As a fantasy writer myself, I decided to spend the next few years reading every book on this list and record the lessons I learned from each volume on how to be a great writer.
PLOT (From Goodreads): “Harry Potter’s life is miserable. His parents are dead and he’s stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he’s a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and…”
I’m going to stop right there. Seriously, is there anyone reading this who doesn’t know what this book is about?
Outside the US the book is know as “Harry Potter and the the Philosopher’s Stone.” Supposedly, the US publisher thought kids would be turned off by philosophy. Take that, Nietzsche!
WHAT I LEARNED: While the Harry Potter books are an easy read for adults, this was a difficult blog to write. Ever since the mega blockbuster series debuted in 1997 millions of aspiring (and several professional) authors have sweated over the text, searching for ways to make their own novels just as popular.
I’m not about to claim that I’ve figured out the “magic” formula behind the series’ monumental success (probably because there is no such formula) but I did come away with two major lessons rising authors can apply to their own writing.
1) MAKE THE ADVENTURE FUN: The later Harry Potter books did become darker but the first one is more or less a daydream novel. Harry’s life sucks then he discovers he has magic powers, then he discovers he’s a prodigy at a sport he’s never heard of and then he becomes one of the most popular wizards in school. Yes, he does face some challenges along the way (like a snake-worshiping uber-wizard) but for the most part life improves. One aspect both children and adults loved about this first novel was that it was similar to their own daydreams.
That being said, I have read countless other novels that begin with an unhappy character, but their lives only become more miserable after they discover they have magical powers or a secret past. The heroes/heroines often brood over their destiny and view their journey more as a trial than an adventure. In the end they defeat the villain and accept their fate but they have already spent the majority of the story regretting their situation.
I get why authors do this. They want their stories to be realistic and most of us wouldn’t be happy to learn that we were destined to fight demons or vampires. However, keep in mind your story is meant to be entertaining.
I’m not saying that your novel needs to be as light-hearted as the first Harry Potter Book, but even if you’re writing something along the lines of Game of Thrones look for ways for your characters to find some enjoyment in their quest. One of the reasons why we love characters like Harry Potter, Peter Parker or Buffy Summers is that while they do sometimes brood, they often have fun with their abilities, using their powers in ways the rest of us can only dream about.
Personally, I prefer the creepy/surreal Eastern European covers.
2) CREATE CONFLICT AMONG THE CHARACTERS: Obviously you want every aspect of your novel to be strong (plot, setting, themes etc.) but if there’s one aspect that is more vital than the rest it is character. You could write the most imaginative adventure full of humor and suspense but if you have flat, uninspired characters it’ll amount to little more than a doorstop.
Admittedly, there are some characters in the series who are relatively two-dimensional. Some are good just because they are good while others are evil just because they are evil. However, almost every one of the witches and wizards who populate Rowling’s magical world have very distinct personalities. There are some characters who appear only in a single chapter but still manage to linger in the reader’s imagination.
These strong personalities also cause conflict, even among the characters who are friends. The most obvious example is the conflict between Ron (a C- slacker) and Hermione (an A+++ hyper achiever). There is hardly a scene featuring the two of them when they aren’t butting heads (they also represent the two sides of Harry, one wants to have fun, the other wants to succeed). Then there is Hagrid who unintentionally endangers our heroes by trying to raise a dragon in his tiny hut and Neville who tries to stop Harry, Ron and Hermione from facing Voldemort.
Other, lesser, fantasy novels feature a merry band of heroes who all have the same ambitions and goals. However, Rowling uses distinct personalities to flesh out the world and uses conflict among friends to engage the readers, holding their attention even when the heroes aren’t battling the forces of darkness.
DISTINCT PASSAGE: The following scene takes place during Harry’s first ride on the Hogwarts’ Express. It is the first time the series’ three man characters have a conversation together.
“He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.
“‘Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,’ she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.
“‘We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,’ said Ron, but the girl wasn’t listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
“‘Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.’
“She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.
“‘Er — all right.’
“He cleared his throat.
“‘Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.’
“He waved his want, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.
“‘Are you sure that’s a real spell?’ said the girl. “Well it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course , I mean it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard — I’ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?'”
