Tag Archives: writing

What I Learnt From Harry Potter Characters

Welcome Potterheads! (If you’re not a Potterhead please go watch/read the entire series. K thanks!)

So, a few days ago, I re-watched the entire Harry Potter series, (why? Because why not!) after a very long time. The last time I saw it was almost 3 years ago. (Completely unforgivable, I know!)

As I was watching, I was actually watching it, the characters, and the whole concept from a very different perspective. Everything about it, I was understanding it in a whole different way, so here are some things I learnt from some people.

Hagrid

Funny, warm, kind, supportive, a little dumb and super loving! I think every fan will agree with me when I say – Rubeus Hagrid is like that one uncle or that one cousin who’s your best friend. Watching Hagrid with the trio always made me want to reach out to my friends and spend time with them. The character really puts forward the message of loving everyone and everything, even if it’s a gigantic, hairy spider with hundreds of kids or a three headed dog!

“I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.’ An’ he was right.”

– Rubeus Hagrid

Snape

Possibly the most misunderstood character in the entire Hogwarts history. Till the very end he maintained the character of being a cold hearted, evil, Death Eater who was out to get his hands on Potter. Only at the end did his tears really reveal the love he had and carried in his hearts for all those years, never letting it come out, but hurting alone on the inside.

Imagine being in his shoes, never being able to express yourself and who you really are, having to live with the sad memory of holding your love for the very last time but having them in your heart till the very end. Imagine knowing those deep secrets, yet not being able to do anything about it and living with the pressure that no one understood. </3

“Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn’t fair.”

-Severus Snape

Dumbledore

Probably one of the most controversial character who initially seemed to care a lot for Harry but at the end looked like the man who was just waiting for the right moment. (Still his death hurts) . He left forever teaching us to choose the path of right – no matter what , even if you have to die for it and at the same time, he taught me to be a leader.

“We must all face the choice between what is right, and what is easy.”

– Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Harry Potter

Nerdy and awkward, yet so popular! (15 year old me relates!) When you take a look at his life, you really understand the importance of friends and loved ones. People who will sacrifice their life just to protect you, people who are willing to fall into dungeons and rescue you on flying cars, people who would literally become you and risk their life, just to save yours – such people are not easy to come by, and when you do come across them, keep them with you and cherish them. Not to mention the little bits of pep talks you can get from him every now and then.

“Working hard is important, but there’s something that matters even more: believing in Yourself.”

– Harry James Potter

Fred & George

The most fun loving, crazy troublemakers Hogwarts had the opportunity to have. Born on April fool’s day, it was clear from the start , they were going to be the official pranksters of the school. Although really well known for being pranksters and goofs , thier bravery isn’t really spoken about much. Can you imagine flying into Umbridge’s classroom on brooms and lighting off fireworks disrupting the OWLs ,not to mention scaring Umbridge herself with the biggest fireworks – that has to take a lot of bravery – especially after being punished by those awful quills of hers!

The crazy duo really teach you to keep your best smile on and your humour high, no matter what the situation. To live your life with no regrets, to always be cheerful and joyful – even in the most darkest times, be it injury or even death. (We’ll miss you Fredd

“Well, none of us really fancy it, mate. Imagine if something went wrong, and we ended up a scrawny specky git forever. “

– Fred & George Weasley

Luna

Weird and lost (and maybe a little bit looney), yet she was such a joy to look at. In a strange way, I felt myself relating more to her now as an awkward introvert. It’s not easy for me to make friends, but when I do, I will do anything for them, be it learning spells behind the cruel headmistress back or standing up against the Dark Lord himself. She really gives out the message that it’s okay being the ‘weirdo’, you’re still cool, especially if you can help find a horcrux!

“My mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect”.

– Luna Elizabeth Lovegood

Dobby

Tiny, timid, scared, would be the 3 words I would use to describe this marvellous house-elf. The love and protectiveness this sweet one has for Harry is simply adorable. Sure, he’s got Harry in a few difficult situations, but all the while hoping to keep him away from danger. Not to mention, he was there, exactly whenever and wherever Harry needed him.

Although seeing this little fella pass away broke many people’s hearts, he did teach us, that sometimes we need to take some risks and break some rules (and even defy our master’s) just to protect those who mean a lot to us, even if,in that moment our actions might seem unreasonable.

“Such a beautiful place this is, to be with friends, Dobby feels joy for being with his friends, Harry Potter.”

– Dobby

Hermoine

Smart, kind, talented, cheeky and definitely a goddess, this little girl knew what she was stepping into, even before she knew what she was actually stepping into. Although born to muggles, she was better than even the pure bloods, which goes to show; it doesn’t matter where you’re born or to whom you’re born. Your real power and talent comes from yourself.

