Tuesday 26 July 2016

A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter by S.P. Sipal

Hi all! I'd like to introduce to your attention (if you haven't heard of it yet) 'A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter' - an excellent book for anyone who wants to improve one's writing and go behind the scene of J.K. Rowling's writing tricks and techniques - written by a fellow HP fan! I thought it would make sense to do it now seeing as how the author is having a book release week and we're having Harry Potter Month and this is the kind of book that is all about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling and it's all happening at the same time, so yay! I found this book extremely useful in my writing endeavours and I know that I'll be using its excellent advice again when writing my fantasy novel. In any case, I think that you'll find this book an excellent store of information and knowledge whether you are a writer or not and you will definitely enjoy it if you are a HP fan!


You can read more about what the author has planned for the release week HERE. Please do! There's a giveway planned and many other things at the launch party.

A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter:

5th year anniversary edition! Expanded and improved. Includes references to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Improve Your Writing with Harry Potter as Your Text!

The Harry Potter magic lives on as J.K. Rowling expands her wizarding world into new stories and formats. For five years, writers and fans from all continents have used A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter to delve beneath her pages' surface to discover the skill and artistry which created a story that enchanted audiences across generations. In this newly revised and expanded edition, S.P. Sipal takes you even deeper than before, exploring new techniques, and even peering into the artistic and marketing vision behind the upcoming Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

No matter your genre, this guide will help you strengthen your writing by virtually apprenticing under a bestselling mentor. Through fifteen lessons, discover the expert techniques Ms. Rowling employs which makes her series such a phenomenal success and which will help improve your own craft and style.

Topics include:
  • characterization
  • world building
  • backstory
  • mystery plotting
  • myths and archetypes
  • fan interaction
  • social media
  • and author-driven publishing and promotion.

MY REVIEW:

A Writer’s Guide to Harry Potter by S. P. Sipal is an amazing treasure trove for someone who happens to be both a writer and a Harry Potter fan. The depth of research that went into writing this book is astounding. In fact, I'm simply floored by the author’s profound insight into many layers hidden between the lines of J.K. Rowling’s excellent books. I thought that I knew Harry Potter books from cover to cover, having read them obsessively for many years, but the author of this guide managed to pick out all these amazing details – from the biggest to the tiniest ones – and then put it all into words and explain everything so well. It made me think about my own writing in ways I never considered before. It made my mind explode with new ideas and all sorts of possibilities for making my book so much better. It is full of special treats, advice and techniques that will help make your book stand out and remain with readers for many years to come. I confess that I got distracted quite a lot while reading it, because all the while it made me think about different ways in which I could improve my book and I wanted to start right now. It is as inspiration as the books it is based upon and I can’t wait to start revising my own novel in hopes of using all these excellent lessons provided by the guide.

8 comments:

  1. I've always thought Rowling was a genius! This would be such a fun read to see more into the little intricacies that made the series to addiction. I think it would be especially beneficial to a writer, but also to reader like me who are just curious and love the work it's based on. Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome! It is a great book and it opened my eyes and senses to many things. And all the work, the time, the research, the patience, and the insight that went into it is just astounding.

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  2. This looks really interesting. I am in awe of Rowling's writing and it would be great to take a closer look at the techniques she uses in her stories. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome! It is a great book and it really makes you stop and think and go deeperer than you've ever gone before. It's also discounted right now: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-Harry-Potter-ebook/dp/B01ITK9BLQ#navbar

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  3. I can see this blowing me away. I sort of have a WIP going on and this might be just what I need to get me actively writing again!! JKR is absolutely brilliant but from a writer's perspective, there must be tons of little details brought to light here that prove her genius all over again :D Thanks for sharing ♥

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    1. You're welcome! I'm rereading it again and I stop almost on every page, thinking about using this trick or that technique to make my fantasy novel more interesting, mysterious and suspenseful. It even helped me to figure out a completely new way of rewriting it. It's also discounted at the moment: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-Harry-Potter-ebook/dp/B01ITK9BLQ#navbar

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  4. This book sounds so interesting. I wrote a paper in college about all the allusions and mythical references that went into writing Harry Potter. This sounds like a way more in depth and complete guide to dissecting Rowling's masterpieces.

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    1. Oh, wow, that's great! I think you'll definitely love it. There are so many things discussed there. It's amazing to me that there's so much hidden in HP books. It's also discounted at the moment: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Guide-Harry-Potter-ebook/dp/B01ITK9BLQ#navbar

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