JKR interviews (was Three Cauldrons was Re: Rowling says Dumbledore is gay

[potioncat]

Carol wrote: 
> And I'm wondering what others think of her latest remark concerning
> the revelation about DD's sexual orientation:
> 
> "He is what he is and I have the right to say what I say about him."
> 
> Who said that she didn't have that right? All that we (some of us,
> including me) said is that it isn't in the books and we (or I, anyway)
> wish she'd allow us to interpret the books for ourselves without
> telling us what to think.
> 
> Her position now is that DD's relationship with GG was an
> "infatuation," whether reciprocal or one-sided, she didn't say. Not
> quite the same as being "in love." is it? Or should we even worry
> about what she says outside the books.

Potioncat:
Is this later part from another interview, or from a different 
transcript? It's hard to keep up! 

JKR wrote--or had in her head--a rather detailed back story for 
Theodore Nott. For all he does in the book, he could have very well 
gone nameless and not had a story at all. So I don't have a problem 
with important characters having far more extensive back stories than 
we ever see in the books.

And I don't mind that JKR is now sharing those details. It's what most 
of us wanted--though we aren't getting what we expected.

She made Albus Dumbledore a strongly secretive character So she gave 
him secrets from his youth, family secrets, a reason to be secretive in 
general. Being gay is a pretty big secret. Makes sense. At least it 
does to me. I don't know if it rings true to anyone else, or if I have 
JKR's motivation at all correct.

We readers love the characters like family. Not JKR. I think JKR loves 
her characters the same way a carpenter loves the things in his tool 
box. (I don't have a clue what a carpenter would have in his tool box.) 
Albus, Severus, Sirius and even Harry---yes Harry--are all tools in the 
telling of the story.

There's a boy on a train. Why is he on the train? He's a wizard, but he 
never knew it before. Why not? 

JKR has given the characters attributes and faults and put them through 
all sorts of experiences to get to the story that she wanted to tell. I 
do think she had the whole 7 part series outlined before she started. 
Not every detail of course. As she wrote some things might not work, or 
some very different idea might replace an earlier one. She's not 
writing in a vacuum, and I think reaction to earlier books may have 
affected later books. She may even have had an occasional touch of 
movie contamination.

Potioncat, who thinks this post is really a reply to many different 
topics on the list today. I hope I haven't rambled too much.