Veronica Roth

Interwebz Hiatus

2012-01-26T06:11:00.000-06:00

Not that I'm such a consistent blog poster that anyone would be alarmed at my absence, but I'm going to pretty much disappear from The Interwebz for the next two weeks while I'm in Jordan and then moving back to the States.

I will return with tales of travel and writing!

Don't get into any trouble while I'm away.

What Project Runway Taught Me About Explanations

2012-01-24T04:12:00.001-06:00

If you've been watching Project Runway with as much dedication as I have, you know who Elisa is. She's the wacky designer who marks fabric with spit and sort of seems like she's always tripping on acid, but just a little bit. She also seems like a really nice person, and that counts for a lot in reality television these days, at least for me. However, I've never really liked her work:

Remember the Hershey's challenge? (source)

I am of the opinion that you can always learn about writing from television, and Project Runway is no exception. The reason I bring up Elisa is that what I learned about writing a few episodes ago, I learned from her. And this...garment:

(source)

Basically, that is a bathing suit with butterfly sleeves. The sleeves have writing on them. My initial impression of this was a stream of thoughts that went something like this: BATHING SUIT ugly fabric butterfly sleeves where the hell would I wear this and how did it take her two days and what is that crap on the sleeves? Basically, you could summarize my reaction with just three letters: W. T. F.

Obviously Elisa was in the bottom three, so she got the chance to talk about her look. And she launched into this semi-philosophical explanation of the look, involving circles and energy and how, if you put the sleeves together, they tell a complete story. I found it to be really thoughtful and interesting, given her particular belief system. But there is a distinct mismatch between what she said and what her look says. You would never get her explanation from that look. You would have to read her manifesto first.

(source)

But before I get all judgy, let me say that I think a lot of writers, myself included, have the exact same problem. People read our work, whether it's critique partners or editors or book bloggers or everyday readers, and they make their assessments, and we sit there thinking "but that's not what it says!" or "well, that's not what I meant!" or "you totally missed the point!"

When I was in writing class in college, there were rules for critique sessions. The most important one was: the writer is not allowed to say anything. Yes, that's right: an hour of people picking apart my story, which I crafted lovingly over a period of weeks, and I was not allowed to say a single word. I couldn't defend myself. I couldn't explain anything. There are many reasons for this, but for me the most important one is that my defense and my explanations were unimportant. Useless, actually. If something doesn't come across in the writing, it's not the reader's fault, it's mine.

Sure, there are times when it's clear, even in those critique sessions, that someone was not reading my story at all carefully. And I couldn't blame myself for someone's misinterpretations if they just glanced it over while walking to class, because the reader has to assume some responsibility. But if someone read through my story at a reasonable pace, and they didn't "get" it, it was not because they were stupid. It's okay if your reader has to work a little-- some reads are more challenging than others, after all-- but they should not have to do most of the work, or even a lot of the work. The story should do it for them.

I feel like I've started to say something dangerous, so let me back up. I'm not saying that, in order to make sure that the reader "gets" something, you should try to be really heavy-handed and obvious about it and sort of shove it in their face. Noooo no no. I'm saying that sometimes, what people don't "get" shows you exactly what you need to work on as a writer.

Let's say I write a book written in first person about a destructive friendship. I write it, critique partners say "this book never indicts the friend for being controlling/abusive/condescending/etc.! In fact, it glorifies the destructive friendship. WTF?" And I get all huffy and say "well, I couldn't portray the friendship as unhealthy because I was writing in first person and my narrator wouldn't stay in a friendship she knew was unhealthy, obviously! So you just weren't reading it right."

The thing is, there are ways to communicate something to the reader in a first-person account that the narrator herself is unaware of, almost like the story is talking around its own narrator. Some authors do it extremely well. So my defense of my own work, above, is not particularly valid-- instead of getting huffy about what people didn't "get," I should be working on how well I communicate with my reader.

This happens on a small level, too. When reading the rough draft of Insurgent, someone confused one character with another to the point that it changed her interpretation of a substantial part of the story. My first instinct was to say "no, no, she read it wrong, that was someone else," but my next thought was, "you know, if she didn't realize that she was mixing characters up, I probably didn't make them distinct enough." And making each character feel distinct and separate and unique was something I worked on in my next round of revisions.

This is why I sometimes ask non-writer friends/family to read a story and tell me what they think about it. If you want to try it, you should make a list of non-leading, specific questions to ask them. Some examples are: can you describe the main character to me, or, what did you think when this character did this thing, or, what kind of thoughts did the story leave you with, or, who was your favorite character, what was your favorite scene, which characters do you not remember very well, did you ever feel confused....etc.

Anyway, the lesson here, to me, is: if you have to explain something, don't assume it's the reader's fault, assume it's yours. And take it as an opportunity to learn something about what you need to work on.

A Peek Behind the Publishing Curtain

2012-01-16T05:35:00.000-06:00

Before I got published, I had no idea how publishing works. It's like any other industry-- how it works is not common knowledge. I mean, do I know how grape juice is produced and bottled? Do I know the inner workings of the teacher's lounge? Do I know who designs toilets and how you get your foot in the door of that industry? No.

So, this post is just an attempt to pull back the curtain for you guys a little, if you're interested. This is also a partial response to those lovely enthusiastic readers who tell me to write faster so the book can come out sooner. To those of you who have, I'm glad you're eager! But the fact is, I don't set the release date, and a book release depends on WAY more than me writing as quickly as possible (which, believe me, I am already doing), as you will be able to see.

Here are the book making steps (also, props to my editor for helping me with the things I forgot):

1. Author writes rough draft. This can take anywhere from a few months to over a year, depending on how fast the writer writes and what the publishing timeline is. For example, Insurgent is coming out a year after Divergent, but some authors have more time between books and some have less time.

2. Author gets editorial feedback on rough draft. This can take awhile, because it takes a long time to read and analyze a book carefully, and also, editors work on more than one book at a time.

3. Author writes second draft, gets more feedback, sometimes author writes next draft and gets more feedback...depends on the book.

4. Author gets line edits. These are editorial notes that are on a line by line level, like "this sentence, as written, is confusing" and "doesn't this contradict what you said five pages ago?"

5. Author turns in line-edited draft

6. Author gets copyedits. These are editorial notes that are super nitpicky, like "no comma here, per rule 238923598B in the Chicago Manual of Style" and "this should be in italics, not quotes." (I used to do this as a job. I really liked it, actually.)

7. Author turns in copyedited draft

8. Author gets first pass pages. These are a copy of what the text looks like when it's in "book form," that is, in a PDF document, with the right font and chapter headings etc. This is the one of the last chances an author gets to make changes to the book.

9. Author turns in first pass pages, with notes.

10. Many more passes between Editorial, Copyediting, and Design occur, as they make sure every piece of punctuation is in the right place, and that there aren’t lines where the text is too tight liketherearenospacesbetween words or too loose l i k e t h e r e a r e t o o m a n y, or pages with just one line of text (that's called a widow, by the way). Their job is basically to make the formatting, font, and overall look of the text invisible so that all you notice are the words.

11. Author and editor work on flap copy, tagline, etc., that will be used in marketing, advertising, and talking about the book.

12. Somewhere in here, I get an author photo taken.

13. ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) are printed and distributed to book reviewers and bloggers and teachers and librarians and booksellers and the like.

14. Time is allowed for ARCs to be read and reviewed, as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy. Sometimes there are no ARCs. There are many reasons that might be the case.

15. Sales Reps chat with bookstores all over the country once they’ve had a chance to read the ARC. Together, each bookstore and his or her Sales Rep determine exactly how many copies of every book being published that season they should order, based on past books written by the author, or other books of a similar nature.

16. Paper is ordered for that print run, several months or weeks in advance. That much paper is heavy, and takes up a lot of space to store, so the publisher has to put the order in with the printer in advance, since every book is printed on slightly different paper (or stock) and the printer has to have time to get shipped from the papermaking plant to the printing location.

17. Other marketing things also happen in the midst of this. Sometimes a book trailer is outlined, worked on, and produced. Sometimes facebook pages with special fun things like faction quizzes are created. Sometimes articles are written, interviews are done, and guest blogs occur. Sometimes it's the author who does all this stuff, while working on the book at the same time and possibly raising three small children and working part time. It all depends on the book, and generally, all these things need to be spaced out.

18. Sometimes Publicity and Sales decide to send the author on tour. If so, they have to set up events that work with each bookstore’s calendar. They also have to work out how to get author from City A to City B most effectively in a short span of time, and with as few crazy-early-morning flights as possible. If the author goes on a group tour with other authors, this becomes another one of those crazy word problems of juggling schedules, calendars, hometown cities, and flights schedules.

19. The final book is sent to the printer

20. Books can take months to print and put into cartons-- and even stickered, if the book has won an award or something. Sometimes books are printed overseas, and after they’re printed, they have to be put on boats (boats!) to ship back from the overseas printers to the warehouses in the US. This is because thousands of books are heavy and the publisher has to look for the most cost-effective method, so that book prices don’t have to be raised.

21. Once the books arrive at the US port, they have to go through customs. And then they have to be shipped to warehouses in different parts of the country. At the warehouse, they go through quality checking to make sure pages aren’t printed upside down or backwards, etc., before any books can be released. Meanwhile, bookstores and sales reps have to transmit their final orders.

22. Each bookstore’s shipment of books gets shipped (again, slowly, to minimize cost) out to the bookstore’s own warehouse or processing area.

23. Then bookstores put books on shelves!

I think it's important to put aside a somewhat romanticized view of book writing in which it's just the author and the pages and sometimes the editor. And the reason I think it's important is that there are so many people involved in this process-- people who work so hard, and who are really indispensable. I mean, every time someone says "oh, did you design the cover?" I try not to laugh, because seriously, if I had designed the Divergent cover it would look like this:

Don't tell me you would have bought this, because I'll know you're lying.

My point is: there are a lot of people who make this work. And they are good at it. So thank you, behind-the-scenes people. We, the authors, the readers, the book-lovers, salute you.

[Note: there are a lot of other things going on in publishing, like School & Library, or social media, audio, e-book, legal departments, finance, etc. But for the sake of streamlining this post, I listed only things that are more "steps" and not continuous, as far as the making and distributing of the physical book is concerned.]

And now, when I mention first pass pages, you will totally know the lingo.

3 Things I Have

2012-01-07T12:43:00.000-06:00

I have a post up at YA Highway about the oh-so-complicated author/reviewer relationship.

I also have a book 3 song (or at least, I wrote a scene while listening to this song yesterday):

And last, I have a picture of this bunny:

(Thanks, cuteoverload.com!)

Road Trip Wednesday: Dream Writing Retreat

2012-01-04T04:44:00.000-06:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic: Describe your dream writing retreat. Where would you go? Who and what would you bring?

I am going to answer this question in a series of pictures:


(credit)

(credit)

That, my friends, is Iceland. (The city photo is Reykjavik.) I have always wanted to go there. I think it's beautiful in all the ways that things are beautiful-- the architecture is interesting, there are mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, stretches of grass, the northern lights. I've heard the rumors that it's not as cold as everyone assumes, but even if it was, I've lived in Minnesota and Chicago, and I own a large subzero-temperature-conducive coat. (Which is one of the things I would bring.)

Most importantly, it seems like the kind of place I would find inspiring. I would have to set aside a few days for sightseeing, of course, but after that I think I would be able to settle down and get some work done.

How about you? Where would your writing retreat be? (Or your weirdest dream vacation spot, if you're not a writer?)

Book Recommendation: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

2012-01-02T14:09:00.000-06:00

Summary (from the author's website):

EXILED from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive.

A HUNTER for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must learn to accept one another to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

Of course I entered this book with The Burden of Expectations, as many who read dystopian YA these days do (and as I do with almost all books evereverever). And let me tell you, it
A. totally bore that burden, and is
B. really well-written with
C. good, well-rounded, and likeable characters and basically
D. I enjoyed it very much and I think you should read it.
There, now you have four reasons to!

I am mentioning it particularly because it comes out tomorrow, which means that you can get your hands on it soon. Call it a New Years Celebratory Purchase. It is definitely worth it.

Go forth and consume words! (I think that will be my farewell from now on.)

Such Good Advice

2012-01-01T09:15:00.000-06:00

I stole this from Janet Reid's blog, and she stole it from Sean Ferrell's blog:

2012

2011-12-31T12:09:00.000-06:00

I don't usually make New Years resolutions. I figure, if I want to change, I'll just decide to do it right then, right? Well, there's something to be said about having a marker, about being able to say, that hour, that minute, that was the turning point. Many resolutions fail. But some don't, and let's hope mine are among them.

I've got books I've already read that I am excited to pester you about:


THESE WERE AWESOME. I CANNOT WAIT.

I've got books by talented friends that I can't wait to read:

WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard
MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza
HEMLOCK by Kathleen Peacock
NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Miller
A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE by Kody Keplinger
TOUCHED and IF I LIE by Corrine Jackson
INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows
TIMEPIECE by Myra McEntire
The sequel to LARKSTORM by Dawn Miller
The sequel to THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin

And books I'm going to go to the bookstore on release day to buy:

17 & GONE by Nova Ren Suma
CROWN OF EMBERS by Rae Carson
CINDER by Marissa Meyer
THE CAVENDISH HOME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS by Claire LeGrand
Pretty much everything that Phoebe North is looking forward to.
And goodness gracious, so many more that I'm forgetting right now.

