39 replies to this topic

[theelderwand1]

Welcome to my Meet the Author page. About me? I'm in my late thirties, living in the midwestern United States, married to the perfect wife, with two grown kids. Incidentally, it was my step daughter that got me in to Harry Potter years ago. I read it to placate her and have been hooked ever since.

I haven't picked up a pen in nearly 20 years until I discovered HPFF and the muses managed to find me again. Currently, I only have one short story up, entitled Stop All The Clocks, its posted under theelderwand, without the 1. The muses haven't left me alone, so there may well be a few others in the not too distant future.

So, ask away . . .

[theelderwand1]

Ha, another mid 30s male, with grown kids....I thought I was the only one. Yes, my squirts got me hooked on Potter and even showed me this site. Too fun.

Welcome! If you need anything (am still new myself) let me know!

Thanks for the welcome! There aren't many of us "geezers" out here are there? I'm glad you dropped me a line. I was starting to worry if I was entering my second childhood without a support group! So far I think I'm finding my way around, but I'll definitely take you up on it when I get myself lost. Thanks again!

[JacksonRobles]

I have my own opinion on this, and I love to compare it to others--


What's your opinion of ROWLING'S character, Harry Potter? Throughout the entire series, what do you think of him?

[theelderwand1]

I have my own opinion on this, and I love to compare it to others--


What's your opinion of ROWLING'S character, Harry Potter? Throughout the entire series, what do you think of him?

It goes without saying that I like him quite a bit. That said, it always amazed me how mature he was. This was never clearer than his reaction to when he saw Snape's memory of James "antics." As you'll recall, he was really disgusted with what they did to Severus. Sirius and Lupin's response to Harry's reaction was just as telling; their response was that they were just kids and kids do stupid things they later regret. And Harry's retrort was that they were not much older then than Harry was now and that this was no real excuse or explanation.

This really speaks volumes about Harry's character. Naturally, this is only underscored by his determination in DH, which leads all the way to him willingly going to sacrifice himself. Is it believable for someone so young to show this much maturity at such a young age? Yes, I think it is. Exceptionally rare, but believable when placed in the context of his extremely tumultuous life. But, of course, if Harry wasn't exceptional, he wouldn't have been much of a main character.

[LaDirigiblePlum]

It goes without saying that I like him quite a bit. That said, it always amazed me how mature he was. This was never clearer than his reaction to when he saw Snape's memory of James "antics." As you'll recall, he was really disgusted with what they did to Severus. Sirius and Lupin's response to Harry's reaction was just as telling; their response was that they were just kids and kids do stupid things they later regret. And Harry's retrort was that they were not much older then than Harry was now and that this was no real excuse or explanation.

This really speaks volumes about Harry's character. Naturally, this is only underscored by his determination in DH, which leads all the way to him willingly going to sacrifice himself. Is it believable for someone so young to show this much maturity at such a young age? Yes, I think it is. Exceptionally rare, but believable when placed in the context of his extremely tumultuous life. But, of course, if Harry wasn't exceptional, he wouldn't have been much of a main character.

Sorry I was just looking at your meet the author topic, and I just loved your view on Harry! So naturally I had to say something. I love Harry, so I like hearing nice things about him. He is an exceptional character, and wonderfully selfless and loyal. I've always found his loyalty so endearing, and I don't think it's ever wavered, which I think is key when he willingly sacrifices himself to save all his friends. Such a gem.

I have a question for you! Or two... or maybe three, depending, and I'd be very happy if you'd answer them!

1. When you read Harry Potter, do you think that they give off "I am a children's book" vibes? (I always wonder this when adults read them, because I think they're timeless books, but some adults immediately dismiss them because they are "children's" books, so I always like to hear other views. )

2. Who is your favourite character and why?

3. Who is your most hated character and why?

The last two questions are ones I ask everybody, because I'm always curious about it.

[theelderwand1]

Sorry I was just looking at your meet the author topic, and I just loved your view on Harry! So naturally I had to say something. I love Harry, so I like hearing nice things about him. He is an exceptional character, and wonderfully selfless and loyal. I've always found his loyalty so endearing, and I don't think it's ever wavered, which I think is key when he willingly sacrifices himself to save all his friends. Such a gem.

I have a question for you! Or two... or maybe three, depending, and I'd be very happy if you'd answer them!

1. When you read Harry Potter, do you think that they give off "I am a children's book" vibes? (I always wonder this when adults read them, because I think they're timeless books, but some adults immediately dismiss them because they are "children's" books, so I always like to hear other views. )

2. Who is your favourite character and why?

3. Who is your most hated character and why?

The last two questions are ones I ask everybody, because I'm always curious about it.

Cool! A visit from the creator of the most hysterically monstrous Potter/Weasley children! Absolutely love your writing!

