Why We Can't Let Harry Potter Go

Jane Austen
Margaret Mitchell
JRR Tolkien
George Lucas

How many old stories can you think of that are not only still read, but continue to reside passionately in the heart of its fans? Austen, Mitchell, Tolkien, Lucas are a handful of the rare few who created stories and characters so well loved that people are still passionate about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Scarlett and Rhett, Frodo and Sam, and Han and Leia decades and centuries later. While there are numerous works of classic literature deemed worthy enough to be taught in school, only a select few are remembered with passion by dedicated readers well after the last story was told.

With J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, well, it's not been centuries yet, but it has been almost 8 years since the release of Deathly Hallows. And while the fandom has calmed down somewhat since those last frenzied days of July 2007, they have by no means forgotten their Boy Who Lived while pursuing other interests.

Harry Potter Keeps Expanding

Nor have the businesses associated with the Potter empire. Warner Brothers is dropping hints that they are expanding the popular Leavesden Studio attraction of The Making of Harry Potter. Last summer Universal Studios did expand the Magical World of Harry Potter, adding on Diagon Alley. And in November 2016, fans will once again be treated to a movie in the Potter world when the much anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is released.

Through the Pensieve -- A Very Potter Year

What a year 2011 was for Harry Potter fans!  Even though the release of the last Harry Potter book was four years ago, J.K. Rowling still managed to heat-up the headlines, especially through the summer.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2, released at midnight on July 15 to excited audiences in the U.S. and U.K..  Fans were both eager to see this final film of the beloved franchise, and also reluctant to witness the end.  For many, as came to be said time and time again, Harry Potter had been their childhood...and they held on to savor those last thrilling moments.

But, one month earlier, on June 15, JK Rowling had promised her fans a new treat to come -- Pottermore!  By the middle of July, no one was sure exactly what Pottermore was, but the anticipation of new material from Jo had lifted everyone's spirits and incited a massive online search for clues.  The thrill of the hunt which had kept fans fervent from one Potter book to the next was renewed as readers tried to guess exactly what Jo had up her magical sleeve this time around.

When Pottermore opened on July 31 to Beta registration with 7 days of the Quill Quest Challenge, the internet (and this blog!) went wild.  Fans were frenzied to catch their quill and ensure their early entrance into Pottermore.  The Pottermore pearly gates were supposed to open to one and all in October, but, alas, beta testing has continued, the craze has died down, and now fans are waiting and hoping to hear from JK Rowling when and WHAT her next release will be.

Honestly, after what Jo said at the Deathly Hallows premiere about having multiple books ready to go, I had thought we'd be gifted with an announcement regarding a new release around Christmas.  But if I may be so bold as to make a Trelawney prediction, I do believe we'll hear of her next release in the next three months -- perhaps as a Valentine's treat!

Guest Post: When the Reader Becomes the Enemy: Lessons from Pottermore

I am thrilled to welcome to the blog today Jami Gold. Whenever I read Jami's blog, I feel that she has written her post just for me. She has such a personal and caring way of writing, and she's always in tune with topics of high interest in writer-land.  Her balanced and insightful perspective helps shed new light on any topic, whether it's discussing the advantages between traditional and direct publishing or dissecting a popular movie for plot points.  The discussion in her comment trail is often as enlightening as her wonderful posts.  And to top it all off, she's a wonderful person who does whatever she can to help out other writers!

Today, we're fortunate to have her help navigate the troubled waters of Pottermore.  Please join me in welcoming Jami to Harry Potter for Writers, and please also check out her blog and Twitter!


When the Reader Becomes the Enemy: Lessons from Pottermore

This past weekend, the Pottermore Insider reported that Pottermore will be offline for at least a week, and the complaining and gnashing of teeth has been deafening.

Oh, wait… It hasn’t.

How is it that one million people can be denied access to an online site for an undetermined length of time and this not be huge news? If Twitter or Facebook were down for even a day, it would be an important story on all the news sites.

Instead, the few people talking about the shutdown at Potter-specific websites aren’t making enough noise to carry the story into mainstream media. Why?

Because the beta users of Pottermore—the biggest Harry Potter fans—have by and large gotten bored with the site.

Wow, that’s… Sad.

How Did Fans Turn Into “Enemies”?

5 Points to Ponder on Pottermore (for Writers)

JK Rowling's Pottermore site has been open almost four weeks now to a few lucky beta-testers. I was one of the very lucky early entries getting in on the second day, and thus have had time to thoroughly view the site and watch the reaction of people getting in as well as those still anxiously awaiting their owl.

In an earlier post, right after Pottermore opened, I speculated on what JKR's new endeavor would have to offer for other authors in the way of an example of how to interact with readers online. Now that I've had more experience with the site and its visitors, I'd like to share some concrete thoughts and examples.

Let me acknowledge from the start, as I did before, that most writers, myself included, will in no way be able to afford the kind of money I'm sure JKR has put into the site for design, administration, and publicity. Still, there's always creative methods of manipulating someone else's examples to suit your own ideas and purse strings.

So, here's some tips to get you thinking.

1) Engage Your Reader (or follower, or visitor):

As in everything else Rowling does, reader engagement is the key. The Pottermore site is fully interactive. It does not have the gaming power of a MMORPG, nor all the gadgets of a massive social media site. What it does have is enough elements across several formats to keep members happily engaged for a few hours and enough planned into the future to keep them returning.

Points to Ponder:
What have you done in your site to actively engage your readers or followers?
How many different formats have you implemented to do so?
What are your plans for the future to keep them coming back?

But let's get specific and look at these engaging formats in detail.

2) Presenting the Story:

The heart of Pottermore is a visual, interactive presentation of the Harry Potter series, book by book and chapter by chapter, with only the first book active to date. Viewers navigate from one chapter to the next, one scene to the next, exploring special moments of interest along the way.

Points to Ponder:
For most writers applying this to themselves, it would seem to be limited to books that have already been on the market for a while. However, I can envision other possibilities.

What if my upcoming story involves a backstory that may entice new readers to give the book a try? Or, what if I've spent a huge amount of time in world building? Could I slip some of this stuff to the reader in an engaging manner ahead of release to entice them further?

Or, if I'm writing a series, the possibilities of using a site like this to keep one book alive and hint at those to come are endless.  The goal is to find a creative, new method of engaging readers AROUND your story without simply repeating your story.

3) Visual Stimulation:

The graphics on Pottermore are luscious and detailed. One of the most appealing aspects is that we know these graphics were overseen by JK Rowling directly, which gives them a sense of authority even over the movies. Of course, I'm sure they also cost a ship-full of galleons.

Points to Ponder:
Maybe you have artistic skills yourself. However, even if you don't that doesn't mean you can't offer visual insight into your own stories. Many authors are designing their own trailers and discovering sources for free or cheap art online as they do so. Tap some of these sources to make your website more visually appealing for your reader and to bring them into your world.

Or, if you have older kids, check with their friends or school art teacher and see if there's a budding young artist in the community who might be willing to share some of their talent with you. My daughter and her friends sit around drawing pictures all the time just for the fun of it, and a couple of them are incredibly talented.

Finally, there's massive communities of young artists online who may be willing to do some artwork tailored to your site for a reasonable price of for trade.  Check out DeviantArt for a start.

4) Interactive Gaming:

In Pottermore, members can brew their own potions, duel another member with spells, and search and collect special items along the way. All of these activities not only earn the member points, but also earns points toward winning the cup for their House.

Points to Ponder:

The crux here is not that you need to have a game, which may or may not be appropriate to your genre, but that you need some form of entertaining, engaging reader involvement that preferably links them to other readers as well.

Possibilities:

• a scavenger hunt for clues to your story you've hidden about your site
• collectible cards of information scattered about.  These cards could relate to the research you used to build your world, or to character backstory elements that never made it into the story.
• small snippets of excerpts that you create exclusively for your online reader to find, or bits and pieces that were ultimately cut out of the story, but your reader may still find engaging
• use all these items in a point collection system toward earning a prize
• better yet, have your followers/fans divided into teams to gain points to earn this prize!

