Good writer - Two Trees

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 141281

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
>
> 
> Lupinlore: 
> > Worst of all, JKR has a bad habit, as I've said before, of writing 
> > herself into corners and then getting out by, well, cheating.
> > ...
> 
> Pippin:
> ...
> 
> Harry spent all of OOP learning to accept the reality of death.
> That's what that whole thing with the thestrals was about , IMO,
> -- finding that he's not the only person who can see them, that 
> they were there all along, and that he can harness and control 
> them. 
> 
> He also had to accept the reality that wise, kindly, loving adults 
> can still fail him ...
> 
> I don't think anything got swept under the rug, though obviously
> a lot of situations are hanging fire until the conclusion. 
> 
> Pippin
>


bboyminn:

I was thinking about this yesterday and the image of two trees came to
mind. One normal tree, upright and branching out, and one inverted
tree with many branches at the bottom converging upward into a single
trunk.

We in fandom are the normal tree, we can speculate and pontificate, we
can spawn a thousand tangents and create a thousand potential
plotlines for the books. We can branch out; we have infinite
possibilities.

JKRowling on the other hand is the inverted tree. She is narrowing her
focus to a single trunk. She can not spawn infinite tangents or
plotlines. She has to make her focus narrower and narrower with each
book. Certain things must be said, certain things must be done, and
the narrower her focus becomes, the few plot and story options she has.

Personally, I would have preferred it if the most recent book (HBP)
was about the continuation of the DA Club, Harry and Draco fighting
over the Black Estate, and the emergence of one or more 'good
Slytherins' from the students. That certainly would have made a more
interesting story. And, if this were the 'Hardy Boys' or 'Nancy Drew'
where the characters are ageless and the author can spawn 100 volumes
over the life of the series, then JKR could certainly come up with
more interesting stories. THEN the possibilities are near infinite.

But she can't. There are things that had to be done, and she is forced
to weave a story around those things. That makes the story potential
very limited. Take note of the books that are generally considered the
best in the series; 'Goblet of Fire' and 'Prisoner of Azkaban'; dead
center in the series. Way back then JKR had near infinite story
possibilities. When she had room to stray from the central thread, and
write interesting and creative sidelines. But we all know that range
of possibilies is gone now. There is too much that must be said and
done, and too little story left to say and do them.

Draco had to do and be what he was. Dumbledore had to do and be what
he did. Ron and Hermione had to finally establish the foundation of
their relationship because with only one books left, it's now or
never. Harry and Ginny had to do the same. In the end, Snape had to do
 what he did. Given the fact that all the characters had very limited
roles to play, I'm sure you must see how that resticted the story
possibilities.

This (HBP) was a good book, but it was far from the best in the
series, and I say that part of the reason for that is because the
author has run out of options, not out of ideas, I'm sure much like
fan fiction she is bubbling with those, but out of options. Things had
to be said and done. Horcruxes had to be established, Voldemort's
background had to be laid, Dumbledore had to do his part, Snape had a
dark and dangerous role to play, and within those bounds, the story
becomes restricted.

Let's just hope, that the final story, the final book, hasn't become
so resticted that it loses its vitality. I would hate for it to be
nothing more that an excuse to resolve the plot. Regardless of the
final outcome, I am committed. I HAVE TO KNOW what happened; good or
bad. So, I'll buy and read the last book, and live with the
satisfaction of finally knowing Harry's fate as well as the fate of
his friends.

...and if I'm not satisfied...well, there's always fan fiction.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bboyminn