Why am I intimidated by J.K. Rowling? (NOT about the HP books)

Cafe Society
1

I haven’t finished my book yet. I’ve mentioned it before, but here’s a recap: I’m working on a four-part YA series. My goal was to have finished book 1 by the first of June. Obviously, that hasn’t happened.

I have the entire series planned out, and right now, I need to fill in the last third of the story (final scene already nailed down, subject to change, of course), rewrite one particular chapters, and fix stuff I did earlier on that I knew wasn’t quite right.

I can’t concentrate. I can’t believe in myself in the face of all this J.K. Rowling hype. Now, I have nothing against her personally, but when I think of her, how she wrote the first book when she was dead broke and look-where-she-is-now…I can’t face it.

That’s never going to happen again. Even if I do get published, the whole world is not going to go insane for my book. They’re not going to hold vigils waiting for installments 2, 3, and 4; there will be no dissection of my stuff on the net; there will be no fan sites; and critics are not going to say “Hallelujah: [MyReal Name] has changed the face of YA literature!”

And if I don’t get published at all…then what? Maybe I’m not that good. Maybe no one wants to hear my voice. I’m 33; maybe I don’t know what makes teenagers tick. I wasn’t a normal teenager myself, after all. Maybe there’s not enough conflict in my story; maybe I’m not using the specific gimmick enough; maybe I’m too preachy.

So why am I intimidated by her? Because she’s fixed it so that there are no worlds left to conquer? Because she has more money than the Queen? Because I’m afraid editors will say, “It’s okay, but it’s no Harry Potter”? Because I should have been finished by now?

:frowning:

2

Yeah, me too.

3

All those successful authors intimidate me. They write books on writing, and a lot of them are filled with stuff like “You’ll never be able to write like me, ha-ha!”

Stephen King’s the only successful writer who doesn’t intimidate me like that, and I don’t know why. His book on writing (conveniently titled that) wasn’t like the others, and it was interesting.

But JK Rowling, all the other famous ones, they do. Especially the romance writers who crank out a novel every three months and get paid jillions for it. Ugh.

Good luck with your book.

4

Rilchiam writes:

> I can’t believe in myself in the face of all this J.K. Rowling hype.
> Now, I have nothing against her personally, but when I think of
> her, how she wrote the first book when she was dead broke
> and look-where-she-is-now…I can’t face it.

The story of her writing the first book while in extreme poverty is pure hype. When you hear that she was a single mother on welfare, it sounds like she grew up in poverty and had her first baby at 16, and then 15 years later, after having ten more babies, suddenly decided to write a book despite her lack of education. Here’s the real story: She was born into a middle-class family in Bristol. She graduated from college and worked for several years in a white-collar office job. In her late twenties, she decided to take a job teaching English in Portugal. While there, she married a Portuguese man. They were only married for about a year and a half, just enough time for her to have a baby, at whichpoint the marriage broke up. She returned to the U.K. and moved to Edinburgh for some reason. She probably could have found a office job, but she decided to get by on welfare for a while. She had been thinking about writing the first Harry Potter book for several years before this, and she decided it was time to get started. After writing a few chapters and an outline of the rest of the book, she submitted it to a local arts council and got a grant to finish the book. She was thus only on welfare for a short time.

> Even if I do get published, the whole world is not going to go
> insane for my book.

So what? Your book might just be better. The Harry Potter books are really over-rated. They aren’t bad books, but there are lots of better children’s fantasy series. For one thing, in the earlier books, Rowling isn’t very good at plotting. She uses the same plot twists too many times. The later books aren’t well edited. A good editor could have cut them down and produced much better books. A good editor would also have had her rewrite the earlier books and improve the plotting.

5

Well, if you’re just in it to make butt-loads of money, I can’t give you any advice. Or sympathy, for that matter – if you just want to “find the right gimmick” and make more money than the Queen, there are a lot of other fields that offer a better return on your investment.

But otherwise, I’d just say take the zen approach: If you finish the book, doing the best work you can, taking constructive criticism to heart and weighing what you can do to improve it while staying true to what you intended to do, your odds of having as big a success as the Harry Potter books are 1 in a million.

If you get discouraged now and give up because you think it won’t be a huge success, then your odds are 0 in a million.

The press makes a big deal about JK Rowling’s rags-to-obscene-riches story specifically because it’s so remarkable. If you were guaranteed to get a huge mega-hit with your first attempt every time, then the HP “phenomenon” wouldn’t be such big news.

