Thursday, April 7, 2011
English 7420: David Levithan
This post is for students in my MA fiction writing class.
Please post a question or comment for David Levithan regarding The Lover’s Dictionary, his writing process, or any of his other books.
Thanks,
Marie
que·ry/ˈkwi(ə)rē/
I know that The Lover’s Dictionary is your first (published) foray into “adult” lit, or at least, in your own words, “(your) first book about post-teenagers.” What genre do you prefer – YA or adult? Why/not? Was it difficult for you to write a non-YA book? Do you find yourself going back to a “YA pattern” type of writing (if there is such a thing)?
From all the words in the English language, how did you decide on which ones to be used as entries for The Lover’s Dictionary?
Hi, David,
Lover’s Dictionary reminds me of the work of cartoonist Jeffrey Brown who, in his autobio relationship books, deals with a relationship in terms of snippets of memory.
Was that an inspiration towards Lover’s, or did you have a similar goal in executing the book?
Thanks, much!
Best, Chris
David-
Did you have a specific character in mind when you wrote “The Lover’s Dictionary”- yourself, a past lover- or is more an amalgamation?
I ask because what struck me most was the simultaneous sense of intimacy- particularity, even- and universality in the voice; I saw both myself and yet a complete stranger in many of the definitions.
The Lover’s Dictionary is sweet, smart, and entertaining. As I read it, I wondered how you came to choose the words you did? Was each word chosen as a result of the story/memory behind it, or vice versa?
Dear David,
What’s the last really good short story you read? What about it grabbed/excited/tickled you?
Thanks,
Jeremy
What was your motivation to write this particular book. I know you wrote the story for Valentine’s Day, but was there any other motivation to transistion out of the Young Adult genre in order to write this love story?
Hey David,
I was just wondering why you chose this format, the dictionary entries, over say a more formal narrative structure, did this way help you accomplish some of your goals in writing the book?
Also, I was curious how long it took you to write this book? Did you finish each entry before moving on to the next or did you sort of do it all at once, ie. work on multiple entries at a time?
Thanks for the great read!
Robert
I enjoyed the cunning way you chose a word and created your own definition related to your relationship. However, at times I found it distracting and frustrating when I didn’t know the actual definition of a word that you were playing off of. I thought to pull out a dictionary if I really wanted to understand your book. Was it a consideration at any point to include actual definitions as reference, or would it be for a future edition?
Hi David,
I didn’t pick out any super explicit gender references for the “you”/lover character in novel, which I’m guessing (or hoping), was intentional. How/why did you decide to keep this (and mention of other physical traits), ambiguous or to a minimum?
Hello David,
Great read! I was wondering if you were at all cautious about calling this “a novel?” I enjoyed how the underlying narrative was exposed throughout the entries, but I was curious as to your own justifications of this as “a novel.” Perhaps in the broader sense, what is your relationship to “the novel” as a genre? Thanks for the wonderful break from real life!
Stephen
Hello David.
I enjoyed this new, to me, format of your novel, it made reading it very enjoyable and simple.
I was curious on how much this story and format changed from when you conceived it to when it was published. Was there a dramatic change and if any what/why where they implemented.
Thank you for a fresh taste of literature.
Eddie
Hi, David
Marie informed us you write a book a year while working at Scholastic Books during the day. Would you speak to us about your writing process, and specifically how you find the time to write within your other commitments? Do you write at the same time every day, or whenever you find the time?
Thanks,
Abbot Street
Similar to other comments, but I really am curious about which came first: the story or the concept? I had the overwhelming sense that this was essentially autobiography packaged in a very fictional conceit.
Hello David,
I enjoyed reading your book. I was curious how you feel about the overall process of your books being adapted into films. As an editor, do you feel there is an editing process on a conceptual level when novels are adapted onto the screen, and did you agree with the manner in which your novel was adapted? Do you think you’ll ever write a screenplay?
Best,
Patricia
Hello David,
What an exciting, smart and sweet read! I admire the format and like others, a curious at the process that brought you such a tight piece. I would love to know about the different phases of this project.
Thanks,
Summer
Hi David!
It was wonderful to read your book. Clever concept, succinct execution. A pleasure.
When I have the chance to communicate with authors, the aspect I’m usually most interested in is that of the personal writing process (in the vein that Flannery O’Connor wrote in an empty, sunless room, or how Michael Chabon will not leave his desk until he completes a certain word count he sets everyday). Mining this vein, I’m curious to know if you yourself have any rules or regimens for your writing. Any quirks? Superstitions? Or simply discipline?
I look forward to meeting you!
PS I guess another question I have involves the translation of “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” from page to screen. Were you happy with the results? Did you feel as if anything was lost or gained?