a computer screen for long periods of time. I hope books never go completely online!
5. Draco - hot or not?
Hahaha, well, according to canon, I'd have to say, "not". "Pale, pointed face" is probably not the type of thing that makes the ladies go wild.
For some reason, I kind of think of Draco as asexual. Like an insect.
Yeah, I think that's about all I have to say on that one.
(Wait, though—are insects actually asexual? I think so, but now I'm not sure.)
And now to Prongs05JP/Nick (whichever you prefer to be called):
1. When writing a completely original OC, does it kind of come naturally or do you think a lot about how they're going to turn out? I mean I have a couple, in fact quite a few xD, but I always get kind of worried that they might take over my story a little bit with their unique personalities. But hey, what's your view?
Because I hadn't written in so long before joining here last year, I didn't even really think about how to plan an OC. Now that I've been around for a while, I know that there is a benefit in getting more detailed and knowing a lot about your OC's personality and background. In future, I would probably figure out all the details a little more, but for the OCs I've created, it was really kind of a process of getting an idea of their personalities and fleshing that out more as I wrote. What was always clear in my mind was what I wanted Anna and Mary (since they're really my main OCs) to become, and what their role would be in the story. But in terms of figuring out what their favourite colour and all their hobbies, I wasn't really too good about sitting down and planning it all out. I think everybody just has to figure out what works for them when it comes to OCs, because I know some people really like to plan and others like to be more spontaneous.
2. I know you have a little... is vendetta too strong a word? Well a... thing against Marauder era cliches, but are there any you're okay with? Maybe some you like and have maybe thought about using?
It is a bit of a "thing", but of COURSE there are clichés that I'm okay with! I'm really not as picky as I might seem. The main thing that will drive me away from a story isn't clichés, it's stuff like typos, grammar errors, and things that are just completely unrealistic.
I do tend to point out every single little thing that I think can be done wrong in terms of clichés, but I think that's just because I'm a complainer by nature. And I also think that these days, lots of people have grown pretty tired of Marauder stories, and as a result you often have to plead your case well to get anyone interested in reading your story. So my rejection of clichés is probably a bit reactionary in that sense, and though I do try to stay away from writing them myself, I'm sure I haven't entirely succeeded. When it comes to reading stories, I'm not really as adamant about it because it's not my own story. Hopefully that doesn't make me sound like a huge hypocrite! :/
3. How do you feel about other eras? I mean Marauder is my most all time favorite ever (not really great grammar, but hey) but I also kind of like Next Gen, as you have virtually no canon to follow. What about you?
I'm really overwhelmingly partial to Marauder era, and so it makes up the majority of what I like to read…but I've found a few stories from other eras that I really like, too. I do like Next Gen probably second-best, but I'm not really too interested in Rose/Scorpius stories or Teddy/Anyone. So that right there probably narrows down about three-quarters of the Next Gen stories.
Being a history major, I also can get into stuff like Founders and stuff pre-Marauders. The problem I find with Founders stories is that I've taken a lot of medieval history classes, which kind of spoils some stories that I might otherwise enjoy.
4. I think what really makes your story an obviousy and great Lily/James (it's awesome, I love it) is the way you write from both of their POVs. Is this hard? What encouraged you to do this?
Well, thanks, first of all!
And it is a bit difficult to write from both sometimes, but it's gotten easier as the story progresses. These days the hardest part is that I'm trying to jam in all of this stuff that I want to happen, and each half of the POV is getting longer and longer! Another hard part is trying to figure out ways to finish off the POV. You know how it's usually nice to end your chapter with a good turn of phrase? Well, I have to do that twice each chapter, which gets kind of annoying after a while. And of course, I always worry that I'm not making their POVs distinct enough from one another.
But despite the difficulties, I wouldn't want to write the story any other way. I do have a bit of a history of doing it that way, because for some reason that's how I wrote my very old Lily & James stories. So I kind of just naturally leaned towards writing it from both POVs. It's a nice way to completely change the scene, which I hope makes the chapters a little more interesting. Plus, I really wanted to write a story that was about both Lily and James, and letting both of them have their say, so to speak, seemed like the best way to do that.
5. Aaand finally... is there anything in particular you do that gives you inspiration? Like food for thought or do ideas just kinda POP?
I'm a big imaginer. And since that's pretty vague, what I mean is that when I'm going to write something, I often sit there and think through the entire scene. Sometimes it's easier than others, because the scene will just come into my head fully formed, but I do the same thing when I'm having a lot of trouble with a scene, too. Like I literally force myself to sit down and shut my eyes and just think it through, which probably sounds incredibly strange. But it does actually work, because usually if I do that, it clears my head so that my thoughts are all focused on writing, and then my brain will give me the ideas that it can't when I'm thinking about school or other stuff.
Other than that, sometimes I'll go read other really good stories to motivate myself to write, and other times I just need a bit of a break to clear my head.
……….
Well, thank you so much to both of you for the questions and fun discussion! I really do love talking about all things HP.
Hopefully in the next few days I'll actually get chapter 29 finished! You see, the thing is, I'm trying to write about N.E.W.T.s, and I know the two main things that I want to happen, but it's filling in all the gaps in between that's killing me. And also writing about the exams without making it insanely dull.
But thanks in the meantime for chatting with me here. It reminds me that there are people who want to read my story, which is motivating.