...it's going to be a busy year.

And heck, I've got the INSURGENT release to think about, as well as whatever is going to happen in DETERGENT (aka Book 3). I can't WAIT for you guys to read book 2. Seriously.

But I've got other things, too, other plans. Hard plans. It's time to be honest: the anxiety got much worse this Winter, but I'm grateful, because that means I really have to work on it this time. I don't know if you know that most anxiety is perpetuated by avoidance-- avoidance of the thing that scares you. Exposure therapy is what Divergent was inspired by, and finally, it's what I have to do myself. It's time. 2012, the year of learning how to think in a healthy way, the year of staring fear in the face and finding a way to overpower it.

You know, before the supposed apocalypse, and all.

2012 is also the year of learning how taxes work without step-by-step instructions, of reading more books, of leaving Romania, which I've come to love, and moving back to America, which I have also come to love, in a new way. La revedere/vislat, and hello.

2011 was the best year of my life, and the hardest. Why do we think those things won't go together? They do. I hope next year is just as wonderful, and just as hard.

I hope that for you, too, that if every day feels like a fight for you, you wake up every morning swinging your fists like a Dauntless badass. Let's go beat up some Peters together.

Best of 2011: Books Most Often Recommended (To Me)

2011-12-29T02:41:00.000-06:00

I have to pack for ze trip to Jordan, so I won't be able to ramble on as I usually do, but here are the books most frequently recommended to me by friends, twitter followers, blog followers, etc. this year:

(from here.)

I should note that yes, I have read DoSaB, finally! The writing was gorgeous.

(from here.)


(from here.)

I have also read The Maze Runner. And it was great. Suspenseful as all get out.

(from here.)

I left this one unread in a storage unit in Illinois. And I'm sad about it.

So there you have it! Most often rec'd to me in 2011! Feel free to share what books were most often recommended to YOU in 2011...and whether you listened.

Annnnd everyone else said...

Best of 2011: Top 5 Books (From Childhood)

2011-12-28T03:51:00.000-06:00

I have posted about my top books of 2011 in a variety of places, not least of which is this blog itself. While I could talk about those books a LOT, I don't want to sound like a broken record, so I'm going to switch up the prompt a little. My apologies to our fearless leader, Sarah Enni. I will bake you something to make up for it.

But, in case you wanted a recap, here are my top 5 books released in 2011:

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.

Rock on, ladies!

So, instead: My Top 5 Recommended Books from My Childhood

(These are probably more MG than YA, because I don't recall that distinction being so clear when I was young, although perhaps I just wasn't aware of it.)

1. Sabriel by Garth Nix (And all the Abhorsen books, actually)

Since childhood, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who refuse to stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorson, is missing, and Sabriel must cross into that world to find him. With Mogget, whose feline form hides a powerful, perhaps malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage, Sabriel travels deep into the Old Kingdom. There she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life, and comes face to face with her own hidden destiny.

Now that I've read fantasy a little more widely, I realize just how unique the world of this book is. There are bells that summon people/things back from death. There's a race of people who see the future. There's a talking cat. I read these books over and over again. Suddenly I want to read them again...

2. The Trial of Ana Cotman by Vivien Alcock

New in town, Anna Cotman wants nothing more than to find a friend. But when bossy Lindy Miller persuades her to join her older brother's secret society, Anna becomes uneasy. She knows that beneath the secret codes, strange rituals, and frightening masks, the society is just a game. But when Anna breaks the rules and is threatened with punishment, she finds the game has gotten seriously out of hand.

Also incredibly unique. May have fed my obsession with categories.

3. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way.

First of all: ignore the movie with Anne Hathaway. (Some of you may have liked that movie, but I did not.) Second of all: I remember getting so frustrated alongside Ella as her awful stepsister takes advantage of her, and cheering (maybe aloud) at the end. And in retrospect, I love how the author plays with "docile fairy tale girl" themes and turns them on their head.

4. Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

Mary Lou Finney is less than excited about her assignment to keep a journal over the summer. Boring! Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller coaster ride of all time. How was Mary Lou suppose to know what would happen with Carl Ray and the ring? Or with her boy-crazy best friend Beth Ann? Or with (sigh) the permanently pink Alex Cheevey? Suddenly a boring school project becomes a record of the most exciting, incredible, unbelievable summer of Mary Lou's life. But what if her teacher actually does read her journal?

Oh, Sharon Creech. You are amazing. Also, I remember a really strong "Odyssey" theme to this book, and it was really well done. (side note: this book is not silly, as that summary might suggest. At least, it sort of does to me.)

5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

So. The author of this book? Not the kind of guy I want to hang out with. He's made some public remarks that I do not think are okay. At all. (Google it if you want to know.) But I do think the book is amazing and creative and disturbing in a good way, and it got me into reading sci-fi when I was younger, so I'm still recommending it.

Tomorrow I'll be talking about recommended books-- but this time, books that were recommended to me frequently in 2011.

Annnd everyone else said...

Caroline Richmond

Best of 2011: Wonderfully Complex YA Heroines

2011-12-27T03:33:00.000-06:00

I have a feeling I'm going to be talking about the same books over and over again in these lists, so hopefully you don't get tired of hearing about them. (You shouldn't, because they are awesome!) It's just that when I fall for a book, which honestly doesn't happen that often, I fall hard.

Today is all about characters, and I decided to narrow my scope a little so that I don't just start spitting out book titles like a crazy person. People are like onions-- they're many-layered, they become less harsh the more time you spend with them (on the stove, get it?), they sometimes make you cry...okay, you get it. Basically, real people are complicated. They have a variety of motivations, they have moods, they have flaws, and I'm not just talking about little quirks, I'm talking about deep, intense flaws.

Characters, when they are at their best, reflect this complexity, but that is a hard thing to pull off. So I'm going to list my Top 5 Wonderfully Complex YA Heroines.

1. Melinda, from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

At least one good thing came out of that whole Speak banning scandal, and it was that I finally got the motivation to read it. (Admittedly, that happened over a year ago, but I have already established that I'm breaking all the rules with these lists, right?) I was always a little afraid to read it, scared that it would disturb me too much. Well, it did disturb me, but this book isn't an excruciating slog through pain and depression. It is about Melinda, recovering from something she should never have had to go through, and finding the courage to speak up about it.

I don't know how to explain this-- but sometimes, characters that have been through a tragedy become narrowly defined by that tragedy, in books. It's all they think about, it explains everything about them. I am sure I've done this myself in my writing, somewhere. But real people who have been through tragedy don't become that tragedy. They have good days and bad days and really bad days. They have moments of humor and hope, and moments of crippling sadness. That's not to say that the horrible events don't transform every aspect of a person's life, because they do, but it isn't the only thing they are. Melinda feels like a person in that respect, whose ultimate victory is not the stuff of inspiring sports movies, but is nonetheless powerful because it feels grounded in reality.

2. Ruby, from Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Ruby isn't the narrator of this book, but she's so well developed that I can't help but put her in this list. On the one hand, Ruby is selfish, vindictive, controlling, narcissistic, and dishonest. On the other hand, she is charismatic, vibrant, loving, protective-- and ultimately, she's even selfless, when it comes to her sister. I read this book in March but I still remember everything about her. If you haven't read this book, you should read it just for her.

3. Sam, from Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

I have to admit, this book sat on my shelf for awhile because I wasn't sure how the "she relives her last day seven times" thing was going to play out for me. I have the attention of a goldfish sometimes. But all I had to do was start it, last April, and I was in. Sam is fantastic because you start off the book hating her-- or at least, I did. But as she experiences her last day again and again, you get to know the good friend, the good sister, who lives under the surface somewhere. And not only that, but she learns, she transforms. By the last page, it's like she's taken on flesh and walked around in the real world, and I still didn't always like her, but I loved her, and for me, that's the sign of a complex character.

4. Elisa, from The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

Elisa is an example of a powerful character transformation. In the beginning of the story, she's deeply insecure and unconvinced of her own worth. By the end, she's confident and fierce in her convictions. She, more than the plot or the world (which were both great), carried me through this book-- I wanted to watch her change.

5. Hermione, from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

More cheating, since I pretty much grew up with Hermione. But this was the Year of Rereading Harry Potter In Anticipation of the Last Movie, for me-- that's all that got me through draft two of Insurgent, I swear. So I was able to rediscover all the characters from my new adultish perspective. And Hermione is more complex than I remembered. She has so many different sides-- a caring, almost mushy one (Ron, anyone?), a know-it-all, clever one, a stubborn one... She's smart, and she's painfully aware of that, but not always sure of herself, not always cool under pressure. I love her, but I sometimes want to throttle her. It's fantastic.

So there you have it.

Let's see what everyone else said, shall we?

Tomorrow: Books of 2011!

Best of 2011: Writing Music

2011-12-26T04:07:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but Best of 2011 lists are quickly becoming my blog crack now that the Christmas festivities have come to a close. I think this is for two reasons: they help me to remember what I loved (or, er...didn't like), and they make me aware of things that I missed. This year my friend Sarah Enni organized a blog circus in which me and some other wonderful people will be making our "Best of 2011" lists, including music, books, characters, the works.

Today is all about writing music. Not necessarily new music, but music that was new to us this year.

I am not at all particular about music genre when it comes to writing music. I don't care if it's bubble-gum pop or country or metal, I'll listen to it if it helps me to "see" the story, so to speak. I also don't always listen to albums, because while one song from a particular artist might work for whatever I'm writing, all the other songs may not. But there have been a few instances in which whole albums helped me with the writing process, so I'm going to list those for you here. (You may be able to tell that the things I've written this year have been pretty different from each other.)

1. Bon Iver (self-titled)

I didn't always like Bon Iver-- something about the mumbling, I think. But sometimes an album hits you in the right place at the right time, and last year, "For Emma" was that way for me. So when the new album came out this year, I was all over it. Several moody, thoughtful, or just plain sad scenes have been ushered along in their emotional development by this CD.

Best of the Best: "Holocene"

2. "Divenire" by Ludovico Einaudi

I've actually had this album for a long time, but it was one of those things I got and didn't listen to right away. And then a few weeks ago, while starting something new, it came on in the shuffle and BAM, instant mood-establisher. It's just piano, so it's like listening to your own movie soundtrack while you write.

Best of the Best: "Primavera"

3. "Firecracker" and "40 Days" by The Wailin' Jennys

I'm cheating, because that's two albums. But I listen to them as a unit. Often I like to set things in the rural Midwest (obviously nothing Divergent-related), and these albums have a folky, countryish, quiet quality that makes me think of vast cornfields and straight roads and snowdrifts. These albums also got me through some hard times this past year, in a way. They helped me find the beauty in the difficulty.

Best of the Best: "Arlington" and "Glory Bound"

4. "Memento Mori" by Flyleaf

This is also cheating, because I've talked before about writing Divergent to this album. After I finished the rough draft of Divergent, though, I never listened to it again, because I was so tired of it. Then this year, while writing Insurgent, I put it on again, and there it was. Same inspiring effect. This is some intense music, perfect for an intense story.

Best of the Best: "Chasm"

5. "Sigh No More" by Mumford and Sons

This is another album that got me through the hard times last winter. I also wrote to it-- I'm pretty sure that each one of the stories I dipped into this year had at least one of these songs associated with it, at some point. It's pretty great.

Best of the Best: "White Blank Page" (if you don't like it at first, skip to about the 40 second mark, because that's when it really gets going.)

So there you have it: my top writing albums of 2011. Other honorable mentions are "Absolution" by Muse, "This Is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars, and "Invincible" by Two Steps From Hell.

Check out everyone else's responses!

Sumayyah Daud

And tomorrow, I tackle: characters.

CoverLove: IF I LIE by Corrine Jackson

2011-12-21T08:07:00.000-06:00

Awhile ago, one of my writer friends Cory (aka Corrine Jackson) needed someone to read the first thirty pages or so of her work-in-progress, and I volunteered. It was one of the only times when I've read a work-in-progress for someone and completely forgot that's what I was doing, because I was so absorbed. It was so beautifully written then-- I had some serious writer envy-- and I'm sure it's even better now.

Okay, I'm going to post the cover now:

Ah! So pretty and expressive! And an interesting spin on a "there are people on the cover" cover.

And here's the summary:

A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception.

Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town.

Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend…and her promise.

IF I LIE comes out August 28, 2012 (so far away, I know!). Here it is on Goodreads. And you can see her thoughts on it here.

Little Round-Up

2011-12-15T03:10:00.000-06:00

I've been taking a little break recently as I wait for Insurgent copy edits (that's right, it's still not done!), which is perhaps a bad thing because the e-mails are building up-- sorry about that, everyone who has e-mailed me!

Anyway, I've been writing non-Divergenty things so that by the time I sit down to write book 3, I will feel refreshed by Tris's voice instead of used to it.

