If you were JKR....

[fourfuries at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 26056

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., heidi.h.tandy.c92 at a... wrote:
> And you'd planned out seven entire books, where terrorism, random 
attacks, 
> mass murders and violence were - not a subplot, not a theme - an 
overarching 
> Thing in the background, and then THIS happened - this horrible, 
> unpredictable, but not unimaginable THING happened - would you 
consider 
> changing any plot points that came too close to what really 
happened? 
> 
> Would it make a difference if those plot points were scheduled for 
Book 5 or 
> Book 7?
> 
> Or would you consider it more of a reason to remind people to 
remember, if 
> the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is 
right and 
> what is easy, remember what happened to planeloads and offices full 
of people 
> who were good, and kind, and brave, because they strayed across the 
path of 
> terrorists? Or would you reiterate that we are only as strong as we 
are 
> united, as weak as we are divided? Or would you force yourself into 
things 
> you normally do, because you could do with a few laughs, you know 
that we 
> could all do with a few laughs, and you have a feeling we're going 
to need 
> them more than usual before long?
> 
> If you were the writer, what would you do?
> 

If I were a writer as gifted, in terms of vision, as JKR, I do not 
think I would have much to change.  There is no need either to mimic 
events nor to avoid comparisons.  Evil exists, both in fantasy and in 
reality. The challenge for the writer is to avoid facile descriptions 
that make all Slytherins evil, or all Gryffindors good, just as the 
challenge in real life is to avoid stereotyping of Muslims, Arabs, 
and Americans as all one thing or another.  JKR has already factored 
for these complexities, already given us a glimpse of the subtleties 
of human motivation that she is prepared to present in her continuing 
story.  

Tragedy has a funny way of wiping out the differences between 
peoople.  Or at least, it could be funny, were it not for the 
circumstances.  My prayer is that those of us stuck in real life will 
appreciate those subtleties, now that our innocense has been lost.

4FR