The Fault in Our Stars

2012-01-10 · John · watch on YouTube · Books & writing · conversation qa

On the eve of The Fault in Our Stars' publication, John answers viewer questions in an airport: the book grew from his hospital chaplaincy and from knowing a private person (though Hazel is not a private person), explores gender and heroism, and gave him moments of 'fanaa', self-transcendence.

What is said

00:00:00 — TFIOS release day (filmed Monday, January 9); Question Tuesday

• ★★★ John says The Fault in Our Stars comes out today, January 10, 2012, though he is filming on Monday, January 9, because he is busy tomorrow. — 00:00:00 · The Fault in Our Stars

00:00:11 — Questions: leaving for tour, licking the signature, inspiration (student chaplain), best book? (Mark Twain)

• ★★★ John is a bit stressed: he has to leave his family for a month, which is a bummer, but he is excited to go on tour. — 00:00:12 · Tour de Nerdfighting
• ★★★ John says TFIOS grew from his work almost twelve years ago as a student chaplain at a children's hospital; he has been trying ever since to write a funny, honest story about it. — 00:00:28 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ Asked if TFIOS is his best book, John doesn't know: its reviews are better than any of his other books', but authors shouldn't judge their own work; Mark Twain thought Joan of Arc his best. (hedged) — 00:00:38 · The Fault in Our Stars

00:00:48 — Walking to the airport: unladen swallow, tie, writing as a parent, medical research, girl's point of view and heroism, V for Vendetta, peanut butter face with crackers

• ★★ John doesn't think he could have written TFIOS until he was a parent. (hedged) — 00:01:00 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ John says he did more medical research for TFIOS than a hypochondriac probably should. (playful) — 00:01:04 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★★ John says he wrote TFIOS from a girl's point of view partly to think about how gender constructions shape our understanding of what constitutes heroism. — 00:01:08 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ John thinks V for Vendetta is primarily a proponent of a very specific and pervasive idea of heroism, rather than of democracy or anarchy. (hedged) — 00:01:17
• ★★ Asked for peanut butter face in an airport, John objects people will think he's crazy, then makes do with peanut butter crackers. (playful) — 00:01:22

00:01:30 — Looking for Alaska not needed, the Hectic Glow, unsigned pre-orders, crying, feel all the things; airport song and empty airport

• ★★ John says readers won't feel out of the loop without Looking for Alaska: unlike Harry Potter, his books have nothing to do with each other. — 00:01:30 · Looking for Alaska, Harry Potter, The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★★ John tells buyers whose pre-ordered copy wasn't signed not to panic and to email him their name, address and where they ordered the book. — 00:01:40 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ John says he got emotional quite a bit while writing the book, but he's a crier. — 00:01:47 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ Asked whether TFIOS will make readers cry or laugh, John says ideally it will make them feel all of the things. — 00:01:50 · The Fault in Our Stars

00:02:11 — a private person as inspiration but Hazel is not a private person; fruit; tour tickets left; Nerdfighteria's influence

• ★★★ John says he could never have written TFIOS without knowing a private person, who definitely inspired it, but stresses that Hazel is not a private person: the book is made up, a novel. — 00:02:11 · Hazel Grace Lancaster, The Fault in Our Stars > «it's really important to note that Hazel is not a private person. The book is made up.»
• ★★★ John says Tour de Nerdfighting tickets remain only near New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Seattle and San Francisco, with ticket info in the description. — 00:02:31 · Tour de Nerdfighting, Seattle, San Francisco
• ★★★ John says Nerdfighteria has shaped TFIOS in so many ways he can't list them, as readers will probably see. — 00:02:46 · Nerdfighteria, The Fault in Our Stars

00:02:53 — Favourite moment: fanaa, self-transcendence in writing; thanks for reading; sign-off

• ★★★ John's favourite moment: Islamic mystics' word fanaa, dissolution of the self, is what reading and writing do when they work; writing TFIOS he often felt he transcended himself, and hopes readers will too. — 00:02:53 · The Fault in Our Stars > «Islamic mystics have this word "Fanaa" which means like dissolution or annihilation of the self»

Humor (significant)

• A viewer asks whether an unladen swallow could carry a copy of TFIOS in its talons. — 00:00:49 > «Well definitionally not, as it would then be a laden swallow.»
• Asked how much medical research TFIOS needed, John answers. — 00:01:01 > «More than a hypochondriac probably should.»
• Asked for peanut butter face in an airport, John protests, then borrows peanut butter crackers. — 00:01:22 > «These are the best I could do.»
• John sings and dances that people in the airport think he's crazy, then admits there is nobody in the airport. — 00:01:56 > «but they left when I started talking into a video camera.»

Threads in this video

• launch · The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — John marks publication day of The Fault in Our Stars (January 10, 2012), filming the day before. (00:00:00)
• launch · Tour de Nerdfighting 2012 edition — John says he is leaving his family for a month to go on tour; later he lists the stops that still have tickets (New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Seattle, San Francisco). (00:00:12)
• tell · John's time as a student chaplain at a children's hospital (c. 2000) — John says that almost twelve years ago he worked as a student chaplain at a children's hospital, the experience behind TFIOS. (00:00:28)
• variant · John's Peanut Butter Face bit: discussing world news with peanut butter on his face (2009) — At a viewer's request John does a makeshift peanut butter face in an airport using peanut butter crackers. (00:01:22)
• open · John asks buyers of unsigned TFIOS pre-orders to email him (2012) — John asks buyers whose TFIOS pre-order wasn't signed to email him with name, address and place of order. (00:01:40)
• new · What is art for? — John says reading and writing, when they work, bring fanaa, a dissolution of the self; writing TFIOS he felt he transcended the limits of himself. (00:02:55)

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