"Fanfic Tangent"

[Amy]

No: HPFGUIDX 9981

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Flourish <slytherinkeeper at y...> 
wrote:


> I've noted that more fanfic authors find Ron hard to
> write than any other character. Generally, I think
> it's hard to keep characters in-character, because you
> aren't the one who created them; you don't know what
> Ron's favorite color is or even his favorite food,
> whether he *really* loves Hermi or not or if it's just
> puppy love, whatever. And Ron's quite hard to pin
> down; he can be quite one-dimensional at times, yet
> you know he's deeper than that - it's always just out
> of your reach.

I think Cassie demonstrates just what a terrific job a fanfic writer 
can do with a character who is quite one-dimensional in the canon.  
Cassie's talent as a writer notwithstanding (bowing to Cassie, kissing 
ring), could her Draco be nearly so fascinating if we already knew a 
lot more about Draco from JKR?  JKR has given us someone who, as yet, 
is extremely nasty for reasons we don't know, and who has no apparent 
redeeming qualities besides being intelligent and good at Quidditch.  
A fanfic writer has a lot of room to fill in motivations and 
complexities without contradicting what The Creator has written.

I wrote:
> > Ugh, the whole scene makes me ill.   

Flourish wrote:
> Methinks you might be getting a little *too* into the
> characters here!

I plead guilty.

Really, that scene (Harry in the graveyard) reads like a rape to me 
and I can't read rape scenes without taking a lot of slow, steadying 
breaths.

Amy Z