Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A to Z Challenge Day 10: JK Rowling, Journals & Junk

For today's A-Z Challenge post, I had trouble coming up with a J that I was really happy with, so I decided to go with the first few things that came to me and write about them.
JK Rowling - if you've read any of my previous posts, you'll know that I'm a huge Harry Potter fan.  I didn't join in the craze at first - I couldn't imagine what all the fuss was about - but from the minute I picked up the first book, I was hooked.  I've read all the books several times, except for the last book, which I just read recently because I couldn't bring myself to read it and have the series end.  I'm also a huge fan of the movies, which to me are terrific interpretations of the books.  And of course, all of us Harry Potter fans have the amazingly talented and prolific JK Rowling to thank for endless hours of entertainment.  I would love to get inside her head and see what she sees, see what inspires her and where she gets ideas - I'd love to know if her creative process is anything like mine.  I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason - I'm sure it was frustrating and discouraging for her when nobody would publish Harry Potter, but after waiting and trying for ages, she finally got published and look where she is now.  Most people only dream about success like hers in their wildest dreams.  I have a vivid imagination but even I can't imagine success like hers.  She's definitely an inspiration, someone I think of whenever I'm discouraged; she's living proof that determination and hard work can get you just about anywhere.


Journals - Most of my life, I've tried to keep journals, with various degrees of success.  The thing is, I don't do that much, I don't go many places, so I don't really have that much to write about on a daily basis. It would be the same thing most days - got up, worked out, wrote, cooked, wrote some more, watched a bit of TV, read, wrote a bit more.  My Grama has kept journals for decades - she has bags and bags of them.  Up until the last few years, it was just those little 5-year journals where you had a tiny spot to write each day, but when we couldn't find those anymore, we got her just a regular little notebook to write in.  I love it when she shows me bits and pieces of entries, and she's always referring to them if she wants to remember something.  It always makes me think that I should stick with journals so that someday my kids and grandkids can read them and maybe even though I don't find what I write in them very interesting, they will.  Like if I end up having JK Rowling-type success, for example haha.
Junk - I have so much junk in my room/office, it's unbelievable.  I don't know how I get anything done with all this clutter and visual distraction, but somehow I manage.  I always think I'm going to sort and organize but I know it'll take at least a full day and that's a day away from writing.  If I try to do it in bits and pieces, I get sidetracked so I know it has to be something I can just step away from the computer completely and do.  I also need to do a really thorough spring cleaning of the entire apartment, which I've been putting off.

And finally, I couldn't do a J post in good conscience without at least acknowledging my favorite J person - Jamie, my brother.  He's the best big brother in the entire world, an incredible person and friend, and I love him so much.

Today's J band is Jimmy Eat World - I'm not really all that familiar with their music, but I know a few of their songs and this one has been a favorite of mine for years.  There's no actual music video for it, so this is just the song from YouTube.



Do you keep a journal?  What kinds of things do you write about?  Personal things, thoughts and feelings, everyday occurrences?  Are you like me, where you live surrounded by a bunch of junk, or are you neat and organized?  As always, all comments are welcome and appreciated and I'll be sure to visit you back!  Have a great Tuesday!

8 comments:

  1. I rarely get to be the first to comment. Whoo hoo! I was a pretty avid journal writer as a teenager. Somewhere along the way (too many moves) I lost them. Now that I am busily writing middle grade and YA I wish that I had them. I also have writing journals I kept for years. Those often give me great ideas for projects.

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  2. lovely J Words.

    Love J. K. Rowling 2.
    beautiful you.

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  3. I, too, am a huge fan of both the HP books and movies. The first book had been out for a bit (I think maybe the third one had just been published?) when I picked it up for the first time. An obsession was born. I will probably cry when the last movie comes out, but I heard they're working on a documentary of the filming, so I have that to look forward to. As for journals, I was never one to write a lot of personal things down, but I do keep a notebook nearby to jot down writing ideas so I don't forget anything. Great "J" post!

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  4. I felt the same way about HP and then decided I had to read the first one to see what all the fuss was about. Immediately after than I read book 2 and just kept going. What a great series. But I refuse to see the movies.

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  5. I keep an 'idea' journal and I make a big fat one for each novel. I love old diaries for research and inspiration. It's fascinating for insight into a time period.

    I like Jimmy Eat World. I have them on my playlist.

    I have yet to read a Harry Potter. I need to remedy that. I've liked the movies.

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  6. it's like we're the same person... STRANGE like that. JKRowling is who I attribute with getting back to writing after decades of thinking it was a pipe dream. The harry Potter books taught me how to FINISH a story, and how to do a limited 3rd person where the perspective is often flawed really well. I adore her BALANCE, and my highest goal would be to write books like she does that are understandable on so many levels. My kids both had those books read to them at 6--and they loved the simple good versus evil, monsters, witchcraft tale... in later elementary there is the budding romance angle and the 'just because they're in charge, they aren't necessarily right' angle. In middle school you add some spotting of foreshadowing, in high school some evidence of mythology... PhDs have debated these books. How can you please on so many levels?! I want to KNOW!

    And I journaled in my youth then gave it up for lack of variety, but a year ago a medical resident I'd helped with some research gave me one of those 5 year journals and I've been using it to document the writing milestones...

    And finally... I am the world's biggest packrat (well, maybe not biggest, but I would be if we lived in a house bigger than a shoebox)

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  7. So nice to meet another Canadian on the A-Z challenge!
    You know, I really believe the most interesting journals are the ones where you write about your home; what you know best. Always more interesting than travelogues.

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  8. Why does J.K. Rowling have to be so beautiful AND intelligent AND successful. It brings up a different j word...

    Sarah Allen
    (my creative writing blog)

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~Marie

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