You need to take a step back and remember why you started writing it in the first place. Is it to forever change the face of YA literature, and anything less in unacceptable? Or is it because you have a story that you wanted to tell? If it’s the former, you’re going to be discouraged every step of the way. If it’s the latter, you’ll have succeeded even if just one person reads your work and enjoys it.

When you finish, yes, publishers are going to compare it to Harry Potter. That’s because publishers are in the business of making money and regard the work as product. Writers are in the business of writing and regard the work as a creative act. And if by some chance, it doesn’t get published, then to start with, you’re not alone. And it doesn’t necessarily reflect on you, just on that particular work. Once again, you’ll never know unless you try.

It sounds like you’re definitely on the right track, you’ve got everything planned out and organized, and are farther along than 90% of the other people who start down this path. Loads of people have that one brilliant idea that’s going to be better than anything else the X genre has seen before, but can never sit down and write it. You can’t give up now, if only because if you do, you’ll never know whether all this intimidation were valid.

Good luck.

6

There’s no point in being intimidated by JK Rowling. She’s on an entirely different planet to unpublished writers and even published authors.

I totally agree with Wendell. The books are not well-edited, they are not particularly well-plotted but they are a marketing phenomenon. It’s a bit daft to think that every editor sitting behind a desk is comparing your book directly to Harry Potter. While they’re looking for books which potentially could sell like HP, they’re also still buying books in other genres and authors are still selling.

Rowling’s not your direct competitor. Your competitors are unpublished writers writing YA fiction. I don’t even think that Rowling has had an impact on other authors sales – most of the people who buy these books for their kids weren’t going to be buying other books in any case.

Anyhoo I’m still giggling that she admitted in an interview that she lost control of the plot of Goblet of Fire – she sure did and the marketing juggernaut meant that there was not time to repair the book.

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Okay, I’ve gotten that off my chest; I feel better now.

pepperlandgirl: You’re writing something?

Caesar’s Ghost: I avoid books on writing, for that reason. I read writing magazines, because they have a much more down-to-earth attitude. They regard writing as a craft that you can do with the right tools and plenty of practice, and, while they are naturally geared towards “how to get published”, they don’t foster the illusion that getting famous is the only reason to be a writer.

Wendell: That’s heartening!

No…I’m not doing this for the purpose of making buttloads of money. It’s just that I’ve been conditioned to think that success is measured by money and adoration. Consciously, I know that’s not true, but it is hard to get past it sometimes.

Also, when I said “gimmick”, I meant something other than what you may think I meant. There’s a certain aspect to the story that I feel I really need to play up, to avoid having it be just another girl-meets-boy-girl-gets-boy story. I’m only concentrating on that for the sake of making it interesting, not because I envision a line of toys based on my stuff!

**

**

Oh, I’m not giving up!

**

I know; I know. I just…Don’t you ever wonder how she did it—how she managed to reach what sometimes seems to be absolutely everyone? (Fundies aside, but even they don’t say it’s bad writing, just that it’s “godless” or whatever they call it.) What does she have; how was she able to tap into the collective consciousness so perfectly?

But then there is Wendell’s second paragraph. Biggest does not necessarily equal best.

**

This thing started as 'net fiction. At that time, I was doing it for me. Before too long, I was doing it both for me and for a handful of teens who were e-mailing me saying, “That was great! But what’s gonna happen next?” Eventually, with Mr. Rilch’s encouragement, I decided to abandon the 'net and work this into something that could be published and reach a wider audience. Money would be great, if only so that I can get something for my time, but even if I never get published, I’ll still have done it for me.

True enough!

Thank you!

She said that? LOL!

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I don’t wonder about it in that way, exactly. The HP books (and yes, I’ve read every one and have the new one waiting for me at the store) seem pretty straightforward to me, even calculated. Rowling’s writing itself is just a shade above serviceable. I don’t mean that to sound completely dismissive; she definitely understands pacing and how to pull readers of any age into a story and keep them moving along. And her descriptions are vivid enough to spark all the images in your head, and her characters are clear enough so that you get happy and angry and scared and frustrated at all the appropriate times.

But the plots are pretty wonky, and some of the twists are just absurd, clearly pulled straight out of her… down there. Seeing the second movie reminded me just how goofy the climax of the second book really was – that was a twist that was just barely acceptable at the end of a book, but was just impossibly silly when played out on a big screen. (I’m talking about the big anagram Riddle spells out with his magic wand.) But these are basically just mystery stories for kids, and they do a fine job of that.

