The Magic of Writing

This past week was fall break for us, and we decided to take an actual vacation for the first time in years. Our daughter is 12 and a huge Harry Potter fan—so it made sense to book a trip to Orlando to experience the magic of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Given her age and only-child status, we figured this might be our last trip to Orlando for a while so we wanted to do it up right. We stayed at a resort and let her bring a friend. I’ll admit I was pretty stoked myself. I love Harry Potter and couldn’t wait to see it all.

And it did not disappoint.

We had a blast—the girls and the hubs rode lots of rides while I took in the sights. We got the park-to-park tickets, so we were able to experience both the Hogsmead and Diagon Alley attractions. As I looked around, the primary thought I had was, “All this came from the mind of an author.”

And it wasn’t just how the setting was brought to life—from the castle to the butterbeer—or how visitors were able to experience a bit of magic through the rides.  It was also how many of the people there, from young to old, were immersed in Harry Potter attire. Oh, and of course the spells. There was one moment when I was waiting for my daughter and her friend to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey for probably the 4th time, and my husband was off trying to get some pictures printed. As I was waiting, a couple of kids met up in front of me. One waved his wand at the other right before their parents joined them. The mom took a few steps and then this exchange happened:

Mom: {looking at the kid who wasn’t moving} Come on.

Kid: I can’t.

Mom: {looking at the other kid and sighing in a way that suggests it wasn’t the first time} Unstupefy him.

Seriously, how cool is that? Being an author has to be the best job in the world. Even if the vast majority of us will never achieve a fraction of the success J.K. Rowling has seen, we can make just as big of an impact in someone’s life. Our stories mean something to someone.

That’s why I write. The trip only reinforced why I do what I do for such little pay. It’s knowing that I’ve been given words to translate in a way that can resonate with people on a very personal level.

Now it’s time for me to go and write all the words.

~ Carrie