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Pet Peeve #34 - It’s Harry Potter, but different…

by JM
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It looks like Harry Potter.

“But it’s not,” you say.

The characters are like Harry Potter characters.

“It’s not Harry Potter, though,” you insisted. “They can’t do magic.”

Uh huh.

You might as well face it love, either call it fan fiction and get over it, or give up on the idea. I don’t care if you are borrowing a character, a plot line, a setting, or a hair off Harry’s head, if you do that, you are writing fan fiction.

Fan fiction in itself isn’t an evil thing, in my opinion, but wandering around with your “great idea” with borrowed elements and not calling it fan fiction is annoying.

It’s fan fiction. Get over yourself.

You may think it fun to stage a completely different story at Hogwarts, but it’s still Hogwarts - a setting from an already published book you didn’t write.

Fan fiction.

You have a young woman who falls in love with a cranky professor who teaches potions, has “issues” with his past, and has black hair.

Fan fiction.

It’s okay, but you need to acknowledge it’s fan fiction. If you are saying “it’s like [insert novel title]” about your story before it’s even written - don’t write unless you’re prepared to call it fan fiction. I don’t care if it’s even ‘only a little similar’ to another book; if you write a story with another story or another story’s elements in mind, then it’s going to sound a lot like that other story.

So don’t come to me with your “great story idea” and start with “it’s like [insert novel title]” or I will walk away. If you come bearing TimTams, I will take the TimTams and still leave.


Posted in Pet Peeves on August 28th, 2007

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5 Responses to “Pet Peeve #34 - It’s Harry Potter, but different…”

  1. Cody Says:
    August 29th, 2007 at 4:41 pm

    What are TimTams?

    Oh, By the way, I agree.

  2. JM Says:
    August 29th, 2007 at 6:44 pm

    TimTams are a wonderful chocolate bar here in Oz. Absolutely delicious.

  3. Sara Says:
    September 1st, 2007 at 1:00 pm

    Fanfiction can be fun but its kinda of scary that someone would be writing thinely vieled fanfiction and calling it original. LOL.

  4. JM Says:
    September 1st, 2007 at 7:47 pm

    I don’t have a problem with it as long as people call it what it is. :)

  5. Fiction Scribe » Blog Archive » Thursday Thirteen Says:
    March 6th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    [...] 5. Pet Peeve #42 - Tense 6. Pet Peeve #37 - Net Speak 7. Pet Peeve #35 - Weenies 8. Pet Peeve #34 - It’s Harry Potter, but Different 9. Pet Peeve #29 - ?!?!?!?!?! 10. Pet Peeve #27 - Double Meanings 11. Pet Peeve #21 - Questioning [...]

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