The story of the woman who wrote about 'the boy who lived'

I remember how I had stayed up the night before 'Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows' was to be released in Indian bookstores. If you are a Potterhead/ a writer/creative, you deserve to know more about the author, J K Rowling and how she created 'the boy who lived'. Netflix's biopic - ' Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story' does just that. Albeit an old movie ( I came across it quite by coincidence ) - it left me inspired, as it will every writer and creative around the planet.

I am very aware of J K Rowling's current statements and the effect they have had on Twitter - so anyone who is here to bash her again, I request you try and separate the art from the artist. No one can deny that she created one of the most beloved book series in the world and we have all grown up and still resort to Harry Potter books and films when in need of some magic beyond words.

'Magic Beyond Words' traces the journey of the young Joanne Rowling - a girl of precocious imagination who battled several personal challenges to become a writer - and so successful at it she went from being a single mother on government dole to a billionaire in 2005.

As a lifelong Potterhead and a writer myself, I found a couple of things in the movie personally inspiring:

Imagination is a different kind of intelligence

The film portrays how the young Joanne is exceptionally bright but struggles to pay attention in class - instead, she visualizes scenes from her book ( a dream at this point ) and sketches fantastical creatures on the page. She also observes people around her carefully (including her teachers) and recreates them in the Harry Potter series, years later. She is a 'Hermione', no doubt but in a different way - the power of imagination and creativity reigns in her and it is time we recognize this kind of intelligence in ourselves and others instead of dismissing them as lazy and unfocused or dumb.

Personal struggles and failures can be channeled into great art

A young Joanne battled with bullying at school and her mother's illness at home (multiple sclerosis); lived through the pain of her death; didn't get accepted to Oxford because she didn't study in a public school; suffered through an abusive marriage in Portugal and had to escape with her infant daughter; lived on government dole in the UK and was fired from several jobs till she settled into English teaching while finishing 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. That too as a single mother. 12 publishers rejected the book till it was first picked up by Bloomsbury. Joanne didn't let failures keep her at rock bottom. Like Harry Potter, she channeled all her personal struggles and angst into great art - a story that will inspire everyone down the ages.

Watch this powerful commencement speech she shared, titled - ' The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination'.

A beautiful creation is a lifelong process- it may take years but it will be worth it.

Harry Potter was not written in a day. J.K. Rowling had the lightbulb moment for Harry Potter on a train journey from Manchester to London King's Cross in 1990. She kept writing on sheets of paper and made many notes for the next five years. Once she finished writing the first book, she wrote down the ending of the 7th book. In her head, she was clear that no matter what the audience might think - she would write 7 books with this character.

If you have put your big creative idea on the backburner, don't be disappointed. Great things take time. Picasso made some of his finest sketches at the age of 80.

Keep your day job for as long as possible

Joanne Rowling struggles between practicality and flights of imagination. However, she understands that a creative writer still needs to pay the bills. She keeps her day job at Amnesty International and then as an English teacher, even after the first Harry Potter book is published. A big lesson for all us creatives - to be able to focus on your art, ensure you have financial stability from your day job. The starving artist is not glorious.

Women telling women's stories

I had this strange proud moment at the end of the movie where Joanne ( then famous as JK Rowling ) is invited to meet the Queen of England. It felt that 400 years from now, if someone were to ask - 'Who were some great writers?' - then JK Rowling had as much chance of making the list as Shakespeare. In a literary history that has very few female role models who have become prosperous and famous just by the power of writing, JK Rowling is a beacon for all of us - women telling women's stories and a lot more.

A typewriter is magical! :)

Nope, not a point at all. I just loved the typewriter shown in the movie - there's something satisfying to seeing the sheafs of paper typed out by JK Rowling. Yes, we have better ways to type now but I just might save up for a typewriter before my birthday!

Let me know if you liked the movie - 'Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story' and how it inspired you. And definitely share in comments - which Harry Potter book is your favourite?

Now then.... Accio, Wand!