Pure genious...
Mood: Sad, happy and nostalgic.
What I'm Listening To Right Now: The TV in the background
With a mix of excitement, trepidation and sadness, I went to my local Barnes and Noble for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Don't worry, no spoilers here.) I've never actually been to a midnight release, since I'm relatively new to the world of Harry Potter, so seeing kids dressed up in Hogwarts uniforms, (grown ups too) and hearing 18 year olds saying that they were 8 years old when they read the first book, now, heading to college, they were sad to see it go.
It literally makes me emotional to think about those girls who were headed off to college, although, after reading the book and really, and I mean really, realizing that this was the end, I've been a wreck anyway.
Harry Potter will be a classic for years, decades and centuries to come, but to be a part of the first generation of Potter fans is such an honor, such a important thing, that I just can't wrap my head around how JK Rowling must feel. The money is probably great, the fame seems as though it's something she could do without, but the honor and genius of being the person who has literally made reading books about wizards and other odd and magical things cool, must be mind boggling.
As a writer, I'm in awe of JK Rowling daily. Coming back from seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the movie theater was a tough time for me. Not because I didn't like the movie; I loved it. But because, my (and in my opinion, every other author on the planet) storytelling pales so far in comparison to what this woman has done and hopefully will continue to do.
I came home from the movie that night and knew I had major work to do on both the plot and the character depth in my book, and I feel better about it now. This is not the only thing I credit JK Rowling with though.
Just over two years ago, I was watching a nightly news show and JK was doing an interview, as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince had just come out. I hadn't yet read any of the Harry Potter books and honestly wasn't that interested in reading them at the time. I watched the interview anyway and saw how she talked about her characters and her story and thought that I should maybe try to write something.
See, when I was little, I wanted to be many things, but the one thing that remained constant was that I wanted to write. No matter if it was news, magazine, poems or novels, I had always wanted to tell my stories. Fiction or otherwise. In my late teens though, I got sidetracked with the thought of working in the sports business and focused all of my energy, including a college degree, into that. I hadn't written anything other than news since I was little, when I used to write short stories. I again felt the need to tell a story.
So that night, I went into my room and started writing a book. I wrote all through the summer and to this day, I love the story I began but didn't finish. But still, in my mind, I was beginning to realize that my future was turning into something I hadn't planned. I wanted to write.
That fall, I was having a hard time with life in general. I was into my first year living away from most of my family and knew that the one thing that made me feel good and helped me escape was reading. I had a library card, (and I believe you all know how much I love the library) and one night decided I would try and read the Harry Potter books.
That night I sat down and read chapter one and was pulled into the most whimsical, magical, fun and exciting world I had ever read about. After chapter one, I put down the book, shut my eyes and thought, this is going to change everything. And it did.
I was hooked. I quickly worked my way through the first four books in time for the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's to be released. (I had already caught up on the first three movies.) I remember sitting in the theater, watching the credits roll and seeing JK's name come up and again I thought, I need to tell stories.
That week I came home and started brainstorming on a story I could write. I got a notebook and wrote down every idea I had, which eventually turned into a list of characters, which eventually turned into a plot. I had my book.
It took me months to sit down and actually write. This blog, although quiet a lot, has been with me since that time. It was January 1, 2006.
Now, on July 22, 2007. I'm almost done editing that story, I've started the first chapter of the book that could possibly follow it, as well as ten pages of a different story entirely.
I'm going to be a writer. A novelist. There are still many, many things that I'm going to do with my life, but none of that makes me feel the way I feel when I've written something I think people will enjoy.
Soon, I'll see if people, agents in particular, will enjoy my story, because I'll be sending it out. Fingers crossed, people. :)
All of this, because of that one interview I saw just over two years ago of a woman who was so passionate about her story, her characters and her love of books, that I felt the need to sit down and write something that very night. Maybe someday I'll finish that story but right now, I have work to do.
As soon as I can get out of the funk of knowing there will never be another Harry Potter book, of course. I feel like I've lost something, but I'm not sure what. But what I do know is, the genius of JK Rowling is undeniable.
Thanks JK. For everything.
