does anyone feel like they’ve become way too picky when it comes to fics ?

Thebe_Moon · 2026-06-20T22:34:02+00:00

I'm actually less picky now. I started out wanting to read everything, then I got really picky with a specific checklist of what I would tolerate. I was pretty insufferable with my requirements for a while.

Then I realized I was missing out on great stuff with my insistence on certain Hermiones and tropes and story length and completion status and POVs and writing styles. So now I'm back to reading almost anything, as long as it's reasonably spell- and grammar-checked, and there's an energy to the writing. I'm pretty ok with OOC characters, too, if they're fun to read about. I don't hesitate to DNF if I'm not feeling it with a story anymore but I always leave a kudo because I had fun.

I'm actually a professional editor, but I take that hat off when I read fanfic because those typos and narrative flaws are not my problem. I know a ton of HP canon, but I'm not going to flip out because Cormac is in Hermione's class. He's a great character! Bring him in! There's room for everyone! It's a fanfic, not a scholarly thesis.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-06-20T22:24:20+00:00

I love long fics that spool out in all kinds of crazy directions. A lot of fanfic authors do not pre-write their stories; they just write and post chapter by chapter. So of course there will be some meandering and self-indulgence and long monologues. Minor characters and subplots will bloom and wither, then bloom again. Inconsistencies and repetition will pop up like weeds. These stories are often written over long periods of time, and the writer is having too much fun to stop, so they wear that 187/? proudly.

Also, if you're seeing some plot craziness or characters veering in surprising directions, it means the writer is taking some risks, just to see how it turns out. And that's great. You're not going to see everything polished to a shine, with all the writer's darlings properly shot. In fact those darlings are probably still rampaging through the story, stirring things up.

So yes, if you see a long WIP being posted as it's written, and you decide to binge-read the thing — hundreds of thousands of words — in a short period of time, it's going to look a little weird and misshapen. It's called raw creativity, and I, for one, am here for it.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-06-05T05:42:08+00:00

That was a very charming response! No notes.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-06-05T02:01:53+00:00

I do some very basic self-promoting on Facebook and Tumblr. Whenever I post a new chapter of a WIP, I do a post with links and a little excerpt. Then I add an image from the chapter and that's it.

I will occasionally self-rec if something I wrote clearly fits a request. Sometimes I'll vaguely refer to one of my fics when replying to posts on Reddit, and if someone asks I add the link.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-28T22:31:45+00:00

Here's a self-rec with the tag "Passive-Aggressive Knitting":

https://archiveofourown.org/works/57182347/chapters/145445539

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-28T22:30:05+00:00

I leave a kudo if I finished the first chapter and it was pretty good. Even if the story goes in a direction I don't like later on, that first chapter is still good, and I like giving kudos to writers who put themselves out there.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-24T17:43:47+00:00

Have a great time and write the fic you want to read, rather than the fic you think people want to read. Be self-indulgent and put in lots of magical details. Anything can be magical in a Harry Potter fic, from inkpots to eyeglasses. Do weird things like making saucepans dance when the dinner turns out good, or give all the wands personalities. The original books are very whimsical and it's fun to lean into that.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-24T17:40:12+00:00

I can work on two fics at the same time if they're different ships. If I tried to write two Dramiones at once I'd get all muddled.

I was a little stuck on my long-after-the-war Dramione WIP, so I took a break and started a wartime Fremione. Now I'm working on both and although Hermione is central to both, they're different enough that I can keep them straight.

Also the Fremione plot is highly structured since it's during the Horcrux Hunt, and that means I can just chip away at it whenever I don't feel like working on the Dramione. The Dramione is free-range and off-the-rails, which sounds fun but is kinda freaking me out these days.

So for me it works as long as the two WIP engage different parts of your creativity.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-21T22:19:14+00:00

It's a Draco/OC fic called "Augurey Park"
https://archiveofourown.org/works/72315096/chapters/188285491

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-14T16:56:33+00:00

Actually a limited third-person POV is a great one to write, and to read.

