10 Things You Didn't Know About JK Rowling

6. She Invented Quidditch After A Row With Her Boyfriend

There are all kinds of romanticized stories detailing how writers come up with their most famous ideas. Everybody knows the story of how Rowling was travelling on a train to London when the idea for Harry Potter popped into her mind.

What you mightn't know, though, is the story of how Rowling came up with Quidditch, the primary competitive sport in the wizarding world (and a sport that is even played by fans in the real world). According to a book Rowling wrote for a charity auction:
"Quidditch was invented in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend. I had been pondering the things that hold a society together, cause it to congregate and signify its particular character and knew I needed a sport. It infuriates men...which is quite satisfying given my state of mind when I invented it."
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Contributor

Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.