-B
What I'm Listening To Right Now: The TV in the background
With a mix of excitement, trepidation and sadness, I went to my local Barnes and Noble for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Don't worry, no spoilers here.) I've never actually been to a midnight release, since I'm relatively new to the world of Harry Potter, so seeing kids dressed up in Hogwarts uniforms, (grown ups too) and hearing 18 year olds saying that they were 8 years old when they read the first book, now, heading to college, they were sad to see it go.
It literally makes me emotional to think about those girls who were headed off to college, although, after reading the book and really, and I mean really, realizing that this was the end, I've been a wreck anyway.
Harry Potter will be a classic for years, decades and centuries to come, but to be a part of the first generation of Potter fans is such an honor, such a important thing, that I just can't wrap my head around how JK Rowling must feel. The money is probably great, the fame seems as though it's something she could do without, but the honor and genius of being the person who has literally made reading books about wizards and other odd and magical things cool, must be mind boggling.
As a writer, I'm in awe of JK Rowling daily. Coming back from seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the movie theater was a tough time for me. Not because I didn't like the movie; I loved it. But because, my (and in my opinion, every other author on the planet) storytelling pales so far in comparison to what this woman has done and hopefully will continue to do.
I came home from the movie that night and knew I had major work to do on both the plot and the character depth in my book, and I feel better about it now. This is not the only thing I credit JK Rowling with though.
Just over two years ago, I was watching a nightly news show and JK was doing an interview, as Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince had just come out. I hadn't yet read any of the Harry Potter books and honestly wasn't that interested in reading them at the time. I watched the interview anyway and saw how she talked about her characters and her story and thought that I should maybe try to write something.
See, when I was little, I wanted to be many things, but the one thing that remained constant was that I wanted to write. No matter if it was news, magazine, poems or novels, I had always wanted to tell my stories. Fiction or otherwise. In my late teens though, I got sidetracked with the thought of working in the sports business and focused all of my energy, including a college degree, into that. I hadn't written anything other than news since I was little, when I used to write short stories. I again felt the need to tell a story.
So that night, I went into my room and started writing a book. I wrote all through the summer and to this day, I love the story I began but didn't finish. But still, in my mind, I was beginning to realize that my future was turning into something I hadn't planned. I wanted to write.
That fall, I was having a hard time with life in general. I was into my first year living away from most of my family and knew that the one thing that made me feel good and helped me escape was reading. I had a library card, (and I believe you all know how much I love the library) and one night decided I would try and read the Harry Potter books.
That night I sat down and read chapter one and was pulled into the most whimsical, magical, fun and exciting world I had ever read about. After chapter one, I put down the book, shut my eyes and thought, this is going to change everything. And it did.
I was hooked. I quickly worked my way through the first four books in time for the fourth movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's to be released. (I had already caught up on the first three movies.) I remember sitting in the theater, watching the credits roll and seeing JK's name come up and again I thought, I need to tell stories.
That week I came home and started brainstorming on a story I could write. I got a notebook and wrote down every idea I had, which eventually turned into a list of characters, which eventually turned into a plot. I had my book.
It took me months to sit down and actually write. This blog, although quiet a lot, has been with me since that time. It was January 1, 2006.
Now, on July 22, 2007. I'm almost done editing that story, I've started the first chapter of the book that could possibly follow it, as well as ten pages of a different story entirely.
I'm going to be a writer. A novelist. There are still many, many things that I'm going to do with my life, but none of that makes me feel the way I feel when I've written something I think people will enjoy.
Soon, I'll see if people, agents in particular, will enjoy my story, because I'll be sending it out. Fingers crossed, people. :)
All of this, because of that one interview I saw just over two years ago of a woman who was so passionate about her story, her characters and her love of books, that I felt the need to sit down and write something that very night. Maybe someday I'll finish that story but right now, I have work to do.
As soon as I can get out of the funk of knowing there will never be another Harry Potter book, of course. I feel like I've lost something, but I'm not sure what. But what I do know is, the genius of JK Rowling is undeniable.
Thanks JK. For everything.
-B
Labels: JK Rowling