The Spark Blogfest: Doomed to be a Writer

 

Christine Tyler at The Writer Coaster has created this awesome blogfest. You only had to pick one question to answer for it, but I've decided to write all three and post them today, tomorrow, and Wednesday.

Today's question is: What book made you realize you were doomed to be a writer? 

In high school, I saw the musical Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I became rather obsessed with all things Phantom and ready Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera. My obsession turned into writing on several role-playing game groups on Yahoo.

Although Phantom of the Opera jumpstarted my passion for writing, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series cemented it. Once I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone I was hooked. Writing in Rowling’s complex world inspired me to create worlds of my own. It made me become a writer.

Wednesday's Writing Update: Short Listed Stories, Harry Potter movie and More

Happy Wednesday!

I went to the midnight viewing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. It was the best film to date, although I didn't cry nearly as much as I thought I would. I think it was because at midnight, I'm too tired to get emotional. *laughs* I do hope to see it at least once more in the theater. My sister and I were briefly on the news, too, when we walked by the camera when they were filming the line. I really am going to miss the Harry Potter series and was also rather devastated when I found out that the Dark Knight Rises will be the final Batman film by Christopher Nolan. 

As in writing news, I received two emails that my short stories "Compulsion" and "Ereshkigal's Revenge" are short listed. It doesn't mean too much, since they could still be rejected in the end, but it's always nice not to be rejected right away.

Because of Harry Potter and taking the long weekend off, I've done even less editing and writing than I normally would. I have, however, finished two short stories for August and September on Raven and the Writing Desk. I have two more short stories I would like to finish before the end of July. Then I'm finished writing short stories until October. I'll still have blog posts and flash fiction for August and September, but my main goal will be to finish the rewrite, edit, and polish Virtuoso, so it is query-ready by the first week of October. I keep getting lured away from working on Virtuoso, but I want it finished soon so I can work on other things, like my next NaNoWriMo novel (STARRED, YA Contemporary) or editing The Phoenix Prophetess (YA Fantasy) and Missing (Paranormal Thriller) or rewriting an old short story into a novella and perhaps self-publishing it. So, I keep saying to myself, "Two short stories and then Virtuoso."

And I'll have some editing thrown in there too, but there will always be editing, I think. 

So, what is everyone else up to? Did you see Harry Potter yet? If so, what did you think? 

Personal Thursdays: What Harry Potter Means to Me

Tonight at midnight, I’ll be sitting in the movie theater watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with my sister. It’ll be my third midnight viewing of this series, and I’ve seen all the movies on the first day.

For ten years, I’ve read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies and it’s hard to believe it’s over. A third of my life was spent with Harry Potter and the wonderful world JK Rowling created. I owe a lot to her.

I probably wouldn’t be a writer without JK Rowling and her world. I roleplayed Harry Potter for ten years and wrote Harry Potter fan fiction. I learned about characters, plot, and setting by exploring her world. Some things I wrote even appeared in the later books—not that I think Jo noticed or anything—but it was still cool to have that validation that our minds were linked.

No one could beat me in Harry Potter trivia either, and I won the last two books at the Harry Potter parties at Walmart.

I most likely wrote as many words in her world as she did when you think about it. I know I wrote over 150,000 words in fan fiction, and that’s not including the hours I spent every day in roleplaying Harry Potter. Yeah, as you can tell, I had no life during my twenties. *laughs*

Tonight, I’ll head to that movie with tissues in hand. I’m proudly going in my Ravenclaw outfit, and I’m going to immerse myself in her wonderful world. It may be for the last time, but it means the world to me.

And, I can still visit that world in Orlando. Must get to Florida...just not in summer. No, summer + Florida is bad.

Knowledge Tuesday: Harry Potter Books Word Counts

No one can disagree that JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books have become a phenomenon. I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in summer 2001. Then I read it and the other three that same summer and had to wait for what felt like an eternity for books five, six, and seven. On Friday, the last part of the movies will arrive—and yes, I’m attending the midnight showing—and it’ll be the end of a series that means so much to me. Of course, that meaning will come on Thursday’s post. *grins*

Today, I want to talk the books in word counts:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – 76,944 words

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – 85,141 words

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – 107,253 words

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – 190,637 words

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – 257,045 words

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – 168,923 words

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – 198,227 words

That’s a grand total of 1,084,170 words. Over a million words. Wow. I would’ve read a million more. *laughs* And, that’s not even including Quidditch Through the Ages, Fantastical Beasts & Where to Find Them, or Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Of course, as writers, we should pay attention to how many words the first book was. That’s pretty normal for a children’s fantasy novel. Maybe bordering on high for a word count range for that age group—although, who are we kidding? Harry Potter is for all ages.

They say it takes 10,000 hours or 1,000,000 words to write anything worth reading. I wonder how many words JK Rowling wrote before Harry Potter. I would say she definitely has mastered her fantastic Harry Potter universe.

