Nov. 26th: Writing Advice (And Notes on Surnameless Tiffany)

2007-11-26 · letter vlog · John · 3:59 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: Personal life) · mode: Advice & reviews · tags: community lore

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 Tiffany.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

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 · Sydney Green, Mike Green
• ★★ At Eagles Nest Camp in 1987, aged 10, John dated and was dumped by Tiffany, his first girlfriend who kissed him. — 00:00:00

00:00:39 — Tiffany with no last name: the one ex he cannot look up on Facebook

• ★★ Tiffany 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 Tiffany 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 Tiffany 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 Tiffany 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!”

Threads in this video

• callback · John's 'the puff' stress habit (2007) — John says his puff levels are a little high today, while he is stressed about the Paper Towns revision. (00:00:00)
• asked · John asks Nerdfighters to find 'Tiffany with no last name' (2007) — John asks Nerdfighters to track down Tiffany with no last name, giving two clues and promising a handsome reward. (00:01:08)
• promised · John: give a handsome reward to whoever finds Tiffany (2007) — John swears there will be a very handsome reward if Nerdfighters track Tiffany down. (00:01:08)
• restate · Can writing be taught? — John says reading is as important as writing for aspiring writers because it is the only apprenticeship. (00:02:44)
• told · John's first kiss at summer camp sets his hair on fire — At Eagles Nest Camp in 1987, aged 10, John dated and was dumped by Tiffany, his first girlfriend who kissed him. (00:00:00)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John asks Nerdfighters to find 'Tiffany with no last name' (2007) — reported back; last: result reported, 2007-11-29
• John: give a handsome reward to whoever finds Tiffany (2007) — said in jest (not tracked); last: progress update, 2007-11-28
• John's first kiss at summer camp sets his hair on fire — told 2×; last: retold, 2011-09-30

Mentioned

Central: John's Stories · My Great Mini Book It's Wonderful Amazing · Tiffany (private person, mentioned from 2007)

Also: People: Alex (community member, mentioned from 2007) · Mike Green · Sydney Green

Works: Paper Towns

Organizations: Eagle's Nest Camp · Facebook

Terms: secret sibling · the Puff

Places: United States

Events: Thanksgiving

Only in the description or credits: Nerdfighter Scavenger Hunt

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