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A Blog by an Author, for Authors about the Writing and Publishing fields. |
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A little corner where I can post my thoughts and opinions on things that matter to writers. If someone gaines insight, knowledge, or even just enjoyment from reading this time to time, then my mission is accomplished. :) If there is a specific Writing, Publishing, Marketing, or other related topic that you would like to see me address, feel free to shoot me an email. Or if you would like to comment on what I have said, email me about that too. :) RD Williams, author of 'The Lost Gate' 
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| Well, NaNoWriMo is behind me, and though I didn't make my goal of 50k words, I still had lots of fun, and gathered lots of new inspiration. Hence, why I have not been posting lately. Work on the sequal to 'The Lost Gate' is moving along very nicely indeed. Also been trying to prepare for the upcoming holidays...only 8 shopping days left till Christmas! Well, thought I would post this news article for those of you who have perhaps not heard the news about Terry Prachett. Sad thing, but he seems to be keeping a positive spirit about it. *** LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fantasy author Terry Pratchett has admitted that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease -- but says he plans to continue writing his multi-million selling Discworld books. Pratchett, 59 -- whose books have, according to his Web site, sold more than 45 million copies worldwide in 33 languages -- suffered what he called a "phantom stroke" earlier this year. In a statement titled "an embuggerance" on the Web site of Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby, Pratchett says that he has been diagnozed with what he terms "a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's. " "I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news," says Pratchett, who has a strong following among fans of fantasy fiction. "All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers," he continues. "Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet." Pratchett adds that work is continuing on his next book "Nation" and that the "basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. " In a PS he adds that "I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. "I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do', but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry." Pratchett's Discworld novels, of which 36 have been published to date, are set in a fantasy universe through which the author satirizes modern-day life. He says in a statement on his own Web site that the series "started out as a parody of all the fantasy that was around in the big boom of the early '80s, then turned into a satire on just about everything, and even I don't know what it is now." Pratchett, who began writing while a provincial newspaper journalist in the 1960s, received the Order of the British Empire 'for services to literature' from the Prince of Wales in 1998. *** Until later, Happy Writing!! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| It's been a while since I updated my blog, mainly because, as I expected, NaNoWriMo. This years event has so far been fairly productive for me, and I am now at the 31272 words mark. It's been one of those stories that just seems to flow, though I keep having to abandon it for work. :( Anyone else working on a NaNoWriMo story? If so how's it going? I will try to check in again over the holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!!!! RD Williams, author of 'The Lost Gate' http://www.outskirtspress.com/webpage.php?isbn=1432708090 http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| Only two days until the start of NaNoWriMo 2007!! If you frequent this blog even occasionally you have probably seen me talk about NaNoWriMo. Well, wanted to warn all of you, that during November my blog will be shifting into 'NaNoWriMo Report' mode, which means a majority of the posts will be updates on not only my NaNo story, but also about NaNoWriMo 2007 in general. If you are doing NaNo this year cool!! If not....why not? If it's something you havn't tried before, give it a shot. Even if you think 'I can't write 50k words in 30 days', have you ever tried? :) Who knows, you might find that you have a talent for such things that you hadn't discovered before, and you might even have fun at it to boot! Until later, Happy Writing!! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 40 hours till NaNoWriMo 2007!! |
| I have recently finished reading 'The Hallowed Hunt', by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. In this tale, Bujold weaves the various threads of the plot together to form an intricate pattern that echants and captivates. The characters are brought to life in a way that makes you empathise, even with the Earl Horseriver, who has his own plots in mind, and is not above killing those that get in his way. Amidst the quiet political struggle that is going on in the Weald, which could very soon come to a climax as the old Hallowed King lies in deteriating health, his death seeming imminent, his younger, have crazed son, Boleso has been slain. Ingrey kin Wolfclif, a Lord who lost land and title as a child due to an illicit act of sorcery inwhich his Father involved him as a child, is dispatched to investigate. He takes into custody the Lady Ijada, who claims self defense in her killing of Boleso, as he had taken her into his chamber for, seemingly, a similar