A March 2005 interview with Brent Hartinger, the author of The Geography Club and a heck of an interesting guy.

Well, every professional writer always gives the same advice, which is read everything you can get your hands on, good and bad, in your genre and out of it. And learn the craft--take classes and practice, practice, practice. I certainly agree with all that, but if your plan is to become a professional writer, I would add: get out in the industry and meet people. Make contacts. Learn the unwritten "rules" of the business, learn what's popular and what's not. Work in a bookstore or at a publishing company if you can. Enter contests.

Finally, I would say: don't expect to sell your first book. Or your second. Or maybe even your third, fourth, or fifth. Writing is a skill, and like brain surgery, it takes a very long time to learn to do it well. Start small and work your way up to the New York publishers or Hollywood producers. The competition there is insane.

Oh, and don't self-publish or go POD. Complete waste of time.

How much of "Geography Club" and the sequel "The Order of the Poison Oak" are autobiographical?

I think of writing fiction as a little bit like sampling. I take bits and pieces of my whole life and mix them together like a song. But the things that did happen to me almost never happened in exactly the same way, or in the same order, as they happen in my books. And, of course, I make up a lot of "additional material" to make them complete.

Let's put it this way: the feelings are very autobiographical. Most of what Russel feels, I felt at some point. The emotional "truth" at the heart of each book is definitely true for me. What's depressing to me is that here it is twenty years after I was a teenager, and being a gay teen is still often just as miserable an experience.

What is your writing process?

Process? I'm supposed to have a process?

Well, these days life is so crazy with book promotion and the "business" of writing that it's hard to carve out extended periods of writing time. But first thing, I try to figure out a basic idea, including a potential title and overall concept. The point is to come up with an idea that I think will make people think, "I really want to read that book!" Because, let's face it, so much of this business is marketing, and it's so much easier to market a great, clean, truly catchy idea. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is writing the first idea that comes into their heads. In many ways, the idea is more important than the book itself, as horrible as that is to say.

Okay, after I have what I think is a fantastic concept, I work up an outline. This whole process takes anywhere from two weeks to two months. But I figure the more solid my concept and outline, the less work I'll have to do later on. I usually share this with my editor, to make sure he or she thinks the idea is as good as I do.

Once the outline is done, I start writing. I tend to be kind of manic when I'm writing, so I can pound out a first draft in a month or so. Of course, I don't eat or sleep for that whole time, so by the end, I'm a wreck. What can I say? I suffer for my art!

Once the first draft is done, I revise it once by myself. Then I give it to my initial readers (friends and colleagues). From their feedback, I revise again. Then it goes to my editor, and from his or her feedback, I revise again. Usually I'll go through two or three revisions with my editor, and then it goes to the copy-editor. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The point of all this? Being a professional writer means revising. A lot. A first draft is just that, and my first drafts usually suck. A good editor will make an interesting manuscript publication-worthy.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on four books. I know, it's crazy, no?

I'm copy-editing a psychological thriller called Grand & Humble, about a popular kid and a loser, and how their lives keep mysteriously intersecting at this particular street corner. It'll be out in March 2006. I'm in editing with a book called Dreamquest, a fantasy about a twelve year-old girl plagued by nightmares who wakes up in the magical land inside her own brain where they "film" her dreams. That will be out in 2006 too. And then I'm working on the next two books in the Geography Club series. It's in the "concept" stage there, but I do know that they'll be the same story told from two different points of view: Russel's and Min's. They'll cover the exact same events, but they'll be completely different stories. The two books will be released at the same time, in winter 2007, in a tie-in marketing campaign. It's sort of a Rashomon for teens.

What was the first book or author that really made you think "wow, I want to be a an author!"

Oh, it was definitely The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. That was the first non-fantasy book I'd ever read where I said, "Wow, books don't have to be boring!" Of course, I was a little upset at first when I found at that S.E. Hinton was a girl, and therefore, Ponyboy Curtis didn't really exist. But once I accepted that, I got very excited about this thing called fiction, and how it was possible to so move people with your words.

If you weren't an author, what else would you be?

Probably working in the theatre. I know that's also in the arts, but frankly, I can't imagine doing anything else. I love the energy of creating, and being around other creative people. It's a cliche, but once it's in your blood, you can't get it out. It's my meaning. I'd die if I had to do anything else.

Do you have a favorite fan story/experience?

The whole fan thing has been the best part of the publishing process, by far. I used to think I wasn't a "people"-person, but my fans have been just so fantastic, so appreciative. So I guess I'm really just not a "jerk"-person! Since none of my fans are jerks, I don't have a problem.

The best part of publishing Geography Club, which has a large cast of characters, was hearing how different people related to the different characters. I heard from a lot of "Russels" and "Mins" and "Kevins" and "Brians" and "Belindas." But I never heard from anyone who related to Gunnar, who is sort of the "villain," but who I think is ultimately a decent guy, and who is one of my favorite characters. Well, finally, I heard from a "Gunnar"! And I've since heard from two more.

Do you find it harder to write a play, screenplay, or novel?

It's hardest to sell a screenplay, that's for sure. But as for the writing, I think they're all about equal. I love them all equally, by the way. Yes, there are lots of differences between the mediums, but I sort of part company from a lot of writers by saying they're not that different. A story is a story is a story. And frankly, since I started out writing plays, I think I write everything with a three-act structure, which is the "classic" play structure. It makes it easy to adapt my books for the stage, that's for sure!

I think starting out in the theatre really made my books better, because I internalized the elements of drama, and the importance of keeping things moving. I've been in theaters when a play of mine is bombing, and I never want to go through that again. I think if more writers had to "see" their audience's reaction to their books, there'd be a lot fewer boring books!

Can you give us any hints about the next book in the series (you've already mentioned on your site that Kevin will likely appear...)

Well, I can say that there is another love triangle, this time between Russel, Kevin, and Otto. And Russel will be forced to choose between them. I'm excited about that plot-line, because I think it's a very, very hard choice. At this point, even I'm not sure who he'll choose!

Hey, for more information about me and my books, or to drop me an email of gushing praise, visit "Brent's Brain," my website, at http://www.brenthartinger.com.