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Below is some of the most frequently asked questions we get from authors. It's a good idea to have a look through them because there are some great tips on what you need to do to encourage reviews. They will be added to as new questions arise.


1) How can I start my own Fanfic?
There’s an elaborate explanation of ‘How-To’, which you can find HERE.

2) I had accidentally create my Fanfic thread is a non-poll format. How can I add a poll now?
All topic starters have the option to attach a poll after a non-poll topic is created for three days. After that period, only admins have the power to do so. But don’t worry, simply PM us (either Zyra or Razz) about it and we’ll contact them for you.

3) Is poll really necessary then?
Polls are there to help you gather feedback statistically. People might not have the time to leave a review so the least they can do is vote. So it is advisable to add them so you know your readers reaction. Polls are an incredibly good way of getting overall feedback for one-shot fics and shorter stories for example, however they are not always suitable for the much longer fics, which will have many instalments before they’re finished. We leave it up to you to decide what’s best for your circumstances.

4) I want to change my Fanfic title. Is there any way I can do that?
Only moderators have the option to change a topic title. PM a Moderator with the details and we’ll do it for you, the same goes if you wish to add a rating after you’ve started.

5) What about Fanfic description? Can I change that too?
Same as the title up there, you don’t have the option to do so. PM a Moderator and we’ll change it for you.

6) What are the ratings allowed here?
We allow G, PG, and PG-13 rated Fanfics to be posted directly on board. Nothing above PG-13 is permitted. Please read HERE for more information.

7) I’m not from US or UK, so I have no idea what constitute as PG or PG-13.
Please read HERE for more information.

8) What happened after my Fanfic is completed?
Notify Zyra or Razz via PM or post it on the completed fics thread with what genre it falls under and a brief summary. A **Completed** tag will be placed on the title and your Fanfic will be moved to the “Completed Fanfic” forum. Lastly it will be added to the master-list to make it easier for readers to find.

9) If I have a one-shot fic, should I post it in the Work-In-Progress (WIP) section or should I post it straight away in the Completed section?
You cannot create a new topic in the Archives, so it will have to go in the WIP section. This allows your fic to get more views as people tend to peruse the WIP sections more in search of new fics. When you are ready for your one-shot to be moved, please contact a Moderator.

10) What if I’m not sure whether it’s a one-shot or ongoing Fanfic?
That happens sometimes, so don’t worry. Leave something like ‘I’m not sure whether this is a one-shot or otherwise. I need more feedback from the readers first’ and we’ll leave it until you have decided. Anytime you’ve made your mind, PM us and we’ll handle it for you from there.

11) What if I changed my mind and my Fanfic has already moved to the completed section?
Plot bunnies suddenly sprang up to life? Like I said, don’t worry. All you need to do is PM us and we’ll transfer it back to the WIP (Work In Progress) section so you can carry on as usual.

12) What if it got locked because I forgot to tell you it’s a completed piece? Will it get deleted?
When a month has pass after you’ve posted the last chapter, and we’re not sure whether it’s completed or not, we’ll PM you about it and we’ll wait for a month for you to reply back. If it’s completed, we’ll reopen it back and act appropriately. We believe a month is enough time for you to decide.

13) I have written a chapter but its 17 pages long in Word with 12-sized Times New Roman. So I was wondering, how long is too long?
- How long is a piece of string?
- The length of chapters really comes down to whether they stay interesting or not. If its not a very action-packed chapter, but needs to be written, then maybe it’s a good idea to break it up into instalments (Chapter9, part one … Chapter9, part two … etc) Keep in mind a lot of readers may not have the time to sit for long in front of the computer to catch up, and others just find it difficult to stay focused for too long. If in doubt, best to split the chapter. It’s really up to you though whatever you decide.

14) I saw there’s Fanfic section on the main site. How does it differ from the ones in forums?
The easiest way to differentiate between both of them is to treat the one on the forums as the testing area and the Fanfic section of the Main Site as the performance stage. To submit a Fanfic in the site's section, you would need to pass the assessment managed by the Fanfic personnel there while you can immediately post your Fanfic straightaway here without waiting for someone to validate them. You can read the Rules HERE as stated by the staff in charge there and you would need to abide by them in order to have your Fanfic accepted.

15) I have submitted a Fanfic on the main site but I haven’t heard from them for a long time. How long does it take for my story to be approved?
The main site fanfiction section is under major construction and is not accepting any new fics at this time.

16) I saw it somewhere, someone used the term ‘HBP canon compliant’. What does that mean?
HBP canon compliant just means that everything in the Fanfic has to fit in with what we learn in HBP - so you can't have someone else as the HBP, and you can't have anyone else but Rufus as the MoM, things like that.

17) What is canon?
You can read an extended detail on this topic HERE. (Special thanks to bajab! )

18) What is a beta?
You can read an elaborate explanation on ‘Beta’ HERE.

19) How can I get a beta?
You can find it in a list on the same thread as the above. HERE

20) Where can I post a fan-art?
You can post your own Fan-Art HERE

21) Where can I post a fan-submitted video?
You can post your own Fan-submitted Video HERE

22) In which subforum should I place my fic?
Please choose the subforum that most closely matches your title character. There are too many characters for us to be able to accommodate all of the characters, so please use your best judgment based on your title character. All fics must now be placed in a subforum.

