Do you know the story?

If you don't, you should learn something about it before you try to write any fanfic, especially the more borderline types. There are any number of sites that will help you. You could go watch the musical (take me with you!), keeping in mind that it changes Victor Hugo's text somewhat. You could even read the book.

Do you know the characters?

Is Courfeyrac interested in Eponine? Is Hugo's Enjolras sweet, kind, and loving? Obviously, if you write slash, it will warp the characters somewhat, but it's a good idea to know what you're corrupting. Perhaps you could come up with some reason for whatever direction you're bending them, but you don't have to, same as you don't have to justify anything else in fanfic. It adds quite a bit if you do.

Now, for the fun part: the step by step instructions.

Pick two characters. If you're writing slash, as this tutorial assumes, they ought to be the same gender. Mix and match. Les Amis are easily paired, and generally cute. Joly and Bossuet? They are generally acknowledged to share all sorts of things. Enjolras has lots of tension with various members of his little secret society, if you think he's cute and you can imagine him in a romantic context. Or, you could get weird. Javert Porn is a classic genre in this fandom -- disgusting, but accepted. Valjean? Why not? Cosette? M. Pontmercy pere? Eponine? Montparnasse? Thenardier? Maybe Patron-Minette breaks more than the obvious laws. Fauchelevent? It's your story.

Decide whether they have enough names already. If you're using Jean Valjean or Marius Pontmercy, the answer is probably "yes." If you're using basically anyone else, think about what you would call your significant other. Last names are all well and good in their context, but why would anyone in a sexual or romantic relationship use only a last name for their lover? If you have a plausible reason, go with it. Otherwise, come up with a name. Snookums Javert? Jean-Jacques Pierre Gregoire Grantaire? Why not? If you are trying to be serious, make sure that the name is French, unless you have an original character who isn't.

If they didn't meet in the novel, how did they meet? Why does one love the other? There are a lot of possibilities for angst, especially because the Catholic church was strong in France at the time of the story.

If they actually do something naughty, why do they do it? Do they get drunk? Does one get hurt or sick and need to be nursed back to health by his/her friend? Have they been living together for years before one blurts out the truth in a moment of weakness? Are they lonely? Has it just been too long since a man/woman touched one of them?

If you need inspiration, read the book. Listen to the musical. If that doesn't work, pick a song, any song -- not necessarily from the musical. torch says that Pet Shop Boys are the ultimate slash band, with a song for every pairing, and after I discovered "You only tell me you love me when you're drunk," I believed her. However, if you're using a modern rock song as the basis for the story, keep in mind that the characters have never heard it unless you're writing a very strange alternate universe.

You might want a plot. You might want a lush setting. There are plenty of resources out there telling us what Paris was like back then. Look around if you care about verisimilitude. A little anachronism is a mistake; a glaring anachronism can be funny. If you're going to write graphic sex (!), make sure you actually know what you're talking about. There are sites out there that will help you. Go look before you assume that a guy is built like a girl or vice versa. You don't have to write sex at all to have it be slash. I think this is pretty well accepted by Mizzies, but it merits saying. They don't even have to touch each other.

And, down to basics, grammar and spelling are fundamental. If your story is about Gratnaire and Enjorlas, very few people will want to read past the first paragraph, even if it's the most romantic thing in the world. If their first names change halfway through, the reader will be confused. If you're not confident about your story, mail it to me at lwaters1 at ic3.ithaca.edu. I'm willing to read just about anything, and I will give you my honest opinion of it. Most content won't bother me, whether it's Marius pining after Courfeyrac or Babet and Montparnasse caught up in the seediest underworld romance in the city.

If you have a silly idea, write it. You don't have to netpublish it, but it is probably good to get it out of your head. Some people out there would probably be amused by it.

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