In order to become a better writer, one must look for inspiration within the works and stories of other great writers. John Green, an author of young adult fiction, particularly focuses his stories on the theme of friendship, first love, relationships, and identity; serving as my main source of inspiration for several years. Green’s writing is appealing to the younger generation, as he perfectly depicts life as a teenager though the mistakes, lessons, and life experiences of his characters. Green is a well-known author of the best-selling books: Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and An Abundance of Katherines, just to name a few. I find his writing inspiring, as he allowed me to find my teenage identity through alike characters, intriguing story plots, and poetic writing.
John Green was born in Indianapolis, and after moving to Michigan and Alabama, his family finally settled in Orlando, Florida. Green uses many of the places he’s lived as the setting for many of his stories—Paper Towns is set in Indianapolis and Looking for Alaska is set in both Florida and Birmingham, Alabama. Green became inspired to write after graduating from Kenyon College and began working as a student chaplain at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. There he became interested in writing after his experience with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses—this eventually became the main subject in his novel The Fault in Our Stars. It is clear that Green is inspired by his own personal life experiences, which is something that I also base many of my writings on.
Like any other high schooler growing up, I was figuring out who I was truly was, and what I valued most in life. I quickly turned to reading as my way of outlook. I was quickly drawn to how I could relate my own personal struggles of being a teenager to that of his characters. During my adolescence, his popularity was documented and advertised everywhere, which is how I came to know of his name. During my sophomore year of high school, I was recommended Green’s book, Looking For Alaska, by one of my best friends. She promised me that if I took the time to read, and genuinely interpret his work, that it would change my perspective on life. I can happily say that Looking for Alaska is the best book that I have ever had the privilege to read. His writing effortlessly cured my craving for literature that is beautiful and deep, while also teaching me life lessons about growing up—something I didn’t necessarily know that I needed.
Green’s novel, Looking For Alaska, revolves around the life of Miles, a teenager who leaves his ordinary life in Florida to attend boarding school in Alabama. Even though he is not excited about it whatsoever, it is there that he finds his “great perhaps.” One person he meets in particular, Alaska Young, changes his viewpoint on the world. Alaska, a troubled and rebellious girl, quickly captures his attention with her looks and perception on life. After pushing him to experience life through late nights drinking cheap wine, school pranks, and deep conversation, Miles falls madly in love with her. Even though, John Green himself is not a teenager figuring out his place in life, his way of writing shows his understanding and awareness of the precious moments we get to experience during adolescence. I find his depiction of the teenage experience to be extremely raw and true. To this day, he is the only author who has left an everlasting mark on the way I live my own personal life, as well as the way I perceive life and the world around me.
Through alike characters, poetic writing, and intriguing plot, John Green is able to attract young adults to his writings. One his most famous quotes comes from Looking for Alaska, when Miles realizes his deep attraction and love for Alaska while also understanding the circumstances preventing him from fully loving her, “I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.” Here, this quote beautifully represents the naïveness of a teenager, exploration of first love, and the circumstances of life. John Green does this using a metaphor to create lasting imagery to readers, comparing Miles to drizzle and Alaska to a hurricane.
The success of John Green’s novels has led to several film adaptations, which have also become huge successes. His first movie adaptation, The Fault in Our Stars became number one at the box office during its opening weekend. After the film release, his YouTube channel vlogbrothers grew in popularity. There, Green and his brother Hank share weekly educational videos under the name Crash Course that have been viewed more than 700 million times. Crash Course covers several subjects such as Literature, Economics, World History, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Government. Most importantly, Green’s works have been an inspiration many young people, myself included, to read and write their own stories from personal experience.
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