First step to Journalism (Primer paso hacia la escritura)

Hola! Bianca por aquí... Sé que la mayoría de ustedes son hispanohablantes, pero en esta ocasión lamento comunicarles que esta publicación está en inglés, porque ese es el idioma en el que escribí (junto con una compañera del colegio), un artículo sobre Harry Potter.

Nos impulsaron a escribir un artículo para el diario Buenos Aires Herald pero el nuestro no fue elegido y, en cambio, publicaron el de otra de las colaboradoras del blog, Thalia. Su artículo quedó fantástico en el diario que salió el domingo pasado; pero quería aprovechar este blog para tener una oportunidad de compartir el mío también.

No daré el nombre de mi otra compañera, ni de las demás personas que ayudaron porque no pedí su permiso para hacerlo.

De todas formas, disfruten!

Enjoy!

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The Magic Will Never End

Seven books, eight movies, millions of fans and one author. That’s all it took for the “boy who lived” to become a never-ending phenomenon. The books of a whole generation; the story that has become an instant classic; the tears, the laughter, the life and death of each character, and the adventures of three young heroes brought up the love for literature children have deep inside.

The Harry Potter era started with the first book’s release but the last book has been published, the movies have been filmed, and everyone is asking the same question… Is it all over? Did it really end? Is Voldemort finally gone? Are all the wands, hats, brooms, owls, and long-bearded old men going to suddenly disappear?

They might. But fans won’t. Though the stories are over and everybody got their “happy ending”, the spark is kept alive inside each one of us. New projects, events, and even a fan-made book are still standing because when it comes to Harry Potter, we know the magic will never end.

Love, Loss, and Magic

Dear Mr. Potter: Letters of Love, Loss, and Magic is a collection of letters, anecdotes, pictures and stories from people who shared the journey with Harry; it was built, designed, edited and created by a young fan named Lily Zalon. In it, people tell stories about the impact Harry Potter has had on them. Together they communicate what all Potter fans know so well: the Harry Potter series changes lives. On one level the books are about wizards and magic. But they also touch on themes like true friendship and doing what’s right - even when that’s not easy - helping those who aren’t in a position to help themselves, and valuing the amazing things that make us all different and unique. There is a genuine community of people who’ve grown up with Harry, whether they started reading at the age of eleven or twenty.

Fighting for a cause

The Harry Potter Alliance is a nonprofit organization that uses the Harry Potter books to encourage people, especially young adults, to help with issues of literacy, equality, and human rights across the world. They intend to make fans act like the heroes they have read about in the novels and to build up their own world of magic. In the books, Harry, Ron, and Hermione form part of a very special “study group” where Harry teaches everyone to defend themselves against the things the Ministry isn’t teaching. Students help each other for a strong cause - and Dumbledore’s Army is the Harry Potter Alliance’s inspiration and the fans’ reason for joining it.

Not over

Joanne Kathleen Rowling is not over. She says that she “hasn’t abandoned the quill yet”and is maybe willing to write an eighth, ninth or even tenth Harry Potter book. Tantalizingly, she says that it is not really possible but not at all impossible. Her most recent project kicked off in July 2011. With the help of Sony, the one and only Jo, set up the website Pottermore.com, and, for a week, a million lucky fans were able to get into it and try it out before it was open to the public. Pottermore is everything the fans ever dreamed of: it is a virtual way of being your own “Harry” by living his exact same adventures and feeling the thrills he got when choosing a wand, or being sorted into Gryffindor house. There is also new content from J. K. Rowling which they can read and enjoy. "I wanted to give something back to the fans that have followed Harry so devotedly over the years, and to bring the stories to a new digital generation," Rowling said in the press release.

“After all this time?”

We, the fans, are not ready to let go. We want more. We need more. And we are already feeling the loss. We keep waiting for a new book we know will never appear. It’s like waiting for a new episode of Friends or Valientes knowing that it is just not going to happen.

Although the story found its ending and the books their last page, we will always be faithful to our favourite wizard. Fans got what they desired, a decade full of magic and wonder, of love and friendship, of feelings, thrills and happiness: and now that we have them, we never want to let them go. We will seek out new stories, and different characters who will make us remember how will felt when we first met Harry. But while we will move on, we will continue being loyal to Harry, watching the movies over again, reading the books until we know them by heart. And when somebody comes up and asks us,

“After all this time?”

We will quote none other than Severus Snape and say,

“Always.”

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Y? Les gustó? Estoy pensando en traducirlo luego, si tengo el tiempo (y las ganas) para hacerlo pero, sinceramente, no creo que quede tan bien como el original. Me gusta escribir en inglés y no será lo mismo si lo traduzco, pero deben saber que existe la posibilidad.

Bueno, me retiro... Hasta pronto!

PD: El artículo originalmente publicado, con explicación en inglés está aquí. (The original publication of the article, with an english explanation is here)