My Views On Writing a Relatively Decent Story
by Ruth Solomon aka Ms_Figg

Hi all. I've decided to share what I do and think when writing a story. First it helps to have a specific idea of what each character is like. My Severus for example is calculating, selfish and sexual…basic groundwork for him. Since I write "Alternative Universe" stories, it helps to have a background that makes his outlook believable. The same with Hermione. Basically she is intelligent, independent and a masochist…in my view of her. She has to have masochistic tendencies simply because Severus is such a powerhouse beneath the sheets. She wouldn't gravitate to him otherwise after experiencing him for the first time.

Now, as writers you don't have to have the same outlook on the couple as I do, but that is a bare bones characterization of them. But Snape should never, ever be completely taken over by love to the point he loses his basic traits. He must always be Slytherinish, sneaky and self-seeking, even in love. Lol. 

Another thing you have to look out for is predictability. If you can clearly see where a story is heading, so will your readers. You have to break it up, even if it requires adding extra characters to do so. Though straight Severus/Hermione interactions are acceptable, it is nice to add other characters to round out their world. No one is an island. Bits and pieces of other people's lives is a nice touch. Every character you introduce, even if only for a split second, should have a thought or physical expression that gives the reader at least a little insight into his or her character. For example, in "Payback is a Witch" Hermione interacts with a nameless wizard that works at the pound where she gets Bagheera, her familiar. The young man is polite, helpful and expresses joy at her wishing to adopt a pet. He has a bit role, but still there is something more to him rather than blandly interacting with the witch. We can tell he loves animals and wants them to find good homes in a paragraph or two.

Points of View…very important not to focus on only one point of view if you are trying to write a well-rounded story. Everyone has his or her own thoughts in every scenario. To flesh out a character, you really have to get into their thought processes, their feelings and show them to the reader. If you don't, then they might develop their own view of what is happening with the characters, one that differs very much from yours, which will ruin the enjoyment of a story. A good indication of this is the reviews. Pay attention to the questions readers pose and find someplace in the story to clarify them if they are valid questions. Nothing is as aggravating and distracting to a reader as not knowing the motivation of a character.

Sex Scenes: My goodness. Severus Snape is always portrayed (or should be) as a very virile, insatiable lover who takes a witch to or beyond her limit of pleasure. This is the crux of the fantasy. You have to really think about what he does to a witch, and how he does it that makes him so special. Since (I think) most readers of the HG/SS coupling are female, it is important that feeling and emotions are expressed during these scenes. I once read a lemon written by a man, and it was all physically descriptive. He turned her this way and that way and that was it. For a man, that might be fine, the physical description of myriad penetrations, but we women need more, from facial expressions to actual thoughts about what is occurring when its occurring. It is fine for Severus to feel pleasure, but what is he doing that makes him feel that pleasure, and how is Hermione reacting…this works vice versa as well. Sex for women is more than physical, and to write a really good lemon you have to take everything into consideration. All five senses thoughts, physical actions and emotions. They all tie in together to make a satisfactory whole.

Author Intrusion: Oh this is something that can heavily weigh down a story. Most writers are quite enamored of their own words and can't help "showing off" their writing ability. A professor at the University of South Alabama cured me of this. The basic rule is to tell the story as if you are a fly on the wall watching what is occurring and copying it down word for word. Don't use a thousand words to describe a situation when five or ten will suffice. Describe what is happening without making yourself apparent. A story is not about you, but about the characters. Let their lives come first. If you tell a good story, your readers will be equally appreciative. If you want to be self-absorbed…write poetry. Lol.

Well, that is all I can think of to write about now. Plot development and predictability tie in very closely. I write quite differently, allowing a story to grow from what precedes it, rather than plotting it all out. It keeps the work fresh for me. Some say it is a dangerous way to write…because it is possible to write yourself into a corner, but I feel if you are careful to pay attention to the predictability factor, and pay attention to what you have written, that you will avoid those corners simply because there are so many possibilities to work with. I hope you have found this little peek into my mind concerning writing HG/SS fan fiction interesting and helpful. Thanks.

Ruth aka. Ms_Figg.

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