Being ambitious, kind and the bestest friend to Ron and Harry were clearly some traits highlighted, but something else that I learnt was ; people might not always accept you, and may even call you horrible things, but at the end if you keep your head held high and be proud of who you truly are, you might just be able to punch those same people in the face (literally &/or figuratively).

“Books! And cleverness! There are more important things! — Friendship! And Bravery!”

– Hermoine Jean Granger

Sirius

First portrayed as the bad man and then revealing himself as the actual good guy, only to be killed, Black really brings the point home that sometimes, things are not how they really seem, sometimes, there’s more to the story. Also, never let go of hope, sure, you might have to spend 12 years in the most horrifying, dangerous prison ever, but eventually a time will come when you will be able to show yourself truly, if not to everyone, then atleast to those who mean everything to you. So if you’re going through difficult times, hang in there, eventually a time will come when you too will be able to fly off into the moonlight on a Hippogriff.

“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on—that’s who we really are.”

– Sirius Black

Draco

Dark, mysterious, trouble-maker, bad boy, bully, I could go on and on about this fella but no words are enough to explain my love for this Slytherin king. Tough as a rock from the outside, perfectly mean to any and all muggles, but on the inside, the most sweetest kid with the weakest heart.

Although a little bit of a drama queen (okay ,maybe a little too much of a drama queen!) , he really makes you realise that what you see from the outside, isn’t necessarily what’s happening inside as well. So the next time someone is rude to you for no reason there might actually be a reason, maybe you just don’t understand them.

Draco as a character also makes you realise that sometimes you need to ask for help, or just accept help when someone offers it – even though you might feel like you’re completely fine on your own and have everything under control, actually having someone by your side can be a huge help.

“It comes and it goes. Still, I consider myself lucky. If it wasn’t for Madame Pomfrey, another minute or two and I could have lost my arm. Couldn’t possibly do any homework for weeks.”

– Draco Lucius Malfoy

Ron

Clumsy yet the cutest of the Weasley family, a character who surely stole everyone’s hearts right from platform 9¾. A clear indication that honest, real, unconditional love for our friends is so important. Someone who stayed by Harry’s side through everything, good and bad (although sometimes he can be a little annoying). Be it a broken wand or a broken arm, he knew to put his friends before himself. Want another reason to love Ron? – You can stuff your face around him, no judgements whatsoever, he might even join you XD, also, he has the most hilarious comebacks to some pretty unusual situations!. (How can you still not love him?!)

“Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be ‘follow the butterflies’?”

– Ronald Bilius Weasley

Neville

The shy little sweetheart who always only wished good for everyone. (Much like human version of Dobby, if you ask me) Mostly pushed off to the side, only to shine at the end when he wielded the sword of the true Gryffindor. Neville makes you feel like you belong, it doesn’t matter if you’re friends with the popular kids or not, it doesn’t matter if you’re part of the fancy sports teams or not, it doesn’t matter who you are, you will always belong – as long as you have goodness in your heart. If you’re good at heart you can fight the biggest snakes out there, just believe in yourself.

“I’ll join you when hell freezes over!”

– Neville Longbottom

Voldemort

The Dark Lord himself. Powerful but vain (in my opinion). Although not the most loved character of the series, Tom faced a lot of hardships in his childhood and many people can see themselves in him. The feeling that you don’t belong has hurt one too many people (although not all of them turned out this evil ). Something which Voldemort’s story does tell is this – even if you feel like you don’t belong and people around you make you feel terrible about who you truly are, there will come a time when you will find your place in the world, be it between muggles, pure-bloods or even half-bloods.

“There is no good and evil. There is only power. And those too weak to seek it.”

– Tom Marvolo Riddle

The Power Of Words

“A pen is stronger than a sword” is a quote we’ve all heard at some point, and it’s true! Words have a power than nothing else has.

Writing is taking small, baby ideas and turning them into concrete pieces. People use their words to express themselves, some through journaling, some by writing stories, poems and prose, some even use their words and express themselves through captions on social media.

But, what about for someone who doesn’t really express themselves through written words? Or a more appropriate question to ask would be

Why To Write?



There are many reasons to write, but something to keep in mind is, you need to have the will to write.
To weave those words with the thoughts in your head, the rush you can get from writing down things that have meaning to you is simply different and irreplaceable.

The feeling of creating a masterpiece with words is something really precious to every writer.

When you write, you’re training your mind to focus on a specific topic and stay with it. When you write, you unlock a whole new level of focus and self-discipline, something that can be useful outside of writing and in your daily life.

Writing is essentially about clearing up your head from the racing thoughts and placing them all down for better inspection and simply for the sake of having a clear mind to focus on other things.
When you’re in the habit of writing, you’re forcing yourself to put the effort to focus and be present – something which we all need in the present times.

