This past weekend, I watched J.K. Rowling’s live global webcast, which is posted on her website. (I have a link below.) Harry Potter: Beyond the Page, A Virtual Author Visit with J.K. Rowling, was broadcast on October 11 to certain schools. (How did I miss this!?)
I am a big Harry Potter fan, as well as a HUGE J.K. Rowling fan, (yes, there is a difference), so naturally I was very excited to watch this webcast to learn more about the woman behind the spectacular world of Harry Potter. Although I have seen many interviews with Rowling, I always seem to learn something new from her each time I discover another video.
Here is a quick list of the things that stood out to me from this webcast:
1. Characters are so central to the story.
“I think it was the characters, fundamentally, that made people fall in love with the world,” Rowling said. “Some writers say character is plot, and to a large extent I think they’re right.”
- A hero is “set apart.”
- The protagonist must be given friends/characters in his/her life that balance out their personal strengths and weaknesses.
- The characters must be given room to grow.
- There is always conflict in relationships.
- Self-knowledge is key.
2. It takes great perseverance to finish what you’ve started.
“Beginning stories is often very easy; finishing them, not so much,” Rowling said.
3. Forget about the reaction of readers.
- A writer can’t be worried about what the reader will think of his/her work.
- As a writer, you are “too busy creating [your world].”
My favorite quote of the video:
Host: “Complete the sentence: If I wasn’t a writer, I would be…”
J.K. Rowling: “…depressed.”