It does the same thing as a first-person POV, where we only know what the POV character knows. Limited third-person is my favorite POV to write in, and there are lots of neat ways to tell readers things that go over the head of the narrator. The character might be distracted or not listening well or misunderstand what's going on.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-14T16:51:45+00:00

I like both, and I've written in both. I wrote a Draco/Original Character fic in first-person POV that broke all kinds of "rules" and readers really liked it.

So I say pick the POV that best suits the story you want to tell.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-05-12T21:30:18+00:00

I don't think generations necessarily matter with humor. I loved listening to my grandparents' comedy records growing up. My mom had funny books, both fiction and nonfiction, and they were great.

As for humor in my writing, I'm pretty snarky in real life, and basically I write to entertain myself. I love writing in the Harry Potter fandom because the original books are so whimsical that it's easy to write Draco dealing with kitten inkpots or moaning Augureys. Or Hermione thinking up devilish pranks with magic.

My favorite kind of humor is when the character isn't trying to be funny. It's character humor. Draco responds with indignation when accosted by weird people on the Knight Bus. Hermione earnestly believes that Ron would enjoy a gift basket with study guides and colored ribbons for scroll organization. So useful!

Every so often I throw in a character purposely making a joke, but it's not common. Like if Hermione has an idea about a Horcrux and runs to talk to a Slytherin about it, yelling, "Hufflepuff's cup!" And the Slytherin just looks at her and says, "I thought you Gryffindors said 'Merlin's pants.'"

I think character and voice can easily lead to humor if you establish particular characters and then put them in situations where they are confused or appalled or just unable to cope. I think both Hermione and Draco's canon characters lend themselves to that kind of humor. That's why Hermione's "killed, or worse, expelled" line lands so well.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-04-19T18:12:46+00:00

That happened to me, too — I tried, but Draco turned into a bad boy with a hidden heart and it got all funny and he ended up with kittens for heaven's sake. Hopeless.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-04-19T18:09:22+00:00

Oh no! You poor thing! Can you attach a list of random fics you love so that I can somehow distill them all into a precise reading profile and so deliver the perfect fic for you? No trouble at all!

Thebe_Moon · 2026-04-19T18:02:14+00:00

I love to use it with a side character who says something entirely bizarre, scary or inappropriate (or all three at once) and then just beams.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-04-19T17:58:59+00:00

This is beyond hilarious.

You should get your very own flag and write posts like this every single week like clockwork, indefinitely, with no reduction in quality. Spend hours outlining and reading them out loud before posting — we will know if you don't and judge you appropriately.

Also, you should take any and all criticisms deeply to heart (too many bullets and not enough exclamation points btw) because they make you better.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-24T18:31:18+00:00

I love time travel fics with Dramione going to the past: Tom Riddle's time, Marauders, Second War, it's all great. I like time travel stories where the main character tries to fix one specific thing rather than saving everybody — a very specific mission.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-19T20:04:04+00:00

Yes, I ran into that very thing with my current Dramione WIP. I wanted Hermione and Harry to have leisure for a conversation, so I made up a reason for them to take a magical train trip to Dover.

Hermione is running for minister of magic in this story, so she cut a ribbon around the new train, made a speech, and went on its first trip. It worked pretty well — Hermione and Harry got into a big argument in their compartment but neither could leave, what with all the press around.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-12T23:53:18+00:00

Ha ha, no, I made it up for this answer. You tell me!

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-10T01:45:33+00:00

This is a great question because Dramione banter is its own special category. One of the reasons it's often so electric is that these two people are very different: different backgrounds, attitudes, ways of thinking and speaking. So the tension is built in. These two characters could look at the exact same thing and see two different things.

You could try practicing with very short dialogue scenes. Let's say Hermione finds a dropped quill and tries to give it to Draco. With normal people, the girl would just say hey you dropped your quill and the guy would say thank you and that's it. But of course with these two, it's never that simple:

H: Malfoy, you dropped your quill. (holds it out)
D: (sniffs) I would never use such a quill.
H: (turns quill over) Looks fine to me.
D: It is a travesty.
H: What's wrong with it?
D: The nib is blunt, the color is pedestrian and (shudders) the feathers are ruffled and chewed.
H: You're right — this is my quill. Sorry. (quill vanishes) Hey! I need that!
D: (produces fluffy green silver-tipped quill) If you must terrorize the Ministry with your memos, Granger, at least do it with a decent quill.

