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When the first Harry Potter book came out, my daughter, son-in-law, and 5th grade granddaughter devoured it. I thought, since it was so popular, I should read it, too.
However, I couldn’t get beyond the first couple of pages. I found it boring!
Also, it didn’t seem to fall within the guidelines that we authors are told in writing classes…”Catch the editor and reader’s attention in the first sentence, first paragraph, especially the first page.” The older style of writing, with a couple of pages of description and no lively action, is no longer the type that appeals to editors. If you haven’t caught their attention by the first paragraph or so, your story may not have a chance of making it.
However, this doesn’t seem to be the case with the first Harry Potter book. Whatever captured the first editor’s attention, seems to have been enough…and the rest is history.
(But I still couldn’t become engrossed in the book…perhaps because I’m not a fan of science fiction and fantasy.)
Since my granddaughter loves the books and other fantasy ones, I'll get some input from her.
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4 comments:
I was a bookseller at the height of the Harry Potter phenomenon. I have to say J.K. Rowling turned a lot of kids (and parents) back onto reading. It was a real buzz being part of it, and seeing the kids and families reading.
I read the first 3 books and loved them, but haven't read the rest.
Thanks for giving your input, Yvonne. My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter simply loved the Harry Potter books. And youngsters I teach (I'm a substitute teacher) enjoy them, too. I've discovered, too, if you can get yougsters and older readers into one book, it might carry over into others (if they haven't been avid readers). I've felt I'm sort of "out of the loop" because I couldn't get into the Harry Potter books nor movies. However, I'm not a big fantasy reader, even though I enjoyed fairy tales as a child. Maybe the lack of interest in the fantasy and science fiction arena accounts for my lack of interest in Harry. However, I did come across a teen the other day who said she never could get into the Harry Potter books either, even though all her friends did.
Perhaps you should write something yourself that you would not find "boring".
But until that point, people should be critical toward themselves for first instead of others.
Nothing can be more disappointing than one who writes and tries to badmouth another, more successful author.
A great (but not well-known) Hungarian author did the same. It was truly odd to see that he - with his IQ score of 170 - can be ridiculously and childishly jealous.
Thank you, Mina, for visiting Book Bag Blog and giving your input. Obviously you're a Harry Potter fan. It's great so many people enjoy these books and that Ms. Rowling has been able to interest so many youngsters in reading.
I am a published writer and write stories I don't consider boring. However, they are in an completely different vein from the Harry Potter books.
I think it's great there are so many different types of writers with a variety of styles and topics. Then there is something for everyone.
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