Warriors Fanfics: Specialized Writing Guide

Plot Devices & Warriors

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WARRIORS AND PLOT DEVICES

Warriors does not have many of the common plot devices used in other fictional works. Mostly because of the simple nature of the canon fiction. But like I said, every story anywhere has a plot device. Unfortunately, the Erins tend to use plot devices in the worst way.

Prophecies and characters.

Those are their go-to plot devices. And they are not very well used. Starting with characters, it is a rule-of-thumb to not use characters as plot devices. Having meaningless, throwaway characters is common, right? They are used for stereotypes on sitcoms and as fanfiction bait in YA novels. But they are used for everything in Warriors. Need to give a character motivation? Character. What about an object to win over by completing a task? Character. Shock value to show how dangerous an environment is? Kill a character. Need to sate your fandom's bloodlust...? You get the point. This is one of the reasons the canon has so many named characters, but so few of them matter. If you have a named character in your fanfic that can be replaced by a tomato and have a 0% impact on your story, they should 100% be demoted or removed from your story.

Of course, there are ways to use characters as plot devices and have them be more than just that. Give them some personality and give them something to do in the plot. Notice how I said something to do in the plot, not the story. If a character has no impact on the plot or its characters, and is not a background character, they really have no point existing. Background characters exist as plot devices in most cases (there is a section in this guide all about them). Use those. Not named characters who are described. And adding depth to your characters by having their actions, no matter how small, matter in some way brings them into the story and out of the "spontaneous death in chapter 20" section in your outline.

Moving on to prophecies, their problem in canon is they are often underutilized. Do not get me wrong. Prophecies, omens, visions, etc. are alright in fiction. They are staples of it, in fact. But how Warriors uses them, or does not use them, really hurts their potency. Prophecies are supposed to seep into the entire plot. Every action the beholder of said prophecy takes is in its name (or running away from it). The Erins often throw prophecies out there and do nothing with them until they are needed as a plot device; they do not matter until they are needed. Look at "fire alone can save our clan." Only in two points of the first six arcs does this prophecy ever matter: when Firestar kills Scourge and when he kills Tigerstar (arguably, when the forest fire happened you can say it mattered more than the other two times. But that is a debate on interpretation). This prophecy is extremely important. How come we hardly see it in action?

A way to alleviate this: incorporate your prophecy into your character's actions rather than letting it hang over the plot. If there is a prophecy about the future, one that is supposedly irrefutable and inevitable, then your characters may be doing everything in their power to see it through, stop it, or figure out what it means. They may be common, but a prophecy is not normal. It is not supposed to be normal. Abnormal circumstances call for abnormal actions. Investing your characters in the prophecy (often their own, anyway) brings it into your plot. This makes it all the more important, and potent, for your readers.

These are not the only two plot devices in Warriors. They are just far and above the most common. Ironically, fanfics tend to keep their prophecies closer to the stories than the canon work. But, as stated in prior sections, character development is a weak point for fanfics.

You can use whatever plot devices you want in your fanfic. Personally, I use some of the more common ones. Ido research on how to correctly use them, or how to use them in unexpected ways. When I get to editing my story, I find ways I have messed up their use. I honestly cannot tell you how to use plot devices; they are tools. Different tools make for different results. Do some research and see which ones will work best for you. Just do not do too much research into these things. Otherwise you will never get anything done.

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IN CONCLUSION...

This section may have been sparse on new information, but it is meant to be claw marks on a tree. Be careful with plot devices. They are tools. Like any tool, there is a wrong way to use them. They are only predictable if we do not modify them for our purposes. They are only used incorrectly if we do not research how they were used in the past. You can use them any way you want, anywhere. There is likely a literary tool for what you want to do. Again, TvTropes is the go-to website for looking this information up (and it will waste your time at some point).

Plot devices will never fix a bad fanfic, nor will they ever be responsible for good ones. They are just another tool used to get you to your final product.

- Tyto