Picture from https://climbingmountainsandchasingdreams.wordpress.com/
Keep working on your dreams….inspirational people when you need them the most
– JK Rowling (4 minute read)
Most of us have a dream. And when we first find it, it seems so easy. Our confidence is high. This dream is achievable. And then after time the vision grows dimmer. The possibilities of actually manifesting our dreams seems less and less likely. And it’s at this point that we need inspiration and fortunately there are many in the world that have had the same experience and still manifested their dreams. So when the chips are down and the goal seems impossible it’s to these real life stories we can turn to, to re inspire us .
As most of you know I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. I love the universe, the characters and the magic. However the story behind the book is just as amazing as the books themselves.
J.K Rowling had a vision and a dream which took her through the hardest parts of her life. Over a period of five years the first of the Harry Potter books became her comfort and escape. She didn’t give up on the dream of having the book published and in the end her hard work paid off. A true rags to riches story.
Rowling had a relatively uneventful childhood, she was known as a child that lived in a fantasy world and was always writing in a notebook. She finished her education by graduating Exeter University with a diploma of Bachelor of Arts in French and Classics. She moved to London and worked as a researcher and bilingual secretary for Amnesty International, but she knew that it was not for her.
Whilst returning from Manchester on the train, Rowling was inspired by the idea of Harry Potter, the whole story of the first book and the wizarding world. She had no idea where the idea came from. She began writing the book at once.
It was also at this point Rowling’s life began a downward spiral. It started on 30th December 1990 with the death of her mother at the age of 45. The shock of her mother’s death sent Rowling into a depression. 9 months later to escape she moved to Portugal where she met her first husband. Unfortunately after a period in the training assembly Rowlings husband was unable to find work and she supported the family until the birth of her daughter in 1993. However a few months later her husband beat her and drove her and her daughter out of their home.
Rowling retuned to the UK and moved in with her sister in Edinburgh. By the end of 1993, Rowling hit rock bottom and saw herself as a failure. Her short-lived marriage had collapsed, she was unemployed and she was a lone parent and as poor as it was possible to be in Britain. However Rowling can recall these years as both troubled and valuable.
During this period, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression and contemplated suicide. Her illness helped her to invent the characters known as Dementors, dark creatures, introduced in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Even in this troubled period Rowling kept her dream alive.
Rowling decided to rent a small apartment in Edinburgh. As an unemplyed person she had to live off state benefits, 70 pounds per week. Rowling was ashamed of her distressful situation. Every day she went out for a walk with her daughter and wandered through the streets to make her fall asleep. Then, sitting with a cup of coffee at Nicolson’s Cafe, or at the Elephant House, Joanne, continued to work on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In writing she could forget about everything, all those failures and hardships helped her to become stronger, teaching her how to succeed, even when life seemed hopeless.
In 1995, after five years of writing, and the rewriting chapter 1 fifteen times Rowling finally finished Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Rowling had such faith in her book that she made drawings for the future illustrators. Rowling printed several chapters on an old typewriter, put them in a folder and sent them to some literary agents. After she was looking forward to their responses.
But she received such replies as “It is too difficult for children,” “It is too long”, “Children would not be interested in it.” At this stage, she thought that life was meaningless. Her sister came to help and said “Rowlings never give up!” So they sent some chapters to Christopher Little, the famous literary agent. Who at first rejected the book. But after reconsideration book was sent to 12 publishing companies all of whom rejected the book.
Just as Rowling was beginning to despair in 1996 there was the first light of success. In August the book finally got a green light (and a £1,500 ($2,300) of advance) by Barry Cunningham, an editor from Bloomsbury, a publishing house in London. However although Bloomsbury agreed to publish the book, Rowling was advised by them to find a job since she had a little chance of making money in children’s books. Soon, Rowling got a job as a teacher of French.
However slowly success came in dribs and drabs. In 1997, Rowling received a £8,000 ($12,500) grant from the Scottish Arts Council to enable her to continue writing. In June 1997, Bloomsbury published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with an initial print-run of 1,000 copies. 500 copies of the book were distributed to libraries. When the book was presented Rowling read out the passages from her book only a few people came to listen to the unknown writer. Nevertheless, she felt herself triumphal. At this point there was no indication of the success that was to come.
The readers took to the book and the boom began. Five months later, the book won its first award, a Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. In February, the novel, beyond comparison, won the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. Soon, the novel took the Children’s Book Award. In early 1998, Scholastic Inc. during the auction that was held in the United States won the rights to publish the novel won for $105,000.