A few things have occurred, however:

I have a guest post up at The Book Smugglers about my favorites of 2011 and what I'm looking forward to in 2012. (This may or may not include postulating that everyone is either a Pride and Prejudice person, a Jane Eyre person, or a Wuthering Heights person in their heart of hearts--or a "none of the above" person, of course.)

There's a little Q&A up at Best I've Read, as well as a Divergent giveaway that is open until the 23rd. My favorite question was "If Tris and Four had to describe one another in 3 words, what 3 words would they use?" So fun to think about.

Annnnd a Goodreads interview that reveals whether there will be a love triangle in book 2. (If you're fretting about that, it's at the very end.)

And the lovely people over at Epic Reads created this highly amusing e-card for all fans of Four.

Also, Ryan Gosling has something to say to you, girl.

Mulțumesc! La revedere!

-V

Goodreads Choice Awards NEWS

2011-12-06T04:39:00.001-06:00

So.

Thanks to the votes of my incredible readers, Divergent was named the Goodreads Favorite Book of 2011 AND Best YA Fantasy & Science Fiction! (In the words of my thirteen-year-old self, and sometimes my 23-year-old self: Holy. Crap.)

If you click on that link, you can watch my (short) video thank-you. But for those of you who can't watch it or would prefer to stare at gifs instead of my face, I'd like to summarize my reaction for you here:

First, shock and disbelief:

Thanks, gifsbyrachel!

And then, grateful happy dance:

Courtesy of...

I'm still sort of in disbelief, but so, so thankful for the Divergent readers for making this moment happen. You guys are fantastic.

Guest Posting for The Fab Life

2011-12-02T13:37:00.001-06:00

I'm over on The Fab Life today answering the question: "what if you wrote utopian fiction?"

And I said I already had. (Sort of.)

Read more here.

The Breakup Letter

2011-11-23T08:28:00.001-06:00

Dear Macbook Air,

Remember that time I spilled a bunch of water on you and wiped it off and nothing bad happened? yeah, that was a good time. So why did you want to spoil it the second time around, Macbook? It was even LESS water this time, about three drops! I thought you said I could share anything with you--documents, web pages, music files. DOES THAT NOT INCLUDE BEVERAGES? It's not my fault you looked thirsty. Why did you become so darn sensitive? (Was it something I said? Or did?)

All I know is, you didn't have to go out like that. First your "y" key kept repeating so that I couldn't type anything else-- do you have a thing going with "y" that you weren't telling me about? I THOUGHT WE TRUSTED EACH OTHER-- and then your "y" key stopped working altogether so that I had to copy-paste it (as I'm doing right now), and then all your other keys went bonkers so I had to type really slowly (as I am AGAIN doing right now) to get any of the text down.

Now when I type on other computers (computers that actually WORK unlike SOME devices I know, ahem) I automatically copy-paste when I want a y, and I end up with copied web addresses in the middle of my paragraphs. Macbook, you have turned me into a copy-pasting y machine, and I am done dealing with your particular brand of berserkers.

In fact, I am done trying to keep any of your shiny apple comrades happy, because darn it, I break things a lot, and I don't want to shell out so much dough to fix them. So I have gone over to the other side.

His name is Lenovo, he's only slightly larger than you are, he's less sparkly, and moreover, he appreciates me. AND he has a little drainage system in his keyboard, so spilled water has very little effect on him. So there.

-V

P.S. Don't tell the iPhone.

Bookanista Thursday!: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

2011-11-16T02:43:00.001-06:00

Summary:
(From the author's website)

The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

---

I have an Official Policy of Skepticism about books. This means that I try to enter every book warily, so as not to let my own unreasonable expectations change how much I enjoy it. I had read a lot of good reviews of this book, but I refused to let them change the Official Policy of Skepticism. Luckily the book changed the Official Policy of Skepticism for me on the first page, because the voice was just so lovely. Observe:

"With the candles all lit, I shake the match and the flame dies, leaving a trail of smoke that curls up against the darkened glass." (6)

Ah, delicious.

Another success of this book is the atmosphere it creates. The claustrophobia of the town, the mysterious emptiness of the moor, the creepy-beautiful rhyming song sung by the children, it's all fantastic. This is one of those books in which the setting is like a character. (It also feeds my obsession with large stretches of empty land. I am, after all, a Midwest Enthusiast.)

I also found the story engaging. I adored the aforementioned "nameless boy," particularly the descriptions of his strange physicality, and Lexi, who is definitely not a pushover but not so badass it's unbelievable, given the kind of environment she grew up in, and her father, who is there only in Lexi's recollections, but nonetheless has a strong presence in the story. There also weren't any cackling, mustache-twirling villains here-- every character was more complicated than that, whether you liked them or not (and I often found myself vacillating, which I love).

Definitely recommended.

---

Check out the other Bookanista posts!

Elana Johnson gives a standing ovation for
VIRTUOSITY
Shannon Messenger talks up THE PLEDGE - with a
giveaway
LiLa Roecker pines for THE GIRL OF FIRE AND
THORNS
Cory Jackson falls for UNDER THE NEVER
SKY
Carolina Valdez-Miller gives some love to
HERE
Nikki Katz praises LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR
Katy Upperman reccommends THE PLEDGE
Beth Revis interviews and has a giveaway for a signed copy of CROSSED by
Ally Condie

Guest Post

2011-11-15T08:37:00.001-06:00

I have a guest post up on Nova Ren Suma's blog today-- if you haven't been reading her "what inspires you?" guest blogs this month, go check them out. They are amazing.

Just a little peek, to give you an idea...

"Right now what inspires me is a slight, short girl with blonde hair and an attitude problem. Her name is Beatrice Prior..."

NCTE/ALAN This Weekend!

2011-11-15T02:17:00.001-06:00

This weekend I'll be packing my bags and flying from Romania to SWEET HOME CHICAGOOOO, the Chi, Chi-Town, the Windy City, the Second City...okay, you get the point: I'm going to Chicago and I'm happy about it. I'll be attending the NCTE/ALAN conference in Chicago! (NCTE=National Council of Teachers of English, ALAN=Assembly on Literature for Adolescents). If you are also attending, and you want to say hi, get a book signed, get me to teach you how to say "goodbye" in Hungarian (...as if I'm qualified), or hear me talk about books, you can check out these places at these times:

HarperCollins Signing, Booth #513, 10:30-11:30AM on Saturday

Anderson's Signing, Booth #1301, 12:00-1:00PM on Saturday

"Future Worlds" Panel with Megan McCafferty, James Dashner, and Dom Testa*, Grand Ballroom (2nd Floor), 12:30-1:15PM on Tuesday

Let me know if you're going to be there and I'll be on the lookout!

*originally I wrote Beth Revis here, but that was just a misprint in my schedule-- sorry Beth! And Dom! And...everyone!

Writing Out of Order

2011-11-14T04:07:00.001-06:00

Before Divergent, I wrote everything in order, beginning to end. As a result, I would hit a sticking place in my stories and stay there...not just for days, but for weeks. It was usually because I didn't know what would come next, but often because I knew what was next but didn't feel like writing it.

I should note that I've found that when you know what comes next but don't feel like writing it, it might be because what comes next is really boring and you should think of something else. Just think about it.

If what comes next isn't boring, and it's just that you don't feel like writing it at the moment, or you have no idea what comes next, try writing out of order.

(source)

The most common objection to writing out of order is that it will get too confusing. Understandable-- but not necessarily true.

Let's say I'm writing a story about zombie witch-kittens on a crusade across Nebraska to save their zombie dog friend, and I get the zombie witch-kittens to Omaha...okay, no. This hypothetical is way too confusing.

Let's go with a real example: I wrote the beginning of Divergent first, up until she chooses her faction. Then I got stuck. I knew I wanted part of her initiation training to involve weird, nightmareish simulations, but I couldn't figure out what they would feature, or what would come before them. I did know how I wanted her relationship with her instructor, Four, to develop-- I wanted the relationship to come from curiosity and developing respect that turns into attraction, rather than the other way around. And I had a plan for how to do that.

So I made a note of where I stopped, skipped a page, and wrote all the Tris and Four scenes that I could think of. And while I was doing that, I came up with ideas for the simulations and what came before them. For example, I wanted to start giving some insights into Four's family and how it was different from Tris's. So Tris and Four have a conversation about how he doesn't miss his family. And I decided that one of her simulations would feature her family, in order to spark this conversation (and since they're so important to her, there had to be a fear related to them, so it worked for Tris, too).

Whenever I came up with ideas, I put notes at the little hash tags separating the scenes. Notes like "scene with Al, Christina, and Will at the chasm here" or "scene with Tori here." That way, I kept track of my ideas and where they would likely fit. (This is even easier with Scrivener. I advertise because I love.)

Soon I had a beginning, and a late middle, and all I had to do was fill in the gap between them. Suddenly, skipping forward had not only maintained my interest in writing the story, but it had actually worked backward at getting me unstuck. I knew how to close the gap between where I stopped and where I skipped to.

My original objection to writing out of order was that everything would become inconsistent and I would have to edit more. What I've discovered is this:

A. I will always have to edit a lot. So who cares if I have to edit for inconsistencies at the same time I edit for crappy character development, plot holes, bad writing, and grammar problems?

B. Actually, the story can become more consistent, because if you've already written the middle but not the beginning, you can lay the groundwork for the middle more accurately in the beginning (because you already know exactly what groundwork needs to be laid).

If you write forward and in order all the time, you sometimes discover where the story is going to go but don't hint at it enough in the beginning, so you have to go back and edit for inconsistencies anyway.

Obviously if writing in order works for you, and you keep up your momentum, go for it. But if you get stuck and you need something to try, give this a shot. It sounds scary but it's really not.

The zombie witch kittens, however...

(source)

Links to Old Posts...By Category!

2011-11-08T05:21:00.000-06:00

I updated the FAQ page (it was a bit out of date), so if you have questions you think might be Frequently Asked, check it out!

Also, I created a huge database of links from previous blog posts, so you can look up posts by subject instead of getting lost in the blog archives. The links are on the FAQ page, but I'm going to post them here too.

Back before Divergent came out, when most of you had not found this blog yet, I did a series of amusing stunts as kind of "tests of bravery"/general ridiculousness. They're the only vlogs I've done, really, and I thought it would amuse you to see how I celebrated getting the book deal (by jumping into a bathtub full of marshmallows) and how I freaked out when I was supposed to face my fear of heights, etc. So those are in the first section, below.

My Experiences

How I Got My Agent
How I Got My Book Deal
Film Rights Sale
The Reality of Film Rights Stuff
The Time I Jumped Into A Bathtub of Marshmallows (with video)
The Time I Jumped Into A Public Fountain (with video)
The Time I Slid Down an 18-Foot Vert Ramp (with video)
The Time I Drank Pop Rocks and Coke (with video)
Some Book Recs

If what you're looking for is actual practical advice about writing, those links are here:

Concrete Writing Advice
The Backpack, a.k.a Some of the Most Useful Writing Advice I've Ever Gotten
1st Person, and Why It's Not As Easy As It Sounds
Detachment From Your Writing
Trilogies Are Like Long-Term Relationships
Trilogies Are More Like Polygamy, Actually
World-Building
Dialogue, and How Grey's Anatomy Isn't So Great At It
On Sequels
Advice for Young Writers
Rules: Friends of Creativity
Redundant Sentences
Advice I Haven't Taken
How I Revise (Insurgent Edition)
Writing and Not Making Decisions
Draft-Writing Advice: Don't Look Back
Reducing Word Count
Characters:
Backstory and The Maze Runner, by James Dashner
Basic Human Priorities and Story Momentum
Thoughts About Villains
Knowing Characters vs. Knowing About Characters
Insta!Love and Convincing Your Reader

I don't talk much about querying or the post-writing, pre-agent process, but these are the posts I have done about those things:

The Writing Life (Querying, Beta Readers, Etc.)
Beta Readers
Reasons Why Your Non-Writer Friends Think You're Crazy
Patience Is A Habit, Not A Virtue
The Line Between Modesty and Self-Deprecation
Advice For New Writers (Who Want to Query)
Conference Tips
On College and Being Young

I occasionally get philosophical about writing and how it relates to life (or vice versa), and those posts are here (these are some of my favorite posts, by the way):

Abstract Writing/Life Thoughts
Genre Shame is a Waste of Time
Writing and Courage
A Christian Take on Banning Speak
Writing the Ordinary
Sonnets and Failure
Writing and Anxiety
Grow Thinner Skin
The Gift of Upheaval
About Notwriting
Freedom and Life in Stories

And some random Divergent stuff:

Some Divergent Stuff

The Message of Divergent
Random FAQs (including character appearances, casting requests, etc.)
How Much Divergent Changed (from 1st draft to publication)

Divergent Inspiration

2011-11-07T05:08:00.000-06:00

(I did a lot of bloggery this morning-- I have a post about Harry Potter and humor and writing and whatnot on YA Highway today, too, if you want to check it out!)

What inspired you to write Divergent?

Without a doubt, this is the most frequently asked question of all the frequently asked questions, and that does not surprise me at all. I always want to know where my favorite authors get their ideas. And it seems pretty simple, because there was a precise moment when the writer started the story, and so it seems like there had to be a precise moment when they came up with the idea for it.

