We Will Shine {Book 6 in the Star of Gryffindor Series}

Author's Note

Welcome to the end of a book where the climax can be boiled down to "my characters are stupid but it's okay because that's in character." You can't imagine how often I wanted to bash my head into a wall after thinking of an idea for the last few chapters that Astra or Albus would 100% do and would clear up a problem with the narrative, but that was just inconceivably idiotic. Astra and Albus have such chaotic dumbass energy and I never realized how bad it was until this book. I think it's a fantastic plot device, but oh my gosh, is it ever torture to write. Especially when I knew what I was having to make their chaotic dumbass energy lead up to...

Anyway, I just want to thank all of you so much for your support! This series just passed the five year mark last month, and I never could have gotten this far without you guys. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who has invested enough time and emotional energy into this story to get this far. Every comment, every vote, it all means so much to me.

For real, your comments can honestly spark some of my biggest moment of inspiration. They're so incredibly helpful and entertaining and make my day. Countless people have commented theories of what they think is going on that give me ideas I hadn't thought of that I end up working into the story. Even something as huge as Wrames was the product of a comment about how Astra and James were way too similar to ever work, but James and Wren balanced each other well. I read all of your comments, and even the wild, out-there theories that aren't anywhere near the truth are super fun to see. I'm thankful for all of you that comment!

Anyway, I'm sure you're all ready to hear about the next book. It's going to be called Littered With Stars. The release date will be September 30, 2020.

Questions:

What the heck and why, Elli?
Uh... I feel like the only thing I can say here is sorry...

How did Astra not realize she was a seer earlier?
Well, to be fair, she hasn't really been in a lot of situations where divination is brought up. She's never been around a crystal ball, or paid attention to tea leaves. The only things that have ever happened are her dreams, which, while strange, didn't ever have anything to do with the future. Being a seer isn't the type of conclusion you jump to lightly, especially when you have nearly zero experience with divination.

Truthfully, though, it's because this was a more recent idea. I wanted a less wooly explanation for her dreams. I didn't want to just yadda yadda them away, you know? I'd considered this in the past, but had written it off pretty early on for being a bit too much. I'm afraid Astra is overpowered enough as it is, and I've spent a good portion of the series trying to balance her talent with spells and magic itself with other things, like her temper, lack of self-control, and complete averageness at other magical things.

But when I was planning for this book, I took a longer look at this option. I'd been talking to a couple of different authors who had read my guide, and were asking at exactly which point their OC went from having an interesting power that sets them apart to being overpowered in a Mary Sueish, annoying type of way. And I found I couldn't find a stark line. There are some things that seem like they should always be cliche and overpowered, such as random animalistic powers that run in families or being an animagus at the age of 12 or most of the other cliches Harry Potter fanfic authors tend to fall into. These things seem like they should always be a sign of an overpowered Mary Sue, because they generally are. But I realized, talking to these authors, that they aren't necessarily always.

The thing is, if you try hard enough, you can turn any cliche around and make it seem original, make it work. If you put enough effort into your characters and stories. That's the type of idea I try to give people. Have a solid explanation for whatever power it is you want your character to have. Have this power cause them problems, have them not want it, have it make their life hard. Sure, sometimes it will still come across wrong. As I freely admit, Astra is grossly overpowered when it comes to magic (I mean, really? Nonverbal magic with no training at the age of 11?), and I have to work hard to balance it. But you can play your cards right, and sometimes those things just work.