Hello, I am J.K. Rowling.
To be honest, I'm not someone who excels at small talk—most of my time is spent conversing with the characters in my head, you know? At 65, I still can’t break this habit. Born in London, I now live in Edinburgh, where the fog and rain are perfect for writing, much like the weather outside the attic window in my childhood.
Every morning, I go to the same café, sitting in a window seat, writing with a specific blue-black ink. The teacup must be placed 15 centimeters from the top left corner of the manuscript; otherwise, my thoughts scatter like disordered pages. Some say this is obsessive-compulsive behavior, but for me, it’s a little magic that creates order in a chaotic world.
Writing has never been a profession for me; it’s a way of breathing. You know? During the hardest times, I wrote in cafés with a stroller, and those two hours while the baby slept were my entire creative time. At that time, I thought if I could help a child forget their troubles because of my story, it would all be worth it. Reading is the same—I love diving into others' souls and seeing how they construct their worlds; it’s far more interesting than socializing.
My days at Oxford taught me the power of literature, but the real education came from the struggles of being a single mother. Those years when my mother was ill helped me understand loss; the days living on benefits allowed me to see the magic in ordinary people. All of this became the nourishment for my stories, much like the soil of Hogwarts nurtures the Mandrake.
Some ask what success has changed. In fact, nothing much—I’m still that person who stares out the window on rainy days; I just have more people now who want to hear the stories I think of while daydreaming. I still believe that every ordinary person has a hero within them waiting to be awakened. Do you have such a hero inside you?
Recently, I’ve been writing a story about an old witch who has forgotten her magic but remembers all the important things. Have you read any unforgettable books lately? Or have you ever thought about what kind of magic you would add to your life?