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During our common planning time today, my colleagues and I brainstormed a list of texts we’re going to have students select from for their literary essays. Many people think that kids should pick whatever book they’re reading, I’ve come to believe that having children select from a pre-selected set of short texts is better. [...]

"I never bought beer before. I never went on a joyride, I mean, a reckless one; was never in a car accident; never, well, I've been beaten up, but never with that many spectators; never broke in anywhere; never skinny-dipped, and I almost did, I was going to; never eluded the authorities before..."

That's Larry Doyle's hero ticking off just a few of the underage taboos he broke over the course of one cinematic novel, I Love You, Beth Cooper. Doyle has written the Ulysses of high school novels, chock full of allusions and dreamy imagery.

The book is cinematic because Doyle cut his teeth in the world of television. Doyle has written for The New Yorker, The Simpsons, and HBO, and this week he sharing some writing advice with us. 

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog:

What did television teach you about writing? How are the first steps that aspiring script writers and television writers should take? Any resources you would recommend for this kind of writing? Continue reading...

"Greg Saloga glanced at the inert and writhing bodies around him and fell to his knees, letting out the most primal wail anyone had heard in a couple hundred thousand years. He covered his face and screamed into his hands, 'Why must I ... hurt?'" 

That's a dispatch from Larry Doyle's topsy-turvey high school novel, I Love You, Beth Cooper--where everybody, including the school bully, has an 80's-teenage-movie-style epiphany.

Doyle has written for The New Yorker, The Simpsons, and HBO. Today, he's sharing some of his novel research and character design secrets with us.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog:
Who are the writers that inspire you? What are the writing resources,
websites, and tools you use?

Larry Doyle:
Writers I have stolen from: Charles Portis, Kurt Vonnegut, Donald Barthelme, Thomas Pynchon. Click here to continue reading...

"We regret, too, the no-children rule. Some of us feel that Children bring nothing but Joy to all occasions; others feel differently, and this is a discussion we’ve agreed to table until a later time. (Not too much later! Tick tick tick . . .) If it’s any consolation, you’ll be sparing your Little Loved Ones many painful inoculations, and then there’s the whole child-slavery thing."

That's an excerpt from Larry Doyle's insane faux-wedding evite in The New Yorker--the first hyperlinked funny story in that magazine, as far as I know.

Besides writing humor pieces for My Favorite Magazine, Doyle has written scripts for The Simpsons and HBO. He's visiting The Publishing Spot this week to talk about his debut novel, I Love You, Beth Cooper. We'll explore that book later this week. Today, Doyle discusses how he built his web community.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog:
You have a website, a blog, and a collection of yearbook pictures to support your new book. How did you build online community and resources for your book?  How do you communicate with readers? Any advice for a first-time novelist build an online community?

Larry Doyle:
Everything I did was by brute force. Continue reading...

"Heathbar was neo-Georgian, meaning it had red brick on the front. It was otherwise a 6,000-square-foot conglomeration of awful architectural ideas throughout history executed in 21st-century Vulgarian; chief among the offenses was a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bay window that cantilevered out like a bodybuilder who spent way too much time on his abs." 

That's Larry Doyle describing an obnoxious suburban McMansion in quasi-Victorian terms in his novel, I Love You, Beth Cooper.

Doyle has written for The New Yorker, The Simpsons, and HBO, and this week he sharing some writing advice with us.

Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog: 
You wrote this novel in a whirlwind. How did you budget time and outline the novel so carefully? Any advice for fledgling writers looking to get more organized about their fiction writing process?