act of sorcery, as well as rape. Through this she has had the soul of a Leopard bound into herself unwillingly, which stirs the thoughts of the wolf spirit bound in his breast for Ingrey. As the escorts the arested woman back to the capital city the preasence of another spell over Ingrey, which seeks Ijada's death, is discovered, and with the aid of a Temple Sorceress, is cast out. Once they are met on the road by Earl Ordainer, Wencel Horseriver, who hides his own dark secrets as well, the two have begun to grow close to one another, and Ingrey vows in his heart to try and save Ijada from the fate of death, which could come upon her in the form of swift justice once at the capital city. Horseriver, who at first they think may be an uneasy ally in their plight, proves to hide more than they had imagined. What is this dark secret that seems to bind Horseriver, and Ingrey, and what of the dream of long dead Spirit Warriors that Ijada speaks of, and the almost uncanny link that has forged between her and Ingrey, and what does all of this have to do with the Hallowed Kingship, and the land known as the Wounded Woods, once Holytree of the old Weald. I highly recomend this novel for any fantasy fan who loves to delve into complex and unique magic, religious, and political systems. Most definately, I will look for my by Lois Mcmaster Bujold. Until later, Happy Writing!! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| It's almost that time of year again, Holloween decorations are up in the stores and on lawns, candy is vanishing in droves, and everyone is starting to talk about Thanksgiving plans, and Christmas gifts...yet there is something else, also mighty big these days, that is about to happen. Something that dosn't get mentioned in the malls, and unfortunately in my opinion, you don't see many ads about it on TV, or hear them on the radio. That's right, it's almost time for NaNoWriMo again!! http://www.nanowrimo.org I have talke about NaNo before, yet as the first day of this wonderful, crazy, inspiring, and maddening event is one week from yesterday! That's right, only six days left to prepare for NaNoWriMo, and as of yet, I don't know what I am going to write about. O.O Oh, I've batted a couple of ideas about, but they seem too 'seedish' still, and arn't taking root in my imagination the way they need to yet. So now I have begun the process of sifting through my old notes, bits of unfinished this, parts of abandoned that, seeking for an idea that will spark my imagination, take root, and blossom into that 50k word monster that I am going to walk down the road with this November. Maybe it's time to take some of my own 'brain clearing' advise and dust out some cobwebs. God knows there are a bunch of them up there. :) But more seriously, if you ahve done NaNoWriMo before, then you already know the good that this group does, not only in giving a creative outlet for many, but also by building libraries, and reading centers, all through the donations they receive. It is, in a big way, writers reaching out to help readers, young readers that are in poorer areas of the world like southeast Asia, where they have built multiple libraries for the benefit of the younger generations there, helping to give them the all important gift of reading. So, if you are a writer at heart, or thinking of taking up the trade, even as a hobby, I highly suggest participating in NaNoWriMo. There are so many wonderful, inspiring people to meet on the forums, or at local meetups that are held during November for NaNo participants. And even if you don't, why not pop over to http://www.nanowrimo.org and give a donation, remember, it dosn't have to big to do some good, even a couple of dollars goes a long way when put with everyone elses couple of dollars. Until next time, Happy Writing! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| Lately I have been going back and forth between a few projects, the sequal to 'The Lost Gate', notes and little bits about other projects that just won't leave me alone till I write them down, and preparing myself for NaNoWriMo 2007(which begins one week from Thursday by the way!!). Late last night, as I was burning the mdinight oil working on a chapter on the novel sequal, something kind of struck me as funny and interesting, and maybe just a bit scary. It's not the first time I have thought it, and I am sure it will not be the last. The chapter I was working on kind of tied back to a short story idea I had a while back, and which has slowly grown beyond what I had originally intended for it, as it began to throw off branches into the 'larger story'. Then it hit me. When I first sat down to write what later became the first chapters of 'The Lost Gate' I 'thought' I was merely writing a short story about one of my major characters. As I wrote, the story began throwing out these little 'trailers' for lack of a better term, which seemed to grow up about the main story and began to take on their own life as well. Then the story seemed to start growing 'roots' into the deeper history of the world it is set in, in which I had already been dabling for a long time to create a believable back drop for my stories. From there it seemed the main trunk of this now rapidly growing 'small' sapling began to draw more life from these histories. By the time I got about a third of the way through what became the rough draft, I realized 'this ain't no short story'. I knew I had ideas and inspiration(or perhaps it was just the characters whispering in my ears?) for a novela at least, or perhaps a stand alone novel about these characters, some