5) Social Media:

Fandom is always more fun when there are other fans to squee along with. In Pottermore, fans have the opportunity to engage with other fans not only through the games mentioned above, but also through certain portions of the site set aside for fan chat and feedback. While not offering a fully-functioning social media experience, fans CAN leave short messages for each other or the Pottermore admin in either their own House or the Great Hall. Fans can also upload and share their own fanart work and receive comments.

Points to Ponder:

How many opportunities have you provided your reader to not only engage directly with you, but with each other? How can you do this?

• A forum, or bulletin board
• An interactive feature on your site where they can upload and share their own short stories or works of art (whether fanfiction or otherwise) for feedback from others
• Maybe a regular interactive chat that includes items of interest to your greater fan/follower community

As Pottermore goes along, (remember it's only in its beta-testing stage), I'm sure there will be more for me to share. But would love to hear for now what you think.

How many forms of interaction have you used to engage your followers, readers, or fans? Have you got any ideas as to what more you can do to bring people into your world in a compelling, entertaining manner?

And if you're really curious about what's inside Pottermore, or already a beta-tester, be sure to check out my Pottermore Forum and Wiki for more!

Organizing the Disorganized (including a few Tips for Bloggers)

First off, an apology to those of you receiving this blog through subscription as you probably got a post from me this morning that looked suspiciously like spam.  I was breaking up one of my pages into three, and accidentally posted my new page for A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter as a post rather than a page.  Sorry!

Now, on to today's news! Changes, they are a'brewing.

This has been A Very Pottermore Summer for me!  Due to the excitement generated at the beginning of the summer from JKR's wonderful announcement of her upcoming Pottermore website, and the subsequent traffic tsunami that resulted from it, I've made numerous changes to the blog, which you may have noticed.

Though this post does not fit within my general craft analysis, I thought some of you, especially fellow/sister bloggers, might enjoy knowing about a few changes I made and why.  Some changes were made to increase the ease and functionality of my blog, others to unite my various sites in some resemblance of order, some to increase my outreach to other blogs and services, and still some to attempt to make all this time I spend obsessively blogging to actually contribute to the family financial coffers (ha!).  Thus, today, I'm blogging about blogging:

Organizing My Disorganization:

1) Linking to my "Other" Sites: You'll see across the top half of my navigation bar above that I've added links to my other sites online.  Eventually, I hope to have them all together under one roof, but for now, at least it's easy to get from one to another with a simple click.

2) Pottermore Wiki & Forum (for Writers & Fans): With the explosion this summer of interest in JK Rowling's newest project, I felt that Pottermore fans needed a site completely dedicated to Pottermore where they can share, discuss, and analyze all the new information which is currently being revealed.  At my unofficial Pottermore Wiki and Forums, you can talks with other fans in the Forums, add and read articles posted in the Wiki, and analyze what's newly revealed in Editorials (still in development).

Writers! I'd love to have your input.  If you'd like to add an editorial or write a post for the Wiki, please contact me at SPSipal AT gmail DOT com.  You'll get to place an ad on your bio page on the Wiki and links within your posts.

3) My Kindle Store: Here is where you'll find all that I have offered on Kindle, including A Writer's Guide to Harry Potter and my shorter Boy Who Lived Guides (for Writers & Fans).  As always, if you've read any of my books and liked them, I'd love it if you could post a review online.  Likewise, I'm always trying to improve my work, and if you have suggestions, I'd love to hear from you!

4) Editorial Services: Yes, I offer editorial services in critiquing query letters, synopses, first chapters, and even beyond.  As the page was a bit buried under my Kindle books, it's now got its own home.

5) CommentLuv: I'm SOO glad I installed the CommentLuv system before Pottermore hit.  Some of my posts received hundreds of comments.  Under Blogger's built-in comment system, that level of response would have been so hard to follow.

One neat feature I love best about CommentLuv is that as a visitor, you can insert your blog's URL and it will automatically link to your last blog post beneath your comment.  So, by commenting here, you can also provide a link to your latest post! Nifty, huh?  Check it out at IntenseDebate.


Outreach:

1) Upcoming Workshop:  Starting Sept. 3, I will be giving a new workshop called "Conflicts of Myth: Using Mythic Conflicts to Deepen Your Contemporary Novel." This workshop, hosted through SavvyAuthors, will examine reasons for using mythic conflicts and will study various myths throughout centuries, cultures, and continents. Then we'll see how many have been used in movies and stories as we discuss how to best incorporate them within our own.  Sign-up here! Soon!

2) Guest Blogging -- I LOVE hosting guest bloggers here, and I love to visit other blogs of similar minds and share my posts.  If you'd like to be a guest blogger at Harry Potter for Writers, or host me at yours, drop me a note at SPSipal AT gmail DOT com.  Likewise, remind me if we've already set one up and need to work out the details.

3) #PotterChat - After the wonderful week of PotterChat blogfest earlier in the summer, I started hosting a frequent #PotterChat on Twitter for all those interested in discussing the latest news in Harry Potter or Pottermore.  Recently, I also added a #PotterChat Daily paper.li to my Twitter feed.  It's a simple tool, that once set-up, automatically takes Tweets from your stream and puts them together in a newspaper-like post that others can subscribe to.  I find it interesting myself for checking out news and links I might have missed that day.  Your readers can likewise explore more posts on topics in their field of interest and find new people to follow.


Making Blogging Pay (or at least leave a tidy tip):
Blogging takes a lot of time.  Blogging the way I have done it this summer takes a humongous amount of time.  For the last three months, I was blessed that I had it.  But now, with school and work starting back, the only way I can justify continuing this level of time commitment is if my work online can help pay the bills.  Thus, I've added a couple of features:

1) Google AdSense: Most of you are probably familiar with this most popular method for adding ads and earning revenue from your blog traffic.  On Blogger, it's as easy as clicking on your "Monetize" tab and following the instruction.  You choose where to place your ads, but you really won't make any money unless your daily traffic is in the thousands.

To be honest, I'm not sure I'm going to keep it on this blog. I'm taking it out for a test drive. Would love to know from anyone else using it on their writing blog if you feel like it has been of any benefit.

2) VigLink: VigLink is an affiliate program which allows website owner and bloggers to, with the incredible ease of adding one simple code to their site, automatically monetize their links.  Any links you already have on your site, or those added in the future that link to any merchants within the VigLink system, will automatically count as a sales-link without having to insert a special affiliate code.

One such merchant is Amazon.  And if you, like me, live in a state where you cannot be an Amazon affiliate directly (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Rhode Island, or Connecticut), then you may want to consider trying out VigLink yourself.


Feedback Requested:
Have you found any of these changes to be a distraction rather than enhancement?  Do you visit more than one of my "sites" online?

How about you?  I'd love to hear from other bloggers, and am planning an upcoming post to share your best advice:

• What are your best tips for improving the effectiveness of your blog?
• What are your best tips for increasing quality traffic to your blog, your Twitter, or wherever else you hang out online?
• And if you've monetized your blog in any manner, what programs did you find the least offensive and most effective?

Photo credit.

Pottermore IS for Writers (but mostly in the subtext): Part 2

(May contain minor spoilers!)

Yesterday I posted the first half of a breakdown on how I see Pottermore benefitting writers.  Pottermore IS for Writers (but mostly in the subtext) Part 1 focused on the craft we can learn from new information revealed inside Pottermore.  Today's second half will focus on the business insight we can gain.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I approached Pottermore with a bit of fan interest, but mostly with a writer's desire to gain greater insight into JK Rowling's thoughts and process in creating Harry Potter.  I also hoped for new understanding regarding how she managed the business aspects that helped to make HP the pheonomenal success it became.

