Sit Back And Breathe (was Re: The Agony and the Ecstacy)

[Mrs. Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force]

Okay, I'm putting my two knuts in here.

IMHO, it's a book; for some it was a good book, for some it was not; for
some everything worked out fine, for some there were disappointments and
some may have been disgusted.  But, in the scheme of all things, it's a
book...the end of a series of books...the culmination of an author's efforts
to tell the story she wanted to tell.  And it's hard work to write even one
book, let alone seven in series.  Those of you who write fanfic can no doubt
agree with me, especially because you are writing other people's characters
and not your own, and creating characters that successfully blend in with
the established ones can be awfully challenging...been there, done
that...it's a challenge.

There will be those of us who will analyze it to the endth degree and
nit-pick every possible nuance and seek things where none exist.  There are
those of us who will probably analyze the story as a whole and how it
completes the series as a whole, who will maybe have a niggling question or
two but are generally satisfied and will go back to read the whole series
now that we have all the pieces of the puzzle.  There are those of us who
could care less about analysis and just want a really good read.

And, whichever category you find yourself in, it's okay; there are other
folk in that category, too.  But it's really important, IMHO, to respect
those who are in different categories, appreciate the differences and,
possibly, see something you didn't see before.

Maybe some might think I'm weird, but as much as I love the HP books, as
much as I might love any book or series, I can't get so emotionally tied up
that I'm consumed by them.  Sure, I love being in costume, feeling a part of
something neat and different, escaping from reality for a bit, and I'm not
beyond analyzing the details to some degree.  But I have my fun and move on
to something else, be it another book or series or something in RL which
requires my attention.

If some of the energy used to debate, argue and/or vehemently fight for our
points and positions on the list could be harnessed to get kids off the
streets and out of gangs, interest them in reading and furthering their
lives, and other positive things, this world would be a "magical" place.

I'll probably have my ears closed in the oven door and other dire things,
but that's okay.  I just want to see people agree to disagree respectfully
and move on to some constructive topics...like, do you think you could be as
good a scout as Hermione and have everything so well organized for a rapid
departure? :-)

Cheers,

Lee :-)

Do not walk behind me,    | Lee Storm
I may not care to lead;   | N2FGC
Do not walk before me,    | n2fgc at arrl.net (or)
I may not care to follow; | n2fgc at optonline.net
Walk beside me, and be my friend.