of which I had never intended to create! Oh, how foolish I was still, and how little did I understand the scope of what was now growing, nearly beyond control. Now that I have more of a handle(maybe?) on what I have created, or am creating, as I work on this sequal, which had originally been intended as a one book sequal, continuing the story of the characters, and has now become the outline for a 'mini series'(?) if that is the term I am looking for. Not till now have I come to understand that this is an epic, growing on its own, putting out roots into the stories of the past, causing them to solidify in my imagination also, for future writings perhaps, and continuing to put out branches and trailers, growing into a vast and complex, nearly living thing(at least its alive in my imagination). And I now look back and think, 'what happened to that short story?' and to be honest, I can't even remember now where that story was going, or what I intended it to be. Surely, in this world and community of so many talented writers/authors, I can not be alone in this sort of 'self deception' so to speak? So what projects have you started that became something not entirely what you intended, or grew beyond recognition into something more than you first had in mind? Do you, like me ocassionally have a character walk into a scene, describe them in detail, and suddenly 'know' all about them, and then stop and think to yourself, 'Where the heck did they come from?' before going on? Or perhaps, it is merely my own little 'madness' that I live in, and that I draw my inspiration from, my muse if you will. Until next time, Happy Writing! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 PS: Nine days and counting till NaNoWriMo!! http://www.nanowrimo.org |
| I saw on another blog, someone talking about a rejection notice they received lately, which reminded me of the email I got from another writing friend that received a rejection notice a couple of days ago on their first novel. While reading the second one, I noticed an almost positive note in the person's writing, oh sure they were down about being rejected, but they also picked up on the positives from it as well, and didn't just put themselves into a 'blue funk' so to speak. My friend on the other hand, sounded as though they needed some major cheering, which I had already attended to as best I could via email. These two things made me think about the first rejection leter I got. *sigh* Oh that wonderful feeling that I had as I sent out my precious, first novel, the pages all neatly stacked and packed in a protective padded envelope. Giving it to the clerk at the post office(after checking the postage for the tenth time), feeling happy, excited, and sad in a way. I almost felt like I had just sent a child off to their first day at school, and then I went home, and began the long waiting process. I waited the prescribed time that had been set out in that publisher's guidelines(I admit I got nervous after their minimum response time), and then started checking the mail each day, excited and nervous, which grew worse every couple of days. Then at last, one saterday afternoon I was sitting on the porch, whiling away a little time by catching up on some reading, when the Postman came up the front steps. He had been our postman for a couple of years so he knew me by name, and after handing me the day's mail and a few happy comments on the weather, he went on his way. I riffled through the mail quickly, as had become my habit those last couple of weeks, and then I saw it. There it was, the self addressed envelope that had gone along with my novel. I stared at it for a minute, almost afraid to open it, but then my excitement and curiosity got the best of me and I ripped oven the top of the envelope. There inside was a neat and clean, professional looking, one page, form letter. My heart skipped a beat as I read those words "...does not fit into our current criteria..." and it seemed the sun went behind the clouds and the birds stopped singing. I admit, I was devistated(because for some reason I had deluded myself into thinking that this would be the 'easy part' getting the book excepted and published. For about a day I moped about, depressed, feeling like a failure. Then it hit me, as I was sitting down, watching one of my favorite old Sherlock Holmes movies(which always cheer me up for some reason). I thought for a moment about the reason given for a rejection, it wasn't any critique on my writing, it wasn't any comment on my style or storyline that was in that rejection letter, it was merely a 'this is the kind of thing we are looking for right now'. That and I think the truth that it was only ONE publisher that had said no, and that there were many more out there was finally sinking in. So remember what I nearly forgot, if/when that rejection note comes in the mail, there are 'many more fish in the sea' so to speak. Remember, Thomas Edison took something like 5000 tries to create the electric light bulb, and when asked about this later on he said that he had not once failed, the project just turned out to be a 5000 step process. So take those rejections, and put them in a scrap book or something, because that's one step down, and maybe the most important step of all...you took the chance! Until later, Happy Writing! RD Williams, author of 'The Lost Gate' http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| All of the reading and writing that I do, it may be hard to imagine that there was once a time, when I was a child, that I could not stand to have to sit down and read a book. I read