In turning Pottermore's pages toward a business discussion, I have two main areas I'll cover: 1) engaging our reader electronically, and 2) who are we focused on serving?

Engaging our Reader Electronically:
Unless you've been hiding out in the Chamber of Secrets, you know that change is afoot in today's publishing world.  You can't be on Twitter more than 5 minutes without a Tweet foretelling the end of traditional publishing and the rise of the e-book.  It's a tidal wave of change, they all say, and those on the crest are shouting back at the rest of us to grab a boogie board and hop on.

It seems JK Rowling has caught the surge as well, but is riding the e-book challenge, as always, in her own very unique style.  Not only is she self-publishing her electronic editions of the Harry Potter series, but she's developed this fully functioning, visually enchanting online universe to encase her stories and entice her readers.

Although use of the Pottermore site is and always be completely free, it will also be the ONLY portal to buying the electronic Potter books.  And she controls it completely.  SHE pays her prior publishers royalties rather than the other way around.  Genius, right?

Inside the Pottermore pages, the eager reader can once again follow the course of each of Harry's years as they are released, but with a whole electronic world of game and gadgets and social connections to enjoy along the journey (and keep them riveted within those e-pages).  For now, Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone is the only one available.  Readers follow the story chapter by chapter, participating in what Harry does along the way.  Shop in Diagon Alley at Flourish and Blotts.  Let your wand choose you at Ollivanders.  Then on to Hogwarts where through a series of questions and answers, the Sorting Hat decides your new home at Hogwarts -- a quiz that JK Rowling created herself.

Here and there are hidden items to discover, points to be earned for your house, duels to be challenged and won with other wizards, and best of all, new material to be read from JK Rowling.

As a fan, what's not to love?

And yet, most authors are thinking right now--such a website comes at a tremendous price!  There is absolutely no way 99% of us could afford such an investment.

I know I couldn't.

And yet, being inspired by what JKR has done will once again force me to challenge my boundaries.  Even though I cannot incorporate a Flash-driven, professionally designed website for my fiction universe, perhaps I CAN do something more creative than a simple webpage with book cover and story blurb.  Perhaps, if I really put my imagination into overdrive, I can devise a way to engage my reader in my electronic  world beyond the mere paper experience.

Could I create simple games for them to play that work within my universe?  Maybe I can share images of my magical elements and include further information on backstory not revealed in the text.  How about a scavenger hunt for continuing mysteries of the series?  And what can I do to make the site more interactive between me and my readers? Could I incorporate chatting, forums, and other social media so that my readers can talk together and with me?


Like it or not, the reading experience is continuing to race faster toward the electronic. Even now, for those readers who still cling to their paper and ink, once they close the covers of a favorite story, the first thing they will do is hop online to stalk the author, share with other fans, and delve further into that story's world.  Will you be there to meet them? And can you use engaging, interactive media to keep their interest ensnared in your world as thoroughly as JK Rowling has done?

These are the questions today's author is challenged to face.  And seeing how well Jo fares with her new magical experiment may inspire us along the way!

Who are We Focused on Serving:
Of course, all these questions above are based on one primary assumption: our work online will be focused on our reader.

The one thing that most struck me when I started writing this post happened when I tried to fit a title to it before I'd even started writing.  I wanted to say "Pottermore IS for Writers," and leave it at that.  The article would point out all the great insight I'd learned in the Pottermore pages to help me with my writing techniques.

But as I drew near the end of Philosopher's Stone, I knew such a title would be misleading.  Pottermore is 99% geared to fans! And, as writers, we need to learn from this!

Maybe the hoards of extra words JK Rowling has written for Pottermore are only half revealed at the moment.  Maybe more thoughts behind the writing process will come as the beta session nears its completion.  But at this stage, Pottermore is obviously a gift designed for fans...not a lesson for writers.  And I daresay that's how it's going to stand.

While frustrating as it may be as a writer that Jo rarely speaks directly to us to answer our specific questions about her processes and styles, perhaps that's one of the things which have made her such a success.  Her websites, her interviews, her outreach is always focused on her fans. She seeks in every way to give the reader what will keep them hooked on her world.  And thus it is true with Pottermore.

You wouldn't see Jo running a blog focused on writing.

So, where does that leave us as writers? How much attention are we paying to the audience of readers we are either currently serving or hope to have gained one day?  I know this question has been asked recently among many blogs, including Jami Gold's and Kristen Lamb's and Laura Pauling's.  But, as writers, if we utilize only the relative comfort and safety of a writing blog, are we really doing what we need to build our audience?

(P.S.) I know it's truly not fair to compare the resources and abilities of a mega-selling author to a beginner or even mid-list author, but I do hope you'll catch my point -- we need to seriously consider our audience.

Analyzing Me:
For myself, I have two audiences because I write both writing guides and fiction (coming soon!).  So, for me, this writing blog definitely fits one of my reading groups.  For the fiction, well that's part of the reason I've expanded recently into other worlds, which I hope to eventually enlarge to cover my own fiction as well.


What do you think about writing and blogging? And, even if you're still locked outside Pottermore's gates, how do you think you can learn from Pottermore to better suit your readers' needs?

Pottermore IS for Writers (but mostly in the subtext)!

As you know if you've been reading this forum, I've been fascinated with Pottermore and have tried to stay on top and cover this story as it has developed.  However, what might not have been as obvious is WHY I've been so fascinated.  I'll admit, though I'm very much a Harry Potter fan, I've approached Pottermore with more of a writer's interest.  I've been curious to see what JK Rowling would do with this new digital medium.  At heart, though, I'm mostly dying to take a dip into her brain waves and learn from her writing choices.

Would Pottermore deliver, however?  Or would it be a site for pure fan-indulgence?

The released hints, up until this point, were inconclusive.  It seemed that Pottermore would deliver SOME new insight useful to a writer, but I just wasn't sure how much.

Now that I am inside (YAY!!), I can take a deep breath of relief and assure all of you other writers out there -- Pottermore IS for you...but, as with all things Rowling, you have to look below the surface!

Let's look at what we as writers can learn from Pottermore in two parts, the craft and the business.  Because I have quite a bit to say about each, we'll cover the craft today and business tomorrow.


First the craft:
I've long lamented how little information JK Rowling had put out regarding her own writing process.  While we all know she loved to write in cafes and that she plotted her world and all seven stories in the first five years of writing, we didn't know many specifics.  In fact, I put together a letter several months ago asking just the sort of question I'd love to know from JKR.

But beyond writing techniques and processes, I personally had certain questions perhaps only I wanted answered--mostly things to do with the source material behind some of her magical elements.  Was the mid-east evil eye bead (or the Eye of Horus) really the inspiration behind Mad-Eye's magical eye?  Was the word Horcrux truly devised from the Cross of Horus?  Did she consciously think of the Seth protecting Ra myth when in Deathly Hallows she described the Room of Requirement "like a gigantic ship's cabin"?

Plus, there's the whole world of clue hunting, where fans spotted millions of clues they were never sure JK Rowling intended or not.  Did she use "spots" to point out certain suspicious figures?  Did she give her villains cameo roles in each chapter 13?  Did she deliberately use the word "swept" to hint at Snape's true allegiance in the infamous scene atop the Lightning-Struck Tower?

I'm happy to say, upon viewing Pottermore from the inside, that JK Rowling is definitely revealing more information regarding her writing techniques and choices.  As for her mythical allusions and mystery clues...well, we may have to read beneath the lines on that one.

Spoiler Alert Below this Point:
For the writing thoughts and processes, let me give you a (SPOILER) example from inside Pottermore where Jo reveals her thoughts in choosing the Sorting Hat as the medium for sorting first years into their houses.  She discusses how she'd always planned to divide students into the four different houses, but had played with various other methods of the sorting, from the use of a "Heath Robinson-ish machine" to talking statues of the four Founders.  Finally, with an intimate look into how she brainstormed out from eenymeenymineymoe to names out of a hat, she hit upon the Sorting Hat.

