J.K. Rowling is the author of the massively successful Harry Potter series and the first female novelist billionaire. But before Rowling became one of the richest women in England, she was a single mother on state benefits, unsure of when her next proper meal would be.
Rowling began writing the books at a time of true hardship. Her first marriage lasted just over a year, and she returned to the UK with a baby and no money.
“I remember 20 years ago not eating so my daughter would eat. I remember nights when there was literally no money. I would have done anything to work and I took as much work as I could,” said Rowling in an interview with The Mail online.
Rowling has taken certain aspects of her personal life and adapted them into her books, whether through the storyline or individual characters. The theme of death was a constant one in Harry Potter and also a reflection of Rowling losing her own mother at a young age.
Rowling went through clinical depression and poverty, but it was during these low points in her life where she found inspiration to develop the meaningful stories that would resonate with millions of readers around the world. In a speech at Harvard University, Rowling said:
“Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”
You can learn from all experiences, good and bad. Try to find inspiration from any hardships you go through in life. Seek out the lessons in them and let them motivate you to keep going. Once you find ways to do that, getting back on the right track will seem less daunting.
Harry Potter is my past, present, and future. Thanks for the memories, J.K. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for insight, wisdom and notices for when our posts go live.
Image Credit: harrypotter.wikia.com
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