as little as possible, and only as often as possible, and therefore I didn't read well, so of course I didn't like it even more. Then when I was a Freshman in High School, I believe it was my Father who handed me a copy of 'The Hobbit', by JRR Tolkien. Oh, I had seen the animated movie done by Rankin&Bass, and loved it, so I grudgingly took Dad's advice to read it. After reading that opening chapter, An Unexpected Party, it was almost as if someone had glued the book to my fingers. I followed Bilbo and the Dwarves to Rivendale, and then into the mountains. When they were caught by the Goblins I felt my heart race, and I had to find out what happened next. On and on I read, and by the time I finished it, I felt sad, sad that there was no more. This wonderful experience, which I had never thought to have, was over. I wanted to repeat it, so then I got a copy of 'The Lord of The Rings', and soon all three volumes were read from cover to cover, followed closely by 'The Silmarillion'. Once these were finished, I thought 'now what, read them again?'. I had, at this time, limited myself in regards to my knowledge of books and authors, and so a part of me thought that these books were unique(though actually I still think they are) and that anything else would pale in comparison. I went to the local bookstore again, thinking to find...something. To my delight, I began to find that there were other authors that wrote good fantasy as well, not just good, great! I read another series, this time by McKiernan, and then delved into the world of Pern with Ann McCaffrey, and then so on, and so on, I could not get enough! Those days of innocent discovery, realizing for the first time that books were actually wonderful, magical things, that could contain a world all their own within their pages, are long gone in one respect, and yet that youthful delight is still there. Each time I open a new book, start to read the words of an author that I have not read yet, there is that little child inside of me, staring out at a world of imagination with wide eyes, looking out to behold the wonders that another mind has created and seen fit to share with the rest of us. I do though, still from time to time, go back and reread some of those classic stories that grabbed me from the beginning. It's like going home, back to a place where you grew up and have not seen for many years, and seeing it anew, with new eyes, and new perspective. *sigh* Ah, but I can imagine myself so vividly still, sitting on the front porch of the house that we lived in when I was a child, can almost smell the autumn around me, the leaves, and the mould, the gentle breeze, not having gotten too cold yet, my face buried in the pages of 'The Hobbit', the rest of the world almost seeming to go on 'pause' all around me. So what are your early reading experiences? Did you, like me, find the joys of reading through stories of Dwarves and Dragons and Wizards? or through the pages of sci-fi? or perhaps something else? Until later, Happy Writing! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| Thought today I would touch on another part of creating a Fantasy world for my fellow fantasy writers out there. One of the more fun, entertaining, and sometimes scary elements to a fantasy, mithilogical, or sci-fi world are fantastic creatures. These can be anything from a huge fire breathing Dragon, to a new and rare breed of horse, or little fairies that fly around the camp fire. I have always found, that when reading a fantasy or sci-fi tale, that I like the creatures in it to be well defined, well reasoned, and believable on some level of thought. When you place a fantasy animal, or mythical being into a story, weather it is one that you have barrowed from folklore or mythology, or one you created yourself, you need to describe it so that your reader can see, hear it, and even smell it if appropriate. When using an 'existing' creture some of that detail can be implied to rather than directly stated, that is if you are using the 'standard' look for that type of creature. Take a Minotaur from Greek Mythology for instance. When we hear this term, our minds automatically conjour the image of man shaped form, with the head and legs of a bull, and perhaps with thick hair over the rest of its body as well, waiting deep in the center of a labyrinth. We probably see him as being large, strong, and agressive. If we are using this as 'our' type of Minotaur, then we know that the reader already has at least a basic idea of what we are talking about. But lets say we want to make our Minotaur's a race, that needs to be referenced in some way, either by another character, or perhaps by seeing more than one of them, perhaps parents with a young one. Also we may want this Minotaur to have different reactions and character than the one in Greek Mythology, therefore we have to make surewe tell the reader that in some way, either through dialogue, or perhaps through the creatures actions, say maybe our Minotaur gets obviously squimish when he sees blood, or perhaps he has spectacles balanced on his snout because he is scholarly. Of course, something that I think is fun, is to create a new type of creature or animal, something that sparks the imagination and can give the reader the impression that this world is wide and complex, and not tied to completely to our everyday reality. With these types of creatures though, it's important to be descriptive about their appearance, their attitudes(again maybe just through their actions), their habits, perhaps even the feelings of others about them. Remember, when you create