Now, this example alone is not that enlightening or inspiring.  But Pottermore has just opened.  Only Philosopher's Stone is available for navigation, and it has a decidedly beta-testing, unfinished feel to it.  I have no idea if more material will be added before the final version or just more gadgets, but if there are several revelations like this in each book, with six more books to come, then the writer can indeed gain greater insight into how the bestselling author of our time chose the craft decisions which turned her book into a publishing phenomenon.

As for my personal desire to know more about her hidden clues and mythical allusions...I may well have to continue hunting out JKR's subtext through Pottermore as well.  The evidence as to whether she will bring any of this above text at this point is, unfortunately, inconclusive.

Alchemy as an Example:
At the end of the first book on Pottermore, where Harry approaches his final challenge in the underground room below Hogwarts, when he comes face to face with Voldy-Quirrell, Jo's thoughts about the Philosopher's Stone are revealed.  Together with earlier revelations about alchemy from Nicholas Flamel, these insights show how she deliberately wove alchemical symbolism into the story.

But, that much was obvious to any serious student of her work. Jo had talked about alchemy in open interviews before.  And the information released in Pottermore only pointed out alchemy as an strong influence and plot point.  She did not go into the type of symbolic detail as to say, Sirius represents the Black phase, Dumbledore the White, Rubeus the Red... etc.

I still have hope! (Because I'm in Gryffindor now and I must! :-)  I'm hoping that through the direct feedback JKR is getting by way of the comments on Pottermore (which is consistently saying more...More...MORE!) that she will, as each book is released, include more of this below-the-scene analysis of her decisions and sources.

Once again, we wait...:
As with all things related to JK Rowling and Pottermore, however, we will have to wait.  Pottermore's release of Chamber of Secrets is not scheduled until early 2012.  And they haven't even said when the other books will follow.

I imagine that if JKR is truly wanting to get on with releasing completely new stories aside from Harry's world, as she hinted at in this Deathly Hallows Premiere interview, then she'll push to have all the HP stories released on Pottermore as soon as her computer geeks can handle it.

Go Jo!

In the end, where I think we as writers can learn more right now from Pottermore is regarding the business end, where I think JK Rowling once more has a lot to teach us.  But, like Pottermore, you'll have to wait for it.  Just until tomorrow.  Y'all come back now, ya hear! :-)

If you're eager to explore Pottermore, are you interested as a writer, a fan, or both?

And if you don't mind spoilers, or if you're already in Pottermore, be sure to check out my unofficial PottermoreWiki & Forums where loads of us are chatting about what we're finding inside those Hogwarty gates!

(Check Out JK Rowling's Newest Release -- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child here!) 

Pottermore is Open for Beta-Testing!

UPDATE! I'm IN!! But as soon as I had started in on Pottermore, the site went down for maintenance. When it goes back up, I'll start a new post with my impressions!

Meanwhile -- YAY!!! :-)

The Pottermore Insider has revealed that the REAL welcome e-owls are now going out! Some people have already received theirs and are inside Pottermore. Some of them are currently chatting on the Unofficial Pottermore Forums.

Let me know here or there when you get in and how you're sorted.  Will be updating both sites as soon as possible with new goodies now that it's working!

Have fun!

Will be updating info here and on the forum as it comes available.

1. Here's a view of the Pottermore welcome page for those who don't mind spoilers!
2. The poll on the side of this blog has been updated. Now, for those who are inside Pottermore, you can vote for which house the Sorting Hat placed you.
3. There's a poll inside the forums for people who are inside to vote on which day they registered in the 7 days of clues. May give us an idea as to when ours are coming.
4. Here's a pic of someone's welcome e-owl.
5. Inside the forums, those who are in are talking about what they can buy in Diagon Alley. Don't want to give too much away here for the casual reader who doesn't want spoilers, but check out the forums for more details.
6. There's a new article posted in the Guardian on Pottermore's opening which includes some interesting details on Privet Drive. 
7. According to the Guardian article above, Pottermore received more than 50,000 hits per SECOND on Aug. 3.  That's actually not the first day of clues, but the Wednesday of that week.
8. More SPOILERS: Awesome images of House Common Rooms and new info in the Forums.

Remember to keep checking back here as I will continue to update with new information received.

Pottermore Welcome (Oops! Confirmation) E-Owls in Flight

Those long-awaited Pottermore Welcome e-owls are finally in flight!  And while I'm very excited to find out when I'll get in (my daughter already received hers), my thoughts and prayers are with all those in England who have been suffering, on all sides, these last few days.  I hope that the Harry Potter message of unity through love can shine through in real life.

In the meanwhile, I've been AWOL lately as I worked on a VERY special (& difficult for me!) project! (I'm no programmer!!!)  It seemed to me that the Pottermore community, as evidenced by the amount of comments on this blog!, may be in need of a special home on the web where we can come together to share our excitement, discoveries, and thoughts on all things related to Pottermore with no character limits.

And thus...Pottermore Wiki & Forums (for Writers & Fans) is born!!!!

This is a place where YOU can shape the content, because just as JK Rowling said:

"The experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author & reader work together to create the story."

So, you may not be a beta-tester for Pottermore quite yet...but you can be a beta-tester for me RIGHT NOW!  Go there, try out the Forums (which are working) and let me know there what you think!

Go on...what are you waiting for? :-)

UPDATE: I just received my e-owl. Was going before on what my daughter told me about hers, which I didn't see. It seems the e-mail is another confirmation that I am in, but not the welcome one with a definite date. Instead, it says that I will receive the welcome e-mail with entrance date between mid-August to the end of September.

UPDATE 2: Poll results on the new Pottermore Forums indicate that only people who caught the Magical Quill on the first 2 days have received this new e-owl! So, maybe Pottermore IS taking registrants in according to the day they registered!

Prepare to Play! - Pottermore

The Pottermore Insider has already announced that the last clue for early entry into Pottermore will be released between 7:30 - 10 pm Eastern tonight for US, which is 12:30 - 3:00 am British time.

Keep in mind that the Pottermore entry clues never stay active much more than an hour (today's was almost 2). That could mean that registration comes to an end around 9:30 - 10:00 pm Eastern, 2:30 - 3:00 am British.

Such an early time for the last clue hints strongly to me that they are planning to open the site for actual play on Saturday! Which will come as awesome news to all those newly magical Pottermoreheads.

The Pottermore Insider has also said that entry of beta testers will be staggered until all are allowed entry in October. There are about 7 weeks until October. There were 7 days of clues. Will the day on which you caught your magical quill equate to the week you are allowed entry -- ie, those who caught the quill on day 1 get in the first week, those on day 2 get in the second...?

If Day 1 people are allowed in on Saturday, and I'm speculating here -- some of us (including me!!) may be playing as early as tonight Eastern time.

What do you need to prepare?: quick clicking fingers, as I'm sure many of you have been exercising this week to get into Pottermore. And check your e-mail for the welcome owl.  Then, be sure to come back here for an awesome list of other Magical Pottermore Frands (Friends + Fans!) to find once you get there!

Finally, make sure you check back here once Pottermore opens. I'll be starting a new series of posts, Pottermore From the Inside, especially geared to analyzing all those wonderful, long-awaited releases of backstory and worldbuilding which JKR has said will be included within Pottermore's pages. Whether you're a beta or not, you can still follow along...as long as you don't mind spoilers!

For writers, I think we'll learn a lot from this amazing new release of JK Rowling's thoughts and techniques!

What do you most hope to see from the inside?  And take my new poll --->> Which House do you hope to be sorted into?

While you wait, remember to check out my new release: The Boy Who Lived Comes to Die, an analysis of the final chapter of Deathly Hallows for both writers and fans!  Includes concluding character arcs, remaining secrets within JKR's brilliant subtext, and an analysis of Harry's final Hero's Journey.

