Lessons from JK Rowling

I have always lived by the philosophy "Learn from what you love." JK Rowling's writing, therefore, encapsulates writing lessons that I desperately need to unveil. I love what she does and, for this, she is one of my distant teachers.

This past Spring I took the "Harry Potter for Writers" online workshop. It was an amazing experience, but I realized that, in one sense I was ill-equipped to fully grasp all the wonder held within the writing JK Rowling offered. You see, when asked what I gleaned from my own reading of Harry Potter as a writer I was always left perplexed. Before the course I had never read the books in that way. I allowed JKR to take me on a fantastic adventure and just hung on for the ride. When I look back on the text it is very difficult for me to separate the technique of JKR's presentation from my fanatical reception. It is not impossible, simply difficult.


However, I am well aware that there is much to be learned from the output of the authors I respect, so I do not want to miss any learning opportunities when they avail themselves. Which brings me to The Casual Vacancy.

I rushed to purchase my copy on day one. I set aside my day to be spent in Barnes and Noble reading until my husband came home. I knew that September 27, 2012 was going to be all about JKR's new book. I almost missed my lesson. Just as I picked my seat in the Barnes and Noble Cafe next to the window, looked down at the cover of my newly purchased book and was about to open to page one a thought occurred to me, I can't wait to see how she sweeps me away this time!

HOW

That was the key word. Anyone looking at me sitting there could have seen that I was struck by something: I couldn't hide my reaction. This is my chance! I thought, This time I can really look at HOW she does it, WHAT she does and I can see what I'M MISSING!

So began an incredibly slow read. It is now Sunday, four full days since I purchased the book, and I have only just passed page 150. This is because I am not only being taken away to another of JKR's worlds, but because I am also in JKR's course on writing well.

I've been stopping to take notes, to reflect upon WHY certain passages move me, why certain sentences are so clearly expressive and I've been thinking about what I haven't been doing in my own writing. I have already gleaned a number of basic lessons from JK, that I imagine one can gather from any author they admire, and I thought it might be nice to share the with my readers.

In short, what I have found is that JKR tells A story, she doesn't just tell THE story. This is really the "big lesson" I have gleaned from the experience so far. All the notes I have taken while reading contain all of the techniques required to make that simple distinction.

This lesson is so much clearer in The Casual Vacancy than in the Harry Potter books because, in this novel JKR is writing about ordinary people in an ordinary world. There is no magic or fantasy to spice things up - JKR is telling us about a town that is dealing with some drama, that's all. A man died which opened up an opportunity to shift the political climate in the town (I haven't finished yet, so I don't know how intense it becomes or what the conclusion is), that's THE story, but to tell A story about it, JKR puts on her storyteller hat and immerses us in the environment, the community, the emotions and the feel of the facts.

I plan to write more about this, but for now I just wanted to touch base with everyone, show that my fingers still beat on the keys as my heart beats in my chest, but I'm "in class" right now, so I hope to have lots to share with you soon!

Writing Prompt - Modeling Your Favorite Author

A couple of weeks a go I read a fantastic book called So, You Want to Be A Writer by Vicki Hambleton and Cathleen Greenwood (the review is on its way!). It is geared toward a young adult audience, but I, personally, think it is an invaluable resource to anyone thinking about jumping into the writing profession. Amongst a number of other resources and tips, there is one section of the book which provides writing prompts. I would like to attempt one that has captived my attention and share it with you. The suggestion/prompt is to "Use an Author as a Model" (p.67), here is a description from the authors of what it entails:

Try looking at the first few paragraphs of a favorite book. Choose three sentences and copy them, substituting new names and mostly new verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Keep the basic sentence structure the same.[...] Keep going after you've written these first few sentences, using your author as a model whenever you'd like. [...] This technique is like learning to ride a bike: at first, you need someone to hold the back of your seat. But once you get going, you can do it all by yourself. Once you've gotten started, let go of the original author's plot and characters, and let your story go off on it's own adventure.

 I'm going to give this a shot with one of my favorite authors, J.K. Rowling, using Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as my jumping off point. This might be a little awkward because the first paragraph has only two sentences, the third sentence will be in the next paragraph. Here's the model I am going to use:

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.

OK... here is my new version. I'll put all my changes in italics:

Mr. and Mrs. Roddington, of number one, Rodding Ranch, were proud to say that they were extremely important, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything banal or mundane, because they just didn't hold with such simplicity.

Mr. Roddington was the director of a firm called Fulfillment, which made dreams come true for those who could afford his lofty price.

Wow. I told myself I was going to stop writing at the three sentences, but I can definitely see how this prompt works. I'm curious about the Roddingtons now! I want to write more. What is this "Fulfillment" firm all about? How lofty is Mr. Roddington's price? I have to be honest with you, I sat down in front of my computer with no idea of what the heck I was going to write today. That's why I pulled out the prompt section of the So, You Want to Be A Writer book in the first place and now, here I am, three sentences later, with some new characters lurking about in my brain. What fun!

Fellow writers, you have to try this out. It's fun and easy. If you do, share your link in the comments below! You don't have to use Harry Potter, go ahead and use whatever book you like.

What do you think of the Roddingtons?

Have you used a writing prompt like this one before?

Would you use a prompt like this one in the future?

What kind of writing prompts get your juices flowing?