“Inspirations and Influences” is a series of articles in which we invite authors to write guest posts talking about their…well, Inspirations and Influences. The cool thing is that the writers are given free reign so they can go wild and write about anything they want. It can be about their new book, series or about their career as a whole.
I am rolling out the red carpet today for our guest author is no other than John Green: Contemporary YA author extraordinaire, winner of many awards (including the prestigious Michael L. Printz Award ) and YouTube vlogger behind the infamous Brotherhood 2.0 with his brother Hank. I started reading his books this year and fell in love with them completely: Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Paper Towns have been reviewed recently. In celebration of the release of Paper Towns in the UK, we invited John Green to write a piece for this feature and to our utmost delight, he said yes.
From Wikipedia
Here is what John Green has to say about writing Paper Towns:
Although my books are printed on thinly sliced pieces of trees, they would be utterly impossible without the Internet, which probably inspires my writing at least as much as books do. My books would be impossible without the Internet. Paper Towns, for instance, is built around this weird cartographic phenomenon wherein mapmakers intentionally put fake places on their maps–which incidentally is common practice in maps of London, much to the confusion of tourists and locals alike. There was some research into this kind of thing before the Internet, but it took the crowdsourcing talents of the Internet to show how widespread and weird this practice was.
But I rely on the Internet not only for information but also for inspiration. Here’s what I find inspiring about the Internet:
At its best, the Internet makes stuff not for glory or profit or fame but because making things for people is valuable and beautiful even if no one ever sees the thing you make. There’s something very beautiful to me about the sheer amount of stuff that people create on the Internet, the endless collection of blogs and facebook fan pages and twitter updates and deviantart sites: All of us making stuff for each other, and trying to make the stuff as good and finished as possible. A really good example of this that has absolutely nothing to do with Paper Towns or anything else I’ve ever written is this:
That picture is known online as “Gary Busey Family Portrait.” (Gary Busey is an American film actor who is insane and drug-addled. He is our Pete Doherty.) The person who made Gary Busey Family Photo–s/he is anonymous–must have worked for many hours on this, because it is so beautifully photoshopped that your eyes believe initially that this really IS a family portrait, which is absolutely vital to the joke. The hours of pixel-by-pixel editing was motivated not by some desire to become rich or famous or beloved but because this person wanted to make something that would make us laugh–and also maybe something that would make Gary Busey question whether, you know, he should maybe sober up.
The best stories come from the same place as Gary Busey Family Portrait: They are books that exist because someone wanted to tell us a story, wanted–as William Faulkner once said–”to create out of the material of the human spirit something which did not exist before.” (Faulkner, who like me was from the American South, is another big inspiration for me.) This is why I spent three years writing Paper Towns: I wanted to try to get each pixel right in the picture. To this end, I am inspired not only by photoshopped images but also by the novelists whose precision and dedication I have admired over the years. The list of writers who are better than I am is, I’m afraid, a very long one–from Toni Morrison to M. T. Anderson, from Markus Zusak to Jane Austen–but it is through marveling at their dedication to craft and respect for their readers that I am able to get up every morning and work on my writing.
About the author: John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.
In 2007, Green and his brother Hank ceased textual communication and began to talk primarily through videoblogs posted to youtube. The videos spawned a community of people called nerdfighters who fight for intellectualism and to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck. (Decreasing suck takes many forms: Nerdfighters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight poverty in the developing world; they also planted thousands of trees around the world in May of 2010 to celebrate Hank’s 30th birthday.) Although they have long since resumed textual communication, John and Hank continue to upload three videos a week to their youtube channel, vlogbrothers. Their videos have been viewed more than 75 million times, and their channel is one of the most popular in the history of online video. He is also an active (if reluctant) Twitter user with more than 1.1 million followers.
Green’s book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review and Booklist, a wonderful book review journal where he worked as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing Looking for Alaska. Green grew up in Orlando, Florida before attending Indian Springs School and then Kenyon College.
You can read more about the author at his (brand-new) Website.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
We are giving away 15 COPIES of Paper Towns, courtesy of Bloomsbury PLC. The contest is open to ALL and will run until June 12 at 11:59 PM (PST). To enter, leave a comment here answering what is your favourite John Green book (or if you haven’t read any, tell us about a fave contemporary YA author). Only one entry per person please! Good luck!
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197 Responses to Guest Author & Giveaway: John Green on Inspirations and Influences
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I never read anything by John Green and love to try to read his book. I like Meg Cabot, and James Patterson. A little bit of romance and mysteries. =)
YouTube should be capitilized in the ‘About John Green’ section.