First, I don't think its really proper to characterize them as "children's" books. A good story is a good story. With that said, the subject matter definitely became more mature as things progressed, at Prisoner of Azkaban and defintely by Goblet of Fire, it was pretty "adult." Honestly, the only thing that gives off a children's book vibe to me are the covers. I think the stories are gripping and highly entertaining; plot is intricate and brilliant. With regard to the mysteries always contained in the novels, only the Sherlock Holmes stories really compare. Typically, I can suss out a mystery long before the end of the book. However, that's never the case with the Holmes or Potter stories. An adult who dismisses Harry Potter probably has a limited imagination. And that's all I've got to say about that!

My favorite character? That's a tough one. I really have been a big Ron supporter in Post Hogwart's fanfic, primarily because I like to see him grow beyond the comical sidekick (Stop All the Clocks is completed, by the way!) - justanothermuggle's "Death Eater's Quest" series really develops Ron well.

But, as far as in the canon, I've gotta go with Harry. The kid just pulls at your heart strings. Dead parents, raised by absolutely horrific relatives, thrown into a world he knows nothing about and is expected save. You have to love Harry.

One of the reasons I've gone nuts for fanfic is because, after all the poor guy's been through, I really wanted to see him get the girl and ride off into the sunset! If any hero ever deserved to live happily ever after with a beautiful girl and get absorbed into her wonderful family, its definitely Harry.

Most hated charcater. That's easy. UMBRIDGE! I hate her with absolutely every fiber of my being and will continue to do so until the day I die. Not only is she twisted and evil beyond all compare, she was sneaky, underhanded and oh so demeaning. And that is probably what sets me off about her the most. At least Voldemort had the decency to fight a stand-up fight. The other thing that gets me about her is that I never thought she got what was coming to her in the canon. Don't get me wrong, I loved Fred and George's war on her, but it just didn't seem like there was enough of an eye for an eye there.

MyGinerva in his excellent fanfic "the Hogs Head" had Ginny smack the evil wench around pretty good, but even that didn't satisfy my lust for vengence.

So, to answer your question. I hate Umbridge.

Thanks so much for dropping by and please pm me the next time your hellion Potter/Weasley children are turned loose on HPFF. I really love reading their antics.

sinc

theelderwand

[LilyGreenEyes]

To anybody who may be browsing this topic looking for something to read or wondering what this guy's fic is like, let me give you a push in the right direction

PHENOMENAL, INCREDIBLE, BRILLIANT

That sums it up
And a wonderfully humble person behind the quill

[theelderwand1]

To anybody who may be browsing this topic looking for something to read or wondering what this guy's fic is like, let me give you a push in the right direction

PHENOMENAL, INCREDIBLE, BRILLIANT

That sums it up
And a wonderfully humble person behind the quill

I'm blushing!

Lilly you're the best!

[1917farmgirl]

*Swipes her hand across the coffee table* Getting dusty in here too, bro. Need to air this thing out once in a while...

So, I tried this once before and the cybermonster ATE my post. It vanished. Poof. Never seen it again. So, if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try, try... You get my drift.

Questions to ask.

1. Do you write in order? Start at the beginning of a story and proceed orderly through it until the end? Or do you hop around as the muse strikes you?

2. If you could slip into the Wizarding World for one day, what would you most like to do?

3. If you could change one thing from the books, would you? If you would, what would you change?

[theelderwand1]

Howdy Farmgirl. Hey! I like dust! Thanks for dropping by. Now, lets see what we've got here...

1. Do you write in order? Start at the beginning of a story and proceed orderly through it until the end? Or do you hop around as the muse strikes you?


Yep. I start at the begining, even tho, sometimes the scene on which the story is built may be further toward the middle. Crusade's genesis lay in the chapter "The Two Hermiones." But I didn't write it until I got to it via a start from the begining. I guess you could say Clocks started at the end, sort of. LOL. But again, I write from starting from Chapter 1. Boring, I know...



2. If you could slip into the Wizarding World for one day, what would you most like to do?

Oh, that's easy. I wanna play Quidditch. No question. And I want a Firebolt. I think I'd make a good chaser but I wouldn't mind taking a stab at seeker either. Now that would be great fun! Ah, to dream...LOL!

3. If you could change one thing from the books, would you? If you would, what would you change?

That's easy in general, difficult in specifics. I'd change one of the deaths. And, this'll make you happy, It'd be Fred's, although I am sorely tempted to save Sirius (that really was a low blow, killing him off). Fred's death was a very cruel blow. Of all the characters to kill off, I never saw that one coming. If it was gonna be a Weasley, I thought it would be Percy. No such luck. Poor Fred... That's one of the reasons I love your story "Healing" so much. Fred LIVES!!

Thanks so much for dropping by and helping clean out the dust!