I’ve seen movies and read books that have just left me feeling happy and miserable at the same time – amazed and overjoyed that human beings could be capable of making something that works so perfectly, but then depressed that I can probably never achieve anything on that level. I don’t get that from the Harry Potter books. I’ve got to respect that they work, and they even work for me because I get sucked into every one of them, but I can see how it all works.

Rowling’s biggest talent is that she knows her audience. She knows what kids like, she knows how kids feel, and she knows what adults remember from their childhood. Kids instinctively love their parents but hate the adults they live with – so Harry’s an orphan with horrible foster parents. Kids always feel like they’re outsiders and no one except their friends truly understand them – so Harry’s a magician in a world full of muggles. Kids love to feel as if they’re unique, but not too unique to the point of being freakish. Kids like to feel that they’re being independent but not alone; they reject authority figures but need them to be around when it’s important.

And it’s even more obvious when you get into the details. Kids love sports, so there’s an all-new sporting event (the rules of which dont make any sense, and which is constructed specifically to let the hero of the book save the day at the last minute). Then there’s all the marketing tie-ins like the collectible cards and candy and scenes where the kids are shopping (for school supplies!). I’m not so cynical to believe that Rowling foresaw all the mania that would surround her books and wrote all these things into the books so that they’d sell in real life. But she was perceptive enough to see that kids nowadays go crazy over all those fads and things to buy.

I don’t look at a wrench and marvel at how could it possibly work so well at loosening bolts; it works so well because that’s exactly what it was designed to do. I don’t think Rowling’s success is “magic,” just that she’s extremely observant. And while I think the books are very good, I wouldn’t give them “classic” status; they just don’t seem that long-lasting.

As for my response before – I apologize if I came off as trite or missing the point. I read the OP just as a case of writer’s block in need of encouragement, and I thought it was a rhetorical question.

9

Wait a second – these were unsolicited e-mails from teen-age strangers over the internet? For an unpublished, I’m assuming unpromoted internet story? What are you waiting for? Finish the damn thing and sell it!

If you’ve got teen-agers, who are typically sullen to start with and only get more withdrawn or inclined to say “that sux” over the anonymity of the internet, and they’re writing you to ask for more, it sounds like you’ve won half the battle right there. Especially if it were only published on some internet site that wouldn’t have a fraction of a percent of the promotional weight that a publishing company would put behind it; how are these kids finding the story in the first place?

Based off that, it sounds like you’ve got nothing to worry about.

10

Others have already pointed out that you’re not competing against her and you already have a small fan base.

If that’s a concern, maybe you can find a teenager or two to read what you have and give you some feedback.

11

How can J. K. Rowling herself help but be intimidated by J.K. Rowling? Each new book in the series that she writes runs the risk of being a major disappointment if she doesn’t bring it up to the standards she’s already set and satisfy her fans, her publishers, the critics, and herself. And if she wants to write something different after Potter… Think how much pressure and scrutiny she’s under.

If (should I say when?) your work gets published, even if only a handful (compared to Harry Potter’s audience) of people read and enjoy it, it will still have been worth while. And chances are, there will be somebody who thinks your books are better than Harry Potter!

12

I am indeed. I wrote a short story and someone suggested I expand it into a novel. I foolishly said “That’s a great idea!”

13

I sympathize, Rilchiam. One of my stalled projects is a YA story, and as I’ve been writing it, I’ve been nagged by wondering if people would compare it to harry potter because my character is an orphan who lives with an unpleasant family member for a while(before she dumps him on the state); despite it having nothing to do with witches, wizards, or schooling. There have been a great many stories with orphans, and his upbringing is more Oliver Twist or David Copperfield than Harry Potter(since Harry’s parents died valiently, and my Jared’s parents were a murder-suicide), but one wonders about the comparisons. Orphans often do live with family, who frequently is less than thrilled to have them, so it’s the logical placement. So why would it smack of HP instead of reality? And yet…

However, I think this compare everything for young adults to harry potter thing will pass; people are no longer comparing every horror movie to the 6th sense or The Others: now it’s the Ring :smiley:

14

In all fairness, I have seen numerous interviews where Rowling herself makes this point and tries to make it clear that she is in no way a “rags to riches” story and that this has been blown out of all reasonable proportions by the press. Yep, she did live poorly for a period of time while writing the book, but she did it through her own free will, putting her book ahead of a secure job.

Rilchiam, as everyone has said, there is nothing to compare. There are hundreds of authors who are loved by their audiences, are well read, and have continue to be popular. Looking at my own YA years I know that I eagerly awaited any new books by Judy Bloom, Robert Cormier, Paul Zindel, Paula Danziger etc.

