J. K. Rowling’s Spreadsheet Shows How She Wrote Harry Potter

Every writer has their own process, and apparently J. K. Rowling is a meticulous plotter. This hand-written spreadsheet from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix plots out everything from the month a chapter takes place to what is happening on or off screen in each subplot:

J. K. Rowling

The first few columns are pretty simple: chapter number, month, chapter title, and plot outline

The next set of columns keep track of the different subplots, as Endpaper explains:

  • “Prophecy”: A subplot about the prophecy Harry finds himself concerned about all through the book
  • “Cho/Ginny”: The book’s romantic subplot
  • “D.A.”: What’s happening with the resistance army, or “Dumbledore’s Army”
  • “O of P”: What’s happening with the “Order of the Phoenix” group
  • “Snape/Harry”: What’s happening with Snape and Harry
  • “Hagrid and Grawp”: What’s happening with Hagrid and Grawp

If you are stuck in your own writing, perhaps following Rowling’s lead and mapping out your novel will help.

(h/t Open Culture)

More Like This

March Madness: Book-to-TV Adaptations Edition

Forget basketball and help us choose the best literary television

Mar 24 - Electric Literature

You Will Want Me When I Disappear

"I'd Never Felt So Light" by Thomas Renjilian, recommended by Electric Literature

Mar 29 - Thomas Renjilian

Exclusive Cover Reveal for Vanessa Chan’s “The Storm We Made”

How far would you go to protect your family when their survival is at stake?

Mar 29 - Electric Literature

Kelly Link Makes Fairy Tales Even Weirder Than You Remember

The author of "White Cats, Black Dogs" on why we're drawn to folk tales and how superstitions shape stories

Mar 29 - Chelsea Davis
Thank You!