[1917farmgirl]

Meant to come back and add a comment about this, but then I forgot. My brain does that sometimes.

I'm with you on the it should have been Percy bit. I was fully prepared for Percy to come back to the fold and then lose him again. Or even better, for him to have to choose which side he was on in a life or death situation and have him die to save his family. Fred dying, NEVER saw it coming (which is probably exactly why she did it, and which is also why JKR will forever sit right next to Joss on my "I will never forgive them" list.)

Thanks for answering my questions!

[pixileanin]

Hey! I found another "thirties" person! Me too. I was actually on the lookout for male authors on this site because I wanted to get a better feel for how you guys write from the 'male perspective'. I haven't written in a long while and this site has opened up my creativity again! I don't have a lot of experience with characterization, so this is a great place to play with someone else's characters and learn some techniques.

So, my question: what do you think are the biggest mistakes of female authors when they write a male character? Is it noticeable to you, as a male when you read it and it just turns out wrong?

[theelderwand1]

Howdy pixileanin! Sorry it took me so long to respond to your post; this topic was supposed to be "watched" but there must have been a hiccup.

On behalf of the close nit group of "old timers" out here, welcome to HPFF. There aren't too many of us but we're around (1917farmgirl, sildebughlase, avadakedavara1, justanothermuggle, to name a few). So, rest assured, you won't have to go through your second childhood without a support group. LOL.

Now down to business.

Your question reminds me of the age old trap "Honey, do I look fat in this dress?" You do understand, given that the majority of folks on this site are females, that by answering your question honestly I could conceivably ostrasize my fanbase? Alopex may hunt me down and kill me if I say anything sexist.

Ok. I'm going to begin to generalize and stereotype, which I'm sure will draw some ire, however, I find that, in order to speak of a group of individuals, you really have no choice. Speaking of individuals allows for precision, speaking of segments of society requires generalities.

Strangely enough, my little diatribe above outlines a very typical male character trait: walking on eggs around females. Most female authors can hint at this, but I think they don't tend to understand it sufficiently enough to capture it properly.

Now, of course, adolescent males of the Hogwarts era should have raging Hormone issues, which reduce them to goons most of the time. JKR dealt with this fairly well, but glossed over some of the more troublesome aspects of being a mid-teens male. The ToS prevents me from going into the gory details, but, seeing as you're married, I assume you get the general gist. That said, "the hapless male" is an apt stereotype for this age group. See Ron Weasley, age 16 and younger, for example.

If I were to pick out the biggest fault of female writers trying to write males I would say that many females tend to have a blind spot for the difficulties/unfairness of the fact that society considers "male" reactions predominantly to be "wrong" and female reactions predominanty to be "right." Monogamy, sobriety and risk aversion are good, playing the field, binge drinking and reckless behavior are "bad."

Everyone was mad at Ron when he hooked up with Lavendar. Why? He was acting "male."

Although men try to ignore these "female" behavioral parameters and tend to do as they darn well please, they nearly always do so with the understanding that there will be a reckoning for breaking these rules. It can be exceedingly frustrating trying to conform natural male reactions to female norms. E.g., Arthur Weasely. Capturing this male "catch 22" in writing is not easy to do. (I wonder if this is why shakespeare liked to have young boys playing young girls playing young boys in so many of his plays?)

On the whole, JKR was in touch with her inner "wizard." She understood that males brood in isolation when they have a problem and women talk (and talk and talk. LOL) when they're trouled by somthing. But, at the end of the day, there will always be a "female" twist to her male characters. As a result, I wouldn't be surprised to find that most of the male writers out here in Potterland are more in touch with their "inner witch" than your average guy. This is primarily because of the distinctly female nature of the Potter books.

Now, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. I'll have to wait until a female tells me. LOL.

So, send your hate mail to:

theelderwand1
c/o Harrypotterfanfictionforums

Seriously, I hope this helps.

sinc

TEW

[Alopex]

Alopex may hunt me down and kill me if I say anything sexist.

What makes you think that? Am I seriously that scary? LOL. Besides, I think I did a good enough job being sexist myself in pixileanin's "Male Perspective" topic a couple of days ago.

And now so this isn't total spam, I suppose I ought to ask you a question. There's actually something I've been wondering about, and as I will be embarking upon the next three chapters of TCC soon (I have it penciled in for tomorrow night), this seems like an appropriate enough time.

JacksonRobles asked you earlier about your general impressions of Harry's character throughout JKR's books. I'd like to ask you what you think of Riddle/Voldemort, and how do you compare him to the Voldemort existing in 'Mione's alternate reality in TCC? In your story, how did the alternate version of the final battle change Voldemort? How are his goals and strategies different this time around compared to his first life (if I can call it that)?

(In case you're wondering why I'm wondering all this, it's because I've been pondering Voldemort's Teeth ever since reading the last chapter.)