fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4043 ]

[ SECRET POST #4043 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4043 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 37 secrets from Secret Submission Post #579.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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Do people really think JKR is the worst romance writer ever? I'll admit I think her romance writing could be better, but I don't think it was that bad.

The only Harry Potter ship I thought she wrote terribly was Remus/Tonks. That was a hot mess, and I say someone who shipped that one before it was canon. Harry/Ginny would've been better, I think, if she'd actually built more on the friendship they began to have in the fifth book, but otherwise it wasn't the worst canon pairing I've ever seen. And I thought Ron/Hermione was fine.

Is it just me?

She's not great at it. There are legitimate weaknesses there. But I also think some of it is people hating her romances because they're not the ships that they prefer.

what writing? most of the romance actually took place entirely off-screen and was only ever alluded-to. That includes Harry and Ginny. JKR didn't actually write anything.

...okay well there was the first kiss with Cho. and that was done just fine. all the hormonal teenagers being hormonal teenagers in book 6 was pretty spot-on too. but what else did she actually write that was actual romance or relationships? most of it was "and X and Y hooked up six months ago offscreen."

LOL, to be fair, maybe some people consider that approach to be pretty underwhelming.

Seconding this, and I actually liked that this was her approach to romance in the books. It felt fitting.

Re: Related to #2

(Anonymous) - 2018-01-29 00:54 (UTC) - Expand

Yeah, agreed.

I thought the Harry/Cho stuff was the most interesting, because it's awkward teenage romance. Interesting too that his first crush/girlfriend doesn't end up being endgame, that's hugely rare in YA.

HP really wasn't a romance, so I can't say she does it badly. I didn't like the endgame pairings of Harry/Ginny or Ron/Hermoine, but I don't recall them being sappy or even much on-screen. Just sort of awkward teenagers being awkward, which is realistic enough.

My exact thoughts. I don't think she was ever trying to write romantic plots as a main focus in Harry Potter, and considering that it was...fine? I thought the Ron/Hermione bickering went overboard at times, but aside from that I feel like her status as a "romance author" is irrelevant and I just...didn't care.

From how she was writing them, I was convinced Harry would end up with Luna. Make of that what you want.

Nah, it never bothered me either, OP.

no and i think it's dishonest to label any professional as the worst [blank] ever. most disappointing or cliche i'd accept, but it requires some skill to get published and the worst romance author would not be able to achieve that, much less be well loved.

She's far from "the worst". She sucks at it, yeah, as in tell-without-show, but tons of others writers are way worse.

No, it's not just you who thinks most of what she wrote was just fine. She's got several theme parks and a whole world of adoring, enthusiastic fans. What ten random people on the internet think is completely irrelevant, in comparison.

It wasn't her strong suit in the books. Although I do wonder how much of that has to do with Harry's POV because he's not the most sensitive or emotionally-tuned-in guy. And tbh he doesn't come across as particularly heterosexual himself.

I say this as a diehard het shipper btw.

I did really enjoy the buildup and climax of the Ron/Hermione ship over the seven books. And Newt/Tina and Queenie/Jacob are already LEAGUES better than any of the romance in the books, which again makes me think part of it is Harry's POV.

... probably not? I mean, there's quite a lot of room between thinking she sucks at it and thinking she's the worst ever. Assuming this is in reference to secret #2, I don't recall anyone saying she was the "worst romance writer ever".

she said in an interview that fantasy and sexual and/or romantic writing were incompatible; her exact quote was "you can't have sex in front of unicorns" which I was annoyed enough by to write fic where that's exactly happens.

link or it didn't happen

Re: Related to #2

greghousesgf - 2018-01-28 23:09 (UTC) - Expand

AYRT: “The thing about fantasy — there are certain things you just don’t do in fantasy. You don’t have sex near unicorns. It’s an ironclad rule. It’s tacky.” After years of fantasy, she was ready for a little sex.

In fairness, the article seems to have made the connection, not JK Rowling.

Re: Related to #2

greghousesgf - 2018-01-28 23:46 (UTC) - Expand

"she said in an interview that fantasy and sexual and/or romantic writing were incompatible"

has she, like

read any adult fantasy novels

like, literally ANY

because at least half of the ones I've read have had sex scenes, sometimes a LOT of sex scenes

this sounds more like a her problem tbh

Although I will grant that she was writing books that she knew kids were reading, so I can see where she would want to keep it toned down for her younger readers

Re: Related to #2

greghousesgf - 2018-01-29 01:09 (UTC) - Expand

Unicorns are notoriously opposed to voyeurism. Everyone knows that.

Re: Related to #2

greghousesgf - 2018-01-29 02:34 (UTC) - Expand

No one tell her that Mercedes Lackey wrote a novel where the main character and her boyfriend literally have sex in front of unicorns. Or at any rate the unicorns show up just as they're finishing and complain about it.

Re: Related to #2

greghousesgf - 2018-01-29 03:17 (UTC) - Expand

Bujold did it multiple times, and won multiple awards for it.

And, um, didn't she ready any of Molly Grue's parts in The Last Unicorn?

I don't think she's the worst ever, but I didn't think she was that great at it either, most of the romances that got any page-time were kinda sucky and even though I liked Remus/Tonks it got dragged through a dumpster sadly.

I think Bill/Fleur came out fine? And that was mostly because it was barely seen, that and the whole 'everyone who fell in love as a teen stayed together forever' ending that just made me go 'okay'.

It's not that I wanted them all to be broken up or what have you, I just didn't find it believable that they all stayed with their childhood sweethearts.

But I'm also not super-aghast at it either, it just is what is it.

Honestly? I think she's pretty terrible at it. I'm honestly glad she didn't write most of my ships considering she ruined one I really loved (Remus/Tonks) and one I liked the idea of (Harry/Ginny).

As someone who genuinely likes Harry/Ginny, omg she was awful at it. Harry's 'chest monster' still makes me laugh. And him describing Ginny as 'his best sort of comfort' is a super weird way to refer to the girl you love and are dating. IDEK.

Ron/Hermione was fine and super cute in the early books. The problem was in later books Hermione never really gives Ron any credit for knowing anything and Ron never really supports Hermione in any venture. And then there was the whole Hermione siccing the canaries on Ron and him still having scratches from them weeks later... though, I confess, while I adore Hermione in the early books by the end of the series I loathed her. So. That colors it too.

Remus/Tonks was flat out terrible.

I thought she did a really nice job on Bill and Fleur. I'll give her that one. I liked Harry/Cho as a terrible first crush romance. It felt horrifically embarrassing and realistic and I enjoyed that.

And I agree with the anon that from the way she wrote it, Harry/Luna was my endgame guess. They would have been sweet, I think.

Much like everything else in the books I felt like it was a mixed bag?

On the one hand I thought all of the Harry/Cho stuff was excellent. And while I didn't like Hermione/Ron as a pairing I though the writing was fine.

On the other hand you have stuff like Remus/Tonks and Harry/Ginny and Snape>Lily and the Epilogue which are just flat-out awful.

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