JK Rowling has admitted to ripping up the first few chapters of her upcoming novel in a tell-all Q&A with fans on Twitter.
Answering a fan who asked the Harry Potter author, worth £820 million, for advice on finishing their first book, Rowling replied: “Today, I reread the first 14k words of my new book and thought ‘that’s got to go… that’s woeful… what the hell were you thinking there?’
“I’d advise putting it away for a full month, then taking it out again and wielding the scalpel with precision. In short, you’re not alone.”
Her comment come as it was revealed she will feature in the Harry Potter 20th reunion special, but only in archive video clips.
The HBO Max special, Return To Hogwarts, sees former child stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson reunite for the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone.
Since the films were released, Rowling has become a controversial figure over her comments on gender identity.
Last year, she responded to an article headlined “creating a more equal post-Covid-19 world for people who menstruate”.
She tweeted: “’People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
Rowling, who vehemently denies she is transphobic, defended her comments, saying: “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction.”
The 56-year-old has said she was partly motivated to speak out about transgender issues because of her experience of domestic abuse and sexual assault.