Comments on: 10 things J.K. Rowling taught me about writing

By: Writerly Writing Habits « CLPTeensburgh: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Teen Services

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:03:00 +0000

[...] has actually destroyed his Ethernet port so he will never be tempted to connect to the web. When J.K. Rowling was finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she checked into a hotel room so she could [...]

By: When the chips are down, get frying … | Kim Leggatt

When the chips are down, get frying … | Kim Leggatt — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:08:48 +0000

[...] we will fix the script and we will do it over and over until it is the best it can be. And I have to remember that when I’ve given notes (as the producer) to writers it’s because I [...]

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:37:44 +0000

Jesus -
How on earth can you think that her plot and characters are amateur? If her writing is so amateur, why are established universities around the country making Harry Potter English classes? Why did scholars from around the country gather at a university in Virginia to analyze her work? I’d like to see you try and create an entire non-existent world. I am a highly educated person and I love Harry Potter, and always will. I know English professors who love books like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, My Name is Asher Lev, Siddhartha, Fahrenheit 451 (which are all considered great pieces of literature), and yet they love Harry Potter as well. The fact that you criticized her so harshly makes me think that you didn’t thoroughly read all the books -have you met Snape? He’s the most complex character in the series. And how she tied everything together perfectly in the end -that’s probably the most amazing part. She subtly mentioned the Horcrux necklace in the 5th book, and the Vanishing Cabinet in the SECOND. I do agree with others that her writing is simple -but does that make it amateur? I don’t think so. When she describes a scene, you can picture it perfectly in your head. That’s good writing. If Harry Potter’s not for you, I respect that, but don’t say that the majority of her last book is pointless. She’s managed to get millions of kids off the couch and unglued from the T.V. Instead, they would rather pick up one of her books and read for hours. To me, that’s amazing and beautiful in and of itself.

By: andrea escaffi-james

andrea escaffi-james — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:05:46 +0000

I also learned about writing by JK Rowling reading the Harry Potter books. First of all, the way she developed her characters is wonderful. That is one of the MANY reasons why I became so attached to the characters. I love the theme of all the series, magic, but the boys and girls have such real personalities that I feel I personally know them. he rbooks are so well written, I feel Iam there at Hogwarts (or wherever else the setting is) watching it all happen.
Michelle, I do have to disagree with one part of your observation; I do not think she is a mediocre writer. She is exceptional in telling a story. I have read Hemingway and many other great writers, and in comparison, I think Rowling is up to par. Style, themes, and approaches differ greatly, but Rowling writes an exceptional story.
I also, don’t feel Rowling is writing “to children”, I feel her writing is for herself. She tells the story as it unfolds in her mind…how she sees it happening. Of course, I do no have the privelage of knowing her and knowing for a fact “who” is her intended audience, but it feels like a story she’d write for herself; how she’d like to read it.

Anyways, thanks for a fun article.

Andrea

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:46:15 +0000

There are plenty of famous – and wealthy – authors who aren’t great writers, but they’ve got something that readers like. I remember reading a book by Walter Mosley, not Devil in a Blue Dress, and thinking “Really? This ain’t that great.” And what about all those bestselling authors’ whose books are sold in the grocery store checkout stands? Somebody’s buying them and it’s not because it’s great literature.

Michelle

By: Michael E. Newton

Michael E. Newton — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:11:49 +0000

“If the story’s good enough, the writing can be secondary.”

A friend once said to me that JRR Tolkien was a bad writer. Perish the thought, but in a way, he is correct. Tolkien is not the best writer (though he certainly isn’t bad as my friend argued), but he is possibly the best story teller ever. It is much more important for us to tell our stories (fiction) or present our information (non-fiction) than to write perfectly. I know I’ll never be Thomas Paine, who IMHO is one of the best writers ever, but that won’t stop me from writing quality books.

By: HRHAngelique

HRHAngelique — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:13:32 +0000

Michelle,

Thank you for this blog post. I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I can’t write many details here about how I came across this, I will say that the most hopeful and encouraging part for me, aside from the 10 tips, was this: “Could someone replicate Rowling’s rise to author stardom given what it takes to get a book published today? I’d like to hope so.”

There’s a twinkle, a gleam in my eye that continues to grow daily, and your words help them sparkle even more.

HRH

By: Really Random Randy

Really Random Randy — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 05:23:04 +0000

I agree that JK’s style at first was on the simple side and evolved, but that is why I stuck with the Harry Potter series until the end. I grew up with these books, and every time one came out, it seemed to match my ever maturing reading level. And while she is not an epic writer on the level of someone like Tolkien, she can portray a character like no other. Harry in Book 5? Jeez, I wanted to slap him, but then I realized he was an emotional 15 year old, and incredibly believable. I have to give her props for the way she portrayed all of her characters.

By: Michelle V. Rafter

Michelle V. Rafter — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 16:53:55 +0000

Appreciate your perspective, but many other readers would disagree with you. Even if you believe the writing to be pedantic, it hasn’t stopped the series from selling hundreds of millions of copies – obviously Rowling is doing something right.

MVR

By: Jesus

Jesus — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 05:27:32 +0000

If you seriously think that Rowling’s work is complex, you need to read some actual literature. #3 also gave me a little laugh. Her plotting and characters are as “pedestrian” and amateur as her prose. By the time she thought of trying to ad depth to her 2D character archetypes, it just looked tack on instead of just awkwardly executed. #8 is also humorous considering that her “love” of her creation caused her to write the absolute worst single section in the entire series (incidentally, the one you reference here), excluding the several hundred pages of pointless meandering that she padded book 7 with.