What If…

[quidditchmum]

 Has anyone else noticed that it is generally a bad sign when a story's summary contains a lot of What If's? The What If is generally followed by a scenario so implausible that I'm left wondering why the author chose to set their tale in the Harry Potter universe at all.  Here are a few examples I culled from today’s offerings on a popular HP

Comments

[dragyn_42]

My own 2 cents, its not really the What ifs that ruin it, its that the summaries say what if. I have no problems with AU, even ones that aren't subtle (except where Harry and Ginny are kids in American and Magic doesnt exist, thats not AU, thats original fiction... anyway...) as long as they're well written. The problem is, as exartemarte implies, the summary is a sale. You don't sell a story by asking whats different about it, you sell a story by telling the reader what it's about.

Example:

Haily Potter and her family take in the orphan Draco Malfoy. From families on the opposite side of the war, can the children ever get along?

As Harry Potter grows up the brother of Katie Potter, The-Girl-Who-Lived, he begins to understand that the line between Light and Dark may not be so clear cut.

Raised by Remus and a vindicated Sirius, why has Harry kidnapped Ginny Weasley?

While these stories may not be to your liking on a AU level, at least now they dont sound like some illiterate 12yo is cheating by asking the reader what the story should be. These

[quidditchmum]

Excellent point and I suspect a lot of the major What If stories I am referring to were written by illiterate 12yos.

[parakletos]

I write AU and enjoy turning things upside down. I'm currently working through fan fic clichés and enjoying it. What I like to do is tweak things as I go; currently I have Harry in Slytherin about to have a conversation with one of the Goyle twins who have a reputation for subtlety.

Ultimately for me, its a way of breathing new life into the story, but I still cringe at some of the What If? out there.