What Pattern Can We See from the Pottermore Clues Posted Thus Far?

JK Rowling and her Pottermore team are truly devious!

Obviously, they've learned from past releases of clue-games on JKRowling.com and the SecretStreeView site just how quickly the answer to whatever they post will spread like wildfire throughout fandom.  They know that we're going to sit here guessing at and entering any possible answer combination until we hit on the right fit.

Pottermore has a great challenge in order to try to make this fair for everybody. As we had been discussing on this site for weeks, the early entry clues had to be done in such a way that it's not over as soon as it starts, like what happened with SecretStreetView. Fans shared those letters as soon as they found them, figured out how to find the rest, some before they were even released, and turned what was supposed to be a 2-day challenge into a 2-hour frenzy!

We figured that the quill quest challenge must involve some sort of skill on the fans' part and would have to be fair to people across the world with various translations and editions of the text.  As pointed out by Brian in the comment trail, that is why the numbers work so beautifully. Words within the text will not be the same in foreign language editions.  However, numbers are universal (as long as the translations have remained true to the original and listed the exact same number of owl breeds! :-)

Still, with two days' release of clues, maybe we can find some pattern to go on.

Clues so far:
1) Number of owl breeds in Eeylops Owl sign multiplied by 49
2) Chapter number in which McGonagall cancels the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff multiplied by 42
3) Number of points Gryffindor was up in the match against Slytherin when Harry caught the Snitch, multiplied by 35

If the Pottermore team can take numbers from the listing of items in a sign to the number of a chapter, then seeking out number mentions in the upcoming books probably isn't going to be much help.  Numbers can come from virtually anywhere!

However, I do see just a small hint of a pattern.  Look at this:

Here are the formulas and final numbers used for entry so far:

sample: 7 x 10 = 70
1) 5 x 49 = 245 (7 x 7 = 49)
2) 14 x 42 = 588 (7 x 2 = 14, 7 x 6 = 42)
3) Today's involved two sets of problems. First, you had to do the math to figure out how many points Gryffindor was up (80 - 20 = 60), then multiply by 35 (7 x 5) for 60 x 35 = 2100
4) Tomorrow, we can anticipate a factor of 28 (7 x 4)

Our biggest hint, then is 7. A multiple of 7 was used both days as the factor. And as noted by Tricia in the comment forum, the factors also seem to be counting down. 7 the first day, 6 the second... Yay Tricia!

Times released so far:

1) 4 am Eastern, 9 am British
2) 5 am Eastern, 10 am British
3) 6 am Eastern, 11 am British

I doubt very seriously they will keep this pattern of only one hour apart!

I'm wondering, as are many others, if Pottermore will continue releasing clues within a narrower time-frame than anticipated due to the demands of needing to have it w/in their British working hours to have staff available to assist with problems.  If so, we can probably expect to have several more early mornings in the western hemisphere.

Location of Magical Quill:
1) on a place within Pottermore where various quills floated, or "flew," around and we had to catch one like Harry on the broom in the underground challenge at the end of PS/SS
2) hidden within a picture on a page of WarnerBrothers
3) on an ad placed in the top right column of a page at The Guardian with an article on Pottermore. This time, you had to swish and click your cursor over the quill to make it levitate to the top.

It seems that we can expect to find these quills hidden on pages of sites that are important to JK Rowling.

Going forward:
If you still haven't gotten in, my best advice:

1. keep the remaining books right by your computer (or wherever you check online from)
2. keep tabs open to Pottermore, Twitter, Facebook, this site, or whatever trusted source you know will update as soon as a clue is released
3. have a calculator handy
4. as well as the url: http://quill.pottermore.com/
5. learn your 7s time table!
6. and above all, CLICK QUICKLY
7. then, come back here and share with the rest of us
8. One prediction -- I expect that the numbers highlighted within each book will increase as the factors decrease. (Notice that today's was 60, the largest thus far.) Otherwise, people could try to simply click through the 7s time table before the next clue posts. Though I'm not sure it would work.

And My Pottermore Name Is...

I'm PhoenixEye64!  Find me when you get there!

And I want to find you too.  So, please, in comments, share your Pottermore name! :-)

UPDATE: And while you're there, check out Jenny's AWESOME compilation of Pottermore name parts in the comment trail! Thanks Jenny! :-)

The Quill Quest is ON!!

click to enlarge

Thanks to @Rubeus__Hagrid we have a screen cap of the Pottermore Magical Quill challenge.

7 Books, 7 Days, 7 Chances!

Sounds like we may be on the right track with the clues from the books we've been hunting.

I'll keep updating this page as new information is shared.  Contribute what you're hearing in the comments below, and the big news I'll add up here!

The Quill Quest is On!

Updates as they come in:

1. Must read: Pottermore Insider:  The way I'm reading this, you only have to successfully answer one clue and find that day's quill to register, if you do it while that day's registration is still open.  You don't have to do all 7!  But they close registration for the day after a certain number is reached. I guess this is to make it more challenging and give more people a chance.
2. When you find the clue, type it into the end of: http://quill.pottermore.com/  Note: Just because something you type in now doesn't work does not mean it's not a clue for sure. They may not activate the pages until the clue is released to keep people from random guessing.
3. Based on some comments I'm seeing below and in other posts: the clue has not been released yet, just the process for how they will be released and what we must do to answer. I'm guessing, judging the time and that the UK is in bed, it will be tomorrow sometime. What they've done is to prepare us for how the clue process and early registration will work.
4. As soon as a clue is released and I know about it, I will post it here. If I know the answer right away, I'll post that. Otherwise, we can work it out together.
5. Seems like beside the 7 Day banner, a couple of new items got added to the desk. Going to check my old file and see what's changed.
6. New items on desk -- what appears to be a red writing pen and an ivory Chess pawn, but I'm guessing both items are for pressing the wax seal. What do you think? Also something that appears to be a broken white quill on the front right corner near a letter.
7. Major News -- As has been mentioned in the comment trail from a post on Mugglenet's forum, LeakyCon attendees were given a preview that for the first clue you will need to go to Diagon Alley. Note, this is NOT the clue. It's a hint for the clue. The actual clue is supposed to be released after 8 am British Time.
8. I'd like to clarify one thing because I was a LeakyCon attendee as well -- the leaked information was posted here on my blog before I ever got my letter. People had found it released elsewhere and posted here in comments.
9. Today's clue is posted! How many breeds of owls mentioned in Eeylops Owl sign x 49! Hurry! 
10. I'm IN!! My new Pottermore name -- PhoenixEye64 !! Find me when we can all play!
11. Guys, I just added a new poll to the blog --->> I'd love to know how many people who come here are in!
12. I've started a new post to share Pottermore usernames. Check it out at And My Pottermore Name Is...  However, clue discussions in the following days will continue here!
13. In case you haven't already seen it, Pottermore Insider has answered some basic questions about the Quill Quest: http://bit.ly/pT0IdJ
14. IF YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED -- Roxanne just posted a link in the comment trail to some pictures from inside Pottermore that look very legitimate. They are from Facebook from someone in France. I looked at the first couple and stopped because I want to explore myself. But here's a link for those who can't wait! Pottermore Pics
15. Sorry! I was asleep for the release of clue 2 (Monday)! But my forums were not! Thank you all who shared in the comment trail and helped each other out. For the record, the clue was once again a number with multiplication clue -- in which chapter did McGonagall cancel the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, multiply it by 42. Alas, registration for today is already closed.
16. The Pottermore Insider has updated with a new post. The most interesting detail on it to me is that the Welcome e-mails letting the Beta players into Pottermore will not start to come until AFTER all 7 clues have been released.
17. Pottermore Insider has been updated! Tomorrow's (Wednesday's) clue will post between 9 am to 1 pm BST, which is between 4 am to 8 am Eastern (I think)!
18. Day 3 (Tuesday's) Clue: In the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, in Harry's third year, how many points is Gryffindor leading by before Harry catches the Golden Snitch?
    Multiply this number by 35.
19. Answer is in the comment trail. Just click "last activity" to see most recent comments for help!
20. 4th day (Wednesday's) clue to post between 2 pm - 6 pm British, 9 am - 1 pm Eastern.
21. Be ready with your multiples of 28! :-) 
22. New Clue:  How many students take part in the Triwizard Tournament during Harry's fourth year?
    Multiply this number by 28.
23. The Sony site is broke, just reenter this address: http://quill.pottermore.com/112
    It will take you straight to the page!!! 
24. Day 5: What is the house number of the Headquarters for The Order of the Phoenix in Grimmauld Place? Multiply this number by 21.
25. Day 6: How many chapters are there in HARRY POTTER and the Half-Blood Prince?
    Multiply this number by 14.
26. Day 7: How many Deathly Hallows are there? Multiply this number by 7.
27. Seek for help in the comment trail!
    

