There is so much to love and criticize about the Harry Potter series. Some praise J. K. Rowling’s skill weaving suspense and mystery so seamlessly into a fantasy series, while others point out the countless plot holes that her world building fails to address. The Harry Potter series is like most things — some good and some bad. But today I plan to focus on the good. Although I plan to write an entire article on my biggest problem with the Harry Potter series, this article shows one of the reasons why I believe that J. K. Rowling’s work did so well.
Creativity
Everything about J. K. Rowling’s work is creative. Everything, from the world building to the plot to the mystery, is brand-new. Reading through the series for the first time is like exploring a world that mirrors our own, with battles between good and evil and people who try to do good and fail, yet where creativity and uniqueness abound. Everything, from the moment Harry leaves his home on Privet drive, to the final, closing words of the epilogue, brings something new and refreshing to the fantasy genre. Everything, from the way that Hogwarts students arrive at platform 9 ¾ to the way that they eat (with enchanted food and floating candles), is new. The world J. K. Rowling created is exciting and unheard-of. It captures the imagination and thrills the readers. There’s so much to explore throughout the series that drives the readers to complete it as quickly as possible.
Though the Harry Potter series is riddled with cliches and cluttered with inconsistencies, Rowling’s creativity is so powerful that it eclipses all of that. It is so strong that she has amassed a wide following of passionate fans of all ages. This is why, if you are writing, creativity must come first.
Now, it is difficult for me to write that. In truth, character is the most important aspect of a story, because if your readers care for none of the characters — if they seem flat and uninteresting — you lose that relatable spark that connects two people and binds your readers to your book irreversibly. When they close the book for the last time, your readers will be changed. They will never completely forget the characters they rooted for. They will forever be bound to your book.
But at the same time, you can check every character box, outline a beautiful character arc, create a flawless sequence of character development, and still leave your readers uninterested in an un-relatable character.
Why?
Because creativity must come first. World building, characters, and plots all must possess that spark of creativity to truly come to life. Without it, they fall flat. If a “novel” is filled with characters that are not different from each other and travel in a world where hardly anything changes to achieve goals from struggles that are not that unusual, you are going to lose your audience. There are many pieces of realistic fiction centered around average Joes dealing with everyday issues, but they still possess so much creativity in the way that the problems are presented, how the characters deal with them, or how the problems are solved that they capture the imagination and fascinate both me and other readers.
So if you are worn out from following the three-act story structure to a T, exhausted with characters that don’t seem relatable enough, and tired of reading yet another blog post on how your writing could be so much better if only you follow this specific recipe, take a break and remember what’s important.
What makes this story important to you?
What aspect of it made you jump with excitement when you very first thought of it?
What element is so creative that it makes you want to burn down your outline and begin writing?
Write that.
Don’t lose that creative spark. No writing is perfect — no author ever will be. But that wild, exciting drop of creativity that started it all, that is valuable and irreplaceable. Our creativity, our ability to think outside the box, is what makes us human. It’s universal and fragile. It’s also what makes our writing stand out; When readers are able to take a step back and realize that they’ve never read anything like that before.
So whatever you do, don’t lose that. Don’t drown your creativity with stacks of plans and hours of research. Preserving that creativity may come at a cost. Harry Potter is full of static characters, plot holes, and cliches. But J. K. Rowling never let go of the spark that started it all, and that’s why her series is so inspiring and fresh.
What spark started your story? What makes it unique? And how was the article? Too sweet? Too sour? Just right? Comment below and let us know!
Hi! My name is Mara, and I’m a Christian artist, violinist, and blogger. I remember the day that I decided that I would learn something new about what makes a good story from every book I picked up — whether it was good, bad, or a mixture of both. I use this blog as a way of sharing some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned, and highlight which books, cartoons, and movies have taught me the most about writing an awesome story.