The Harry Potter series isn't the only thing J.K. Rowling is known for. The famed author also has an entertaining Twitter account where she does everything from putting body shamers in their place (i.e. don't make fun of Serena Williams) to sharing funny posts. On Saturday morning (Aug. 15), she used the social media tool to inspire a young Egyptian writer to follow her dreams, despite adversity in her country.
Rowling came across a tweet from an aspiring writer named Hagar El-Saeed hoping to follow in her footsteps, but there was a dilemma. The girl was having trouble fighting the social systems back home in Egypt, admitting she was ridiculed for even saying she was a writer. The 50-year-old author was touched by the tweet and refused to let her dwindle with a rain cloud over her head. The advice she gave her was great.
@jk_rowling You inspired me to write. However, in Egypt, girls can't do anything freely as boys. They laugh at me when I say I am a writer.
— Preliator. (@Hagar_ElSaeed) August 15, 2015
Don't you dare let their laughter extinguish your ambition. Turn it into fuel! Big hugs from one writer to another x https://t.co/w3lYXAosJj — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 15, 2015
"Don't you dare let their laughter extinguish your ambition," Rowling said in a tweet that has been shared more than 2,800 times in just a few short hours. "Turn it into fuel! Big hugs from one writer to another x."
Rowling, who recently revealed some details about the movie adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them on her Twitter, continued to answer a few more questions from fans. Her followers quickly jumped in to show support of the discouraged writer by offering her words of encouragement to keep her inspired. A male follower from Egypt contributed to the conversation by relating to her situation.
@AlaaARahman1 @jk_rowling Egypt, maybe I should say Egypt's ignorant people, had discouraged us for so many years. It is time to stand up.
— Preliator. (@Hagar_ElSaeed) August 16, 2015
"Shout out from Egypt as well!" said a man named Alaa A. Rahman. "A lot of us are like you trying to find their place as writers in our society."
The newly uplifted female writer agreed with his statement and suggested a unified stance against the system standing in the way of their dreams. "Egypt, maybe I should say Egypt's ignorant people, had discouraged us for so many years. It's time to stand up."
Leave it to J.K. Rowling to bring people together to fight against negativity, this time with words instead of wands. It's safe to say she's gained an even greater following since the tweets were posted.
