John Green’s new book, Hollywood, Ending, is available now from Dutton, so we asked him a few questions about favorite books, writing advice, writer’s block, and more. Who do you most wish would read your book? (your boss, your childhood bully, etc.) Because Hollywood, Ending is a novel about the collaborative art of movie-making, I would love for the folks who worked on the movie adaptations of my books to read it. So many people pour so much of themselves into a film!
But my first and most valued reader is always my spouse, Sarah Urist Green. What time of day do you write? When I was young, I loved writing until late in the night, but now that I have kids, I mostly write while they are at school.
I used to think that the circumstances involved in my writing—time of day, the setting, and so on—were extremely important. These days I am grateful for any moment I can get lost in a story, whether it’s at home or in a coffee shop or on an airplane. How do you tackle writers block?
I just give myself permission to suck. I tell myself, “Nothing you write today will end up in the book anyway,” which is generally true, especially with first drafts. If I make writing about achieving or approaching perfection, I will always be miserable and dissatisfied.
If instead I can construct writing as a play-based search for understanding, I become unblocked. What’s the best or worst writing advice you’ve ever received? Robert Frost once said, “The only way out is through.” I find that helpful when it comes to writing and also other things.
Which book(s) do you reread? The text doesn’t change between readings, of course, but I do—and one way I can measure the ways I’ve changed is through rereading. Recent rereads of mine include All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