Words As Therapy


Words As Therapy

• Writing, as a habit can be really theraputic. Dealing with a million emotions can be challenging, but when you externalise those feelings and emotions, your mental health improves and the overwhelming feelings stay at arms length.

• Expressive writing, or writing for expressing one’s own thoughts and feelings into words is one of the most common ways of self help and just calming oneself.

• When you write or journal about your own negative experiences, you allow your mind to sort out the thoughts and process them, which allows you to deal with situations and even come up with solutions to difficult situations.

• Gratitude journaling is a great tool to maintain a healthy mental space. Writing about things, people and experiences you’re grateful for can be a great reminder about all the good things in life and things that are worth going forward for.

• Letter writing is another, underrated habit of writing. Many times, things left unsaid can bother us. These things, to others and to ourselves can be written down in letters and be therapeutic and relaxing.

Words At Work


Writing can be useful,not just for personal life, even for your professional life.

• When you write down the many thoughts going on in your mind you leave space for more productive processing to happen in your head.

• Noting down important things happening in your day to day life, just as simple notes or to do notes can be a very easy way to categorise and organize work which helps you have a clear head, helping you be pay attention and be present at work.

• Aside from that, writing can be a great way to learn communication skills. Writing and publishing your own words to a certain number of people increases your self confidence which in turn, helps you build better work relationships.

• When you build a habit of writing, you automatically learn the art of expressing yourself clearly without using fancy words. When you have a clear language and mode of communication, you can express yourself without fancy big words.

• Good writing habits also reflects on clear, concise thinking, being a good writer you can have structured thoughts and a better outlook towards the work which automatically improves the quality of work.


But what if you actually want to start writing,but you can’t get past a certain point?

Here are some Tips To Deal With Writing Fears


Many times, it’s not the writing process,it’s the thinking process that doesn’t allow you to start. It’s important to know what to write before you actually step into it.

Read on a large span of topics. Read everything – things that interest you and those that don’t, eventually find a topic that you feel comfortable writing about.

Then, spend some time thinking about what to write on that specific topic. Working out, commuting to places, going to bed, use these times to think about ideas and find inspiration from things and people around you.

Once ideas start coming in your mind, write them down, each one. Don’t look for a specific ‘good’ or ‘bad’ idea, write everything down, you can sort through the ideas and edit them all later.

Once you’ve written something you’re proud of, read and re-read it, your mind will realise that it is actually a soothing experience and actually worth the effort, that way, you will be motivated to write more.


Something that a lot of writers are scared of is “the writer’s block”. It is basically when you don’t have the inspiration and/or motivation to write new and interesting pieces.

How To Deal With Writer’s Block?


• For many of the modern writers (including myself), procrastination is a major roadblock. So essentially, it is important to build the will to actually get up and get to writing.

• Another reason for experiencing writer’s block can be your environment. Suddenly changing your surrounding or being surrounded by the same things for long periods of time can impact your productivity as well.
Try making small changes to your workspace at regular intervals, also try to have fresh light coming in – a little light can go a long way!

• And finally, while writing, have no distractions around you. Close out all other programs or distractions and let your mind focus on the words and involve yourself in the process of creating beauty through words.

WHY BLOGGING?

A few days ago as I was scrolling through some of my feed I realised that I have never told people why I started this blog and why I’m so passionate about writing and working hard on making this my full time profession. So, I’ll tell you now.


I have always been a bookworm and share my love for reading with my mom. Since a very young age I loved reading and writing fantasy stories (which is why I now want to write stories for children). Growing up I read stories from authors like Enid Blyton, Ruskin Bond and Roald Dahl. A few years later, I stumbled upon the world of eBooks and have since been obsessed with crime novels and murder mysteries.


After that I got more interested in writing philosophy (many people may think that a little girl of 14 may not have much philosophical knowledge… But trust me… Youngsters are way more knowledgeable than people give them credit for… And that is the point that I want to prove with my blogs)
I got the idea of online writing and stepped into the world, unfortunately for me, my expectations were very high… A little too much, I admit. So with a heavy heart I quit writing philosophy.


But now, I’m back, with much more knowledge, lesser (but realistic) expectations, a thirst for knowledge and a huge craving for writing things and bringing people happiness.

When I started writing again, I heard many people say things like, “this one won’t last either” or “you’ll be over it soon” and also things like “you may think that you can do it, but the reality is that you can’t” and this time I’m writing to prove them wrong, to stand up for myself and millions of young people out there who don’t get the credit that they deserve.


So, this was the small (yet big) reason why I decided to write (again) and I am very much excited to write and learn and create so much more. And honestly, huge thanks to all the people that are supporting and reading my blogs and liking as well, it really means a lot to me. Lots of love to everyone reading this… Remember… I appreciate you❤️