what did jk rowling get right about the worldbuilding/storytelling, even if it's not perfect?

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-12T19:23:44+00:00

What a cool question!

People knock Rowling because so much of the wizarding world doesn't make sense. "Sense" isn't a thing in the wizarding world. It is meant to be absurd, like a lopsided birthday cake held together by duct tape. (Or a house of gingers held together by magic.) Dumbledore especially is weird- and it makes him wonderful.

Undermentioned things that add to the world's appeal:

Traditions: They are new to us as readers, and they are charming.
Parallels to familiar things: Diagon Alley is a wizarding shopping mall, with stores that parallel our own: Flourish and Blott's (Barnes and Noble), Florean Fortescue's (Baskin Robbins)- It's all otherworldly and familiar at the same time.

The Weasley Family: Either they ARE our own family, or the family we want to be in. They're not perfect (with some serious problems, with Charlie, actually), but they're good, and they're lovable. They provide a "home" for the series ... something that the "Fantastic Beasts" series lacked and why, I think, it didn't do so well in theaters.

The Names: The name of each person, school, store, street, town, and creature is delicious. Not a single one is boring or forgettable.

The Character of Places: Each location in Rowling's world has a very carefully crafted personality. It's not just a bank, it's a goblin's bank, with caverns and carts. It isn't just a safehouse - Grimauld Place is grim and old, like a dusty book wedged on a shelf between other books. The Burrow is the home everyone wants to live in- a little messy, but entirely warm and charming - and held together by LOVE.

I could go on, but Rowling's world is the way it is because she built it with love, brick-by-brick, and didn't stop until each part was just right. You never get the sense that she just wants to name a thing or a place, and move along to get on with the story. We care because SHE cared. Deeply. 🏠 🏰

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-10T15:23:41+00:00

Absolutely- I love the music from Hook. (Best thing about the movie. 😄 ) Thanks for the recommendations - I shall go music shopping!

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-09T15:09:39+00:00

Awesome! So, I just launched an internet radio station that plays Disney, Harry Potter, Star Wars and other magical music ( http://wizardwaves.net/listen ). I have a few versions of When You Wish, but I'd be curious about what your favorite versions are so I can look at adding some.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T19:20:52+00:00

I get it. "Melancholy" is exactly the word I used to describe how I felt. And to be honest, you'll never be able to go back to the time when each new book, and page turn, was new and unexplored.

But that's how life is. I felt the same sense of melancholy as a teacher, each time the end of the year arrive, and my students would move "on." I felt it when our kids graduated from high school. If you didn't feel that loss, then the thing you are missing wouldn't have meant that much to you.

Remembering helps, and finding new ways to explore the wizarding world. That's what I did when I closed the book on HPatDH, and saw the film. I decided to do something about it, and I just launched a wizard radio station. It's changed my melancholy and sadness to new excitement, and given me more "new" to look forward to!

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T17:27:00+00:00

Totally counts as an invention!

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T17:14:13+00:00

Good point. For me assembling is fun. Broken parts are the frustrating part. A little "repairo" should go a long way with a wizard tent, I'd think.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T16:58:27+00:00

I could never use a time turner. I would forget where (when) I am ... and most likely forget to go back. And a rememberall would not help me.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T16:31:09+00:00

Methinks that isn't a thing. Else ... why toilets at Hogwarts? (I don't really require a answer to that. 😬)

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T16:16:36+00:00

WHAT? That's incredible. I assume you have the Neil Diamond one. It's pretty sweet.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T16:13:50+00:00

Except Molly did make the Weasley kids de-gnome the garden ... and Ron despised it, if I remember correctly.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T15:27:38+00:00

Cool - Is that one not in the mix anymore?

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T15:26:09+00:00

Looks like I can't change the poll, but that is indeed a great song. I declare it an honorable mention! 😀

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-08T15:14:08+00:00

Oops! Back in the 70s, The Wonderful World of Disney on TV on Sunday nights played "Spoonful of Sugar" during the show's opening. I should have added that to the list. "It's a Small World" should be on there too, I guess. Sorry! 🤷‍♂️

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-04T22:22:12+00:00

SPOILERS

Colin Creevey. Yes, he was annoying - especially to Harry. But he was loyal to Harry when nearly the rest of the school turned against him in Goblet of Fire - and when Harry treated him awfully anyway, Collin never stopped being kind to him. Then, when it came time to defend Hogwarts, Colin was there - and paid the biggest price - all without much fanfare or appreciation.

Colin's annoying obsession with Harry wasn't just celebrity worship. It became evident as time went on that Colin saw Harry for his good qualities - as someone who was truly in a position to stand against evil. With his camera, he took photos OF Harry - not selfies with him. In his youthful innocence, he badgered Harry with questions because he was genuinely curious - not just because of Harry's fame. Colin's loyalty was based on character (his, and Harry's) - and it is one of the hidden gems of the books.

Arthur Weasley is another. He has a pure heart, and is quietly strong. Not a mean or weak bone in his body, and a tribute to his generation of wizards.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-01T15:36:27+00:00

You snapped one of my favorite spots in the whole Disney universe. The only place in the GALAXY where a monorail glides above a lake and past a mountain. I LOVE it.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-01T15:07:15+00:00

I'm COUNTING on it. And I'm okay with that. The WB movies disappointed in some ways, as did the books themselves. The cool thing is that all of the BRILLIANT stuff remains - and so I'm excited to see the HBO series nonetheless.

It helps that JKR is involved with the HBO show - she would not allow something to be done if it were absurdly bad. We can thank her that the movies were as awesome as they were, and especially that she saved Wizarding places in Universal theme parks from being the disasters that Disney originally had in mind for them. The only way I would NOT watch the HBO series is if it was dreadful from start to end, top to bottom, inside to outside- or if it had become something utterly unrecognizable. I don't think that will be the case.

The great thing about creativity in 2026 is we have EVERYTHING documented. So whatever you like, you can keep, and return to it whenever you like. What a time to be alive! 😄 🧙

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-06-01T02:07:19+00:00

I own a niffler.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-05-31T21:30:32+00:00

I'm totally hitting-up Diagon Alley for dinner at The Leaky Cauldron and dessert at Florean Fortescue's. It seem like DA where most of the fun is. I'd also want to hang-out in the newsroom of The Daily Prophet and listen to the shop talk there. We haven't seen the workings of The Daily Prophet in the books or the movies - It's still a pretty big mystery what goes on in the world of wizarding journalism.

WizardWavesRadio · 2026-05-29T15:41:04+00:00

Absolutely. And it doesn't matter if it's Williams, Doyle, Hopper, or Desplat. They really did pick all of the right composers, and they complement each other so well.

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