New Question: You're JKR's editor!

[amy_kuras]

No: HPFGUIDX 72862

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Lisa G <happybluebirdie at y...> 
wrote:
> > --- darrin_burnett <bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> > > OK, I'm back for a bit, with a question...
> > > 
> > > You've got a heavy-duty Time Turner and can go back
> > > and advise a 
> > > certain writer and SHE HAS TO LISTEN TO YOU.
> > > 
> > > Knowing what you know now, what scenes would you
> > > change? What would 
> > > you like to have seen happen?
> 
 Now me:

I almost NEVER post but have to respond to this one. I would have 
told her to trim the book by about 50 pages. It's tooooo looonnngg!! 
I would have cut most of the beginning after the Dementor attack; the 
flight from Privet Drive was just too long. I also would have cut 
almost all the "cleaning" scenes. Almost all the study scenes were 
too long and certain things could have been left out entirely, such 
as Grawp the Giant. Also, why make all that fuss about OWLs when we 
don't find out how they did? I know the books always end with him 
leaving the Hogwarts Express, but this could have been done better.  
Now if it's another three-year wait for the next book, it's too long 
a time to still care about the OWLs.
She makes a big deal about the scene where Hagrid is sacked, but then 
suddenly he's back, yay, with no explanation?
I would have made Harry go to the end-of-term feast, since I always 
like that part of the books. 
I think this easily could have been shorter than GoF, but there was 
just too much going on in this one. She should have dropped some of 
the storylines (Grawp especially) and several of the characters--I 
like did Tonks a lot but she was totally unneccesary to the book! 

The previous four, I could not put down--this one, I didn't get that 
feeling of really engaging with the book until very late. It needed a 
strict editing hand and didn't get one, to its detriment.