The thing is, for a lot of writers, it's more complicated than that. For those of us who didn't have a vivid dream, or ask ourselves a "what if" question, or any of the other concrete ways that ideas come to people, it's actually difficult to answer. That's why I give a different answer in every single interview I ever do-- because at the moment that I am asked the question, I think of another, equally important, source of inspiration.

So in order to answer it, I'm going to give you the overly detailed explanation. But I'll say, first, that Divergent really happened when a bunch of these pieces of inspiration suddenly coalesced in my mind as I was writing, and I got about thirty pages of a story from Four's perspective down, and then set it aside because it wasn't so good. It was only when I discovered Beatrice that I was able to write the full book, four years later.

Bits of inspiration for Divergent:

1. Psychology 101

I was taking it at the time. In Psych 101, you get an overview of the study of psychology, so you go through many things very quickly. I had just learned about exposure therapy in the treatment of phobias. Wikipedia explains this better than I do: "Exposure therapy is a technique in behavior therapy intended to treat anxiety disorders and involves the exposure to the feared object or context without any danger in order to overcome their anxiety." This is where the Dauntless initiation process comes from. I thought that a group of people whose primary goal was to overcome fear would probably use this technique.

I was also beginning to learn about social psychology and the Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures, which made me think about how malleable our supposedly strict moral codes become in the right conditions. Something that Divergent grapples with.

2. That Damn Song

I was driving to Minnesota (I spent my freshman year of college at Carleton College, before transferring to Northwestern), and I get really stressed when I'm driving at high speeds, so my back was throbbing. I had to plug in the heating pad I had brought with me into the cigarette lighter thing, which mean I had to unplug my iPod, which meant I had to put in a CD instead. And the only CD I had was "The Open Door" by Evanescence.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Evanescence. But I was not fond of one song on that CD in particular: "Sweet Sacrifice." I listened to it anyway, because I knew I would be hearing the CD for awhile, and as I heard these lyrics: "fear is only in our minds/but it's taking over all the time," I got this picture in my head of a person jumping off a roof to prove their bravery. And when I started to think about why a person would do that, I came up with Dauntless.

3. Division Into Groups

I have a thing for groups, and I always have. It interests me in speculative fiction, whether it's the houses at Hogwarts or the armies in Ender's Game or the houses in Kushiel's Dart (which I didn't read all of, because it made me blush too much, but the house thing kept me going for awhile). I also have a long-time (now abandoned) obsession with personality tests, especially the Meyers-Briggs personality tests (depending on the day I'm an INFJ, INFP, or an ISFJ. I've forgotten what all those mean, though), and the enneagram (I'm a number 1: The Perfectionist. Now that one never changes. Ha). And I've always been interested in government systems that stick people in classes or castes (even if I'm also pretty horrified by them), or high school cliques, as depicted so well in Mean Girls:

(source)

So: groups. It was bound to happen.

4. Tris

I've said before that I always wanted to write a character who could convincingly deliver these lines from Agamemnon, by Aeschylus: "My will is mine...I shall not make it soft for you." And I also wanted to write a character who used only as many words as she needed to say what she needed to say. This is pretty much how Tris appeared: a smart, somewhat humorless girl with a voice that wouldn't leave me alone. And eventually, I decided I couldn't tell any other story but hers.

Goodreads Choice Awards

2011-11-05T03:23:00.000-05:00

Just an FYI:

Voting for the 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards is happening now, and...

Divergent is a nominee in TWO categories-- Favorite Book of 2011 and Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction!

And I was nominated in the Goodreads Author category!

I am amazed and somewhat bewildered by this (have you seen the other books in these categories, right next to mine?! They are awesome), but if you are on Goodreads, I encourage you to go and vote for your favorites. Even if it's not for Divergent. I'll never know. Although I would really, really like your votes to go to Divergent. Obviously.

Have a good weekend, everyone! Here, have a kitten:

(source)

Divergent Fansites!

2011-11-04T03:47:00.000-05:00

Several wonderful people have started Divergent fansites. I am so impressed by how thorough and well-organized and well-designed they all are! I thought I would link them in a blog post so everyone can check them out:

(Also, to the fansite people, thank you for being patient with me about this-- I've been saying I would do it for awhile! You are all awesome. And I scoured my e-mails for all the links and twitter handles, but if you have a fansite, or something to add, please e-mail me at veronicarothbooks[at]gmail[dot]com! I'd love to hear from you.)

Divergent Lexicon

http://www.divergentlexicon.com

Twitter: @divergentlxicon

Divergent Examiner

http://www.examiner.com/divergent-in-national/amanda-bell

Twitter: @DivergentExamnr

Divergent Fans

www.divergentfans.com

Twitter: @Divergent_Fans

https://www.facebook.com/DivergentFans

https://www.facebook.com/DivergentBooks

The Divergent Trilogy

http://thedivergenttrilogy.com

Twitter: @5factions

Divergent Nation

www.divergentnation.com

Twitter: @DivergentNation

Divergentish

http://www.divergentish.com/

Twitter: @Divergentish

Divergent Series

http://divergentseries.net

Twitter: @DivergentTris

The Factionless

http://thefactionless.com/

Twitter: @thefactionless

Thank you all. It means a lot to me that you put in all the work to get those going.

Some NaNo Advice: DON'T LOOK BACK

2011-11-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

Dear NaNoers,

As much as I would love to join you (and I really would, because I think that NaNo is often good for the perfectionist writer), I should probably stick to editing Insurgent. I know you're going to get boatloads of writing advice, so feel free to discard this as necessary, but here we go:

Don't look behind you. NaNoWriMo is a sprint-- a SPRINT, I tell you. It is full throttle, as many words as you can muster, every single day. You don't get to stop for water-- you have to throw water into your mouth as you run, and if you end up splashing yourself in the ear, SO BE IT.

So I think the sprint-race advice of, don't look back to see how close your opponent is, it will slow you down and you might lose, is applicable here.

Except this time, your opponent is not another person, it's your own draft, chasing you with its sloppiness.

I am familiar with doubling back to address the draft, fixing inconsistencies as I go, tweaking sentences, and so on. I wrote my first manuscript like that, and let me tell you something, and I swear it's true: that manuscript took me a year to finish, and it required more editing than Divergent, which I wrote in less than half that time, taking the "don't look back" approach.

My plan with Divergent was this: just. Keep. Going. I would think of things I wanted to fix later and make a note of them on the document and then just plow on through. Then when I was done, I went back to address the comments, but I never even looked at them until I had written the last word.

So, a few ideas:

1. Keep in mind that when you finish, your draft will be rough, as rough as any other rough draft, and you can't stop that from happening no matter how hard you wish it.

2. COMMIT. That means not even doubling back to check something. I mean it. If you forget a character's name, who cares? Make up a new one and fix it later. (In fact, that's REALLY easy to fix. Find/replace, anyone?) If you double back, even if it's just for a few minutes, you will mess up your momentum. (Probably.)

3. Write everything, everything that comes to mind, even if it's just pieces of different scenes. You can finish them later. You can even write, in brackets, [in this scene, Main Character has a food fight in the cafeteria with Childhood Foe, involving some applesauce in the eye] if you don't feel like actually writing out that scene. Then keep going as if you had written it. It helps.

4. Don't get stuck. Don't even allow yourself to believe you could get stuck. Just start generating ideas and jotting them down like some kind of crazy idea generating machine. Your brain will get used to spitting out five different plans at once, and you really won't get stuck. You may hate yourself when you revise, but whatever, that will happen anyway. The best feeling ever is when you realize that you are racing through a huge stack of scenes and you're still coming up with new ones.

5. Make notes to avoid the "ick, ick, I messed it up, it's messy!" feeling. I find that when I make a note to fix something later, I feel relieved, like I've packed a wound and stopped the bleeding, even though I still need to go back and get it stitched later. (Sorry, that's gross. You get it.)

Good luck, friends.

*salute*

-V

Coverlove: Larkstorm by Dawn Miller

2011-10-27T14:37:00.000-05:00

My friend Dawn has this book. She's releasing it as an e-book later this year, and I've been itching to read it since I heard about it, many months ago, but haven't gotten the chance to yet. Today she revealed the cover, and I have to say, it's one of my recent favorites. Check it out!

Gorgeous. So dynamic and interesting.

Here's the summary:

In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born with extra abilities.

As one of the last descendants of the State’s Founders, seventeen-year-old Lark Greene knows her place: study hard and be a model citizen so she can follow in her family’s footsteps. Her life’s been set since birth, and she’s looking forward to graduating and settling down with Beck, the boy she’s loved longer than she can remember.

However, after Beck is accused of being Sensitive and organizing an attack against Lark, he disappears. Heartbroken and convinced the State made a mistake, Lark sets out to find him and clear his name.

But what she discovers is more dangerous and frightening than Sensitives: She must kill the boy she loves, unless he kills her first.

If that summary beckons to you, you can add the book on Goodreads here, or follow Dawn on Twitter here. Sweet!

Insta!Love and The Unconvinced Reader

2011-10-25T10:01:00.000-05:00

One of the big problems people--especially avid YA readers--have with young adult books is the romantic love timeline. Often the term used (especially by me) is insta!love. But I'm starting to think that sometimes, we are feeling the symptoms of an illness without identifying it properly, like every time I get a cold and call it a sinus infection.

"People don't fall in love in a day/week/[insert short unit of time here]" is a phrase I often see, and have said in the past, but it doesn't match up with my current experience or the experiences of people I know. I fell in love in a short time at 22, which doesn't make me Old, Wise, and Adult, or anything, but it means this isn't a "silly teenager thing." And for every person I know who took their time falling in love, I know four or five who didn't, including my parents, and now my stepparent+parent combo deal. Yet before my experience this year, I myself uttered the phrase "people don't fall in love in a week" often, and I think I know why.

Those of us who have either been in a long-term, serious relationship before (or at least have "realistic" as opposed to "idealistic" views of relationships) tend to define romantic love narrowly. We have either experienced a quieter, deeper kind of love, based not on an idealized view of a person but on a more grounded view of them, or have an idea of it, and we believe anything that doesn't fit into our definition can't possibly qualify as love, it has to be infatuation.

I have thought that many times, and in that belief, I was a little arrogant. First, because it assumes that I know what it is not to have an idealized view of someone. Just because I'm aware that the person I'm with has flaws doesn't mean that I don't still idealize him. I mean, no one knows some of the awful things I think and then discard with shame. It's true that right now, one person knows them better than anyone else, but even he can't read my heart with complete accuracy, and he never will, even if he gets very close. So I try not to assume that I know him perfectly, either.

And second, it's a little arrogant because I am telling people who are in the early stages of falling in love that what they're experiencing isn't real, and that they're too blinded to know that. "You'll understand one day" is what I'm saying. Man, that's annoying of me.

If it's a little arrogant, it's also completely understandable. We look back at the obsessive need to be in someone's presence, the fluttering heartbeat, the daydreaming, and we think, "that was great, but it didn't compare to the depth of feeling I felt later." But the question I'm now asking myself is, just because I feel something deeper now, does that mean that I should discount what I felt at first? Does the presence of a deeper feeling negate the validity of a shallower feeling?

Or is love a kind of continuum that you move down, beginning with the moment you are aware of it, and progressing into a deeper and fuller and stronger version of itself?

I propose this: the symptoms of insta!love are disbelief and eye-rolling. But the illness is not the timeline, it's the fact that we remain unpersuaded by the author.

Most of the time, for me, the problem is "You're Hot, So I Love You." That is: the only in-text justification for the intense feelings of the characters is their physical attraction. We get many paragraphs dedicated to description, but none devoted to conversation or experiences that transcend the physical. Maybe the author even tells us something like "they talked for hours about this and this and this," but we don't get to see any of it, so we remain unconvinced.

So, for writers (and I'm reminding myself of this here): one of my writing professors in college said that often, when people say in critique that part of a story is not believable, the writer will say, "But that's what really happened!" And she told us, basically, that that response is total BS. It doesn't matter if something you write about happened in real life-- it matters if you convince the person reading it. And I think that's true of love stories. Yes, of course you can write a story in which the main characters develop a really strong connection in a week, because it really does happen--but the trick is, you have to make it feel real. You have to show the reader rather than insisting within the text that it's true, it's true, they really really like each other! Because otherwise, your reader is going to call your bluff.

Other thoughts for writers: A. Just because a character says "I love you" doesn't mean they have to mean it, B. just because your characters are ga-ga over each other doesn't mean they have to be in love yet, and C. ...I don't have another thought, I just like lists with three items in them.

And for readers, of which I am one: it's not that I think we should stop evaluating love stories for their believability. But I do think that it's important to make an effort to experience a story alongside the main character, rather than standing over the main character with our experiences or beliefs in hand like some kind of anti-insta!love weapon. And if, after we put the weapon down, we still read something and say "this is insta!love and it's annoying," I say, fair enough. Even if you say it about my books. I promise.

Because I am having a TOTAL BRAIN BLANK on all the books I have ever read, I asked some writer friends for recommendations of books in which a romantic connection develops quickly but not superficially, and I got these:

-Before I Die by Jenny Downham

-The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

-Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

-It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (love story subplot)

Feel free to post other examples in the comments, if you have any!

