Opening the Writer's Desk: Writing Tips from J.K. Rowling
Welcome to another installment of ‘Opening the Writer’s Desk,’ where we take a deep dive into the writing tips from today’s most widely-read authors.
In today’s post, I’m going to share four writing tips from J.K. Rowling—you may have heard of her.
Because someone out there hasn’t, I’m just going to say it: Harry Potter. That’s her. Here’s what JK Rowling says she does to produce her best work.
If you ever feel stuck, you’re not alone. It happens to us all, at least, it happens to me fairly often.
But whenever I feel stumped, I like to look to other writers I admire. Figuring out what has worked for them really helps me get inspired.
J.K. Rowling is, of course, a titan of contemporary literature, and the author and creator of the Harry Potter franchise—but she started just like any one of us, writing the first Harry Potter book in a cafe in Edinburgh.
So how did she go from cafe writer to one of the most popular authors of all time?
Today, we’re going to explore that question.
Tip #1 from J.K. Rowling: Write wherever you can find the time
One of the problems I hear most frequently from aspiring authors is the time problem: “I want to write my book, but I just don’t have the time.”
It’s true, finding the time to write a book is a big ask, especially when most of us have full-time jobs, or are parents, or have a hundred other responsibilities. But as Rowling says, “Sometimes you have to get your writing done in spare moments here and there.”
As much as we wish there were, there’s no wand we can wave to free up all the time we want.
You may only have a few pockets of 15 or 30 minutes to devote to writing everyday, and that’s okay! You can still get it done!
Liz, my colleague, also a writer, wrote her book in her van while waiting at her kids’ sports practices. (This is the beauty of writing in a notebook—you can take it with you wherever you go!)
When she finished, she was more proud of herself for making it happen, because she knew how much it had taken—she’d found her power, learned what she was capable of.
Sure, it would still be cool if she had written her novel sitting at her desk with 10 free hours in the day to spare. But that wasn’t the case. She’d written it in her car in 15-minute increments...and that was the part she took the most pride in. Not only did she write her book, but she learned her own strength.
I love that story. I love stories like these.
Pushpa just finished her novel on the Notes app of her phone while running a massive hospital system during a pandemic (literally, running it—she’s the chief doctor in charge).
Kate finished her novel while homeschooling kids during a pandemic.
These people’s stories bring tears to my eyes, because when they tell me they’ve finished, I can hear and see how deservedly proud they are of themselves.
These people aren’t superhuman. They aren’t exceptions, and they aren’t burnt out. They’re invigorated. They’re replenished. They’ve acknowledged their true, deep desire to write their book, and they’ve invested time and money in making that happen.
That kind of decision doesn’t lead to burn out. It leads to feeling more alive than you’ve felt in a long time.
It will never be the right time to write your book, which may sound sad and hopeless, but it’s actually the opposite—it means you have to make it the right time for it to be the right time.
Only you can decide that it’s time to write this thing.
So get your writing in when and where you can—maybe that means taking a notebook with you on your bus commute, or writing in those two hours after you put the kids to bed and before you go to sleep.
Are you ever going to have 24 hours a day to dedicate just to writing? Probably not. But you can make time, even if it’s not the “perfect” or “ideal” schedule—it may take a while, but you’ll hit your goal eventually.
People do every day.
Tip #2 from J.K. Rowling: Be open to revision
Get this: J.K. Rowling rewrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book in the series, multiple times before she started looking for a publisher, and rewrote just the opening chapter 15 times. That’s a lot of revision.
But also…I get it, because I’ve done that too.
I often rewrite my openings a lot more than I rewrite the other parts of my draft, partly because openings are so important to hook a reader, and partly because it’s a lot easier to figure out what the beginning of the book should be once you’ve written the end.
This is not to say that you’re going to have to rewrite your book fifteen times before you get a book deal.
But the annoying truth is that the first draft is just one version of the story you’re trying to tell, and you’re going to find discoveries along the way that will prompt you to make changes to make that story the strongest possible version.
When we as an audience read a published book, we’re reading a version of that story that has undergone so many versions of itself already.
We’re seeing the result of rounds and rounds of work.
My favorite writer, George Saunders, says that the thing that separates writers who publish from writers who don’t is a willingness to revise.
That’s the thing.
I once shared with a writer some ideas for revision of his novel. He’d written one draft—a first draft. There was a lot that was working in the draft, but there was also a lot of work that it needed.
When I shared with him these notes, he said, “Well, I guess the work never ends, does it?”
It struck me as a bit funny because he’d only written one draft. So…no. You’re not done, dude.
But also, he was right…the work isn’t really ever done. That’s why we have to make sure we like writing, because it goes on a very, very long time.
All the more reason to make sure you’re having fun while you’re doing it, and why I try to help the writers I work with find a process and writing cadence that’s joyful and enriching, not draining and painful.
Tip # 3 from J.K. Rowling: Sometimes less is more
When J.K. Rowling wrote the first draft of Philosopher’s Stone, she realized she had given away too much information about the characters and their world in the first book when she knew she was going to write a series, so she rewrote it, this time holding back more information than the first time.
You don’t want to overwhelm your reader with all the information, all at once.
Backstory is important.
By backstory I mean things like—how did this character end up here? Why is he so triggered by this event that’s happening right now? What’s he afraid of and why?
Backstory is how we learn who the characters are and what drives them. And that is what makes us care about them.
But backstory also, well, feels like backstory. It feels sort of dated, because it’s literally, by definition, in the past.
And that means if we dump too much of it all at once, particularly at the beginning of a story, it can really drag the story down.
So what’s the takeaway here?
You don’t have to be writing a series like J.K. Rowling was to learn a lesson here.
Give your readers enough information so that they know what’s going on in a given moment and care about the character, but don’t feel like you have to share everything upfront or too early. You can drip it out.
I like that image: dripping. Drip it out, don’t dump it out.
This isn’t the the ice bucket challenge…if you remember that from 2014. If you don’t, don’t worry about it.
Tip #4 from J.K. Rowling: Write the story you want to write, not the story you think others want you to write
Here’s a great Rowling quote: “What you write becomes who you are… So make sure you love what you write!”
I love this.
When you set out to write a book, you’re going to be spending a lot of time—usually at least a few months for the first draft—with your characters and in the world you’re creating.
You’re not going to find the motivation to spend those fleeting hours between work and your kids or whatever other responsibilities you have if you’re not passionate about the story you’re telling.
I think that’s a huge reason that the Harry Potter series resonated with readers of all ages—you can feel the love Rowling has for the world she’s created, and that love carried her as the author through seven books worth of character’s journeys.
When you write the story you want to write, your love for your world will show through, too.
Ready to write your book?
If you made it this far, I’m guessing that you are writing a book, or want to write a book.
If so, I want to talk to you.
When I’m not writing, my mission in life is to help talented writers write their dream books. I love it. I live for it.
If you're curious to know more, I have a FREE video walking you through my exact process for writing a book. You can get it by clicking below and answering two questions to apply to my program, the Book Incubator. You can get the video whether you join or not—no pressure to enroll.
Just click below to tell me a little bit about you and your book—you can fill out a form online. I’m so excited to hear from you!
