J. K. Rowling Discusses Writing Male Characters, and Harry/Ginny

Yesterday, J. K. Rowling spoke at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre as part of Exeter College’s 700th anniversary and while there she commented on writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith for The Cuckoo’s Calling, and her experience in writing male characters:

“There’s a line in As Good as it Gets’ she said about the 1997 Jack Nicholson film, “where a woman asks him how he writes such wonderful female characters and he says, and I’m paraphrasing, ˜I think of a man, and I take out the logic’, or the sense. That made me laugh, as misogynistic as it is, because when I write a man I take certain things out and give free rein to aspects of me that would not be acceptable. To be honest, I think I’m quite blokey ” at least I’m told I am, and I like writing both.”

…

The Cuckoo’s Calling was written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, only for the secret to be revealed by a solicitor who had been party to private discussions. “You were never supposed to know that it was my eviscerating pen’ she told guests. In fact, she said, failure was part of the pleasure. “It was fun, from the first rejection letter. You have no idea.”

Rowling also spoke, very briefly, about her recent shipping comments saying only that “Harry did love Ginny.” You can read the rest of the article here.
Thanks to SnitchSeeker for the tip.