Free A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius by Stacey Matson Page A

having a giant living in their house.
    5) Maybe something about racism.
    I’d love your feedback on which one you think would be best.
    Yours truly,
    Arthur Bean
    From: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
    To: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
    Sent: January 16, 10:59
    Hi, Arthur!
    You have so many ideas!!! And they are all so complicated! It’s like you have the whole plot of the Hobbit trilogy or something!
    I don’t want to be super harsh, but um…they are pretty big plans! All of them sound like you could write like 100,000 pages on them and still not be done! A couple of them sound like other things too. Isn’t your second idea the same story we studied in sixth grade? And I think your first idea is the same story as King Arthur, and idea three is a lot like Peter Pan. NO OFFENSE! Maybe I’m reading something into them! And I don’t even know what happened in your last idea!! There’s like 8,000 plots in that one!
    As your creative writing partner, I just wanted to point that out. I don’t want you to get accused of cheating later! I may want to win, but I don’t want you to get kicked out as my competition LOL! ANYWAY, I always hear people say we should write about stuff we know about. Maybe you should try something more realistic. PLUS, you are so funny! You could totally win with a hilarious story about your cousin George or something!
    Just a couple of thoughts from your FAVORITE writing partner LOL!
    Kennedy :)
    From: Arthur Bean ([email protected])
    To: Kennedy Laurel ([email protected])
    Sent: January 16, 15:29
    Dear Kennedy,
    Thanks. I will think about it. But George doesn’t really do much. Whenever I see him, he’s just listening to his iPod on huge headphones. He barely speaks, actually. My cousin Luke (George’s brother) told me the other day that George spent the entire weekend reorganizing his DVD collection. Literally all weekend. I don’t think that would make a great story.
    Yours truly,
    Arthur Bean
    â€¢ • •
    Interview with Robbie Zack
    I interviewed Robert Zack. Here is what we talked about, which can be proven through a recording.
    Arthur: What is your name?
    Robbie: [doesn’t say anything]
    Arthur: How old are you?
    Robbie: [doesn’t say anything, but if you listen to the tape, you can hear him burp in my face]
    Arthur: Do you like reading?
    Robbie: No.
    Arthur: Do you like writing?
    Robbie: No, it’s boring.
    Arthur: Then where do you get your ideas for your stories in English class?
    Robbie: Why? Do you want to steal them?
    Arthur: Were you born a jerk? Or is your jerk-ness just because you like being a jerk?
    Robbie: Were you always a copycat nerd? Or did you copy that from your mom?
    Arthur: My mom’s dead. Jerk.
    Robbie: As if.
    Arthur: It’s true. She died last year.
    Robbie: Oh.
    End of interview.
    Arthur,
    I believe you can do better than this. I would like you to redo the assignment, and think carefully about some better questions. I know that you can find some common interests and values between you and Robbie. It is tricky when you find yourself talking about a difficult subject, but try and recognize that Robbie didn’t know about your mother passing away. You two may have difficulties communicating with each other, but a little understanding of someone else’s situation can go a long way. Please submit your new assignment to me tomorrow.
    Ms. Whitehead
    â€¢ • •
    Robbie Zack Interview: Take Two
    Here is the written version of my second interview with Robbie Zack. I recorded it again, in case you don’t believe me.
    Arthur: What is your favorite color?
    Robbie: Red.
    Arthur: What is your favorite subject?
    Robbie: Drama.
    Arthur: What is your least favorite subject?
    Robbie: English.
    Arthur: Ms. Whitehead said that you have to cooperate and do my interview.
    Robbie: I am. That’s not even a question.
    Arthur: But you’re making it suck.