Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Rant of the Day: Writers who start multiple multi-chaptered fics

Why is it that some fanfiction authors start new fanfics when they already have a couple in the works? I mean, writing the occasional oneshot during the course of a multi-chaptered story, or even starting a SECOND multi-chaptered story, isn’t so bad, but any more than that & I start to wonder if you have ADD & can’t stick with an idea. After all, it’s difficult for most writers to commit to just one WIP & see it through to completion, so if I see that an author has more than one or two WIPs out at a time, quite frankly I’m going to question whether or not you’ll burn yourself out and not complete ANY of your fics.

Don’t get me wrong, I often have multiple ideas jump into my head at once, but I’m disciplined enough to only concentrate on an idea or two at a time rather than attempting to commit to multiple ideas at once.

C’mon, authors, let’s not set ourselves up for failure - not to mention make your readers wait an absurd amount of time between updates because you’ve decided you just HAVE to write multiple stories.

-Kari

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Harry Potter inspired by Star Wars?

Harry Potter inspired by Star Wars?
 So I’ve been sick lately & out of boredom I decided to watch the original Star Wars trilogy, & I couldn’t help but notice some similarities between my childhood favorite and my obsession for the last eight years (HP, of course). Let’s take a look, shall we?

Harry Potter/Luke Skywalker - Both orphans whose fathers were betrayed by a friend & consequently murdered (never mind that the “friend” who betrayed Luke’s dad was, well, Luke’s dad); raised by an aunt & uncle; both possess a special “talent” that their uncles tried to hide out of fear that they’d follow in their fathers' footsteps; both mild-mannered heroes with a sense of modesty; both go on to marry fiery redheads (at least, if you count the “extended universe” Star Wars novels to be canon).

Ron Weasley/Han Solo - Both have a sarcastic sense of humor that conceals a fierce sense of loyalty and a heart of gold. And, hello? Their names rhyme - Han & Ron.

Hermione Granger/Princess Leia - Both feisty, quick-witted, passionate brunettes who like to fight for what’s right. (Hermione joined the Horcrux hunt at great personal risk to fight against oppression & ended up tortured under Voldemort’s regime. Leia joined the Rebel Alliance at great personal risk to fight against oppression & ended up tortured under Vader’s regime.)

Han/Leia, Ron/Hermione - Both couples are seeming opposites who constantly bicker, who then become lovers & end up married with kids (again, if you count the “extended universe” Star Wars novels as canon).

Luke/Leia, Harry/Hermione - The former pair are actual biological brother & sister, separated at birth; the latter pair are LIKE brother & sister, according to Harry himself.

And if that’s not enough, how’s this to convince you? - Lord Vader/Lord Voldemort; wands & magic/lightsabers & the Force; and Dumbledore is like Obi-Wan Kenobi & Yoda all rolled into one!
I suppose we should all just be thankful that it didn’t turn out that Voldemort is Harry’s father, & Hermione is his secret twin sister who was hidden at birth!

“Either I’m gonna kill ‘er or I’m beginning to like ‘er!”
-Han, about Leia, Star Wars