JKR interview in 2 weeks, send in your ?'s

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 129849

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Chancie" <chnc1024 at e...> wrote:
> Katie Couric from the "Today Show" on NBC will be 
> interviewing JKR in 2 weeks, and they are asking for 
> people to submit questions to ask her during a live 
> interview from Scottland.  I thought if we submitted 
> questions, that we might at lest have a chance of 
> getting some wanted answers. Just out of curiosity, 
> if you could be guaranteed that JKR would answer any 
> *ONE* question you had, which would you choose?
>  
> Here's the link to send your questions in:
>  
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8060100
>  
>  
>  
> Chancie

bboyminn:

Just a few thoughts on question asking. First, it's one thing to ask a
question that you would dearly love answered, which is a nice fantasy,
but this is a real 'Q & A', so I would suggest you temper the
questions you would LIKE answered with the idea of what JKR is likely
to answer.

In otherwords, if you ask an obvious and direct question like 'Who is
the Half-blood Prince?', you are not going to get an answer. 

Another illustration of what I am getting at might be in the question
about Snape and Vampires. For a long time many people speculated that
Snape might be a Vampire. Eventually some one ask JKR, but they did so
in a subtle way. (to the best of my memory) They didn't ask flat-out
'Is Snape a vampire?', which would have most likely not have gotten an
answer at all. Instead they ask 'Is there any connection between Snape
and Vamipres?', that more general question was indirect enough that
JKR was willing to answer it.

I would suggest softening your questions and make them general enough
that you actually leave room for JKR to respond to them. Also, if your
question or it's answer are too long and complex, they are not likely
to be asked.

So, if I can force my own context onto Chancie's post above, two
proposals are being made-

1.) Submit to MSNBC a question that CAN be answered.

2.) Submit to the group a question that you WANT answered.

Again re-enforcing the point that most question we WANT answered CAN'T
and won't be answered.

Sorry, I sort of feel like a 'spoil-sport' in posting this but I do
think it reflects the harsh reality of the situation.

Steve/bboyminn