Writing, Revising, and (Not) Making Decisions

2011-10-20T04:54:00.000-05:00

Writing is all about decision-making, whether you are deciding what word to use or what a character is like or what happens next in the story. Sometimes you worry that you're making the wrong decisions. Sometimes you are, and eventually you will have to double back and change your choice-- and everything else that comes after it.

But I don't think most of the problems with stories come from making the wrong decision-- they come from not really making a decision at all.

(image source)

Now, you would think that if you don't choose one thing or another, you can't move the story forward, right? Not so much. You might be surprised what you can do with a plot while vacillating. I know. I'm a Vacillation Expert.

You can definitely move the story forward without making decisions. But the story becomes muddled and confusing. For example: in the final draft of Divergent, one of Tris's friends develops a crush on her. In the rough draft, he sort of did and didn't. There would be scenes in which he behaved as if he liked her, and scenes in which he seemed like just a friend, because I just couldn't decide if I wanted that or not. When I revised, I had to make a decision. And then I had to change every single scene that he was in. Which was, you know, not all that fun, but necessary.

And in Insurgent, I had to make a decision regarding a character's motivations. As I neared the end of the draft, I figured out what that character's motivation was, but I found that she had acted contrary to that motivation in the beginning, just to serve the plot. That's one way to instantly flatten a minor character, because they no longer seem like actual people, they're just there to advance the story. So, because I am not a fan of Instant Flattening, I had to go back and change it, but that affected several scenes later in the story, so I had to fix those, too.

Instant Flattening: unhealthy for kitties and characters alike. (Image source.)

The point is: if, as you are revising, you think that something is confusing or muddled or unclear, or your critique partners think so, have a look at the decisions you made. Figure out if you were too busy vacillating between two options to choose a clear path, and that's why a part of your draft is messy. And then go back and pick something.

And then maybe get some candy, because every scene that comes after your non-decision will probably have to change.

I myself prefer Fun Dip.

How Much It Changed

2011-10-10T06:16:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT: This post will contain a lot of Divergent spoilers, so if you haven't read the book and want to keep yourself spoiler-free, close the blog.

---

The Twitterverse throws a lot of questions my way, and the most surprising one (surprising because of how often it's asked, not because of what it is) is: how much did Divergent change between the first draft and the published book?

This question is often asked by aspiring authors, and I never know quite what they want to hear. Do they want to hear that it didn't change at all, because that means their manuscript might not change that much? Will they think I don't deserve the book deal if they find out it changed a lot? Or do they want to hear that it changed a lot, because that means their manuscript might get snatched up by a publisher just because it has potential, regardless of whether it's perfect or not? The lesson in this is really: don't compare yourself to other people. Every manuscript and every writer is different. But just because it might interest you, I'll tell you about Divergent.

The First Draft

The rough draft of Divergent was about 56,000 words long. For those of you who don't speak word count, 56,000 words is a little less than 200 pages (at an average of 300 words per page, given the font size/spacing I usually use). It followed this outline:

-Tris takes her aptitude test and gets an inconclusive result
-Tris chooses Dauntless, Caleb chooses Abnegation
-(One-paragraph summary of the physical aspect of Dauntless training)
-Tris undergoes several simulations and bonds with Christina, Al, and Will, and somewhere in there, Tris gets attacked
-Tris and Four find out that Erudite's planning an attack
-The attack simulation happens, with Tris and Four immune
-Tris and Tobias storm Dauntless headquarters and shut down the simulation

So, essentially, the book was the same (with the big exception of Caleb), except smaller. Certain sections just didn't exist, including the first phase of Dauntless training, the Ferris wheel scene, Visiting Day, the visit to the fence, the visit to Caleb at Erudite headquarters, and the zipline scene. Certain characters also didn't exist, such as Uriah, Lynn, and Marlene.

The first draft, after some basic copy-edits, was pretty clean. I had received feedback from my critique partners as well as my agent on my previous manuscript that I applied to this one--such as removing things like "she reached out and picked up" and replacing it with "she picked up." (How did I not think of that myself? I still don't know. But thank goodness for critiquers.) Also, I used to work as a proofreader, so I had a pretty good knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules and I applied them as best I could. The only reason I mention this is that I believe (with no research to back it up) that it will help you a lot in your agent search if your manuscript is clean. If a manuscript has bad grammar and punctuation, it won't matter how brilliant the ideas or characters are, because agents won't be able to get through it. Just a side note.

The Second Draft

It's a bit of an oversimplification to say "the second draft," because the book actually went through several rounds of revision before I arrived at what I would call the second draft. One of them was with my current agent, after signing with her. Throughout this process, I added about 30,000 words, so the second draft was about 85,000 words long, or a little less than 300 pages in Word.

I didn't take anything out. My agent thought that what was there was good, but it was all so sparse that it wasn't living up to its potential. I needed to reveal more about Erudite, so I reconstructed Caleb, giving him Erudite leanings and having him choose Erudite instead of Abnegation. The side effect of this was that it added depth to the Prior family dynamic (yay!). I added Visiting Day (to flesh out the Divergent plotline better), the visit to the fence (for world-building/faction-building), and the entire first phase of Dauntless training (faction-building and atmosphere-building, as well as certain character arcs). I also changed the ending, because I'd never been happy with it.

The Last Draft

After the book deal, I went through a few rounds of revision with my editor. I added another 20,000 words, so the final draft clocks in at about 105,000 words, or 400 pages in Word. A lot of the changes were subtle-- I described more Chicago landmarks, I changed some of the friendship dynamics slightly. Many of the bigger changes came from a single question: if Dauntless is so awful and brutal, why on earth would Tris stay in it? Isn't she brave enough to defect and be factionless, if the Dauntless environment is that bad?

That was where the ziplining scene and the ferris wheel scene came from, as well as all the interactions with Uriah, Lynn, and Marlene. I needed to show that just like every other faction, Dauntless was a mixture of good and bad, and had veered from its original intentions-- but its original intentions were still there, in certain members and activities.

Again, I didn't cut anything, really. There was a lot of tweaking-- a few details in a few places can go a long way! For me, looking at the final draft is like looking at a skeleton with a body built around it. I can still see the bones from the first draft, but now they are stronger because they have flesh surrounding them.

So, that was my Divergent editing journey!

FAQs: The Random Edition

2011-10-07T06:39:00.000-05:00

This is a round-up of some of the questions I've been getting on Twitter and in my inbox recently. In an attempt to wrestle some organization into this post, I have divided the questions into categories.

Yay, categories!

Insurgent Questions

When does Insurgent come out?
May, 2012!

How do I get an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Insurgent?
If you are a book blogger, email your ARC request to Alison.Lisnow@harpercollins.com along with relevant links, stats, and information about your blog and its readership. (Please note that requesting an ARC doesn't guarantee that you’ll get one, since there aren't THAT many of them.) If you’re a fan but not a qualified book blogger, then watch the @HarperTeen twitter account, the DIVERGENT facebook fan page, and GoodReads for ARC contests and giveaways as we get closer to May.

Wow! The page count online says Insurgent is a LOT shorter than Divergent. What's up with that?
The page counts you see online are not always based on the actual manuscript. Sometimes they're just a number fed into the system as a kind of place holder. (I'm not sure why this happens, just that it does.) By my estimation, Insurgent is about the same length as Divergent.

Character Questions

What's Four's last name?
I have an official response to this question, and it is: you'll find out if you read Insurgent. Although I feel like I should add to that that it's not some huge shocking reveal. It's just that Four is so careful about using his name. He only does it when he has to. So I want you guys to feel the significance of it just like Tris does, even though it's not a shock.

What color is Four's hair?
The first time someone mentioned that I never said what color Four's hair is in Divergent, I refused to believe it. But then I double-checked, and realized that I didn't, actually. So, for the official record, his hair is dark brown.

What's Tris's eye color?
This one I did actually include in Divergent, but it's only there once or twice, so, again for the official record, her eyes are blue.

Who would you cast as Tris/Tobias?
In the past, I've responded to this in a few different ways, depending on my mood. I've said that I don't care who it is, even if they don't look quite right, as long as they're good at acting. (True.) I've said I like "nobodies." (Also true.) And I've said that I think Tris looks like Mia Wasikowska. (Still true.) And that I have no freaking idea who looks like Tobias. (This is the most true.)

Etc.

Can I audition for the movie?
I appreciate the enthusiasm, but not only is the movie-making process not nearly that far along yet, I really don't have anything to do with casting! All I do is write the books. Seriously.

Do you intend to write more books after this series?
Yes. But I'm taking one thing at a time.

How many books are in the series?

Some people ask this, I think, because the faction symbols are on the covers, and there are five faction symbols (therefore: five books, right?). But no. There will be three books, that is all.

Road Trip Wednesday: Supporting Characters As Stars

2011-10-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This week's question: What supporting character--

Snape.

from a YA book would you most like to see star in--

Snape.

--their own novel?

SNAPE!

I WANT IT ALL. The unrequited love, the fall into the Dark Arts, the decision to become a spy, the horrible loss, the selfless determination...It could be a whole SERIES. Tormented antiheroes for the win.

I mean, did you really have to ask?

How I Revise: Insurgent Edition

2011-10-04T02:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of coming up with a revising system. I've heard before that every book is different, and I've found that to be true. Some come out quickly and easily. Some are painful and difficult. Some have gaping plot holes that need to be patched; some are coherent from the get-go but need work in other areas. I don't think how much revision is required necessarily reflects poorly on the work or on the writer. I do think revision is when the real work is done, and because each book is different, I've never done it the same way twice. I may find a good system later, when I have more experience, but right now I'm letting what the book requires dictate how I revise it.

Divergent came out clean and well-paced, but it was sparse and unbalanced. And Insurgent? Well, it came out as a big mess, like I hurled every single idea I had into a word document and then had to sort through it to find the good stuff. Finally, during this round of edits, I feel like it's clean again, and I thought it might be interesting to show you what I did with it.

I don't usually use Scrivener, but that's mostly because I had a PC until earlier this year, and they only just came out with Scrivener for Windows. So I didn't write the Insurgent draft in Scrivener, I wrote it in Word and decided to revise it in Scrivener this time. First I fed the manuscript in by importing the document and splitting it into chapters. Then I further subdivided it into manageable sections. Note: the actual manuscript doesn't have parts (you know, with a separate page saying PART 2, etc.), these are just chunks I found useful for editing purposes.

Then I imported my editorial letter, my agent's notes, and my notes from earlier rounds of revisions so that they were all in the same place and I could refer to them easily.

But most importantly, I made lists. I made a list of each character's goals/motivations (and each faction's goals/motivations) so that I could keep the characters consistent and make sure they weren't flat. I made a list of issues I still wasn't sure how to resolve so that I could continue to think about it as I work. And I made a checklist for what to keep in mind while editing the first section. Here, have a look:

When I work, I split the screen so that I can look at the chapter I'm working on on one side, and the editorial checklist for the section on the other side, (and on the far right, comments for the chapter itself, but that's not in this screenshot):

I also used color coding to help myself keep track and to give myself a visual representation of my progress. Blue means "I'm finished! Yay!" and yellow means "I'm currently working on this":

One thing I have used with every manuscript I've revised is checklists. Most of the time those lists are huge, like a page long, and arranged in order of difficulty. (Most difficult first, least difficult last.) This time I decided to go through the manuscript in order instead of arranging things in order of difficulty. It just made more sense for the draft.

That's how I'm revising! How about you?

New UK Cover! And General Thoughts on Covers

2011-09-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

HarperCollins UK designed a new Divergent cover!

For those of you wondering why there's a new cover, this is the B format paperback edition, to be published in February 2012. This is the equivalent of when books are published first in hardcover and then in paperback in the States-- sometimes covers change between hardcover and paperback here (or rather, there, because I'm in Romania), and sometimes covers change between trade paperback and B format paperback in the UK.

There are a lot of reasons this happens. As far as I know, it's to make a book more appealing to readers who haven't picked it up yet. For example, you might have been one of the people who saw the first cover in a bookstore and went all grabbyhands on it. The person browsing books next to you might have looked right past it, but she might go all grabbyhands on the new one.

I think of covers and flap copy (the book summary on the inside flap or the back cover) as either windows or walls. A cover that is a window allows you to "see inside" the book before you ever open it-- it gives you a sense of the tone of the book, and what the story might be like. A cover that is a wall prevents you from seeing the book as it is, and keeps you from picking it up, or from seeing it as it really is inside. Ideally, you want all your covers to be windows, right? But the problem is, this is a highly subjective thing. A cover might be a window to one reader and a wall to another. So a cover re-design helps to resolve that problem.

So, yes: Divergent is a book that is accurately represented by a bold fiery symbol and a skyline and a gathering storm. But it is also about a girl who is somewhat isolated, in character if not literally, who marks herself with the figurative representation of one of her worst fears (the birds). This design emphasizes something different about the story, which I loved seeing.

Other things I like: you can't see the girl's face, so you still get to imagine her, yet she looks sort of scrappy like Tris is. And the birds! Of course I love the birds. And the color is eye-catching.

So, UKers: I hope you like it!

Book Recommendation: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

2011-09-27T06:03:00.000-05:00

This gorgeous book is available TODAY wherever books are sold.

