The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

Non-Canon Ships

This chapter is for rainfairy79, who asked me to cover this several weeks ago. Unfortunately for you, I'm a perfectionist Ravenclaw weighed down by my struggle with perfect grades and procrastination, so this is just coming to you now! Sorry for the delay!

Anyway...

We've all been there. There's that one couple that would just be so cute, literal Heaven. They're perfect for each other and it seems so obvious...

But the author just doesn't get it. And they pair the two people up with different people, and it just never seems to click with you. You're doomed to sail on a sunken ship, and in some cases have your pairing be ridiculed for its lack of canonicity.

Never fear, for fanfics are here!

Fanfics are meant to explore different angles of published stories, whether that be a different perspective, plot, or world. The most common use of them is for romance, and I'd say at least half of those are for non-canon ships. I mean, have you ever heard of Dramione?

The way to go about writing non-canon ships really depends on the particular ship. For example, you can look back at my chapter on Dramione and see how much I can talk about for a single ship, and there are hundreds of non-canon ships to find in this enormous fandom. Drarry, Wolfstar, Nuna, Snily... You name it, and at least someone has shipped it. (Side note: out of that list I only ship Nuna. Sorry!)

So what can you do? There are endless possibilities when it comes to these stories. The way to start, though, is to really look at your characters' personalities, who they are as a person. Go in depth. Be objective. See if this couple would really be a good fit together. If they aren't, feel free to change their circumstances so they would be. Give us a plausible reason why these two would end up together.

Before you ever start writing, read. Read every book you can find about this pairing. Find out what the cliches for that ship are, and avoid them at all costs. Think of ways you can make your fanfic stand out.

Once you start, things slow. As you write, keep in mind that your readers will already know what sort of story they're getting into based on tags and the description. They know what to expect. You don't need to rush into the romance to keep them interested; if you draw it out, you'll have more lasting readers, anyway. Trust me on this.

Next, cut the fluff and the smut. It's good every now and then (especially fluff) to excite readers, but too much and you'll overdose. You'll literally kill your following. Tease them with the ship for a while, make them yearn for it. Don't give in too soon. The fluff is not your plot. Your plot should be able to exist without any of the fluff at all. That's what makes those cute moments so special: the fact that they're not common. We don't get a chance to get used to them. It's like Christmas. When you were a kid, you probably loved Christmas. I once asked my mom why we couldn't have Christmas every day. She told me it wouldn't be special or fun at all if it was every day, and of course now that I'm older I know she was right. It's the same principle for this. Less is definitely more.

Speaking of plots, make sure you have one. One that either forces your fairly incompatible couple together, or draws your highly compatible couple apart. Everyone loves the stories where two people can't stand each other and are forced into a position where they have to work together, and they eventually fall in love (Think Percabeth in Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Everyone also loves the stories where the absolute perfect couple is ripped apart by fate and has to work to get back together (Think Percabeth in the first books of Heroes of Olympus). Whichever way your couple leans, work with it. Give them external conflicts that cause problems in their relationship. Give them internal conflicts that eventually affect things outside of themselves. In real life, things that happen at work will affect your relationship with your significant other. Fights you have with your partner will affect your school life. Think of the consequences everything has, and think of how the plot will impact your characters.

Finally, remember that, if this is some majorly out there ship (Drarry, Dramione, and basically anything that ships two enemies), you need to consider how their friends would react to this. I covered this in my chapter on Dramione, but if Hermione just decided one day to start dating Draco, don't you think Ron and Harry would be a bit confused? And accuse her of being under the Imperius Curse? And quite possible stop speaking to her for a while? Yes. Don't gloss over things like that!

Happy shipping, nerds!

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Here I have a note from the fandom to everyone who ships anything: Don't hate on other people's ships. Don't ridicule people because they might ship Harmione while you ship Romione. Don't tell people their ships aren't valid, and don't tell people their ships are stupid. You can definitely disagree with them, but (as in all things) do it with politeness and respect. Don't argue, don't hate, and don't rant. You never know what could hurt someone else. What hurts you might not hurt someone else. What hurts someone else might not hurt you. Just try to be kind to everyone regardless of what they ship!

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Any thoughts on non-canon ships? I normally don't go for them, strangely enough, in whatever book I read. The only one I can really think of is Nuna. But even in other books I've read, for the most part I ship whatever is canon. Maybe it's got something to do with my fierce hatred for love triangles. I don't know!

Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments! Any topics or questions you want me to cover? Tell me! ¡Adiós!