Hank writes An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, his first novel (2014)
story · status: told 5×, last update 2024 · last event: retold (2024-08-07)
Hank began writing his first novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, during NaNoWriMo in November 2014, and the brothers followed it through drafts and editing until John congratulated him in September 2018 on more than five years of work. Hank later recalled the writing and said a sequel was under way.
Origin known from later mentions
2014 in the title is when this began; it first appears in the videos read here in 2015, so the earlier part is known only from what is said later.
Part of: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing: announcement and publication of Hank's first novel (2017)
Parts: Hank: write his novel, drafting badly and revising until it is good (2015)
Told alongside: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor: Hank's sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) · Hank asks viewers to pre-order An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) · Hank asks people for an official emoji sequence for An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) · John: join Hank on the An Absolutely Remarkable Thing tour in six cities (2018) · Hank's Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and chemotherapy (2023)
About: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
| date | event | what | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-01-13 | told | John says he heard on Tumblr that Hank is also writing a story. (playful) | On Writing, Looking for Alaska Turning 10, and Winning the Project for Awesome 00:03:39 |
| 2015-02-13 | update | Asked about his book, Hank says he is thinking about writing a fiction-y thing, for now about a girl, a robot and what it means to be human. (hedged) | Draw My Life + 16 Other Suggestions 00:01:05 |
| 2015-06-26 (happened 2014-11) | update | Hank confirms he has been writing a novel-like book since NaNoWriMo in November, has passed 50,000 words as of June 26th, expects at least another year with revisions, and says he will keep going. | How to Get Good at Everything 00:00:01 |
| 2017-09-19 | update | John is thrilled that Hank is publishing a book next year (2018), An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, with a New York Times article linked below. | Why Cities? 00:03:42 |
| 2017-09-29 | update | Hank has been thinking a lot about stories because he has been working on his own and has just read John's. | What's This Video About? 00:01:04 |
| 2017-12-01 | update | Hank is working on his book and, stuck in book land, hasn't been thinking about Vlogbrothers, so he asked everybody what he should talk about. | Let's Talk About Stress! 00:00:04 |
| 2018-01-16 | update | John has just read an amazing, properly brilliant book by first novelist Hank Green, but won't say more until it is available for pre-order. | My Hollywood Star, Brexit Pears, and Hank's Book: It's QUESTION TUESDAY 00:00:06 |
| 2018-01-26 | update | That, plus knowing agents and publishers would read the book because he is John Green's brother (thanks, John), is how he wrote it over and over until it was done. (playful, hedged) | I Wrote a Book. I WROTE A BOOK. How did I do that? 00:02:56 |
| 2018-01-30 | update | John congratulates Hank on his book: so brilliant, the best book he has read about what now feels like, and a rip-roaring adventure story. | Hank, I Have Some Advice 00:00:03 |
| 2018-02-02 | update | Asked how book editing is going, Hank says not great: a busy week, a deadline he may miss, and a lot of stress. (hedged) | What is That Plane Rainbow? (It's Question Tuesday) 00:01:01 |
| 2018-02-02 | retold | After finishing his first book, Hank watched a French man play accordion in an airport while his children played, thinking that weird things happen both in his book and in the real world, then flew home. | What is That Plane Rainbow? (It's Question Tuesday) 00:01:35 |
| 2018-09-21 | retold | Nothing prepared Hank for half a decade with the same lump of clay: making it a pot, hating it, punching it back into clay, and again. | The Parable of the Perfect Pot 00:02:09 |
| 2018-09-25 | update | Hank worked on the book for more than five years but dreamt of this moment far longer; John congratulates him and is excited for everyone to read it. | You Did It! 00:02:55 |
| 2019-06-07 | retold | Hank says his book will have a sequel he is working on, which led him to list, with Twitter questions, what he wishes he had known writing his first book. | 8 Things I Wish I Knew When I was Writing my First Novel 00:00:00 |
| 2024-08-07 | retold | Hank recalls early feedback asking whether April should use a fictional platform instead of YouTube; he answered that if YouTube stopped mattering, none of the book would. | Dear Hank and John Livestream! 00:14:38 |
What is said about it
6 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).
- 2015-01-13 · On Writing, Looking for Alaska Turning 10, and Winning the Project for Awesome — John says he is going back to writing, and that he heard on Tumblr that Hank is also writing a story, joking that this is how he learns about his brother's life. (playful) — 00:03:37
- 2015-06-26 · How to Get Good at Everything — Hank says he reached 15,000 words during November and, as of June 26th, has hit NaNoWriMo's 50,000-word mark, unbothered by his slowness. — 00:00:11
- 2015-06-26 · How to Get Good at Everything — Hank says that with revisions he will probably still be writing the book a year from now, which terrifies him; it is unlike anything he has done and he has no reason to believe he can. (hedged) — 00:00:32
- 2015-06-26 · How to Get Good at Everything — Hank says he has to do that and it will take a long time, but he is going to do it, and tells John to stop writing so he can catch up, then not to stop. — 00:03:31
- 2018-01-26 · I Wrote a Book. I WROTE A BOOK. How did I do that? — Hank fully recognizes that writing a book is much easier when you needn't worry whether a publisher or agent will read it and have published-author friends to help revise and vouch for you; he thanks Patrick Rothfuss for that. — video description
- 2024-08-07 · Dear Hank and John Livestream! — Hank says he would not include that line if he did it over: it was not mission critical, and other things could have done its job. — 00:13:03