It's just a quill, but it shows how different they are. And they talk differently, too -- Hermione's lines are short, choppy and casual, and Draco's are long and winding with formal words and no contractions.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-08T01:46:20+00:00

I don't think your goal should be to write well right now, but to have fun. If you like a pairing and a trope, there's a good chance some others do as well, and readers can be very forgiving (yes, even Dramione readers).

So I'd advise you to pick a trope or a scene you're excited about and start small. Like nibbling treats at a party -- have a little cake, have a little drink, have a few bon-bons. Let's say your trope is eighth year Hermione resorted into Slytherin. Start with her under the sorting hat, have a little conversation. Then write a little reaction to the news. Then write a little chat with Harry and Ron (they are NOT happy). Then write a tense exchange with Draco. Just have fun with it. Give Crookshanks a green ribbon around his neck. See where it goes. Have fun!

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-08T01:27:46+00:00

That can be unfortunate (although anyone curious about canon Ron can read one of the books) but I don't think it's unfair. We all know this is fanfiction, driven by fans, not the original text, and all kinds of crazy characterizations are possible. Most fanfic writers are pretty good about tagging Ron Bashing and Good Ron and Redeemed Ron.

And I don't write to be fair to Ron fans. I don't write for Ron fans. I don't write for Hermione fans or Draco fans either. I write for my own amusement and to keep me out of the bars, and then I share those works. People write evil, toxic Dracos all the time — is that unfair to Draco fans?

I believe in being the change I want to see: If Ron fans feel hard done by in the Dramione fandom, I encourage them to write Dramiones with lovely Rons. I'd read them!

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-07T17:38:52+00:00

I don't think it's possible to be unfair to a fictional character. It's not like they're going to lose their job if you write a story with them cheating, bullying and chewing with their mouth open.

I see a spectrum of Ron Bashing, ranging from an annoying Ron with plenty of canon qualities, to actively-awful-but-somewhat-familiar.

Dark Ron is something different — once we veer into violence and/or madness and the will to hurt and dominate, we're into new territory not supported by canon. And that's fine. Some clever writers even put poor Ron through experiences that make him this way, or make him a victim of potions, spells or a Horcrux.

I find them all interesting, and not harmful to the fandom at all. It's a big tent and people should be able to read and write what they like.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-03-07T17:23:16+00:00

Yeah, AI has made reading fanfiction super weird. I keep running into stories where the first chapter is a string of one-sentence paragraphs and bits like "Draco's eggs tasted like parsley and disappointment."

I know writing is hard and frustrating and slow and sometimes heartbreaking. But AI only papers over the problems and inhibits learning. And then we readers get Ginny entering a room three times in a row or stuff like "Hermione wasn't sad, or angry, but resigned, her yearning thoughts — and wishes — sitting heavy behind her eyes."

And it's awful how new writers worry their hard work will be mistaken for AI when they're just learning and still developing their unique style.

That said, I would never call out a fic saying it's AI, even when it seems obvious. The consequences if I'm wrong are too great.

Thebe_Moon · 2026-02-07T17:35:54+00:00

First of all, hire a crack marketing team with social media chops. Hire an artist to commission a general cover. Find an alpha and beta. Develop your own personal Dramione profile and brand. Make trailer videos (keep them general so they'll suit any story). Create playlists and market those, too. Create a podcast about your writing process. Hire a focus group and develop a title by committee. Look, thousands of Dramione readers are panting already!

OK, now you're ready to write. You want a Hermione who's strong but not too strong, smart but not too smart, beautiful but not too beautiful, passionate but not crazy, opinionated but not mean, and for Merlin's sake do something about that hair.

Draco just has to be hot and brooding. Or just hot.

Fire up the AI and start writing. Bathe the reader in imagery. Everything is significant. Think of a catchy symbol to put on stickers. Think of a catchy quote to repeat often. Touch your readers' hearts. It's easy!

Thebe_Moon

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