a whole new creature, or race, the reader has nothing to pull from to picture what you are talking about, therefore you are challenging yourself as a writer to place the picture that is in your head into theirs. So, before you start writing about that Skarlog, or Wererat, have a picture in your head of what they look like. Decide upon what kind of creature they are. Are they sentient? Are they animal-like? Do they speak to humans? Are people afraid of them, and do they have reason to be? Remember, this creature is the child of your imagination, and therefore you need to shape and mold them, give them flesh and blood so to speak, explore their personality, delve into their mind and see what 'makes them tick', both as individuals, and(if applicable) as a race. So fantasy/sci-fi writers out there, what kind of creatures/monsters/etc, do you use in your stories? Until later, Happy Writing! RD Williams http://www.authorsden.com/robertdwilliams1 |
| Well, I was going to just post a book review for this weekend, but I have decided to, instead, do a little review/comment about an entire series of books. I have just finished reading(ok, I am a touch behind everyone else maybe) the last two books of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. My first thought when I read the last sentence on the last page late last night(about 2am realy), I felt, for a moment like I had just lost a best friend, several actually. If you have not yet read/finished reading these books, be warned that the rest of this post will probably contain spoilers. A few years ago a very close friend of mine called me one evening, because he just could not wait to tell me about how wonderful he had found the first three books in this new 'Harry Potter' series, and that I had to read them. At that time the Harry Potter craze was just starting to swing into full blast, what with the first book about to come out as a movie and all. So the next day, on the advice of my friend Ric, I picked up a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'. Little did I know at that time, when I read the first few pages of what seemed to be a well written, and very intriguing, childrens tale, what was realy in store for me(and I was probably not alone in that). Then I read Chamber of Secrets, and we learned more about little Harry, and without knowing it was saw just the tip of Voldemort's grand scheme. Then came Harry's third year at Hogwarts, and we learned more of Harry, his parents, their friends, and how they had been betrayed. We met Sirius Black, and we faced Dementor's with Harry and watched his circle of friends grow tighter, as we grew to love the little boy with the lightening scar. Yet still we had only peices of the whole puzzle before us. Then came The Goblet of Fire, and Harry was thrown into the Triwizard Tournament. We watched as Harry faced Dragons and creatures of the deep, and himself. As we watched Harry and his friends began to grow up, and the hints of deeper feelings began to show. Behind this though, as Harry and his friends argued and made up, and strived to make it through another year, something much more sinister was moving. We sat with our eyes glued to everyword, unable to walk away, as Harry watched the return of Voldemort in the grave yard. Our hearts quickened as Harry stood up to face the killer of his parents, and then that amazing thing happened, that thing that we, just like Harry, did not at first understand. Harry was saved by the connection between himself and Voldemort, that deep rooted connection that we didn't complete understand, even after Dumbledore's explanation. But it was enough to keep us satisfied, and we plowed into the next book, thirsting for more. It was at this point that the series of interconnected stories began to grow into something more, as a deeper threme and story became evident to us. Then we suffered with Harry while he ridiculed and humiliated at the hands of the Ministry of Magic and Delores Umbridge, all for telling the truth. The connection between Harry and Voldemort became more apparent as we read, we understood now that there was some mental link, yet still we did not know all. Along with Harry we got a new glimpse into Severus Snape, and his connections with Harry's parents. We saw how Harry's father had bullied Snape, and we thought we understood Snape better at last, though still he left a greasy feeling in our stomachs. Then came Half Blood Prince, and we discovered Voldemort's past. We saw his beginnings, and we learned now why he had been able to survive even after his killing curse, intended for the baby Harry had turned back on him. We learned more of what he was, of how his soul was torn and shredded at his own doing. Our disgust and fear of Voldemort grew deeper, for he was more than just some evil genius who sought simple power. There were clues, signs of deeper things, yet still we did not see the whole picture. We watched as Malfoy tried to go from schoo yard bully to murderer, and again fears about Snape were wakened in us, wondering again who's side he was on. Yet Dumbledore insisted that he trusted Snape, and our fears rested uneasily along with Harry's. Then, the moment came, upon the highest tower of Hogwarts the whole world seemed to crash down. We read as Malfoy disarmed a weakened Dumbledore, yet he could not bring himself to finish what he had started. As Harry stood, frozen and invisible the Death Eaters arrived ontop of the tower, and then came Snape, and for a disquieting moment, fear and hope seemed to become one. We feared what might happen, yet there was that little part deep inside that said 'but Dumbledore trusts Snape, he must be good, there has to be a reason, he won't just stand there and do nothing, he CAN'T!'