Monday, April 9, 2012

H is for Harry Potter

I was in middle school when I started reading Harry Potter, a little while before Goblet of Fire came out (in fact, I'm pretty sure I went to the midnight release of that one). It wasn't the first book series I fell in love with, and it definitely wasn't what started me reading, but it had a HUGE impact on my life. It was the first time I realized just how much books could transcend the page.

I lived, ate and breathed Harry in high school. My best friends read the series too, and I can't even count how many hours we spent analyzing all the details. We knew what all the mythology meant, and we had a notebook full of predictions for how the series would end (almost none of which came true). One of my friends denied the ending of the fifth book ever happened; I denied the ending of the sixth book. We went to midnight releases for at least five movies and three or four books (we did not, however, wear costumes. That's where I drew the line, though it was more about laziness than embarrassment).

Harry Potter was also my first real introduction to fanfiction. Before that, I'd dappled in Digimon fanfiction (don't judge), but I didn't become serious about it until I got involved with the Harry Potter scene. Guys, I've written a lot of fanfiction, and I have no regrets. Fanfiction taught me a lot about writing and a lot about the world. My first introduction to erotica was through fanfiction, as was my introduction to hatred and homophobia. I learned how to shrug off critiques and how to take constructive criticism. I learned about writing on a schedule because I had people who were anticipating new chapters (I was not good at this part. I was very not good at this part).

And I learned that there were other people who were as nerdy as I was. They weren't just online; I met some real life friends who wrote fanfiction too. Other Harry Potter geeks who weren't content just to wait for the next book to come out. Our stories were elaborate and often only tangentially related to the series, and they consumed hours of our time. Just last week, I found notebooks I'd set aside for a five-book fanfiction series I'd wanted to work on (Hermione/Snape, which was not my normal ship... I was Ron/Hermione before it was cool).

I think almost everybody has a story about Harry Potter; it's that influential. If we're the sum of everything that happens to us, I can't even begin to fathom what my life would be now without it. It's a book series I still look to as an example of what I could achieve with a lot of talent, a great story, and a little luck.

What are some of your Harry Potter memories?

12 comments:

  1. Yay for Harry Potter geekdom! I too was a HP fanfic writer back in the day! I often wonder if I am conversing with bloggers who may have read what I wrote - but I am not entirely sure I want to mix my online geek name to my writer name to find out lol!

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    1. Haha, me too. Especially since my ff pen name is linked to a lot of accounts. I don't think any really contain personal information, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable sharing it all either. But it is something I've wondered about!

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  2. The final book was incredible. I love how she included everyone from all six books (pretty much) in the last book.

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    1. Oh man, me too! I may have cried a bit when I finished that book. It was such a wonderful cap to the series.

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  3. You are my soul sister! I still breathe HP! My room was covered from wall to wall with posters and shelves of memorabilia. It's now all in my closet under my stairs... appropriately called the Harry Potter closet. :D

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  4. I just can't resist a story that resonates with me, my husband, and our children. Whether it's reading aloud or watching the movies, we love it all. We own so much paraphernalia and are saving for a trip to Florida. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, here we come.

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  5. Haha, ah Harry Potter, still consuming many a writing conversation.

    I think writing a HP fanfic was the first time I ever stuck with an idea (though I never did finish it). Like, I got much further then daydreaming and a ton of chapter ones. I think I still go back and re-read the first chapter of SS all the time, because I adore that style. Obviously, the more serious the series became, the more serious the tone and it had to cut back on a lot of the whimsy, but, it never gave up all its magic.

    Also, *cough*HarryxLunaforthewin*cough*
    Not that there's anything wrong with Ginny.

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  6. Hooray for Harry Potter! My mom and I went to the midnight release party for Hallows at a local bookstore. And I won a giant bowl of jelly bellies (thought they were Bertie Bott's, glad they weren't lol). Because I guessed there were 1159 jelly beans, and that's exactly the number. Get it, 11:59? :D It was a fun party. And we ate LOTS of jelly beans.

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  7. I associate Harry Potter with Summer and growing up. As a teenager summer was my favorite time of year, not just because no school. But because I worked at a Summer Camp, which provided me with a place to sleep and three meals a day. Which meant that for at least that part of the year I didn't have to worry about those things.

    Every summer a group of councilors would go to the midnight release party, and cause I was a barn staff and didn't have campers (horses are better) I would go with them. Then it was like a mad race among the councilors to see who would finish first.

    I love Harry Potter. When the last movie came out it was a bit like the end of an era.

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  8. Harry Potter is what got me back into reading and writing. and I too write H.P fanfic (still do). The books got me through some real hard times, and I made some great friends through them. They'll always have a place in my heart.

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  9. I always think of the fact that I cancelled a date the day Harry Potter came out so I could stay home and read, claiming to have a sore throat. The guy wasn't that great, anyway. LOL.


    My A-Z

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  10. My son and I stood in a line at midnight for Half-Blood Prince (I think that was the one) one summer. Since we live in Alaska, it wasn't dark and the merchants banded together to turn our downtown into Hogsmeade. We had a Honeydukes, a Shrieking Shack, did a scavenger hunt through the library, etc. It was a great time.

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