I am a woman, I am a writer. I’m still trying to find out what these both mean.
So I decided to look into the lives and stories of women authors.
Come on a journey with me through time and cultures, to explore these women who had the courage to believe in their words.
We start the journey at the top, one of the most well-known, the creator of the magical school of Hogwarts, J.K. Rowling. To set the scene I read the latest addition to the Harry Potter series, a play-script named ‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’. I devoured the book in 2 days.
At first, I was disillusioned with the idea of the book being a play-script, thinking I would not be able to enjoy it as I did the other seven Harry Potter books. By Scene 4 I was hooked.
After finishing the final scenes, with tears rolling down my face, I rejoice in the fact that Rowling had returned me to the magic. I laughed out loud and emotions flowed freely as they do when you become fully immersed in a story.
There are strong themes following the story that love and friendship are the most important aspects of our experience, a good lesson to us all.
The women in Harry Potter are strong, smart powerful women. Though the main protagonist isn’t female there is still an unmissable hit of girl power throughout (cue in Hermione, Ginny, and Professor McGonagall), which resonates in Rowling’s life.
An easy read with an element of nostalgia.
But what about Rowling herself?
Joanne Rowling is a British novelist, who came up with an idea on a delayed train in 1990. 7 years later it became Harry Potter and his magical world and went on to sell over 450 million copies.
6 months into writing Harry Potter Joanne’s mum died, she also survived a traumatic relationship, was living on the line of poverty as a single mum, and had recurring moments where she suffered from depression. All these experiences formed the good, the bad, and the ugly of her story. The Dementors that sucked souls were the images of depression as they brought with them darkness and sunken thoughts.
It makes me wonder if sometimes the hardship and struggles that women go through give them an unshaken confidence that allows them to write without fear. An unwavering confidence that makes us move forward without expectation, with benefits sometimes beyond belief — like in the case of J.K. Rowling.
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”
Rowling was named one of the UK’s most influential women for her social morality and influence on her fans, having started many charities like Lumos which helps kids suffering in orphanages.
She is also known for her playful and smart responses to certain tweets which keeps her 10 million followers entertained.
The story of J.K. Rowling is a fine display of what can happen when we accept the freedom to use our imagination.