The Book Is Really Finished
In comments to the previous post, YossiTime asks, "Is there anything you wish you could change about the books you have written now that they are out? (If I'm not mistaken you did change the 5AG's versions of the Advanced Readers Copies of Paper Towns.)"
The 5AGs, for those of you who do not spend a lot of time on youtube, are the Five Awesome Girls (previously seen here, singing nerdfighter rock). And I did indeed insist on blacking out one late-deleted section of their ARCs of Paper Towns. I don't stop revising until I have to, but now I have to, and that's okay. A book has to become finished somehow--and running out of time seems to be the only way.
(The deleted section is only a couple sentences. Julie actually brought up the possibility of deleting it years ago (literally), but I didn't realize how right she was until the last second. In a recent post, I said that "editors are almost always right," and Julie commented, "Almost?" I am inclined to cede the point.)
Anyway, I haven't read Alaska since the fall of 2004, and I've only read Katherines once since it came out, but I remember them both pretty well. I'm sure I'd make small changes to the text if I could, but I don't think I'd make big ones. This is not to say the books are great books (I don't think they are), or even that I am pleased with them. They're just finished.
That feeling of finishedness does not come all at once, and it is not easily won, but I think once you get there it is hard to go back. But I do think I've taken things away from the experience of writing my previous books and having them read that feed into my writing all the time. (Example: Many people will say that Paper Towns is 'like' Alaska, that some of the relationships are analogous and so on. I don't agree with this, but it is true that in some subtle ways PT is written against Alaska, as a kind of response to what I see as the insufficiencies inherent to telling that story.
And now we are edging dangerously close toward preemptive responses to expected criticisms, which is an exceptionally bad idea.
All is well here in Indianapolis, although the humidity reminds me of the beginning of Absalom, Absalom--that "long still hot weary dead September afternoon."
(And thank you, Mr. Faulkner, for reminding me that it will be worse after noon, and worse still in September.)
posted by John Green @ Wednesday, June 25, 2008
19 Comments
19 Comments:
That's the problem I have, too - it's never quite good enough. I change things in my draft every single time I reread it. After a point, I just have to stop looking over it.
Paper Towns sounds like it's going to be excellent. Any similarities to Alaska would be welcome, in my book, seeing as it was also excellent.
Is there any chance that you would share that deleted section with us after the release of the book?
I can't re-read anything I write because I'm one of those people that hates whatever I do. NaNo is hard then.
I assume you have read passages - for readings and such.. but maybe not. I am wondering who is doing (or has done) the audio version of Paper Towns? If it is not you, who is it? And did they ask you to do it? I wonder how it would be to read your book for the audio version - I wonder if you would be tempted to edit/correct as you go!
Aw john it's just like what Meg Cabot says "you're never the best judge of your own work." But for what it's worth...I think you're work is beyond Awesome!
I scarcely ever reread my published writings, but if by chance I come across a page, it always strikes me that it must all be rewritten; this is how I should have written it.
- Tolstoy
I read the ARC of Paper Towns. I loved it. I think I was most impressed by (I'm really trying hard not to be spoilery. Please rapidly delete this comment if it gives anything away that you, John Green, deem inappropriate) the rich characterization of someone who isn't even PRESENT most of the time. That's hard to do! A very ambitious, intriguing, and successful element of an all-around great book.
I just pre-ordered that shizzle on amazizzle beeeyaawtch
Anyway, I can't wait to read Paper Towns - I loved LFA & AAoK.
Just curious, I never got to ask, did it flood in Indy? I know a few places were but I didn't really pay much attention. We didn't get anything down south which is weird because Orleans usually floods if someone sneezes. Glad you're doing alright :)
A librarian I work with just told me the other day that James Patterson doesn't actually write all of his books. A bunch of other people do, and it's just published under his name. I'm not sure if this is true or not, because I haven't found any evidence for it. So... yeah. That's my comment of the day.
Wow, thanks for the blog. I was only wondering yesterday 'when Paper Towns would be finished officially'. Having now read PT (thank you thank you thank you thank you ...)I did wonder if you would be making any changes to it before October (not suggesting you should, just wondering if you would).
Congrats on making it to the end. :) I'm looking forward to seeing the inevitable discussion about PT from the Nerdfighters come October.
Take care -Debbie
First of all, thank you so much for answering my question. (I saw this in my RSS feed and I raced to get the link open...then my computer crashed...)
I agree with the rest of the comments that rereading your own work is really hard; every time I do it, something gets deleted, if not all.
I remember you saying in a video that you never reread them, and you only did Katherines for some sort of movie deal (WHEN!? WHEN!??).
Do you ever get confused (minute details) between the book you wrote and the one that comes out past editing if you don't reread them?
I, personally, enjoyed reading Alaska a bit more than Katherines, as it just was a bit more hyped for me, and it lived up to that while I had heard little about Katherines. (I read them both after B2.0 ended.)
Anyway, I await the book with excitement in my eyes and giddiness in my...general cardiac muscle area...
Thanks so much,
DFTBA (but it comes naturally to you...)
A few of my poems that were published when I was an undergrad, I wish I could completely take back!
I like what Meg Cabot said via Karma. That's why it is good to have readers you trust :)
I can't wait for Paper Towns!
can we still ask questions? I'm asking another question: What is your most prized possession?
i've been curious for a while...have your book sales gone up at all since brotherhood 2.0 began, and you started gaining fans?
A writer constantly edits. Revises. If it weren't for editors, books would never be completed.
At some point we have to just let go. Sometimes that's when the editor, or in my case, critique partners, rip it out of our white-knuckled hands. =)
I like how you say you don't think "Alaska" and "Katherines" aren't great books, because, after finishing them, I thought that they were quite good, but not extraordinary, at least, not yet. And I also thought that your writing has the potential of being truly brilliant, and on some occasions that brilliance peeks between the lines, and that feeling is, I believe, what makes your writing enticing.
Do you know what's awesome? Compassion. Compassion is awesome. Compassion is the theme of readergirlz this month, and we've selected Looking for Alaska as one of the recommended reads. WOO HOO! So come visit the site and, if time allows, the forum. Your public awaits. (Your public also understands if you're super busy.)
Hey John,
This comment has almost nothing to do with you blog, but I just read a really good review on papertowns, and I am even more excited about it than I was before, which I didn't think was possible.
Brittany
Alaska and Katherines aren't great books? ALASKA AND KATHERINES AREN'T GREAT BOOKS??!!!
You're joking right? Oh man, John Green, you need to lighten up a bit on yourself. Sheesh. I loved those books and I don't know what standards you hold yourself to (actually I've watched enough of your videos to guess), but PLEASE never sell yourself short like that again. It's pretty heart breaking.
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