My favourite John Green novel is Looking for Alaska. While I loved all of his books and recommend them all to my friends, Looking for Alaska moved me in a way none of his other ones came close to. I fell in love with his writing because of that book.
Paper Towns would be second and I’d love to own it.
A friend of mine lent me two of John’s books and they are great! Looking for Alaska had loads of parts to it, and more than once I’ve quoted it on my blog! But I’ve really fallen in love with an Abundance of Katherines, which I’m almost finished with. I love his portrayal of Colin
I became a hardcore nerdfighter within the last two months of my existence, only having read John Green’s “Paper Towns” before that. Since that time, I’ve read all of his books. When I came home from college, I immediately dispersed my copy of each book to different friends, because each one was so entirely amazing that even though there’s a high chance I will never see the books myself again, I just had to share them with my friends.
“Paper Towns” was the first exposure to his writing style, and I found myself laughing out loud with this newly discovered ‘voice’. As a good ole adventure story, its classic, and filled with suspense. “Paper Towns” is definitely my favorite.
I’ve unfortunately never read a John Green book – but a favorite contemporary YA author is Markus Zusack. I’d love to win a copy of Paper Towns. Thanks!
Oh this sounds more than Delicious. You are like a siren call… I tell you. I know how stacked up I am and I still come for more.
I haven’t read any John Green yet, though I’d love to! My favorite YA authors right now are Maggie Stiefvater, Kristin Cashore, and Carrie Ryan. Hmm… yeah, I definitely need to get some male YA authors into that mix.
My favourite novel by John is most definitely Paper Towns. What I love about his writing is that he really understands youth today since he connects with them through internet and whatnot (he is not just trying to use teenage type words in his stories) but he is also really intelligent and presents interesting ideas and challenges to the people who read his books to think and discover.
I have not read him so far.
One of my favorite authors is JK Rowling.
It’s a good thing I didn’t mention that I haven’t read John Green when I saw you two at BEA. Would have been beaten.
I’m loving Jennifer Echols this year.
It is so difficult to choose my favourite John Green book! I’d say Looking For Alaska has the best story, An Abundance of Katherines is the funniest and Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the most clever one with the best characters. That said, overall my favourite John Green book would have to be Paper Towns because it has a great mix of all of that: humour, interesting characters and a strong story line. I’d love to win a copy of it!
DFTBA Nerdfighters!
My favorite John Green book is Looking for Alaska…it was amazing!!! I listened to it on audiobook and the narrator was great, awesome story, plot, dialogue, famous last words, everything! Plus I am a sucker for books set in boarding schools, I don’t know what it is!
I havent read any of John’s books yet. But one of my favorites is Scott Westerfeld.
My favourite John Green book (so far) is “Looking for Alaska”. It is truly one of the most moving books of my time. It also served as an unorthadox security blanket for the times I was banished to camp! This is still one of my favourite reads of all time.
Oooh! Me! ME! I love John Green!
My favorite John Green book is definitely An Abundance of Katherines. It’s sweet, funny, and terribly creative. I love the characters and their little town, and I appreciate that his main characters always seem to have a quirky brilliance.
Oh, I am entering!
I’ve just been convinced to try reading John Green’s books (was it Ana, I believe?), so haven’t got a favorite just yet, but I do have many favorite YA authors!
One of them is Robin McKinley. Her books are always so beautifully written. She is such a superb story-teller (truly) that even if a book isn’t turning out to be another favorite, her writing convinces me that the journey was worth it, if only for the beauty and musicality of the thing. There’s something about her writing that reminds me of the magic of childhood and the immensity and power a book can have over our minds in the hours we spend with our eyes on the pages and our souls wandering in other worlds…
I have only read one John Green, but I positively adored it! Abundance of Katherines and it was so much fun. I’ve been meaning to pick this one up, not to mention Looking For Alaska. If I win, that is further incentive right?
my favorite would have to be ‘looking for alaska’ i got it as an advanced reading copy that arrived to our bookstore and fell in love with it while i read it. it’s one of those books that makes you cry and leaves a long-lasting impression no matter how many books you read after.
I can’t pick just one YA author! I will pick a recently discovered favorite though – Laura Weiss. I loved her novel, How It Ends.
That Buesy family photo is crazy hilarious!! What a great post! My fav Jon Green novel is Looking for Alaska – the first I read, but still love it the best!
I can never decide whether I like “Paper Towns” or “Looking for Alaska” better. They both make you laugh and think, and I really really enjoy John’s writing. My favourite character would have to be Tiny Cooper from “Will Grayson, Will Grayson”, though.
DFTBA!
Hi, Paper Towns sounds really good, I haven’t read any of John’s books before though.
