Inspiration compilation storybook part 2 J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling

Twenty years ago you never heard of her, though her creation, on the other hand, you might have if you had kids who liked to read. Now, even if you’ve never read a book, seen a movie or spent a moment in the toy aisle you’ve probably still heard of her creation – Harry Potter.

When Joanne Rowling was working as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International when she was inspired to write a story about a character named Harry Potter, a story, she started slowly and in secret. When her mother died, it was without knowing that her daughter was even working on a book – something she regretted so much that death became a major theme of the entire series.

Regardless of the somewhat dark storyline (or maybe because of?) Harry Potter series has sold more than 500 million copies, becoming the best-selling series in history. These books have also been the basis for a movie franchise and countless toys.

But life wasn’t easy for the award-winning author. At age 17, she was living with her mother who had Multiple Sclerosis and her somewhat estranged father who rarely spoke to his daughter.

She applied for entrance to Oxford but failed to be accepted. Instead, she attended the University of Exeter. In 1990, at the age of 25, while on a train, Harry Potter and his world entered her mind.

She started writing in secret, whenever she had a free moment, but shortly after, her mother died from MS, and she moved to Portugal to teach English. There she met a man, married, got pregnant with her first child, a girl.           

The marriage for J.K Rowling was not a happy one. Eventually, the stress of living in that abusive marriage became enough to drive her away. For a time, she remembers living in absolute poverty – not quite homeless, but not much better than that. Eventually, she moved to Edinburgh to live with her sister.

She later recalled that she considered herself a failure.

Divorced, a single mother, and Harry Potter merely three chapters along, she was diagnosed with clinical depression and suicidal tendencies. It took another two years for her to finish Harry Potter. She tried to sell the book for the next year but failed to find a buyer, with all 12 major publishers rejected her.

But thankfully she persisted. In fighting to finish the book, she also found herself. Another year along and a small publisher called Bloomsbury took the book and gave an advance of 1500 pounds.

That was the result of one of her first fans, the owner’s daughter, who fell in love with the story. Her hard work had paid off, and she’d been able to touch someone with her story 

From there success followed. By 2004, J.K. Rowling was the first person to become a billionaire through writing books.

J. K. Rowling is considered today one of the most successful people in the entire world. But none of that would have happened if she'd allowed herself to be derailed back when she'd married badly and lost who she was. Like many abused women before her, she'd come to believe the negative messages about herself, to the point where she wanted to give up entirely.

Depressed and suicidal, how many other women's stories tragically end there?

But J. K. Rowling fought to get free of both her past and the mental illness that tried so hard to claim her. Through her writing, and a lot of hard work, she not only found whom she was always meant to be – but the success she was capable of achieving.

Today there isn't a person alive who would call her a failure – something that could never have happened if she hadn't first recognized the successful person she could become – and then acted on it. And because of that, the darkness could not claim her. 

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