I was fortunate enough to read it awhile ago, and contribute a blurb to its blurb collection, which has now far surpassed my level of influence, and that makes me happy. This book is funny, creepy, AND sexy, a rare combination. I...can't really tell you more than that, because I don't want to spoil any of the mystery. Just take my word for it.

Or, if not that, let this book trailer persuade you.

The Gift of Upheaval

2011-09-26T02:33:00.000-05:00

...and at once I knew I was not magnificent

strayed above the highway aisle

(jagged vacance, thick with ice)

I could see for miles, miles, miles.

It wasn't the book deal, really, that changed everything, but it was the beginning. Before it, I was a senior in college who was planning to apply for student loans to go to graduate school. And today, I am a college graduate and an author, living in Romania. I have moved three times. I have been through a break-up and a new beginning. I have had two names and two countries of residence. I have had panic and therapy sessions and, at last, abiding peace. I have gone down a pants size and back up a pants size. I have been on a bestseller list and off a bestseller list. I have written a book. And rewritten it. And then prepared to revise it again.

It's been less than two years. I don't mean to overdramatize anything, or to insinuate that most of what has happened in the past year and a half was not good, or exciting, or amazing. It's just that there has been a lot of it, everywhere, always, and all that change is hard to handle.

A lot of the things that happened did not feel good at the time, even the things that should have. I am reluctant to change, but everything had to change--I had to change, apparently, or I would not have contributed so much to that list up there. So I, at long last, have learned to call this upheaval a gift.

As with many life lessons, this one is also a writing lesson. I am reluctant to change. To me, changing means admitting that somewhere along the line, I have veered away from perfection--I have not been honest enough, or brave enough, or compassionate enough--I am not where I would like to be, or where I need to be. Every round of revision requires me to admit the same thing. No matter the mistakes of any given critiquer-- at the end of the day, they have nothing to do with the failures of my work. Only I do. I am alone with the fault in my work, the way I have often been alone (well, sort of) with my faults in the past year and a half.

It's terrifying. And every writer experiences it, this responsibility for the failures of a work. It makes us angry, or depressed, or apathetic. We rail at our critiquers (mentally, most of the time) for being too harsh, or we mope around the house in our slippers, or we shove the work into a folder and say, "forget it." All of these, for me, are a way of avoiding the truth: that the work is mine, and the mistakes are mine, and the responsibility to fix it is mine. And it will require--what else?-- upheaval.

That is not to say I always have to begin again with a manuscript, because almost always, the good work can be rescued from the bad. The upheaval here is not in the words themselves but in my mind. Not everything literally has to change, but the way I perceive the work--everything about that has to change.

But as with upheaval in life, the up side is, upheaval in writing is a gift. A person who does not change is a person who doesn't grow, who stays at the same depth. A manuscript that doesn't change, too, is shallower and smaller than it could be. But we delude ourselves if we think any of that will be easy. It takes work. And humility. (How could I forget the humility?)

But at the end of the work: something greater, deeper, better.

Just something to keep in mind.

Recommendation List

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I asked for book recommendations on Twitter, and I got a jillion responses. I started to take notes, and then some people asked me to share my notes with you so that you can have the book recs too, and then some people asked me for my own recommendations, so that's what I'll do in this post!

These are the books I got down (some with authors, and some without). Not all the recommendations I got are here, but this is most of them!

Recommended by Twitter:

(* denotes that the book was recommended more than once)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer -- Michelle Hodkin

*Daughter of Smoke and Bone -- Laini Taylor

Ready Player One -- Ernest Cline

Ultraviolet -- RJ Anderson

*Delirium -- Lauren Oliver

*Anna Dressed In Blood

Iron Fey series -- Julie Kagawa

*Vampire Academy series and Bloodlines series -- Richelle Mead

The Boy From the Basement

The Girl of Fire and Thorns -- Rae Carson

Sweet Venom

Vanish -- Sophie Jordan

Beauty Queens

Anna and the French Kiss

Possess -- Gretchen McNeil

*Hourglass -- Myra McEntire

The Revenant -- Sonia Gensler

If I Stay and Where She Went -- Gayle Forman

*Blood Red Road -- Moira Young

Jellicoe Road -- Melina Marchetta

The Sky is Everywhere

The Red Tent

You Against Me -- Jenny Downham

Fall For Anything -- Courtney Summers

Shine -- Lauren Myracle

Paper Towns -- John Green

*Imaginary Girls -- Nova Ren Suma

*Enclave

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

White Cat

Birthmarked

Fateful -- Claudia Grey

Die For Me -- Amy Plum

Starcrossed -- Josephine Angelini

A Need So Beautiful

This Dark Endeavor

***The Night Circus -- Erin Morgenstern (recommended by every other person!)

Recommended by Me (At This Moment In Time):

The Girl of Fire and Thorns -- Rae Carson

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer -- Michelle Hodkin

Imaginary Girls -- Nova Ren Suma

Before I Fall -- Lauren Oliver

Ender's Game -- Orson Scott Card

The Giver -- Lois Lowry

The Book Thief -- Marcus Zusak

Gilead -- Marilynne Robinson (not YA...so, so good.)

Dune -- Frank Herbert (If you're up for it!)

The Trial of Anna Cotman -- Vivien Alcock (I don't remember this one THAT well, but I read it like five times when I was younger.)

Vampire Academy -- Richelle Mead (if you have any leanings toward vampire books, this is the one to read. I myself have very few vampire leanings and I enjoyed it.)

1984 -- George Orwell

A Wrinkle In Time -- Madeleine L'Engle

Speak -- Laurie Halse Anderson

Almost anything by Roald Dahl, including (particularly) The BFG, The Witches

Sabriel -- Garth Nix (That whole series, actually.)

The Hunger Games series -- Suzanne Collins

HarryPotterHarryPotterHarryPotter (but you knew that already, right?)

Thanks again for the recs, guys!

Road Trip Wednesday: This Kind of Thing, I Like

2011-09-21T06:05:00.000-05:00

What are your all-time favorite book covers?

Answer: *splutter* THERE ARE TOO MANY COVERS! HOW WILL I EVALUATE ALL OF THEM TO LOCATE MY FAVORITES?

I don't like many book covers, to be honest. Most of the time I find them to be too busy or too loud. One of my favorite covers, for example, is this one:

Pretty plain, right? But it gets the point across, it's not dragging your eye in six different directions, and yet it somehow manages to convey the tone of the book, which is: disturbing.

So as not to risk thinking about this question all day and completely forgetting to work on Insurgent, I'm just going to present a type of cover I have come to like, and it is the illustrated cover. I find that I gravitate toward these because they stand out in a genre that is largely dominated by pictures of girls. (Not that covers with girls on them are bad. I often like those too. There are just a lot of them.)

Now, this type of cover really wouldn't work for some books. It wouldn't, for example, work for Divergent. I think it does work for more poetic works, or fairytale retellings, or gothic-style books, and so on. Which is what I have to show you.

And at first, I wasn't sure what to think about these Penguin Deluxe Editions of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but I have finally landed on the side of liking them:

Especially Heathcliff on the left up there. Perfect.

Anyway. To the illustrated covers, I say, carry on!

Book Recommendation: The Girl of Fire and Thorns

2011-09-20T09:09:00.000-05:00

I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of this book several months ago. I had complained to my editor, "I just haven't read anything recently that I really fell in love with," and she sent this book over. As it turns out, it was a good call, because I loved it. Here's the cover copy:

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

I don't always gravitate toward high fantasy (although perhaps I just haven't read enough of it), but I really enjoyed this book. First of all, the main character, Elisa, was well-rounded and interesting. She transforms from an uncertain girl with low self-esteem to a strong woman who knows who she is, and I loved watching her change. Sometimes I got annoyed with her, but I think that's the mark of a good character--you don't always like them, just like you don't always like your friends or your family or your peers, but you do always root for them.

I also thought the world was really interesting, especially what the author did with religion. It's unique and fascinating. I feel like I should say that if the word "religion" makes you feel squicky, I understand how that feels (I've felt that way at certain points in my life, and still do sometimes), but I encourage you to approach this book with an open mind. The religion is essential to the plot, and therefore doesn't feel tacked on in a preachy way. Really, the book is also about Elisa figuring out what she thinks and believes apart from what she's been told by others, which I think is something everyone can identify with.

Carson also isn't afraid to dive into the uglier aspects of a dangerous world, something I always appreciate, because the ugliness makes the world feel real, and the situation, dire. And Elisa, who has both fantasy-world problems and teenage girl problems, feels real within that world.

Basically: there are powerful characters and an engaging plot and a well-crafted world in this book, and it came out today, so if it sounds intriguing to you, go forth and read!

Bună Ziua!

2011-09-17T13:42:00.000-05:00

("Iubesc" [ee-oo-besk, sort of like "yoo-besk," but not] means "love." Just an FYI.)

I mentioned this in one of my recent posts, but: I moved recently.

To Romania.

(Not forever, but I will be here for about five months.) Specifically, I went to Cluj-Napoca, which is in the northwest part of the country, better known as Transylvania.

Now, I am not generally someone in whom the spirit of adventure abides. I get nervous ordering food in my local Steak 'n Shake--in English. I didn't even study abroad in college, when I could have gone with a big group and had that whole safety in numbers thing going for me. So this is a bit of a shock to my system.

Sometimes, though, you stop wanting to box your own personality in with definitions like "I am not adventurous," or sometimes a person comes into your life who continually makes you braver than you were, or both of those things happen and you find yourself in Romania. There are a bunch of personal reasons why we came here, of all places, but it basically comes down to wanting to learn things, and finding that this might be the only place to learn them.

Anyway-- there are a few pretty scary things (for me, anyway). The biggest one: I don't speak Romanian. (I can say "hello," "thank you," "I am called Veronica," "I love you," and "have a good day." Which is better than yesterday, at least.) I hate making a fool of myself, so little things like forgetting to get produce weighed at the grocery store, and stumbling over drink orders at restaurants, bother me more than they should. I have no idea where to go when I step out of the apartment. Also, I can't currently find things like onion salt, or soft toilet paper. These are small obstacles, but troubling nonetheless.

Right now, to be honest, I'm feeling a little more scared than adventurous. But I'm hoping I can get by on a charming smile and some expert pantomiming until I am more familiar with the language.

What perks me up when I get freaked out, though, is the idea that this will be worth writing down.

And now, some pictures, because odds are none of you have been to Romania (if you have, please correct me in the comments! We can form a club or something):

^The big Catholic church in Cluj. (These pictures are kind of grainy because I took them with my phone.)

^Some random buildings

^Communist efficiency housing. (Back when Romania was still a Communist country, the government forced people from the countryside into the cities into these housing units, for the sake of development. It's pretty much universally regarded as a disastrous decision. But the housing is still here.)

Dacia! (Romanian car manufacturer. I love these things.)

So from now until the end of February, expect to learn more about Romania than you ever anticipated.

INSURGENT Cover!

2011-09-17T05:20:00.000-05:00

You may have seen this already, since it was up on Entertainment Weekly's website yesterday (thanks, EW!), but I figured it would be good to post here, too. And this one is larger, for those of you who want to make it their desktop background *coughMEcough*:

All I can say is: Joel, Amy, and Barb...you've done it again.

My reactions were:

1. Ooh.

2. THE TREE IS AWESOME.

3. Look, a train!

And then, when I was capable of coherent thought, I was able to appreciate the color of the clouds (which are that greenish color you get right before a storm hits-- appropriate, I think), and the fact that the tree is sort of mid-decay, with the leaves swirling away from it, and also, that little line above my name that is so very nice to see.

A few questions answered:

1. Is that tree thing the symbol of Amity? Yes.

2. What happens in the book? You'll find out soon enough.

3. When does it come out? May, 2012.

4. Can I get an ARC? You can request one, but not from me, because I'm not the one who decides where the ARCs go. I will provide you with an e-mail address to send your request to as soon as I have it. (I will put it in the FAQs and at the bottom of this post.)

5. Do you like the cover? Are you kidding? YES. And I am excited for you to read what will be behind it.

Thanks to those of you who have shared in my cover!excitement already!

Seeking, Staring, Embracing

2011-09-09T22:33:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy month. I won't go into all of it here, but much has occurred in my personal life, all of it good. (Also, I am moving, and I'll tell you where soon. It will surprise you, I guarantee it.) Anyway, so that is why I have been on a bit of a blog absence for the past month, but hopefully that will change soon, when things are a bit more stable.

One of the wonderful things that has happened this month is that my brother Frank got married...in YOSEMITE. (Congrats, Frank and Candice! You are wonderful!) So I got the chance to see natural wonders like this:

But today, I had the option of venturing into the park and looking at the beautiful woods and waterfalls and rocks...or staying out of the valley and hiking through what I've started to call "The Tree Graveyard." (Can you guess what I picked?)

I call it The Tree Graveyard because a controlled burn (which they do here to prevent widespread forest fires) got out of control almost a decade ago and burned a 20,000 acre stretch of land near the cabin my family is staying in. A large number of homes were lost as a result, and the landscape is just beginning to recover. What is left are clusters of sooty tree skeletons and black pires of tree trunks and dry brush.

