HOW TO WRITE A BMW FANFIC

i. PERSONALITIES

Okay, I have read SO many Boy Meets World fanfics where the characters are way over the top. In the show, Cory is pretty dramatic, Shawn tends to be a little conceited, and Topanga can be a know it all; but in fanfics people go to the extreme with their characters. Like they make Cory hella dramatic (and sometimes a little childish), Shawn a huge jerk and a very unlikeable character, and Topanga a complete smartass. Like that is NOT how the characters should be. At. All. Yes I know it can be funny when Cory's being all dramatic, but is it really necessary to make him act like a complete fool? And why does Shawn have to be a huge asshole in some fanfics?! He's clearly down to earth and caring, people who antagonize him have obviously never seen the show.

For your entertainment, I made an example of how the characters act in some BMW fanfics:

I walked into the cafeteria and saw my friends Cory, Shawn, and Topanga sitting together at a table. I sat down next to Shawn, who was talking about how his date went last night.

"Ah yes, my date with Anna was going okay, but I just wasn't feeling it. So in the middle of the movie, I told her I was going to the bathroom, but I actually went to Chubbie's to hang out with Christie! And tomorrow night I have a movie date with Madi, but I'm probably going leave the theater during the movie and hang out with Billie! What can I say? I'm Shawn Hunter and I GET BITCHES!"

Cory then loudly gasped for about ten whole seconds, nearly passing out. When he finally caught his breath, he stood up and pointed a finger at Shawn.

"SHAWNIE SAID A BAD WORD!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the entire cafeteria to look at us.

"It's not THAT bad of a word, Cory" said Topanga. "Bitch is another word for a female dog."

"STILL!" Cory yelled. "He CUSSED."

Shawn rolled his eyes at him.

"Whatever. Oh, there's Madi right now!"  he exclaimed, pushing past Cory in a harsh manner.

Cory was so shook by how hard Shawn ran into him, that he screamed, did a full on 360 spin, and fell onto the cold, hard ground.

"Oh God, I'm gonna pass out!" Cory exclaimed. "Why Shawn? Why must you do this to me???"

"You hit your head on the ground genius," said Topanga. "That's why you're gonna pass out."

Luckily, I was nice enough to go over to Cory to make sure he was alright.

"Come closer," Cory whispered, and I bent down the ground next to him.

"Tell Topanga I love her," Cory whispered, quieter this time. Then he closed his eyes and blacked out.

ERRORS

1) I made the characters as dramatic/rude/smartass as possible. Example, Cory falling to the ground all because Shawn (rudely) shoved past him. Like come on, Cory isn't THAT dramatic, and plus there are other things about the characters that should be recognized more, such as how caring and loyal they are. It's not necessary to take their personality to the extreme.

2) Sometimes the way people portray characters in their fanfics make me really dislike the characters. I can't tell you how many fanfics I've read that made me dislike Shawn (and by that I mean just the fanfic Shawn. Shawn in the show is too amazing to dislike). And in some fanfics, people make Topanga too damn ANNOYING. Like she's either the clingy girlfriend or (as previously stated) the smartass.

3) People make the characters act like this the entire story. I know the dramatic, rude, and know it all moments can be funny but if it keeps going on, the story can get old and boring. If you'd like to add some dramatic Cory or Topanga know it all moments, idc. That's fine. But there is absolutely no need to make them act that way the whole time.

I myself have made these errors in my old fanfics, and every time I reread them, I cringe. Like I said, it's okay to make those characters a little much on occasion, just don't make that one specific trait (e.g Cory being dramatic) their entire personality.

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—by aria ( @hrtsforevan )