Hatrack River Writers Workshop: May: Creating Mystery in HP

This is topic May: Creating Mystery in HP in forum Discussing Published Hooks & Books at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by Lullaby Lady (Member # 1840) on :

I was on Jo Rowling's official site, and was reading about her creation of "The Philospher's Stone." She mentioned something in passing that really intrigued me: something to the effect of "Starting the PS was difficult, not only for what I was trying to tell, but how much information I had to conceal." (Not a direct quote, BTW.)

So when she created HP, she had the entire series worked out and planned before she ever started writing Book 1. Is the mystery and the unknown behind HP what drives us to stand in line at the local Wal-Mart to buy the newest book at midnight? We get little morsels of information with each volume, and can't wait for the next fix-- is that Jo Rowling's true talent? I mean, I am a grown woman with a household of kids, and I am just chomping at the bit for Books 6 and 7.

Any opinions or comments about the HP phenomenon? Just curious...

Posted by Lord Darkstorm (Member # 1610) on :

Amazon had book 5 dropped on my doorstep the day of the release. No walmart lines for me.

As for the mystery, well, that is part of what I like. But to be honest, I love the stories. There is something to be said for a more simplistic style.

LDS

Posted by Alias (Member # 1645) on :

I think that if I understood the scientific formula behind it ... I would already be a millionaire.

But to put what I know into a few simple words:
It is new, it is light, it is thought-provoking, it is unpredictable (the world I mean), and the prose has a sort of attitude to it that we like. Oh-and we can all relate with it to some extent. It's like taking our old junior-high school days and merging them with our old junior-high school daydreams ...

Ok I lied, it's more than a few words ...
Well, I don't know, I guess.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

Sherwood Smith (an author with a few books published--look for them) said that the books have the appeal they do because they combine three very appealing kinds of stories:

1--sport story (Quidditch has the added benefit of being a magical sport and way cool)

2--boarding school story (Hogwarts has the added benefit of being a magical boarding school)

3--archetypal story (young protagonist finds out that he is really someone very special who has had prophecies made about him--see Joseph Campbell's HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES)

Posted by Lullaby Lady (Member # 1840) on :

I am reading Book #3 to my kids right now (before we go see the movie) and I have noticed that there is not a paragraph in her books that does not have a reference to the wizarding world. At the same time, however, she doesn't beat us over the head with the surroundings.

I think another strength the series has, is the fact that this fun, fantastic world is a hidden part of the real world. The histories are similar and parallel-- I really want wizards to exist! (I've found letters my 10 year old daughter has written to Harry Potter c/o the Dursleys! )

I admit, I am a huge J.K. Rowling/HP fan. I see many things in her writing that I have heard are "against the rules of good writing," but I can't see how they harm her works in the least! I am still new at creating stories, so this can be confusing to me at times. Any thoughts?

~L.L.

Posted by Jules (Member # 1658) on :

Those rules aren't there to stop you from doing things. They're there so that when you think about doing something that only works in unusual circumstances / is difficult to achieve correctly, you'll think very carefully about what you're doing.

If you think you should break a rule of writing, make sure you understand clearly _why_ breaking this rule is important to your story, why the rule exists in the first place, and what you can do to avoid the problems that the rule was intended to prevent.

Posted by punahougirl84 (Member # 1731) on :

Stephen King said, in On Writing, "Probaby J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter stories, is the current champ when it comes to back story. You could do worse than read these, noting how effortlessly each new book recaps what has gone before. (Also, the Harry Potter novels are just fun, pure story from beginning to end.)" He really emphasizes that writing is all about the story (whether it is about someone or some idea or whatever, the point is telling a good story - my phrasing here).

I think what is so great about HP is that Rowling does tell a good story, in bits, that keeps you turning pages and caring about the characters and what happens. I think it benefits from planning, yet doesn't feel heavy-handed. We know what we need to know, when we need to know it, and we are enticed by other bits. I know I sucked the books down pretty quickly, and didn't want to put them down until I was done.

We didn't stand in lines for the last book - there was a palette-full at Costco!

Posted by Luthiel (Member # 2033) on :

I don't think there's any hack formula for writing the kind of work JK Rowlings produced. She earned it. And what I mean by earned it is - she wrote the epic, probably many times over, until it became real to her. Then, when her story had matured, she exposed a bit - tip of the iceburg. When we see it, it looks simple, beautiful, easy. That's what's revealed to us. But there's a vast wealth, implied, stretching many fathoms beneath the surface.

Rowlings loved her work. Loved it enough to do what it took to finish. There's no cheap trick to it, just one Herculean gut check.

-L