In October 1998, Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the first two novels for $1.5 million. And JK. Rowling’s success has grown and grown since that day.
J.K Rowling’s story shows dedication to a dream in spite of all the hardships and barriers.She worked hard all the way and kept the vision in mind no matter what. In her own words “I believe you’re working and learning until the day you die”. These three things, holding the vision, learning all the way and working hard will take your dreams to a reality. If JK Rowling could do it, so can YOU.
So no matter how hard things are allow your dreams to be your guiding light and keep working on them. And remember as Rowling says that ” Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”
from
and
http://www.itsalwaysdarkestbeforethedawn.wordpress.com
“Be bold and unseen forces come to one’s aid.”
from http://www.craigsquotes.wordpress.com
“All our dreams can come true…if we have the desire (burning), determination, courage, passion, persistence and patience* to pursue them (and it’s often through the very dark places where they may lead)…long enough.”
-c
* the “three pees”
“Together, one mind, one life (one small step at a time), let’s see how many people (and lives) we can encourage, impact, empower, enrich, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials…and strive for and perhaps one sunny day even achieve their wildest dreams.”
Pictures (great) by my friend, Jenny, whose photographic talents I definitely do NOT possess!
from
www.jennysphotographicjourney.wordpress.com
www.onetaleoftwocities.wordpress.com
www.itsalwaysdarkestbeforethedawn.wordpress.com
www.shatteredbrokendreams.wordpress.com
www.lifeisgodsnovel.wordpress.com
https://writingintothelightbook.wordpress.com/
https://writeintothelightbook.wordpress.com/
www.climbingmountainsandchasingdreams.wordpress.com
and
www.awritersdreams.wordpress.com
PS
Best wishes from the First City to see the light each new day
SHARE, INFORM, UPLIFT, IGNITE, IMPACT, ENCOURAGE and (perhaps even) INSPIRE
craig lock said:
Reblogged this on From Seeds of Hope To Endless Possibilities.
To my “cyber-friends/pals” around the world….
Thanks for the follow/link/like/reblog and/or kind thought(s)
Hi everyone
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks to YOU all for the thanx” (in thought)
if you want to follow me, go to https://www.facebook.com/craig.lock.31
and
https://www.facebook.com/Uplift-Encourage-and-Inspire-479972392393133/
Though my family and close friends say it would be far more entertaining with a video-camera*!)
* By the way, do they still make them in today’s ever-faster changing world..or is it all done with mobile phones?
(get with the times now,”luddite”* c – it should be a smart phone)
* or so I was often called by my “my techno-geek” friend, Bill (“the gonk”)
“total non-techno” c (who doesn’t possess a mobile phone, after a rather eventful’ experience some years back, whilst trying to walk, talk and chew gum at the same time)
Who says men can’t multi-task!
Men…Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em!
“You will do foolish things…but do them with enthusiasm.”
– Colette
Now back to the message I was posting before I got distracted
enjoy anyway
#
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
I’ve had many many hundreds of thousands (even “zillions”) of comments on my various other WordPress blogs at https://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/craigs-list-of-blogs-updated-sept-2011/
in recent years …true!). A few of my blogs went “balistically viral” a few years back and I got swamped with comments on my various blogs… so had to close them all off.
Obsessive or WHAT! Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share.
Though I’m rather “driven”, I still get really, really fatigued (there’s a few books there). So sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet. As mentioned (stop repeating yourself, c – bad writing…otherwise the first signs of approaching senility!), I was unable to keep up with the comments and was spending entire days just on replies on my various blog pages, so had to close them off on all of my blogs, except for one or two of particular interest to me.
Sorry and hope you can understand.
* “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
~ Franz Kafka
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.a
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
“When (or if ever) you arrive in heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings that carried you there.”
– as adapted from the inspiring words of Jonathan Edwards, former minister in New England, Massachusetts
“The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”
– c
“Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”
from http://racetothechequeredflag.wordpress.com/
and http://www.godandformula1.wordpress.com
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing (which I’m often told is what is “safest” for me!)
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=%22craig+lock%22&sitesearch_type=STORE
http://www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books
and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
“When the writer is no more , the value of your purchase will soar! ”
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand
PPS
“I wish you well on a rainy day
I wish you rainbows to brighten your day
To feel your quiet moments with a special kind of warmth
to remind you that happiness can happen
when you least expect it.
