The Message Is To NOT Give Up

From J.K. Rowling, an extremely successful author

J. K. Rowling has become an inspiration

Most people who are familiar with the Harry Potter books and the author, J.K. Rowling, know that she was a single mother with financial problems before she became a successful writer. However, much of her story might have been unknown.

A recent post came up on Facebook which listed some of the problems and rejection she faced. She was not accepted to Oxford University when she first applied. She graduated from Exeter University in 1986 and moved to Portugal where she married a journalist. She had a daughter, but the marriage did not last.

She had started to write a book in her spare time. The idea came to her when she was on a train, and it became the Harry Potter series.

Her mother passed away from multiple sclerosis. She and her daughter returned to live in London near her sister. Rowling struggled to support herself and her daughter on welfare, and she was diagnosed with severe depression. She found some solace in writing, which she loved.

She sent the first three chapters of her book to a publisher, and it was rejected immediately. She sent the manuscript of twelve different publishers and was rejected by all of them.

Finally, an editor read the manuscript along with the editor’s eight year old daughter, who loved the book. The publisher agreed to publish Rowling’s novel but suggested she would not make any money writing children’s books so she should get a day job.

They were proved wrong with J.K. Rowling going on to become one of the best selling authors of all time. She kept working hard and trying until someone finally published her work.

​“Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.” - J.K. Rowling

Rowling has become so rich and famous that she has been declared a billionaire. She has given away much money to worthy causes. She has been an outspoken critic of Trump and others at times. She has become a true success story. Her message for others who want to write is to NOT give up but to keep trying.

Thank you for reading.

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