Getting Unstuck with a Grand Gesture

In 2007, author J. K. Rowling was struggling to finish the final novel, The Deathly Hallows, in her seven-part Harry Potter series. She was feeling stressed, trying to connect the dots in a way that would satisfy millions of Harry Potter fanatics. No pressure! Rowling tried writing the book in her home office, but she kept getting distracted. “There came a day,” she said, “where the window cleaner came, the kids were at home, the dogs were barking.” She couldn’t finish because she…