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Nov. 26th: Writing Advice (And Notes on a private person)

2007-11-26 · John · watch on YouTube · Books & writing · advice recommendation

Answering a question from 'secret brother Alex', John reads books he wrote as a child and draws two pieces of advice for young writers: read a lot (reading is the only apprenticeship) and write for other people; he also asks Nerdfighters to find his surnameless first girlfriend a private person.

What is said

00:00:00 — The puff; Paper Towns final revision due; parents bring John's childhood stuff; Eagles Nest Camp 1987 and his first girlfriend

  • ★★ John says his puff levels are high today; he must turn in the final revision of Paper Towns tomorrow evening and is a little stressed. — 00:00:00 · Paper Towns, the Puff
  • ★★ When Mom and Dad visited for Thanksgiving they brought three boxes of John's childhood stuff, including an Eagles Nest Camp T-shirt from 1987. — 00:00:00 · Thanksgiving
  • ★★ At Eagles Nest Camp in 1987, aged 10, John dated and was dumped by a private person, his first girlfriend who kissed him. — 00:00:00

00:00:39 — a private person: the one ex he cannot look up on Facebook

  • ★★ a private person is the only ex-girlfriend whose last name John doesn't know, so he can't look her up on Facebook; he would love to know it. — 00:00:39 · Facebook

00:01:08 — Clues to a private person and a reward for finding her; Alex's question about advice for young writers

  • ★★★ John gives two clues (excellent penmanship at 10, likes horses) and says there will be a very handsome reward if Nerdfighters track a private person down. (playful) — 00:01:08 · Nerdfighteria, United States

00:01:37 — Reading 'My Great Mini Book It's Wonderful Amazing'; its lack of narrative consistency

  • ★★ John reads 'My Great Mini Book It's Wonderful Amazing', found among his childhood things, and notes it lacks narrative consistency. (playful) — 00:01:37

00:02:23 — Advice: beginning, middle and end; reading 'John's Stories'; read a lot; write for others

  • ★★★ Answering Alex's question, John advises young writers to write a story that, unlike his childhood book, has a beginning, a middle and an end. — 00:02:23
  • ★ John reads the two stories in his childhood book 'John's Stories': 'My Elf' and an untitled one about a noisy bunny. (playful) — 00:02:23
  • ★★★ John says that as a child he had not read many books; reading is as important as writing for a would-be writer because it is the only apprenticeship. (hedged) — 00:02:44
  • ★★★ John advises that a story you hope to publish should be written for other people, not just yourself: his elf story neglects its most interesting element, the elf. — 00:02:44

00:03:32 — 'More Elf!'; summary of the advice; sign-off and thanks for the Euros

  • ★ John thanks everyone who helped him get his Euros over the weekend. — 00:03:32

Humor (significant)

  • John explains what sets his first girlfriend a private person apart from all his other ex-girlfriends. — 00:00:39 > «who therefore I cannot look up on Facebook»
  • John introduces his childhood book titled 'My Great Mini Book It's Wonderful Amazing'. — 00:01:37 > «I was a humble child.»
  • His childhood book starts with him hating a fox and ends with a lonely character no one plays with. — 00:01:37 > «Does no one like me because I hate foxes?»
  • The elf story spends its time on Mom never believing his outrageous lies, not on the elf. — 00:03:32 > «give me more Elf!»

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