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2019-10-31 · Q&A · Hank · 3:49 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: self promotion

Hank reports he has finished a 140,000-plus-word draft of his sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and begun revising, citing Tommy Orange on writer and revisionist as different jobs, then answers Twitter questions: no release date or title yet, over 400 pages, no trilogy, a missed deadline, a far-future social internet and multiple narrators.

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 finished draft, Tommy Orange on writer versus revisionist, and starting revisions

  • ★★★ As he briefly mentioned last video, Hank has finished a draft: some 140,000 words with a beginning, middle and end, some of which will almost certainly be in the final book. — 00:00:00 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ Hank saw Tommy Orange, author of There There, at a University of Montana Q&A, where Orange called himself a duality: writer and revisionist are completely different jobs. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ What resonated with Hank from Orange: you have to be a reader of your own work, experiencing what you made as with any art, and enjoy it. — 00:00:29
  • ★★★ Hank has started revising and really enjoys the story; it is a mess, but he thinks it will be good. — 00:00:29 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

00:00:58 — Twitter questions on the book: release, crying, title, length, trilogy, deadline, references, themes, cover, characters, voice, feelings; sign-off

  • ★★★ Asked when the book is out, Hank says he doesn't know: much sooner now the draft is done, but much remains, including many people reading it first. (unsure) — 00:00:58 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ Asked whether he will cry, Hank says he cried in the Chipotle as he was finishing writing the book. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Hank is not allowed to say the title yet; he will tell viewers as soon as he knows for sure, rather than float one they might hate. — 00:00:58 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ The first book is 330-something pages; the sequel will probably be over 400, a more involved story with more happening and more points of view. (hedged) — 00:01:27 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ Asked whether it will be a trilogy, Hank says no: this is it. — 00:01:48 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ Hank's deadline was October 2nd and he missed it, then set himself an artificial deadline of Pizzamas. — 00:01:48 · Pizzamas
  • ★ Asked about McElroy references, Hank says probably, and maybe he'll add one for the asker. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:48
  • ★ Hank says there are a lot of Keanu references, and a Despacito question makes him want to add Despacito. (playful) — 00:01:48
  • ★★★ Hank says internet discourse did change his perspective: the first book was about the internet as it is, the sequel imagines the social internet far in the future, though the book isn't set far ahead. — 00:02:31 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★ Hank thinks the cover will be orange. (hedged) — 00:02:31 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★ Asked whether new characters join the main gang, Hank says yes. — 00:02:31 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★★ The hardest part: several previous characters are now point-of-view characters writing the book themselves, and holding four or five voices in his head is hard; he has had to learn a lot. — 00:03:00 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★★ Hank says part of why he likes making any art is thinking hard about it, learning how it works, watching others do it well, knowing he'll never do it that well, and trying anyway. — 00:03:00
  • ★★ Hank feels really good: it was often stressful with many late nights, but he got better at things and enjoys reading it as a revisionist. — 00:03:30
  • ★★★ Hank hopes the book will be on shelves within the next 12 months. (hedged) — 00:03:30 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (“An Abso2tely Remarkable Thing”)

Also: People: Keanu Reeves · Tommy Orange

Projects: Pizzamas

Works: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing · Despacito · There There

Organizations: Chipotle Mexican Grill · Twitter · University of Montana

Groups: McElroy brothers

Only in the description or credits: Halloween (holiday) · Pizza John Halloween mask

Replies to

Later videos replying to this one

Part of an exchange of 3 videos, 2019-10-29 – 2019-11-01.