P.S. - Need a professional edit on your manuscript before you submit or publish direct? Be sure to check out my services!

Possible Pottermore Number Clue Found!

Update!, the Quill Quest has been announced. I've started a new post to follow the clues as they are released. Check here: Quill Quest is ON!!



July 31st is only 2 days away!!! And if you're like me, you're anxious and excited about what sort of early entry trial Pottermore will bring.

Well, thanks to George Papastratigakis, who has been commenting in this blog's Pottermore -- The Numbers Game column, we may all have one significant clue to go on.

George has been commenting for a few weeks about the numbers he saw carved into that large wooden desk on the Pottermore entry page.  But because I didn't have the contrast/brightness set right, and because my schedule was extremely hectic due to presenting a workshop at LeakyCon and then the week of #PotterChat, I couldn't see those numbers until today.

Meanwhile, George had updated his comments with specific directions as to where to look and with the idea that the numbers could possibly be an Ottendorf cipher.

So, not being too familiar with the film National Treasure, I looked up Ottendorf cipher and discovered that it was a book cipher. As one of the simplest ways JKR and the Pottermore team could have planted a book code was to refer to a page in a book, I decided to give it a try...still not really believing this would amount to anything.

However, what seemed to me to be the numbers on that desk are just the 2 and 9. The other stuff around it, what some people are seeing as 121961, I saw as just distraction. The 2 and the 9 come out the most clear.

click to enlarge

If JKR was going to leave a clue to a page number on the Pottermore entry desk, then I believed it would be to a page in the Bloomsbury edition of Philosopher's Stone.

And guess what happens at the bottom of page 29 of Philosopher's Stone:

   Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smeltings stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.
   They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat.
   'Get the post, Dudley,' said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.
   'Make Harry get it.'
   'Get the post, Harry.'
   'Make Dudley get it.'

That's the end of page 29. And you know by now what that post has brought. The very first Hogwarts letter for Harry. So on p. 29 of PS, Harry's first letter has been delivered.

What I think this could signify:

1. I think this could be another reference to the Quill Quest for early entry.
2. This clue could very well point to a method which will be used to gain that early entry. In other words, we may be hunting page numbers in books to find correct answers. However, the problem with that is, not everyone's going to have the same editions and page numbers. (Which, or course, will be solved with the HP e-books!).
3. Therefore, the Pottermore team may be using other means to test our knowledge of the books.  However, as commented by Roxanne earlier in The Pottermore Quill Quest is On thread, if the Pottermore team hopes to keep the answers from flooding the Internet as soon as the early entry challenge opens, then a certain amount of skill will need to be involved. JKR has used tests before on some of her prior challenges on JKRowling.com. Don't forget the Wombats (as Farida Mestek pointed out).  The early entry challenge could be a WOMBAT style test where the team has put together so many possible combinations of questions and answers, that it would at least slow down the dissemination as people share.

You think all this is coincidence? You may be right. Two more days will reveal the truth.

But for now, what do you think?

And good job, George!!!! Take a bow in the comments.


(PS: As I post this, I have Googled to see if any other sites have come up with page 29 of Philosopher's Stone from those numbers on the Pottermore desk. So far, I have not found anyone else with this clue. Which may just mean that we're off our rockers! :-)

Update: One more thing I've just realized that makes me think those numbers may indeed be deliberately planted -- they are not symmetrical! If they were merely decorative, wouldn't they have been drawn somewhat symmetrically around that center line?

Update 2: George Papastratigakis, who pointed the way to the numbers on the desk and the code theory, has been posting more comments in the Pottermore -- The Number Game thread.  He believes the full sequence of numbers are 1-219-6-1 and that it points to book #, page #, line #, and word #, which comes to the word "think" in the following bit from the Bloomsbury edition of Philosopher's Stone:

Harry: "He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I "think" he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know."

Here's the picture George put together to highlight his ideas:

click to enlarge

What do you all think? Could that sequence of numbers point to a different book, maybe?

Update 3: Jennyko in comments has pointed out what appears to be the numbers 9 and 6 carved into the headboard of the chair. The 9 is on the left side of the central circle and the 6 is on the right.

If this follows like the 29 carved into the wooden desk, and we interpret it as a page number in Bloomsbury's Philosopher's Stone, then we come to the page where Harry enters Gryffindor Tower for the first time, with Percy giving the password as Caput Draconis.

I did a whole editorial several years ago on Geomancy and Alchemy in Harry Potter, and Caput Draconis is a geomantic term. Here's what I said about it in 2004:

Caput Draconis and Fortuna Major are two of these geomantic characters. “Caput
Draconis” (Head of the Dragon) is the first password Harry learns for Gryffindor tower in Sorcerer’s Stone (130). According to John Michael Greer in Earth Divination, Earth Magic: A Practical Guide to Geomancy, Caput Draconis is defined as: “A doorway leading in. Favorable for beginnings and gain”. It signifies the beginning of something new and positive — highly appropriate for the beginning of Harry’s new life.

Fortuna Major, mentioned above, was the password in Prisoner of Azkaban.

If we need a password to get into Pottermore tomorrow, and Caput Draconis is it, then you all should come back here and give Jennyko a huge thank-you! :-)

Confused? Feel free to ask questions in the comment trail. You may also want to read through prior posts in the Pottermore label.

Pottermore Quill Quest is On!

Update!, the Quill Quest has been announced. I've started a new post to follow the clues as they are released. Check here: Quill Quest is ON!!

Alright, I may be jumping the gun a bit, but our hunches from the last few weeks of hunting clues seem to be paying off.

HPSupporters just pointed out that in the Pottermore blog post revealed today there is a hidden, invisible link.  And guess what that link points to?  An interview where JK Rowling discusses how names of students-to-be are written down by a magical quill in a book that record all magical births.  It is from this book that invitations to Hogwarts are sent out when they reach their 11th year.

Thanks so much @HPSupporters!

So, the Quill Quest seems to be shaping up to be a very real thing.  Though I'm not sure it will be limited to finding quills.  It seems to me that there is a wand disguised as a limb on the Pottermore Flash (above) that many of the fansites are sporting.  Plus, I know from the LeakyCon Pottermore preview that we will document our path through Pottermore by points of lights on 7 limbs, one for each book.

I think when July 31 rolls around, we'll be definitely hunting 3 quills in fandom, and perhaps a wand as well.

What do you think?  Did you see the hidden link?

About the wand disguised as a limb theory:  Look at the Flash above.  See the largest owl who is front and off-center to the left?  Now, look at his talons.  In the working Flash, he lifts and lowers those feet.  And his left talon seems to be gripping a very straight, long stick, while all the other limbs are bent or crooked.  That limb may actually be a wand.

This would be keeping with the original Pottermore Owl Tree where three quills were disguised as leaves.  You can see them below.  They are the bottom three on the left side:

Update 7/20: Roxanne makes a very good point in the comment trail.  JK Rowling and the Pottermore team are smart enough to realize that if the quest test for early entry is something as simple as finding 3 quills (and possibly a wand) once they are found by one person, the locations will be shared all over Fandom.