I wish you rainbows to make you laugh and smile
to show you the simple beauty of life
and to give you the magic of dreams come true.
I wish you rainbows
I wish you well.”
– Larry S. Chengges
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915
LikeLike
craig lock said:
Reblogged this on The Writing Journey.
LikeLike
craig lock said:
Reblogged this on The Power of The Dream.
LikeLike
craig lock said:
Reblogged this on "I Want to Write a Book!".
LikeLike
craig lock said:
Reblogged this on A Writer's Dream(s).
LikeLike
Pingback: Keep Working on your Dreams: The JK Rowling Story – It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn: A Story of Hope
craig lock said:
Thanks for the follow/link/like/reblog/comment and/or kind thought(s)
Hi
CAN’T KEEP UP…BUT THANKS FOR THE “THANX”
I’ve had many many hundreds of thousands (“zillions”) of comments on my various other WordPress blogs at https://craigsblogs.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/craigs-list-of-blogs-updated-sept-2011/
in recent years …true!) …a few of my blogs went “balistically viral” a few years back.
Obsessive or WHAT! Am really pleased you are enjoying my writings, as the reason I write is to share. However I am unable to keep up with the comments and was spending entire days just on replies on my various blog pages.
Though I’m rather “driven”, I still get really, really fatigued (there’s a few books there). so sorry can’t reply individually to all you good people scattered around the planet, but DO try to read as many as possible daily (and even moderate a few when I get a “mo”), I got swamped with comments on my various blogs, so have had to close them off on all of my blogs, except for one or two of particular interest to me.
Sorry and hope you can understand.
* “Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
~ Franz Kafka
I do really appreciate your liking, linking to and/or following this blog (and “writing in”), so “thanks for the thanx”
“As we live and move and have our being, so from this vision, we create heaven in our own lives… and perhaps even heaven on earth.”
– craig (as inspired by Acts 17:28 and the words of Felicia Searcy)
“Aim at the earth and you may not get off the ground.a
“Aim at the stars and you may reach the moon.”
“Aim at heaven and you’ll have earth thrown in…
and you may even hit the stars.”
– craig (as inspired by the famous quote by CS Lewis – 24th May 2012)
“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
– Leonardo da Vinci
When (or if ever) you arrive in heaven, let faith, hope and love be the wings that carried you there.”
– as adapted from the inspiring words of Jonathan Edwards, former minister in New England, Massachusetts
“The Greatest Race: Living by (with) faith, hope and love is the highest podium any person can reach, God’s podium that anyone stand on.”
– c
“Having pursued the goals, the dreams set before us and run the race with persistence and endurance, after giving it all. Then one day standing on the summit of life, breathing in the pure sweet oxygen of achievement, totally satisfied in running the greatest race, the race of life one that ANYONE can run and win.”
from http://racetothechequeredflag.wordpress.com/
and http://www.godandformula1.wordpress.com
“If a man is called to be a street-sweeper,
he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted,
or Beethoven composed music, or
Shakespeare wrote poetry.
He should sweep streets so well
that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say,
here lived a great street sweeper
who did his job well.”
– Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
PPS
Instead of trying to reply to each one of you, I’ll just keep on writing
“If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I’d type a little faster.”
The various books* that Craig “felt inspired to write” are available at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005GGMAW4
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=la_B005GGMAW4_sr?rh=i%3Abooks&field-author=Craig+Lock
https://www.createspace.com/pub/simplesitesearch.search.do?sitesearch_query=%22craig+lock%22&sitesearch_type=STORE
http://www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books
and http://goo.gl/vTpjk
All proceeds go to needy and underprivileged children –
MINE!
“When the writer is no more , the value of your purchase will soar! ”
Don’t worry about the world ending today…
as it’s already tomorrow in scenic and tranquil ‘little’ New Zealand
PPS
“I wish you well on a rainy day
I wish you rainbows to brighten your day
To feel your quiet moments with a special kind of warmth
to remind you that happiness can happen
when you least expect it.
I wish you rainbows to make you laugh and smile
to show you the simple beauty of life
and to give you the magic of dreams come true.
I wish you rainbows
I wish you well.”
– Larry S. Chengges
”Since I can never see your face,
And never shake you by the hand,
I send my soul through time and space
To greet you. You will understand.”
– James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915)
LikeLike
Pingback: Keep Working on your Dreams: The JK Rowling Story | “THE JOURNALIST “… REVEALING AND INTERESTING