JK Rowling probably ranks as the most successful writer ever to pen a book: Her Harry Potter series, which she spent 17 years writing, has sold 450 million copies in 76 languages and A Casual Vacancy, her foray into adult novelhood, landed on The New York Times Bestseller list soon after it was published. Recently, I came across some notes from an TV interview with her that I thought I’d pass on, since gleanings from a master writer are always worth pondering. So here’s a smorgasbord of JK’s musings on the writing life:

“Harry fell into my head. I wanted to give people a sense of hope and empowerment. I wanted to create a parallel, seemingly safe place. It gave them hope there was another path…To close the door on Harry Potter was like a death…Dumbledore is the one I missed the most…I took a break between Goblet and Phoenix to recharge my batteries. Chapter 13 in the Goblet of Fire was very difficult.”

“It does not do to develop dreams and forget to live.”

“The urge to write often comes from the desire to rearrange reality…I have a real need to go and create a different world in my head…It’s this other life: I’m somewhere else completely.”

“You’re not sitting there taking dictation from angels….You can work yourself into inspiration.”

“What’s the satisfaction of writing? I have such a need to write. It’s what I do and it’s so fundamental to me.”

“You’re like a scientist: everything that fails brings you closer to what works.”

“If everybody loved it (A Casual Vacancy), I wouldn’t be taking any risks.”

“When I’m happiest is when I’m about two-thirds into the book, I’m flying — that’s where I love to be.”

“One of the amazing things about literature is that it’s incredibly subjective. My ideal reader has an open mind and loves character.”

“I’m fascinated by people.”

“The light of God shines from every soul.”

“Every character is every writer.”

“Get on and work, do the work.”

Note: My sheet of handwritten notes has “8 hours a day” scrawled on it. I assume this means that JK spends that amount each day writing. All the time? When she’s really flying? I’m not sure, but I bet she spends lots of time at her desk. Write on!