Therefore, there must be something to the early entry test that can be individualized and not simply shared.  Roxanne suggests a test of skill of some sort.  I'm thinking that once you find the quills and wand you have to do something with them.  Perhaps there will be a writing test! :-) (just kidding...I think!)

Siriusly, what do you do with a quill, especially at Hogwarts?  You write. 

What do you think?

Confused?  Not understanding what we're talking about regarding Pottermore, early entry, and the Quill Quest?  Read back over the Pottermore posts here to see the build-up to this article.

LeakyCon, Pottermore, and Potter Frands

Can you imagine the excitement of getting 3500 Harry Potters geeks together in one special place during the release of the very last Harry Potter movie?  Picture a scene of various Snapes slouching about, sneers on their faces, one with a very tall Bellatrix in prison garb by his side.  Or Dumbledore strolling through a hotel in full robes in Florida heat with his beard tucked into his belt.  Then there's Lucius and son Draco, looking very blonde indeed.  A heavily feathered human-sized Hedwig fluttered about, quite full of life.  But the costumes I liked the best, even though I didn't originally recognize what they were, were two Patroni (Patronuses?) with silver robes, silver paint, antlers, and even icy blue Christmas lights giving them a spectral glow.

Funny...I never saw a Harry.

The Great Hall was well adorned with the house colors, stone walls, flickering candles, suits of armor...and able to sit over 3,000 attendees!  In this awe-inspiring setting, Wizards Wrocked, Puppets Palled, Evanna Lynch talked to eager fans, Starkids delighted, musicians and singers Final Battled, and more of Pottermore was revealed!  Unfortunately, they put a hex on all our cameras before entering the room. :-(

For me, the workshops were the big draw (because I'm an old fuddy-duddy...see I even still use the word fuddy-duddy).  And I saw several good ones.  Erin Sweeney did a wonderful presentation on Cracking the Planetary Code: Harry Potter, Alchemy, and the Seven Book Series as a Whole, where she covered a part of alchemy in the series I had not looked at in depth.  She showed how each book related to a progression of the alchemical planets and the gods they represented.  Wonderful and enlightening.

Then there was David Martin's workshop on Casting Your Patronus: The Representation of Mental Processes in Harry Potters Novels.  David, a computer guru who had graciously helped me out the day before during my workshop when my laptop refused to cooperate, presented an aspect of JK Rowling's technique which I had not considered or covered before.  In fact, I was so impressed with his presentation that I asked his permission to give a synopsis of it to you all here.  So, look for that in the coming weeks.

And then there was Mark Oshiro's talk from his popular Mark Reads Harry Potter blog.  Wow! Can this guy entertain.  He's sharp, witty, and insightful, and packed the room full of fans who overflowed into the hallway afterward to continue talking with him for at least an hour.  Do check out his blog when you get the chance.  he also "reads" and "watches" other fandoms on his ever-expanding site.

And then there was Pottermore.  Unfortunately the nargles plagued the Pottermore presentation at the beginning, as they did my workshop, and were slow to get the technology cooperating.  A lot of what was presented, especially in the beginning, we already knew.  I had a personal thrill when they flashed some Tweets on the screen in front of 3,000 people, showing the breadth of speculation as to what Pottermore was...and mine was one of them! :-)

But some new information was revealed.  And here's the gist of what I found most intriguing:

• When entering Pottermore for the first time, you will not be allowed to create your own name, but rather will be given the choice of about 5 to pick from.  This, among other safeguards, is there to make sure the community is friendly to younger readers.
• The Great Hall and your House Common Room will be places to talk with other users.
• Throughout the course of Pottermore, you will not only earn points for your house, but will also be able to win galleons and sickles to shop for virtual items in Diagon Alley, such as your wand, schoolbooks, and a pet.
• A few new wizarding schools will be mentioned in new locations.
• When asked if Pottermore was the long anticipated HP Encyclopedia, the presenter answered, "Sort of."
• He referred to all those notebooks JK Rowling is famous for keeping where she wrote about her world and characters...they are all to be included on Pottermore, as well as new material.
• Pottermore will basically cover the storyline, special moments from within the books, and allow fans to share with each other.
• So far, 44 special moments have been brought to life on Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone alone... of which "The Potions Master" chapter is number 21! :-)
• You can find hidden objects and will be able to unlock new revelations from both objects and people.
• It will NOT be a place to post fanfiction (but you can upload fanart and make comments on each scene).
• They decided not tot show faces of the characters because they want people to still imagine for themselves what Harry and friends look like.
• The Sorting Hat questions are all designed by JKR.

While the Pottermore presentation was indeed thrilling, perhaps what I enjoyed best about LeakyCon were the times I got to talk with other Potter frands (friends + fans) that I'd just met.  Because being a Potter fan is a bond that makes us friends as well.

And don't forget to check out PotterChat this week for great blogs on Harry Potter and loads of prizes!

Sneak Peek 2 - History of Hogwarts Express

click to enlarge

It's not much, but lets see what we can find in this newest sneak peek to give us hints as to what's to come in Pottermore, and hopefully, how to get in early.

One of the first things I noticed is that there's secrets to unlock.  I would guess that these are all the bonus insights JK Rowling has written for Pottermore.

Also, did you see the two quills on trunk and the thing that looks like a slide carousel/eye.  I wonder what the quills designate?  But their appearance does give a strong hint to the possibility of the quill quest for early entry.

What more do you see?

Keep hitting refresh and I'll keep updating as we go!

I can't remember if we saw the "Read About" items down the left-hand side in a prior preview (yes, we did).  Will have to go check.  But it's interesting to me to think about what they represent.  Based on the detailed preview below suggesting that this section holds more information on places, characters, and creatures, I think these symbols represent:

Pottermore Previews

Update 6/30: The new Pottermore preview is up. Here's the jpeg:

click to enlarge

So, let's start dissecting!

It's Platform 9 3/4. Interesting how she chose a chapter focused on a number. :-)

So, it looks like there will be two interactive parts in this chapter -- one about the train, and the other about the train ride.

The icons at the top include:

• a Lock --in the place where in prior screen shots it says "Shop Open."
• Diagon Alley --
• Gringotts -- isn't there supposed to be a game here? riding the carts? Or am I confusing with the theme park? :-) -- could also imply that you earn galleons during the exploration and need a place to store your loot.
• Great Hall -- a place to share your fanfiction and fanart?
• Common Room --maybe a place to organize smaller study/reading groups or games?
• Spells -- a game for casting spells (as reported in Time)?
• Potions -- a game for mixing potions (as reported in Time)?
• Trunk -- a place to keep mementos/prizes you've gained?
• Friends -- the social media aspect?
• Favorites -- as in other social media, probably a place to bookmark favorite posts from friends
• also an owl with glowing eyes overseeing it all

I'll start listing beside each possibilities for what it represents.

I'm very curious about that owl with the number beside his head.  I wonder if that number represents a level you progress through, or special items you have collected, or what?  What do you think?

I think I see some red-haired Weasleys on the platform behind the sign! :-)

Also, did you notice the sprig of ivy at the bottom right of the sign?  We know already that in Diagon Alley we get to have our wand choose us.  I wonder if that ivy is decoration for everyone, or if it changes depending on the wood of your wand?

What Will Pottermore Know?

Update 6/28: Thanks to PottermoreNews for the breaking news on a recent Time article, we now have more information on what Pottermore will contain and how it will operate:

The site launches on July 31 (Mr. Potter's birthday), when one million fans can compete in an online challenge to gain early access. Pottermore opens its gates to the masses for free on October 1, 2011.

