How to Write Harry Potter Fanfiction

Last Updated: March 7, 2022

Fanfiction is something that a lot of us wish we could write, and Harry Potter has a massive fanfiction following. If you want to join the community of Harry Potter Fanfiction writers but don't quite know how, you're in the right place!

Steps

1
Make sure you know about the world of Harry Potter. Are you definitely writing for the right fandom? Make sure that when you post it, it gets posted for the right fandom, too. If you're not a fan of Harry Potter, don't worry - there are dozens of other Fanfiction stories available.
2
Choose which era you want to write for. Hogwarts founders? Marauders? Harry and his friends? Harry's kids? Once you have chosen, find out as much as you can about the characters at that point. Readers want your story to be consistent. There are thousands of websites about Harry Potter, and the books are readily available, so there is no excuse for not reading up on the characters.

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3
Decide if your story will be canon or alternate universe. Are you following the books, filling in parts that J.K. Rowling didn't write? Or are you changing the setting or the characters? It's up to you. Remember, even if you write an Alternate Universe story, your characters still need to be in character, otherwise people won't want to read it. Make sure your story will interest others, not just you.
- If you want to do a story in canon then make sure your facts are correct. Look on http://harrypotter.wikia.com or the Harry Potter Lexicon.
4
Think about all of the characters in the Harry Potter series. The living ones, of course, unless your story is in a different universe where a character who died canonically survives. Some examples of this are Hedwig, Fred, Snape, and Dumbledore - which is your favorite? You might want to write a small profile of them to remind yourself of their personality, likes, dislikes, etc.
5
Consider which ships would be in your fanfiction. A big part of fanfiction is shipping characters, that is, taking two characters and writing a story about them as a couple. This isn't necessary at all, but it's common.
- Some popular ships are Harry and Ginny (Hinny), Harry and Hermione (Harmione/Harmony), Hermione and Ron (Romione), Harry and Draco (Drarry), Draco and Hermione (Dramione), Lupin and Sirius(Wolfstar), Tom and Hermione (Tomione), and Albus Severus and Scorpius(Scorbus). There are plenty of others, but these are the more common ones. Invent your own if you want to! You can also make a ship where the chosen character is with the reader, for example: Draco x reader. But you will have to refer to the reader as (Y/N) or (F/N).
6
Develop a plot. A good story needs an interesting plot. Choose an interesting character, preferably a more obscure one that not many other people will have written about, and put them into a new situation. Spend a few pages writing out your plot. Or even just one page.
7
Develop your characters. That's what fanfiction is about.
8
Write as much as you can. Long chapters are better than short chapters. That being said, don't write too much; sometimes enough is enough.
9
Check your spelling and grammar. Otherwise you end up with corrections instead of reviews. You don't want to distract from the plots.
10
Find a good site to publish your fanfiction on. You won't be able to get it properly published because you don't own the copyright to Harry Potter. It could be a site that caters for many different fandoms like FanFiction.Net, Wattpad, Quotev, Archive of Our Own or one that's specifically for Harry Potter.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I upload it, and can I do so without an email address?

Community Answer

The site wattpad.com is one that will allow you to publish your stories. However, for this and most fanfic sites, you will need an e-mail address to set up an account.
Question

Can I do a Harry Potter fanfiction with my own characters?

Community Answer

Yes, you can write a story that takes place in the Harry Potter universe with your own original characters.
Question

I want to have a Ravenclaw girl, maybe a daughter of Luna Lovegood, but Luna only has two sons, no daughters. Any suggestions?

Community Answer

Lots of fanfictions don't often have the same information as the book. As long as it isn't copyright, you're free to write whatever you want.

Warnings

Try not to abandon stories, as people will lose trust in you as an author.

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Helpful 10 Not Helpful 1
Don't write too many stories at once, or you'll lose track and take too long to update.

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Try to prewrite your entire fanfiction. This will relieve the stress of having to write on a time schedule.

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Be careful when writing your own characters. Make them believable.

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Some people might flame you. Ignore them. Better yet, make a disclaimer: "Flames will be accepted, but will be roasted with marshmallows."

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Be prepared for people to want you to update - always have at least a few chapters ready before you post.

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