No vigils were held, there were no fansites because we had never heard of the www, we didn’t dress up as Margret or the Pigman, we didn’t even know if new books were coming out. One day when we would come into the library there would be a shiny new book there, and we would run to get it.

There are enough barriers to success and happiness in this world without you putting extra limits on yourself :slight_smile: Go for it!

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Iteki: Yeesh! How could I be so blind! I adored Cormier, Zindel and Danziger! Cormier in particular was an early influence! (Blume, I didn’t like quite so much. I was always drawn in because they’re an easy read, but her kids were naive and kind of got on my nerves.) Yes, you’re absolutely right.

elfkin: Go for it anyway. The “Hero of a Thousand Faces” aspect has already been discussed. pepperlandgirl also!

Thudlow: Good point.

sugaree: Hm. I don’t really know any teenagers, but that’s a good idea!

Sol: No, you didn’t offend me. I appreciate you putting my doubts in perspective.

You analyzed Rowling’s work beautifully. Basically, her books are “well-made books”, the way Neil Simon’s works were “well-made plays”—and I’m not crazy about his stuff either. Also, Rowling is very, very good at obfuscation. There have been many plot twists that I should have seen coming, and kicked myself for not having done so, but she throws in so much smoke and mirrors, it’s hard not to be misdirected.

As far as the e-mails, you’re right about that too!

16

As a writer who works in a bookstore, I’ve got to say I feel your pain, Rilch.

But on the other hand, it gives me hope. If people can get this excited about anything- especially a book in this day and age- then I feel something urging me on and suggesting that I can add my voice somewhere, too.

And it’s taken me a while to be able to say that just because someone else wrote about something it doesn’t mean that I can’t write about it too. Salinger didn’t write the last word on growing up, Joyce (I say this to the deafening disagreement of my collegues) didn’t say all there was to say about Dublin…or growing up, for that matter.

I get to watch summer reading lists at the store (I’ve worked for both chains that start with a B) and have seen it shift from Dickens and Bronte to Tim O’Brien and Margaret Truman. There’s always someting else to be said and a different way to say it.

And I think you’re feeling worse about the “deadline” than anything. You set yourself a date a didn’t meet it. Depending on the kind of personality you’ve got, that could be a failure on the order of letting yourself down. I never have deadlines, just begin on days that seems nice and finish when I finish. When you’re under contract, then you worry about deadline.

AL

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AnnaLivia, I’m glad I posted this and got encouraging replies when I did…because I talked to my mom today, and, after discussing HP5, she just had to ask, “So where’s YOUR book?”

She was already upset that I didn’t get published before age 21.

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Im sure the Straight Dope have several teens that would be quite willing to give your book a whirl before it gets published. Hell, Im 18 and I would read it just on the off chance that it does become big so that I can casually name drop :D.

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No, i doubt that there will be no more worlds to build , populate , and expand upon. From midkemia to the westland, to the shire , the storys will always follow a path similar to anthor world, but its the characters that make a series worth getting excited over.

I think that jk is lucky in that she tapped into a need rather than an existing market and blowing it away. The reaction of kids when the novels came out was amazing, its like giving water to a thirsty man in the desert, and yet my local chapters has children and YA novels aplenty.

I have not looked since I have no idea what books may have been available, but I am assuming that the potter series will directly trace its roots back to english literature, ala boys almanac , etc of the 50’s and 60’s.

The four books to date that I have read ,have that old english feel to them, rather than magical books that have come out in the past 20 years.

Declan

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Declan writes:

> I have not looked since I have no idea what books may have
> been available, but I am assuming that the potter series will
> directly trace its roots back to english literature, ala boys
> almanac , etc of the 50’s and 60’s.

I’m not entirely sure what you’re saying here, but one of the sources for the Harry Potter books are the English public school boys stories of the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. 1950’s and 1960’s are certainly too late for this sort of story. This period was reaching its end about 1910. This was the height of the British Empire, just before the start of World War I.

Of course, in other ways Hogwarts is quite different from an old public school. It has both boys and girls, and there are a few students of Indian and Chinese ancestry (and in the movies, some who are apparently of Afro-Caribbean ancestry). To me, the whole series swings weirdly back and forth between 1910 and 2000. Some of the children have home computers, so it can’t be set before 1990, and yet Harry’s home situation is like an orphan out of a Dickens novel. If any foster parents today treated a child like the Dursleys treat Harry, they would be slapped into jail and charged with child abuse so fast their heads would spin.