But what is the site like? Those hoping for a sophisticated first-person odyssey may be disappointed. Pottermore isn't a game: it's a series of illustrated environments, themed around “moments” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (material from the other novels will be added with time). The primary attraction for Potterphiles is access to arcana Rowling's been squirreling away in her attic. Want to know why Harry's uncle is called Vernon Dursley? Or learn about Prof. Minerva McGonagal's early heartbreak? You can find it on the site, although you may have to click around a bit to uncover the hidden treasures.

Users start out at Privet Drive, where they can explore Harry's cupboard under the stairs (replete with scampering spiders) before moving on to Platform 9 ¾, the Hogwarts Express, Diagon Alley and Gringotts. Each new witch or wizard gets a personalized trunk (where they can store their chocolate frog cards), 175 galleons and a Hogwarts shopping list (don't forget your crystal phials!) Then they're directed to Ollivander's, where they are asked a series of questions (eye color? Favorite artifact?) in order that their wand can choose them.


With personalized wand in hand, users continue on to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry itself, where, wearing the sorting hat, they are sorted into a House via a unique series of character testing questions written by Rowling herself. Some test the super-ego: would you snitch on a fellow wizard pupil who used a cheating quill? Others probe the id: which do you choose, forests or rivers? (Those who are not placed in Gryffindor get access to special material from The Sorcerer's Stone as compensation.) Once ensconsed in a house common room, users can read the secret lore of Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, meet housemates, and earn housepoints through wizard duels and mixing potions to compete for the House Cup.

While the environments do have some animated features (Scabbers lurking behind the cabin curtains in the Hogwarts Express, owls and ravens flying about), Pottermore is no World of Warcraft. Rowling wanted to keep the emphasis firmly on reading and the "literary experience," which is why Pottermore's environments are more like digitized pop-up books than a graphic adventure game. (While the environments share some similarities to the films, they are not based on them. And there are no avatars.)

Rowling is also encouraging user contributions to Pottermore. Users can jabber on the site about the benefits of dragon heartstring vs. Thestral tail hair wand cores to their heart's delight. Fans can even submit art.

Given the boxes of material gathering dust in her house, Rowling hasn't ruled out the possibility of creating a Harry Potter encyclopedia. She says she has “no plans” for another Harry Potter book. From now on, Harry Potter will live in the digital age. Talk about magic.

Read more from Time

I'll be updating our list of what we know of Pottermore based on this article, but did you notice at the beginning the confirmation that there will indeed be an "online challenge" to get into Pottermore early? Anyone sensing a quill quest in their near future? :-)

Update 6/26: Thanks to alert blog follower Roxanne, I've now viewed a leaked video from inside the press conference which includes footage of the Pottermore site in use!  I'm ecstatic to see that not only will the website include more backstory and worldbuilding info, but will also include JK Rowling's thoughts behind her choices, which includes the possibility for writing craft decisions and mythological subtext sources!

I'm inserting screen shots of certain pictures below to help analyze what is to come.  You can watch the video yourself by following the link Roxanne provided in her comment below.  And thank you, Roxanne! 


JK Rowling has stated in all the media coverage that she will be releasing some of the information regarding Harry Potter that she's hoarded for years into Pottermore.  She says she's already written 18,000 words, with much more to come.

The question this reader and writer most wants answered right now, is what types of information will be included?  From the bits that have been released, character backstory and some background on worldbuilding will definitely be covered.  She says there's quite an extensive background on McGonagall for example.  But will she cover her writing process, her extensive research, her many allusions through subtext?

Through this page, I would like to document two things:

1. specific information coming from reliable sources regarding what will be included
2. suggestions from fans as to what we HOPE will be included

And to get things started out, I'm going to put my own wish list together.  Mind you, I'm a writer who has studied JKR's books for years, mining them for entertaining methods to learn the craft and business of writing.  So, most of what I want to know concerns her writing process.  In fact, I did an open letter last fall that covers a lot of these questions.

However, I'm also deeply interested in her use of mythology, especially Egyptian, throughout the series, and would absolutely die of bliss :-) if she covered some of the subtext and sources of her mythological allusions.

Update: Here's a few screen caps which show Pottermore in action at the press conference.
First up: The Cupboard Under the Stairs, and more information on Vernon and Petunia Dursley:

click on any to enlarge

What we see from these pictures, besides the back of someone's head, is the first entry of approaching Harry's cupboard with the flag to "read about."  Once that flag is clicked, you come to the next screen, which pops up the screens of a list of characters involved to the left and the "You've unlocked Vernon and Petunia Dursley by JK Rowling," that entices you to click to find out Jo's insights.  Once you click that screen, you come to the last screen which gives "additional background to the characters," which includes how Vernon and Petunia met at work, as well as (the most valuable in my writerly opinion) the reason Jo chose these particular names for these characters.  Hopefully here she'd also include any mythological allusions if they apply! :-) 

Here's the next set of screen caps from the press conference which shows the sorting.  Note, I did not include all the screens that were shown or the answers that led to Gryffindor -- the video did not show them all either.  But, we want to have a surprise, don't we?  We don't want to know the answers beforehand and trick the system!

click to enlarge

What this set of images showed was how a new student to Pottermore will be sorted.  You will be asked a series of at least 6 questions (they only showed a couple, but one was referred to as 6), where you have to click from the available possible answers.  At the end, you get your house entry!

So, here's the list of what we have already been informed will be in Pottermore, and what we hope to add to it.  Please, add to it through the comment trail and I'll keep updating the list in the post as we go.  Perhaps, we can get JKR's attention and persuade her to include a few morsels which she had not previously thought us interested.  Pretty please, Jo? :-)

List of What Pottermore Already Knows:

1. McGonagall's complete backstory
2. more information on the other three Hogwarts houses
3. more in-depth wand lore
4. how Vernon and Petunia met -- at work

Wish List for What Pottermore Will Know:

1. What happened in that lost 24 hours between Voldemort's failed AK of Harry in Godric's Hollow and Harry's arrival at Privet Drive? (SPS)
2. What exactly were James and Lily's occupations and how exactly did they defy Voldemort 3 times? (SPS)
3. Did you originally intend for Snape to be part or whole vampire?  That early sketch you did of him sure looked like it. (SPS)
4. Did you ever have someone, perhaps your sister, who would act as a critique partner or beta reader before you submitted your manuscripts to your editor? (I'm not referring to your first book, as you already said your sister read that one, but the rest). (SPS)
5. How did you learn the craft of writing? We know you were an avid reader and studied classics at school, but did you ever join writer groups, read writer guides, etc.? (SPS)
6. What was your inspiration for some of your mythological allusions?  Did the Egyptian trinity of Osiris, Isis and Horus give play in your subtext? (SPS)
7. Specifically, did any of the myths associated with Thoth inspire the Chamber of Secrets? (SPS)
8. What symbolism were you drawing from in designing the Deathly Hallows symbol? (SPS)
9. Is the word Horcrux derived from the Cross of Horus? (SPS)
10. To know more about Hogwarts' history, professors, headmasters, ghosts, and, especially, founders. (FM)
11. More "Wizard of the Month" type of info. (FM)
12. Did you ever think of making Ginny an animagi? (SPS)
13. How did Dumbledore know what happened at Godric's Hollow? (SPS)
14. More detailed information as to what Voldemort did after he left Hogwarts, where he traveled and how he learned the dark arts. (AK)
15. When were the Death Eaters formed and when did the Order of the Phoenix start fighting them and how? (AK)
16. More details on what happens after the end of Deathly Hallows that got cut from the epilogue, especially concerning the Trios future careers. (FM)
17. A glimpse into a Hogwarts professor's lesson plan (FM)
18. More on the Marauder's Map (anon)
19. More on the making of Pottermore (anon)

Next to each entry, I'm putting initials of who asked it.

Let's get cracking.  Let's see how long we can get this scroll of parchment.  But please, be sure you're asking a question that's not already been answered.  And if I put one up that has been, please direct me to the place where the answer is.

Let's have fun!

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