Somebody recently asked me, what is canon? I knew, from long exposure to fantasy and fiction, but wanted a definitive explanation, so I looked it up on the net. Here is what I found:

The body of works that are considered to be "genuine" or "official" within a certain fictional universe.

That makes sense, but what about in the Harry Potter universe? Further investigation revealed an interesting bit of news from Wikipedia:

While there is no official statement on what is considered to be Harry Potter canon, the majority of fans generally accept it to be the works which come straight from J. K. Rowling herself. These include the six novels and the two "textbooks", Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Many fans will also consider any fact about the series that she has stated on her site to be canon.

Although Rowling is consulted at the writing stage, the Warner Bros. movie adaptations are generally not considered to be canon, and often contain fundamental contradictions with Rowling's works. The HP Lexicon, a respected Harry Potter encyclopedia on the internet, proposes the following set of canon rules:

Rules eh? That should make things easier, or so I thought. Let’s look at the Lexicon Rules then:

Canon? What is considered "canon"? And where do you come off making the decision about what's "canon" and what isn't?

There is a difference between what's official and what's canon. Lots of things are official, including the films. But the information from those sources didn't come from J. K. Rowling herself, and that's really the crucial point. Only information which comes directly from the author is considered canon. I realize that she had a lot of input into the creation of the film, but she didn't chose the names for every shop sign in Diagon Alley (so we can't say that there's a Daily Prophet office there, even though the film shows the sign) and she didn't approve every line of dialogue. Quite a bit of information in the films contradicts what we know from the books, in fact.

Just for your information, here's the list of what's considered canon, listed in order of "correctness":
· the novels and the "school books" (Fantastic Beasts and Quidditch Through the Ages)
· the illustrations in the "school books" (which were drawn by Rowling herself) but not the pictures in the novels
· interviews with Rowling where her actual words are given
· sections of the film/games/etc. which are known to be written by or okayed by Rowling (so far the flashback sequence in SS/f showing Lily's death is the only information that fits this criteria that we know of)

Material and information which does not come from one of these sources is not canon, which means it's not really part of the Harry Potter universe as created by the author. Please don't misinterpret this to mean that I disapprove of the movies. I love the films. But these things are NOT canon.

Well, that’s very interesting. The movies are not considered to be ‘true’ Harry potter? How very unusual.

Of course, this is just one person’s interpretation of what canon is. The fact of the matter is that J.K.Rowling does not officially endorse ANY ‘expansion’ of her universe and so has never given us a clear definition of what is canon or not (for Harry Potter).

So where does that leave us? As a fanfic author who tries to slot most of his stories between the lines of JKR’s work, I tend to consider the six books to be the only ‘canon’ (I have never managed to get around to buying the other two text books, for shame, and the movies are too different for my liking).

The attitudes and comments from the characters in those books dictate to me how the characters should act, especially if the story is set during the time line of the books. While I have strayed quite far from canon on several occasions (an immaculately dressed house elf with matching troll anyone?), I did have a reason for it, and pushing the boundaries of what is believable within the HP universe is part of the fun of writing.

You might find this quite restrictive, so here is what I suggest: Ignore it.

If you want to write a story where Snape is a love starved transvestite vampire lusting for Harry’s secret second cousin, go for it. If Dumbledore seems to you like the kind of man who would stalk the corridors of Hogwarts as a chain-rattling ghost, put it down on paper. Let your imagination run free and make Hermione a werewolf. Have Harry go back in time and kill his own parents. Do what ever you want, because it’s your story. You are creating an ‘alternative universe’ HP in which you have taken control of the ‘rules’.

Just remember that many people will find your story doesn’t fit in with the picture of the HP universe they have built on the foundation of JKR’s books, and they may hate it because of that. It’s a risk we all take whenever we write anything at all, and part of the fun.

BajaB

I have received several PMs regarding this, so I thought it's best that I put it up here for everyone else as well.


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If I have a one-shot fic, should I post it in the Work-In-Progress (WIP) section or should I post it straight away in the Completed section?
Technically, the Completed section is a place to archieve all finished fanfics, so in that sense, there should be no new post in there. I understand that when a person decided to write a one-shot, that fanfic will stay that way - a one-shot fic. But, people can change their mind, and I've seen people who add chapters to the originally intended one-shot after they received feedbacks from their readers. So, it would be better to post any new fanfic in the WIP section - one-shot or not - and when you're sure it's a completed piece, you can contact either me or Razz to transfer it over for you.

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I've edit the above FAQs to insert this one. It's easier for any new authors to read it while skimming through the others.

Just out of intrest- how comes the writing section (in the options bar at the top of the web page) how comes fanfics aren't still posted there?
I suppose the forum format is much easier? With the catergories and such?

The fanfiction section of the main site is totally separate from the forums fanfictions. They have a more complicated submission process where the fanfictions must be approved to be posted. Last I've known, the admins were revamping that area, but I think it's fallen by the wayside. I'm not sure if they'll get it back up and running.

The forums are a little easier, and there are no restrictions to post a fanfiction in the forums. For now, we feel like it is a good alternative to the main site fanfiction section.