Scribbles & Munch

      A couple weeks ago I mentioned picking up the latest book by New York Times Bestselling Author, Ernest Cline.  His first novel - Ready Player One - was a geek girls dream, a fabulous mix of science fiction, coming-of-age drama, and nerd nostalgia.  I was deeply impressed, so of course I pre-ordered his second novel, Armada, and of course I didn't pass up an opportunity to have him sign it in person!

      I made a point of finishing the book before Cline was scheduled to appear at The Book Loft last night.  I have some thoughts about the novel, but I'll get to that later--for now let me gush about how cool it was to meet the author!  Having once lived in Columbus himself, Cline was an enthusiastic guest, and he spoke for about forty minutes before heading inside to sign books.  He primarily talked about his journey in becoming a writer, which I was eager to hear for several reasons.

This is a man who speaks with plentiful gesticulation and a very expressive face--the BEST kind of speaker!

      The main reason?  If you're serious about becoming a published novelist, you've doubtlessly heard that you should start with short stories.  Enter this competition, try for that magazine, etc. etc.  I have some doubts about the veracity of this advice in our present technological society (when was the last time you read a short story for pleasure, let alone one in a magazine?), but it's still a mainstay of professional advice.  Enter Ernest Cline, a man who - as far as I know - has NEVER published a short story in his life.  I don't know if he's ever even written one.  But his first ever novel had almost every major publishing company in a F@$#!%& bidding war over the manuscript.*
      What he HAS done is written and helped direct his own movie: FanBoys.  It's got mixed reviews, but is widely considered a cult classic.  And - as I found out from Ernest Cline's talk - there were hundreds of thousands of fans who created an onslaught of angry emails when one of the directors tried to change the plot.  Talk about a ready-made fan base!  No wonder publishers were willing to take a "risk" on a new author.
      His first book was a crazy-awesome best seller, and deserved to be.  His second novel...hm.  Here's my opinion in a nutshell: it was an intriguing story, with some great characters, and hit a lot of those same nerdy nostalgia notes.  Armada is a more grown-up story than Ready Player One, however, and Cline's writing style didn't adjust the way it should have.  Honestly, it reads hasty in some places, and sloppy in others--like he was under a deadline.**  I think Cline has a lot of talent with language - he's an award winning Slam poet - and he owes it to himself to push his craft.  If you want to read my full review, you can do so here, but let's get back to the awesomeness.

Me working up the courage to ask him to also sign an ancient Sega Genesis game cartridge.  He did.  It's going to be framed in a shadow box and hung over the TV.

      Ernest Cline answered a few questions after he concluded his talk.  A couple were geeky, and a couple were about writing. Here's what I remember (paraphrased, obviously).

SOME GUY IN A YELLOW SHIRT: Would you ever consider writing a novel that isn't about pop culture?

CLINE: Why would I do that?  What else am I going to do--write about unpopular culture?  Some people do that, and they craft some amazing novels.  But that's not for me.  A lot of writers worry about dating themselves by referencing songs or films, but those kinds of things draw me in as a reader.

ME: I also have a writing question.  I'm curious as to why you chose to write both novels in the first person?***

CLINE: I like to really get into my protagonist's head.  My plots can get pretty complex and expansive.  It helps me track the storyline if I can follow it from one character's point of view.  It's also how I'm most comfortable writing.

SOME CHICK ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COURTYARD: My perfect breakfast would be (she listed three names of famous people I couldn't quite catch), and you!  Who would be at your perfect breakfast?

CLINE: Oh, mine already happened!  I got to have breakfast with George R. R. Martin at his house!

      He then went on to tell this awesome story about meeting Martin at a con, Martin seriously digging Cline's DeLorean, and then borrowing the car at a later date for an event.  This was followed by breakfast at his house.  Being me, I tried to ask Cline on his way into the bookstore for signing what they had for breakfast.

I think he answered, "Wheaties"--but I couldn't swear to it.

      As you can easily guess, I now have this crazy daydream where I get to make a decent breakfast for Ernest Cline and George R. R. Martin.  Dude, I can do waaaaay better than "Wheaties."




*That was on day one.  On day two, most of the major movie studios were in a bidding war over the film rights.

**I came across this sentence about 3/4's through: "The metal ladder descended and hit the floor with a metallic clang."  Really?  Metal has a metallic clang to it?  How the hell did that get past the editors?!

***I think the first person was perfect for Ready Player One.  I think it was a mistake in Armada.  Most writers I know start out using first person because we do imagine our stories from the perspective of the main character, but then most of switch back to third person because it allows us to expand story from multiple characters.  Sometimes first person is perfect (Gone Girl being a fabulous recent example) and sometimes third person is perfect (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe being a timeless example).  You just gotta know which is right.