What I realized as we were hiking through this area was that this disregard for what is obviously beautiful, and this fascination with what might be described as ugly or barren, that is connected to my desire to write. I think many writers would say the same thing. There is beauty in the Tree Graveyard, partly because of its visual characteristics, but partly because its existence is connected to a story.

This particular story is of destruction and renewal. And when you think about it, that theme is related to many compelling narratives, whether they're books or news stories or pieces of your own family history.

I've been thinking that, often, writing means not just staring ugliness in the face, but finding a way to embrace it.

11 Weeks, and a Finished Draft

2011-08-03T23:10:00.000-05:00

It is official (actually, it's been official for two weeks now, but I've been working on Insurgent like a madwoman and haven't gotten to talk about it): Divergent's run on the New York Times bestseller list was eleven weeks long. It was an incredible run for me, particularly because hitting the list in the first place was a dream I never quite dared to have, and staying there for more than five minutes was straight up INSANITY.

Sometimes it takes a long time for these things to set in, for me, so I'm sure I reacted with substantially less screaming and jumping up and down than I should have, but the truth is, I never really believed it. I still barely believe that the book is on shelves, for goodness' sake. But it set in a little bit recently, when I saw the cover proofs for Insurgent and there it was, New York Times Bestselling Author Veronica Roth. It sort of stole the air from my lungs.

(No, you can't see the cover proofs yet...but SOON! I promise.)

Anyway: I just wanted to thank every reader/bookseller/librarian/teacher who recommended Divergent to a family member or a friend or a student or a teacher or a customer, and every person at the HC who worked on it or supported it. Word of mouth is by far the most powerful book-spreading tool, and your mouths are responsible for this wonderful thing I get to carry around for the rest of my life. So thank you.

In other news, I finished the revised draft of Insurgent at 1AM on Sunday (well, I guess that's technically Monday). But there is still work to do! If I could get a book right in just ONE round of revisions, I would be like some kind of writer mutant, and I would be checking myself for flippers or gills or something. There will be other rounds of edits. Plus a line editing round. Plus a copyediting round. Plus page proofs. Plus...well, let's just say it takes longer than you'd think.

Still, I'm really happy with the way it turned out and the fact that it's done. And excited, though prematurely, for everyone to read it!

Have a good week, everyone.

The Real Book-to-Film Process + ComicCon Wonderland + Thoughtful Reflections = This Blog Post

2011-07-30T15:18:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the great fortune of traveling to California, where the weather was far nicer than in Chicago, which had turned into an oven in my absence. While I was there I did many things, some of which were meeting the people currently involved in the process of turning Divergent into a movie.

First, I'm going to let you know how this process works, because I had no idea until I got involved in it, and I think there are many misconceptions-- understandable ones, but misconceptions nonetheless. So, here we go:

1. I don't choose the cast.

2. I don't choose the director.

3. I don't write the screenplay.

4. Actually, I don't control anything except who I sell the rights to, and that's already done.

I am in the fortunate position of being fairly well informed about what's going on with the movie. This is due partly to Pouya, "my film rep guy," as I call him, because he is involved on the production side. But unless you are an author who fights hard to get involved in the movie-making, your control over the process will be fairly limited.

And that's kind of how I wanted it. Why? Because I write books. I love writing books and I tend to get annoyed by things that interrupt me from writing books, like the need to sleep and shower and buy groceries. Don't get me wrong, I think movies are great. But unless some huge revelation happens wherein I consider a more varied career path, it's all books, all the time.

So while I do love to hear your casting thoughts, know that I participate in them in much the same way you do: musing and speculation.

And while I certainly understand the "please make sure the movie is like this or that" comments (because it's okay to get attached, and to want things to remain intact), know that I can't make sure the movie is like this or that. All I can do is, like you, place my trust in the people who are making it.

BUT if you read on, that might sound less scary to you. It certainly feels less scary to me.

Two days before my ComicCon adventure, I was fortunate enough to have breakfast with Doug Wick, who owns Red Wagon and has done many amazing, impressive things in the realm of film production, all of which made me a teensy bit afraid to meet him. However, Doug is the sort of person who makes you feel very much at ease. My fear was gone within three minutes of having breakfast, and then we just chatted for an hour or so, sometimes about the book and sometimes not. When we did talk about the book, Doug was very enthusiastic and specific about what he liked, which I always, always appreciate. Basically, I learned that Doug is like the Allstate Insurance of production company guys.

(From here.)

Basically, it was a fantastic experience.

Which leads me to part 2 of this little blog adventure: ComicCon.

ComicCon = Insanity.

My day began with a press conference and transitioned into several interviews, some of which were with some of the Divergent fansites! I haven't had much time to do interviews lately, so having them built into the time I had set aside for ComicCon was great. And I got to chat with some of the people who have been supporting Divergent! Sweet.

Then we got to wander the ComicCon floor. I saw so many things. I saw a man dressed in a very sophisticated Ghost Busters costume. I saw Harry Potter walking around with Bellatrix Lestrange (someone yelled, "Harry, watch out! Bellatrix is right behind you!" Oh, the nerdery. I love it). I found Waldo. I found him again. I saw too much of one girl's butt cheeks. I saw a bunch of Trekkies. And this was all in the half-hour that I was able to stand the huge, intense crowds inside that building. Then I had to leave, because I was feeling a little faint. I am just not built for being around that many people at once.

There was a signing (I met some of you there, I'm sure! Always great to sign books, especially at such a huge Nerdfest), and then, I met more people.

Such as: Gillian and Jeyun of Summit Entertainment. Gillian is the one actually handling all the Divergentness, so it was fun to talk to her about it, and hear her thoughts. And then, what I was most nervous about: meeting Evan Daugherty. Screenwriter.

(Ignore my red eye of doom.)

As his posture suggests, Evan is a chill dude. He also likes Divergent. Now, that may seem obvious to you (why would he want to write the screenplay if he didn't like Divergent?) but that's not necessarily obvious-- people do things for plenty of reasons, not all of them genuine affection. This very much reassured me.

Evan also told me that he has been to ComicCon before...as a fan. Several times. And we both love Star Wars. Should I bring out the Allstate picture again?

Also, for those of you who are still concerned, I am in touch with everyone I met, in case they have questions about Divergent. (Actually, I think I'm supposed to be drawing a map of Dauntless headquarters to make it easier to visualize.) So even though I say I'm not in control, I will be involved when people ask me to be involved, and in the way I like to be involved-- when it's very much about the book.

I was also fortunate enough to meet Erik Feig, president of acquisitions and production at Summit, who was enthusiastic and friendly and not at all a "Hollywood Dude" (I have this Hollywood Dude caricature in my head-- he's very slick and tan and not all that genuine. Total opposite of Erik Feig. Except Erik might have been tan-- it was too dark for me to tell conclusively. But, whatever. People are allowed to be tan).

I met a lot of other people, too, and I will probably kick myself for not telling you about all of them as time goes on. But let me just say that my day at ComicCon confirmed a few things for me:

I have tried hard from the beginning to find good people. I believe that good people, who work hard because they love something and not out of selfish ambition, are the best people to surround yourself with. That way, even if everything goes wrong, you feel satisfied, because you know that everyone failed doing what they love, and working as hard as they could. Luckily I found Joanna, my agent, and she connected me with other good people, including Pouya and Molly, my editor. And Pouya went out and found me some really solid individuals on the film side, as I have now confirmed myself. So often I find that people are not authentic. I am fortunate enough to have good radar for that. And even though I try not to discard people who are not authentic-- because everyone has a lot to learn, and is in a different stage of that learning-- I also know where to put my trust.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox, but my adventures at ComicCon made me feel good about where I had put my trust. Making movies is complicated, and I am a defensive pessimist by nature, so I'm not letting myself get too excited. But I believe things have gotten off to a good start.

FYI

2011-07-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

ITEM 1: I will be at ComicCon this Thursday, signing, at the Summit Booth at 4P.M. (Looks to be Booth #4029. Across from Nickelodeon, if I remember right.) If you're going to be at ComicCon on Thursday, feel free to stop by and say hello! I'd love to meet you.

ITEM 2: There's a blog called The YA Sisterhood that is hosting the "YA Crush Tournament," in which boys from various YA books are pitted against each other in a kind of blog-post-off. And Four made it in! He's currently up against Hale from Ally Carter's The Heist Society series. Who sounds great too. But obviously I'm partial to Four. Anyway, I just think it's fun. Check it out!

ITEM 3: It is currently nicer in Los Angeles than in Chicago. THIS IS NOT ALLOWED.

Knowing When To Trunk

2011-07-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

My first post for YA Highway is up today! I've been following that blog for quite some time, so when I got the opportunity to be a contributor, I said, "Um...YES." If you haven't checked it out, please do, it's great.

Anyway, my post is on how to know whether to revise or trunk your manuscript: Love Is Mandatory.

Grow Thinner Skin

2011-07-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

"Grow a thick skin" is the most common piece of advice I have been given/seen given to others, as a writer. Moreso after my book sold. It makes sense. No matter who you are or what you wrote, you will get bad reviews, and you can't let those reviews get to you. Not just because they could hamper your creativity, but because you must understand that just like you can never be everyone's friend, your book can't be well-liked everywhere. So grow a thick skin.

Even before I became an author, I got this advice, and not just about writing. So what I want to talk about today is why I personally do not intend to take it. Not exactly, anyway.

I am a sensitive person, and I have been since I was a child. I worried constantly even then (mostly about getting cancer. Not sure why). I think I've mentioned before the time I mistakenly watched the episode of 90210 where someone gets raped, and I freaked out about it. I knew she was a fictional character, but I also knew that things like that happen to real people and it kept me up at night.

To better illustrate the severity of this situation, however: what I haven't mentioned before, because it's much more embarrassing (yes, more embarrassing than admitting to watching 90210) is that I spent several days deeply disturbed after watching The Man In the Iron Mask because the idea of locking someone in an iron mask really bothered me. And that movie was kind of ridiculous.*

(Okay, really ridiculous. Thanks, imdb.)

Basically, I mourned for people I had never met, and for people who didn't exist. In case it's not obvious, it's really hard to go through life as a walking scrape. For one thing, everyone always wants to slap a bandage on you. Okay, this metaphor might be going too far. But for all the trouble my sensitivity gave me, it gave me something else, and that is empathy, something for which I am always grateful. (That is not to say that you can't have empathy if you're not a hypersensitive person, but this is just how it worked for me.)

A lot of people used to worry, and probably still do, about kids becoming desensitized to violence because our culture is so saturated by it. This, they fear, will cause kids to be more violent in their behavior. I seriously doubt that Power Rangers and Grand Theft Auto will make your kid more likely to beat other kids up (perhaps this is what they call "correlation, not causation"), but that's not the point. I worry about anyone becoming desensitized to violence, not because I believe it will make them more violent, but because I worry it will compromise their ability to ache for other people.

Obviously being insensitive to criticism and insensitive to violence are two completely different things, and do not necessarily go together, but they are similar in that they require numbness. And perhaps it is unwise of me, and someday I will eat my words, but I don't want to be numb about anything. I don't think that not caring should ever be something to which we ascribe value, no matter how helpful it is.

I am a sensitive person. I have thin skin. And while that makes me have to stop watching perfectly good television shows (Sons of Anarchy, Season 2, I'm looking at you), and makes me worry about things I can't control, and makes other people think I'm a little ridiculous, it also allows me to cry with other people when they tell me about the bad things that happen to them, and to understand, at least a little, what it feels like to be in situations I've never actually been in, and to have my emotions swayed by fiction, just like they were when I was a child. My thin skin is integral to who I am, and I think it makes me a better writer than I would be without it.

So yes, bad reviews hurt. And yes, it's a good idea to get over that. But not necessarily by growing a thicker skin. Instead, I go with this:

Do not chastise yourself for feeling too much.

Don't become harder. The world has too many hard people in it already.

Instead, try to actually believe that you are not your work, that your value does not reside there.

And keep your skin the way it is.

*For the record, I can watch The Man in the Iron Mask without getting upset now. I just don't, because, well...it's not a very good movie.

FAQ: INSURGENT

2011-07-11T12:40:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note--

I've been asked frequently over the last few months about the release date for INSURGENT, and my response has always been that there is no official release date yet, but it will probably come out around May, 2012. I thought I had been pretty open about it, but I think perhaps I was mistaken, so I figured it was time to put it on the blog so the information is easier to find.

So, again:

INSURGENT = Sometime in the vicinity of May, 2012. Probably.

When I do get an official release date, I will definitely announce it here. Thanks for being so eager to know. It is very encouraging, particularly as I continue to work on finishing the manuscript.

-V

Random! Keep Calm, Etc.

2011-07-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

(From here.)

And my (new) personal motto:

(From here.)

And for the Dauntless...

Things I Do Wrong (But You Don't Have To): Redundant Sentences

2011-07-05T13:39:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, when I was in the writing program at school, my very wise professor pointed out a tendency I had in my writing. What I did was to write a summary of a sentence or a paragraph and then flesh out that summary in what followed. I know what you're thinking: wait, isn't that what you're supposed to do in essays? And the answer is: this was fiction.

