Author Q&A: Howard J. Morris & Jenny Lee, "Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid"

Write On! talks to authors -- and real-life couple -- Howard Morris & Jenny Lee about their book: Women Are Crazy, Men Are Stupid: The Simple Truth to a Complicated Relationship, which they are currently developing as a pilot for ABC. Morris began his career in television, writing for the revolutionary HBO series Dream On, and then on the Emmy-nominated Home Improvement. He created the series, Holding the Baby and In Case of Emergency, and has written on My Wife and Kids, According to Jim, and most recently, The Starter Wife. Lee, the author of three books of humor essays: Skinny Bitching, What Wendell Wants, and I Do. I Did. Now What?!: Life After the Wedding Dress, was a writer on the hit Samantha Who? and The Troop.

How did Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid come about?
Jenny: The book was the result of one of the biggest fights we had in our relationship to date. I had been expecting a romantic night out (and I had told him point blank I wanted one, which I know doesn't sound romantic, but I was well past the age of expecting men to be mind readers), and basically it didn't happen. In fact we got home about 10:30 on a Saturday night and Howard went to bed (alone) and I ate a Dominos pizza (alone) and in the dark. I then marched up the stairs and woke him up and we had a HUGE fight. It escalated into the middle of the night and I was admittedly irrational and I told him I could prove that he put more effort into his relationship with frozen yogurt than he put into his relationship with me. He called me crazy (which I wouldn't recommend to the men out there reading this). But, instead of going medieval on him for calling me crazy I actually realized that what I had said sounded a bit crazy. This is when I threw my hands up in the air, defeated, and said. "Maybe it's true, women are crazy. [But]Men are stupid." Howard started to laugh and said, "That's it! That's your next book!" He was serious in his thinking that it was a great idea for a book and he kept saying that if I didn't write it, he would. I told him to go right ahead. He started writing it, and then he asked me to write it with him to give the crazy women a "voice." I said, "No," because I thought it would break us up. Eventually he wore me down, and I decided I would at least go along with the proposal, and if it sold, well, it was meant to be. And then it sold.

Howard: The struggle to convince her to write it with me is in our introduction in the book. It was truly a miserable night (and fight) that inspired the book, but I do feel like it's all paid off. We have a really funny and sometimes insightful book. And we [just] sold the book to ABC and are now writing a pilot based on it. Thank God I'm stupid and insensitive!

What was the writing process? How did you go about getting Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid published?
Jenny: I had written three other books before, so I knew how to write a book proposal already. What I hadn't done is ever work with another person on a project. We put together a proposal which consisted of the book idea, why we're the perfect crazy woman and stupid man to write the book, what other relationship books are currently out there in the marketplace and how ours would be different, and lastly, we also submitted a few sample chapters of the book. Howard gave it to our book agent, Andy Barzvi at ICM (we were both already repped there for our TV writing) and she loved it immediately. And when we first talked to Patrick Price (our fabulous editor at Simon Spotlight Entertainment) we knew immediately that he was an editor who immediately "got" the book.

Howard: Having to write the proposal, and really define the project, and write sample chapters, was great for me. Because it not only proved to the publisher's that there was a book here, but also to me. Especially, since I'd never written one before. My experience has been mostly television, while Jenny's previous book experience was invaluable. I didn't even know what a book proposal was!

What is it like writing with your spouse?
Jenny: I wonder if I should let Howard answer this one first. Let's just say I believe it was more difficult for me than for Howard. ... It took us a while to get a system that worked down ... meaning, the system where he sat with me and went over my work line-by-line, out loud, and suggested changes was NOT a good system. But to be fair, I will completely admit that I was a bit of a pain in the ass in the beginning process, because I had been reluctant to write the book from the get go. Finally Howard called me out on my "bad attitude" (again, deservedly so) and I realized he was right and I changed my attitude.

Howard: It was a pure pleasure from beginning to end. Nary a harsh word was ever spoken between us!

Okay, seriously. We had our moments. But it really did come together when we figured out our process. I'd start the chapter with my point of view on the subject, or story, and then she responded with her point of view on what I'd written. Sometimes she loved my chapters (like the one about peonies) and sometimes she didn't. And sometimes I wouldn't hear from her for days and wonder what she thought--and then find out in her response. There was never a dull moment. But one of my favorite chapters was the one on romance, that involves the fight that started the whole book. Because I took both of our versions of the events and spliced them together. And its effect is that it's like the reader is a friend of ours sitting across a dinner table and we're telling him about this brutal but funny night.

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