I love Gabrielle Zevin’s book ELSEWHERE
It’s the only one of John’s books I’ve gotten around to reading (I’ve bought Will Grayson, Will Grayson and An Abundance of Katherines but haven’t had time for them, with the innumerable books I have to read..), so by default it would have to be Looking For Alaska.
But that’s a complete misnomer – there’s nothing ‘default’ about the way that book changed my perceptions of the world, and YA literature itself. John presented a story that was completely honest: it was utterly refreshing to see teenagers who acted like real teenagers in a work of fiction, for one thing. But it goes so far beyond that; the book explored such vital themes of the nature of life, the incidental but unbreakable bonds we form, the daunting but bolstering struggle to figure out just where it is we’re going. As a perpetual lost boy, I related very strongly to the metaphor of the labyrinth. And it made me realise that maybe being lost is the most desirable state, because existing in that place means that you haven’t given up on existing at all.
… I also don’t think I’ve ever read a book that makes me quite so rambly and philosophical. So, yeah.
My favorite book by John Green is Paper Towns simply because of how much it made me laugh. I’m not sure if Will Grayson, Will Grayson will change that since I haven’t read it yet but, Paper Towns was definitely an amazing book (an totally the fact that I now owe my sister eight dollars for taking her copy and reading it without asking).
I haven’t read any of John Green’s books- but I’ve always been a fan of Jean Craighead George’s books. Julie of the Wolves and the sequels was probably the only reason I got through third grade intact. : P I’d love to read Paper Towns though, it’s being added to my list regardless of whether I win it or not.
I haven’t read any John Green books yet but I intend to remedy that ASAP. For now, though, my favourite contemporary author is Jaclyn Moriarty, author of such fine works as The Year of Secret Assignments and The Ghosts of Ashbury High. I love her works because they are wonderful in multitudes of ways–they’re hilarious, authentic, written in letter format, and have the most delightfully mind-boggling twists at the end!
Gosh, I’m not sure I could decide . . . Maybe because I’ve read it most recently but I’m gunna go with Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It’s actually the only book of Mr. Green’s that I have read but I loved it!! I love forward to more of his writing.
I haven’t read any John Green yet, I’ve been meaning to for a long time though! I’m a big fan of Melina Marchetta for other authors, though.
Oh, I have not yet managed to read any John Green, but I have watched him with great interest on youtube! And I have to say, Sarah Dessen rocks the Contemporary YA field, from the people I’ve read. (As does Maureen Johnson.)
I liked An Abundance of Katherines, but my sister told me Looking for Alaska was good, so it’s in my TBR pile. A favorite YA book is The Only Alien on the Planet. I LOVE this book.
idk. i really just want to try to read the books you guys recommend!
I know John Green has written a lot of great books but the only one I’ve read is Looking for Alaska so its my favourite of his.
I fell in love with John Green after reading Looking for Alaska. I have been eyeballing Paper Towns for a while now. Great giveaway. Thanks!
Paper Towns is my favorite because it is the only one I have read! But it was amazing!
I’ve never read any books by John Green.My fave contemporary YA author is Sarah Dessen, I loved Someone Like You.
I haven’t read any of John’s books ! i would really like to read one, please
one of My favorite YA authors is Angela Morisson.
I’ve only read Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and I really enjoyed it. I would love to read Paper Towns. Thank you for the great giveaway!
I have been on the wait list 4EVA at the library for Looking For Alaska. I have heard nothing but good things, I can’t wait to read it. I’m sure I will love it.
John Green book is so nice , I also loved the collection he was part
The only one of his books I have read is Looking For Alaska.
I found it a rather strange book and at first wasn’t sure if I liked it or not but it has grown on me and I look forward to reading more of his work.
Thanks for the giveaway.
Carol T (International)
I haven’t read any of his books yet, which is appalling because I read tonnes of YA! My fave author at the moment is Philip Reeve but I also love Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games and Michael Grant’s Gone – desperate for third books to hurry up and get here!
I am going to go with Will Grayson/Will Grayson as my favorite. Mostly because I read that one first. French The Llama
Looking for Alaska FTW
I haven’t read any of John Green’s books (which is why I’m trying to win this one). My favourite contemporary YA authors are Angela Morrison, Becca Fitzpatrick, Rachel Caine etc.
Wow, great great great giveaway!
I haven’t read anything by John Green before, but my sister absolutely LOVES Looking For Alaska. I haven’t read it yet, but I did buy her a copy because her school library was getting angry that she pretty much refused to bring theirs back, lol.
My favorite book is let it snow.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
I just finished reading an Abundance of Katherine. Loved it! Right now in a John Green glom reading all the books I can get my hands on!