What John Green Can Teach You About Writing
By: Sukhroop Singh
Tags: Creative Process, Writing, Creative, Creativity, Creative Writing

What John Green Can Teach You About Writing

#1 bestselling author and 2006 Printz Award winner…

John Green is one of the most successful authors of this decade, winning multiple awards and writing books that have spent weeks on bestseller lists, and most of which have been adapted to movies. So what can one of the most accomplished authors of this decade teach us about writing? A lot, actually.

Reading As Apprenticeship

“Reading is just as important as writing when you’re trying to be a writer, because it’s the only apprenticeship we have, it’s the only way of learning how to write a story.”

Any author will tell you just how important it is to read as a writer. As John notes, it’s the only real apprenticeship we as writers really have. When you read good, crafted work, you will find that, afterward, you’ll start writing better as a result.

John is also strongly in favor of reviewing, and says that thoughtful and constructive analysis of art is vital to your own creation of art. However, he doesn’t like reviews that state everything wrong with X, or 13 reasons why Z is terrible.

There will be many things wrong with every piece of art, and so the most important kind of criticism you can do is the one in which you read to go to places you haven’t been, to glimpse worlds you couldn’t otherwise see, to see worlds within yourself.

“You always need to look for the good, for what about the piece is valuable and worthy of attention, what stories have expanded your universe or changed the way you think.”

It can also be helpful to review books, or look at books, through a lens. For example, looking at Game of Thrones through the lens of climate change.

The Writing Process

John says that no great book can be written in a first draft, no matter how long it takes you to write it. The important thing is to finish it. Books are made in revision, anyway. John says that he deletes 90% of his first draft anyway, and that everything people like about his books emerges in later drafts.

His books aren’t very plot-driven, and so doesn’t go in with any preconceived notions about plot or character. He’s a pantser. He uses the first draft as a way to get to know his characters and their problems well, and a general sense of a beginning, middle, and ending.

John tries to write at least 4 hours a day, but is pleased if he can hit 2,000 words a day, and is sad when he doesn’t.

When he talked about NaNoWriMo, John said:

“NaNoWriMo forces you to be disciplined, and gives you permission to suck, which are two of the things you most need if you’re going to be a novelist.”

He says that you should just enjoy the process of writing, the process of even temporarily escaping the real world. Writing should be fun; don’t let it become miserable. He notes that writing, whether you’re doing it well or doing it poorly, always looks the exact same.

He also says that you need to be patient as a writer. Lots of times, your second idea will be a better idea. Always be patient, and wonder if the second joke or idea, will be the better joke or idea.

Book Proposals

John also offers a small point concerning book proposals. He says that very rarely does a first novel sell on just a proposal, and that you almost always need to have a finished manuscript as well.

A book proposal basically consists of a plot summary, a list of the characters, and then sample chapters, so that people know what the book is actually about and is going to sound like.

The Editorial Process

John says that the editorial process really starts when you send your editor a draft, and then they send you back an editorial letter. This letter is not about comma splices, it usually includes overall plot and theme and structure stuff.

“The assumption that editors exist primarily to fix grammar errors is really incorrect.”

He says that it’s no coincidence that The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises were both edited by the same guy.

Conclusion

I do really hope that this gave you some direction or help or motivation or inspiration in your creative pursuits. To help, I compiled a playlist on Youtube of John Green talking about writing.

Until next time!