. And he did not merely stand and watch, he acted...and in that moment, as Dumbledore's body flew through the air, we thought that Snape had discarded his mask, and the hatred and revulsion of this traitor was such that we wanted to scream. At last we knew who's side Snape was on, he had somehow tricked Dumbledore all this time. Our hearts raced as Harry chased Snape through the castle and through the grounds, urging him on, wanting so desperately for him to overtake Snape and make him pay for what he had done. Then the last volume, the Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore was gone, and there was so much that he had not told Harry, so many little things that remaind unanswered. Yet Harry had his purpose in mind, and together with Ron and Hermione, he planned to set out on the mission that Dumbledore had left him. Yet his fears grew as he wondered about the things that Dumbledore had not told him. We watched the preperations, Harry and his friends making their plans one side to destroy the Horcruxes, and Voldemort and his Death Eaters on the other side, preparing to take over. Behind this was the happy wedding, that night which would plunge from the edge of fear and uncertainty into terror. Our hearts raced as we read the message from Kingsley 'The Ministry has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead, they are coming'. Then it seemed that all Hell broke loose, and again Hermoine showed her usual clear thinking and planning and so the three friends were on the run alone. Together they hid, trying to piece together the little clues they had to discover where the next horcrux was. Then unexpected aid came, in the form of the elf Kreature, who we had grown to despise, and yet now we felt sorry for him as we learned his full tale, and saw him transform himself because of a little kindness. The dangers deepened, and yet they had the victory of obtaining one of the four remaining Horcruxes, and still they strove for answers, and we felt that the world was breaking apart around them. The next turn of the emotional rollercoaster that is this tale was the dreadful night at Malfoy Manor, the torture of Hermoine, the death of the traitor Wormtail in such a fitting if sad way. Then it seemed that everything was going to be ok, Dobby came to the rescue, facing his fears, and using the freedom that Harry had obtained for him to do what he wanted to most. Yet it would be his last deeds. Even as Harry watched the little elf fall to the ground my tears began to flow, for he was gone, and Harry felt again that someone had died trying to protect him, and in his mind that made it his fault. As the story went on we learned, or more than thought we wanted to, about Dumbledore and his past, the truth behind his younger years, and we learned of the Deathly Hallows. Then came the battle, and the quest for the last two Horcruxes....or so we thouht. The blood in viens pumped fast, and my palms were sweaty as we watched the teachers prepare Hogwarts for a siege. A voice in my mind cried out for McGonagall to kill Snape for what he had done. Watched as he parried her spells and then escaped, fleeing from the castle, yet I did not fully grasp until later the fact that it was not Severus Snape who had struck first in that duel. Then the battle, and destruction of two Horcruxes, and Malfoy was saved, not once but twice, by Harry and his friends. Then those moments in the shake, as we watched Severus Snape die, yet it did not feel as triumphant and satisfying as it should have. We went with Harry into Snape's memories, and all became so clear suddenly, so painfully, tearfully clear, and at last, everything made sense, and I cried for the man that I had grown to hate in reading these books. Tears for the man that had seemed a base traitor, for the man that had been so easy to hate, for the man that we had watched kill Dumbledore, for at last I understood him. Then Harry's walk into the forest, his final understanding of what he had to do, and his selfless sacrifice. Yet it was not over, and more was made clear, so painfully and joyfully clear at last. Then the last battle came, and it was the little boy that had at one time not been able to do anything right, that destroyed that last Horcrux, making Voldemort mortal again. Again Voldemort was undone by himself, he that had destroyed the Horcrux he had never intended to make, he that had destroyed that little peice of his soul that had formed that connection between him and Harry, and again his killing curse rebounded on him, for he still did not understand fully. Then Voldemort was gone, and it was over. The painful quest of seven books and many years, was over. I thought I could not cry another tear, thought that my emotions had run the gambit, as I read those last few pages, and watched as Harry and Ginny saw their sons off to Hogwarts along with Ron and Hermoine's children. I felt a stir of happiness that these four were together, that life had gone on for them and they were at last happy. Then that line came, when I least expected it, Harry telling his son Albus Severus that he was named for two of Hogwarts previous Headmasters, and that one had been in Slitherine house, and then those words...'the bravest man I ever met'... and my tears fell again, for a man that had been so easy to hate, had been so despicable, for he had done all he had done in memory of the woman he had loved... |
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