Harry Potter Holiday Blogfest - A Surprise Christmas Gift

Michael has created a wonderful Harry Potter Holiday Blogfest. If you get your entry in by Sunday afternoon, you can still join in the Harry Potter fun :http://writing-art-and-design.blogspot.com/p/harry-potter-blogfest-my-first.html

Photo found at http://i16.tinypic.com/5079kc4.jpg

A Surprise Christmas Gift

Twelve-year-old Severus Snape hunched over the thick volume of Moste Potente Potions. It was a book from the restricted section, but he talked Professor Slughorn into giving him a pass. The Head of Slytherin had been in a rather jolly mood with the holiday season, so the request was too easy to obtain for the dark-haired Slytherin.

A slight noise startled him, and he glanced around the library. Not a soul was stirring, not even the Grey Lady, who he'd seen earlier. The librarian wasn't even there. Then again, it was Christmas morning, and he had chosen to remain at Hogwarts instead of returning home. Yet, he couldn't remain in the dorms because the other Slytherins were opening their presents. He didn't want to show him his pair of repaired socks and a box of Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans. He hated Bertie Botts, and his mum knew it too.

His finger ran down the page as he memorized the ingredients for the Polyjuice potion. He looked at this page often once he found it. If only he could be someone else for a day, but he shook his head, causing his hair to fall into his eyes. He'd never be able to get the items necessary to brew the potion. He couldn't afford powdered bicorn horn or shredded boomslang skin.

"Happy Christmas, Sev." The voice was soft, feminine, and familiar, but he still jumped and tensed his shoulders.

"Hello, Lily," he said without turning around to face her. "I thought you'd be home for Christmas."

She laughed and sat beside him. "It was bad enough last year. Petunia has been rather frightful since I started attending Hogwarts. I decided this year I would stay. Now, what are you doing in the library on Christmas morning?"

"I could ask you the same thing." His voice drawled over the words. Everything was much simpler between the two of them when they were in Spinner's End. "You shouldn't be sitting here beside me."

"Think it would ruin my reputation?" Lily's voice contained an amused lilt.

"It would ruin mine more," he said, and the two friends shared a hesitant laugh.

"I got you something." She removed a wrapped box from her school robes and set it upon the book.

He stared at the shiny green and silver paper. Slytherin colors. It was too kind of her. They really shouldn't still be friends, but he couldn't help himself. He liked Lily. "Er…thanks. I didn't get you anything, though."

"Don't worry about it. I hope you like it." She smiled at him, and he finally glanced over and met her green-eyed gaze.

He cleared his throat. "Thanks again."

"Well, don't just sit there. Open it." 

"Sure." His long fingers tugged at the ribbon. Then he unwrapped the rest of the gift. She had given him chocolate frogs. Not that he would tell anyone else, he did like to collect the cards. She knew him too well, and he felt happier from the small gift.

Harry Potter 7.1

Tonight at midnight, I'll be at the movie theater watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or what I like to call Harry Potter 7.1, since it's the first part of the two-part movie. 

I became a Harry Potter fan in the summer of 2001. The first movie was coming out in November, and I heard of the books. Several friends recommended them, so I decided I would give in and read the first book. I bought the copy in paperback at Walmart. Then, a strange thing happened. Like most people who read the books, I was sucked into this magical, fantastical world. Reading the first book wasn't enough. I scrambled to the store and devoured the second book, the third book, and the fourth book. What? JK Rowling hadn't finished the others! What was I going to do while I wanted for the fifth book to come out?

I created a roleplaying game on yahoo groups. Then, I created another Harry Potter roleplaying game. Then, I joined other people's Harry Potter roleplaying games. At one point, I was in over twenty different Harry Potter RPGs. It wasn't enough. The fifth book came out. The movies were there. I had to do more.

In 2003, I began to write Harry Potter fan fiction until 2005. It was my start of writing, even though I was playing in someone else's world. 

From RPGs and fan fiction to reading the books and watching the movies, I was as immersed in Harry Potter's world as the characters were to some extent. 

For the last two books, I went to Harry Potter book parties at Walmart, and I won a free copy of each book because of my vast knowledge. *smacks head* I still can't believe I forgot Brian, though, for Albus Dumbledore's full name. I knew all of it except the simplest name! It was great. 

When I held Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in my hand, the first thing I did was turn to the last few pages. I had to know whether he lived or died. Yeah, I cheated, I know. But I had to know. I couldn't read the rest of this wonderful series without knowing. Then, I turned to the beginning and kept reading until it was finished. I cried almost the entire way through that book. It wasn't just because everyone was dying. It was because it was the end of something I loved. There would be no more (unless JK Rowling changes her mind). 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the only book in the series I haven't re-read, and I haven't re-read the other books since reading it because I know who will die and it makes me sad. I'm still not over Dumbledore's death! Poor Dumbledore! *sobs*

Okay, I'm okay. I even miss Voldemort. I never found him to be evil. Misguided perhaps, but not necessarily evil. You want evil, you go to Umbridge. I loath that woman. Abhor her. Hate her. There isn't a word strong enough to share in my passion of hatred for her. 

And, I still think Snape is the best, most complicated character ever. 

So tonight, I will go with tissues in hand to cry, laugh, and cheer on my favorite trio. I can't wait to see this movie, even though it does make me sad that it's so close to the end of the Harry Potter movies. 

And, I still like to think the Harry Potter world might be real.

But, shh, don't tell the Muggles.