I'm not sure my explanation is entirely clear, so let me just give you an example:

I understand why people find it so easy to trust him. He makes you feel that all will be well; that if you just placed everything in his hands, he would take care of it while you rest.

Okay, let's not pretend that's a stroke of brilliance, or anything. But do you see what I mean? "He makes you feel that all will be well" is essentially a more general summary of "that if you just placed everything in his hands, he would take care of it while you rest." I don't need both of those sentences to exist. I should go with the more specific one, which is the second one, because it's more interesting.

And actually, come to think of it, I don't need the preceding sentence-- "I understand why people find it so easy to trust him"-- either, because it's basically introducing the sentiment that I expressed in the third part, only in a less subtle way.

After eliminating those extraneous sentences/clauses, you get this:

He makes you feel that if you just placed everything in his hands, he would take care of it while you rest.

Now, I'm still not sure if that's the best way to say what I'm trying to say, but at least it isn't redundant.

This can also be done with paragraphs and even scenes. If you start off a scene by saying something like "The next day I learned exactly what he meant by that," or "By the end of the next day I wasn't so sure," and so on, you take the joy of discovering what comes next away from the reader. Part of the joy of reading is doing mental work as you read. I don't mean "work" as in the reader has to fight to understand what's going on or what you're saying. I mean that they have to discover each thing as it comes to them. So we, as writers, have to make them do the work of discovery, or else reading is boring.

The thing is, if I hadn't written the first two sentences above, I never would have arrived at the third sentence, the one I ended up going with. That's why this is a revision concern, not an initial draft writing concern. I actually need the first two sentences, but the reader does not, and that's something I only think about while revising.

My writing professor changed my writing when she pointed that out, so I thought I would mention it to you as something to watch for when you revise.

New Piece of Advice: Stop Listening to Advice

2011-07-01T17:16:00.001-05:00

The writer blogosphere is full of writing advice. My blog is no exception. I'm bursting with advice. Mostly because I want to say something useful. But the more I interact with other writers, the more I realize that there's plenty of writing advice that has been repeated to me over and over again that just. Doesn't. Work for me.

Advice I Haven't Taken:

1. Keep a writer's notebook

This isn't a bad idea. I know it works for what seems like 75% of the writing population, if not more. But I can't for the life of me make it work. I have tried on fifty separate occasions, at least, and that's why I have far too many notebooks with only a few pages filled in. It's like keeping a journal. I can't do that either.

And recently I said to myself, screw it. Don't try to keep a writer's notebook. Use your brain like a sifter-- if the ideas are good, they'll stay in. If they're not, it's better they slipped through the cracks anyway. That is my official philosophy. And you know what? It works for me. Good ideas keep coming up again and again; I don't lose them. I remember the things that are important to me. Everything else I forget.

2. Write at the same time every day.

Oh, heavens. I try this every day. People ask me, what's your best writing time? And I used to say: nighttime. Or: first thing in the morning. Or: just after lunch. But all of those answers are lies, lies I tell you! My best writing time is when I decide to sit down and write. And in the mornings I have a doctor's appointment or a haircut or my apartment is too messy to deal with, I don't write. And in the afternoons when I'm going to hang out with a friend or take a much-needed nap, I don't write. Why? Because in order to get the writing done, I have to feel free. I can't resent the work I'm doing. So I choose to look forward to it instead of dreading a particular time of day.

I have found that, rather than making myself write at the same time every day, I make myself write at least once a day. It doesn't matter when that is or how much I get done. I just have to do it. Sometimes you do have to force yourself to do something, but it doesn't have to be in the same way as other people force themselves to do something. (Does that make any sense?)

3. Never go back and edit while you're still writing

I am usually a HUGE proponent of this piece of advice, so take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. Sometimes I write something and it feels so wrong and out of place that I can't continue. So I get stuck there, snacking and staring at the page, for days. And the only way to get myself out of the stuck place is to go back and fix what I know is clearly wrong. Usually I go back and bandage it temporarily (that is, not in a detailed way) and then go back and make it all better when I'm done with the draft, so that I don't spend too much time on it. But yes, sometimes I go back, but only when my forward motion has been compromised.

There are probably more, but let's move on.

One thing I learned while on tour is what I'm telling you now: that every writer works differently. Aprilynne Pike, for example, outlines everything. The whole series. She says she has to know how things end before she can start. Josephine Angelini has outlines so detailed they cover about two pages at a time, plus character bios. Ellen Schreiber, however, figures things out as she goes along. I do the same thing-- until I hit page 120 or so, and the story seems too large for me to carry in my mind, and then I make a list of scenes.

We are completely different writers. But we all wrote books. (Some of us multiple books!) We all got published. Clearly there is no formula. You aren't missing the magical secret to book-writing, I promise.

The real point I'm making here is: you don't have to do what doesn't work for you. There are no rules telling you that you have to write a certain way, and if people imposing rules on you has kept you from writing, please throw those rules away. The pieces of advice are there to make writing easier for you, but if they don't work, they are useless to you, and that is okay.

So yes: read the writing advice posts! They are wonderful. And try what they tell you to do! Try it more than once, actually. But if you find that a particular piece of advice, while good and valuable for others, is not good and valuable for you, don't fret about it. Figure out something else.

Figure out what works. Writing is hard enough without putting obstacles in your own path.

ALA. FRIDAY.

2011-06-23T23:09:00.001-05:00

WHO: Me.

WHERE: Booth 1315

WHEN: 5:30 to 6:30 P.M.

WHAT: Signing books and chatting with readers.

WHY: Because librarians (and other book nerds) are awesome.

HOW: With my silver sharpie.

Come. Say hi. I'll be the tall one with the short black hair.

Advice about Villains

2011-06-21T20:13:00.000-05:00

ABOUT VILLAINS:

For those of you who can't see that for some reason, it says: "I heard Katherine Patterson speak recently and she said if you can't find yourself in your villains, rewrite." (Tweet courtesy of Kari_D_Allen.)

That is amazing advice for anyone struggling with a villain-- you have to look at the darkest parts of yourself in order to make a villain convincing. The part that is so desperate to live forever that he would split his soul into seven pieces (Voldemort). Or, in my case, the part that cares more about my own comfort than providing for those who are truly needy (Jeanine).

Are the most compelling villains, to me, the ones I identify with? I'm wondering.

A Quick Note About The Writing Cave

2011-06-16T09:24:00.001-05:00

I've been getting a good amount of requests for blog interviews and guest blogs recently, and I've had to turn all of them down, so I wanted to write a quick note about why.

A few quick questions or a few paragraphs aren't that time-consuming, but when a lot of people ask for them, they quickly become overwhelming. Also, I take a long time with interviews because I think really hard about the answers (even if the questions are light-hearted). Right now my priority is Insurgent. So I'm saying "no" for the next few months. Please don't take it personally! But I'm sure you'd rather have a sequel than a few Q&As to read!

In other news: thank you for your enthusiastic response to the title announcement yesterday! It was very encouraging. I am now motivated to write even faster...

D2 TITLE

2011-06-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting on this one for a long time. Months ago I proposed a book two title idea to the people over at the HC, and they liked it, but I've found (and they've found, I'm sure) that it's good to ruminate over things for awhile before you make a decision.

I am happy to say that this particular idea held up as the months went on. So, without further adieu, I shall post it.

...

....

.....

......

.......

......

.....

....

...

AND THE TITLE OF THE DIVERGENT SEQUEL IS...

INSURGENT!

This post really wouldn't be complete without a dictionary definition, so here it is:

INSURGENT. Origin:
1755–65; < Latin insurgent- (stem of insurgēns ) present participle of insurgere: to get up, ascend, rebel.

1. a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority, especially a person who engages in armed resistance to a government or to the execution of its laws; rebel.
2. a member of a section of a political party that revolts against the methods or policies of the party.
3. one that acts contrary to the established leadership (as of a political party, union, or corporation) or its decisions and policies
4. (international law) a person or group that rises in revolt against an established government or authority but whose conduct does not amount to belligerency

Not all of those definitions are equally applicable to the book-- some are more spot-on than others. But I won't tell you which ones yet.

Now all I have to do is finish! Back to the writing cave!

Books!

2011-06-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today is the official release day of IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma.

Goodreads summary: Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

I read this book a few months ago, and I've been gushing about it ever since. It is in many ways the exact opposite of Divergent-- more atmosphere than action, richer prose, etc. I found the focus on a sister-sister relationship instead of any romantic relationship really refreshing, and the characters were complex. I loved them; I couldn't stand them; they felt like real people. It was creepy and moving at the same time. I cried a little at the end.

I don't think any summary can really do it justice-- it's like nothing I've read before, and all I can say about it is you just have to try it and see, preferably when you're not feeling like an impatient reader, because it's not a fast-paced book. But it is a beautiful book, and it's definitely worth reading.

Today is also the release day of HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire...

Goodreads summary: For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn’t there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents’ death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She’s tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.

So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past. Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he’s around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

I wasn't fortunate enough to get an ARC of this, so I haven't read it yet, but I've heard good things. Also, Myra McEntire is a lovely human being. So I'm off to buy it today!

Happy release days, Nova and Myra!

Dark Days Tour, Stop 1: Sweet Home Chicago

2011-06-07T17:12:00.001-05:00

Aprilynne Pike, Tara Hudson, Ellen Schreiber, Amy Plum and I are going to be at Anderson's Books in Naperville tonight at 7PM. Come and hear us chat and get your books signed!

If you can't make it out, here's a link to the livestream. I hope to see you there!

Questions, Not Answers

2011-06-06T10:51:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I was on a panel at the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago-- which I somehow managed to avoid hearing about until this year. How does such a travesty occur? I know not.

Anyway, the other panelists were Daniel Kraus, author of Rotters, about a pair of father and son grave robbers (which I have heard many good things about, and it is now sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me) and Katie Crouch, author of The Magnolia League, which incorporates many hoodoo elements (it was so fascinating to hear her talk about it-- and now it's also sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for me). And then we had our fabulous moderator, James Kennedy, who wrote The Order of Odd-Fish, and just had a little girl named Ingrid, which is my sister's name.

Highlights: Daniel Kraus describing the concept of a "Rat King" to the audience while I convulsed in my chair. (Google if you dare.) Katie Crouch singing us a lullaby. James Kennedy asking a question and then shouting "KRAUS!", thereby startling us all. It was one of the best writing conversations I've had with multiple authors.

Anyway, I was asked a particularly good question, and I wanted to share the answer with you, in case you're interested. The question was this:

What is the one thing/the message you would like people to take away from your book?

I try to avoid preaching of any kind, and it's not just because teenagers can sniff out a message from a mile away; it's because I want to give people space to think and breathe while they read my book. I don't want to stifle anyone. That said, I do think every book says something other than what's on the pages, whether you intend for it to or not when you write it. So yes, there are some things I think my book says, because I have interpreted it as a reader, just as you will.

But I would much rather you come away with questions than answers. Questions about virtue, and what it is, and if it makes you worth something, and if being "good" is the most important thing, and if it's not, what is? Or: is the consistency of your character the best thing you have to offer the world? Can you can be defined, and should you even try? Or even: what should you look for in a friend, or a boyfriend, or a girlfriend?

I know books are a great escape, and my book, with all its action, may not give you a lot of quiet moments in which to think. But my favorite books made me think as much as they entertained me, and that's my hope for Divergent.

This WSJ Thing

2011-06-05T10:52:00.001-05:00

So, this WSJ thing. I don't want to try to recap the article, so you can read it here if you would like. To be perfectly honest, it didn't make me angry in the way that it made some people angry. What it did is make me heave a huge sigh.

The reason it didn't make me angry is that I feel like I understand the situations of the two people involved in the article-- that is, the woman described in the beginning and the article's author. You see, I had the privilege of growing up at a good pace. My life was not perfect and I learned some things that I wish I hadn't had to learn, but they weren't specific to my childlike innocence as it is typically understood, so let's set them aside for the time being. My mother was and is fantastic. She worked hard for me and my siblings and still found the time to be involved and attentive and understanding. She protected me and my self-esteem and my mental stability.

Now, parents can't protect you from everything, but because I was a huge nerd I also fell in with the more academically-minded kids at my school, and they also didn't lead me into dark places. I also come from a comfortable background in a safe suburb. Lucky me.

No, seriously. Lucky me, because I got to grow up safe, but that is not true of everyone. In fact, it's not true of most people I know. Because even amid the comfortable backgrounds in my safe suburb, there were teenagers living in what one of my current friends calls "suburban hell." Everything looks great on the outside. On the inside there's violence and alcoholism and neglect and emotional abuse and no one knows about it, because they've got their dog and their lawn and their spot on the PTA, or what have you.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand: I was an intensely sensitive teenager. I was adversely affected by disturbing things I read or watched on TV. After accidentally seeing the episode of 90210 where Kelly gets sexually assaulted, I had nightmares and fits of intense fear for a long time. I also read this book in which a girl gets kidnapped and writes her memoirs from the basement where she's kept on a typewriter, and cried, and had trouble sleeping. I still get upset when I remember it. And honestly, I didn't need to be exposed to those things. I knew that bad things happened-- terrible things. But there's a difference between being aware of the world and having images burned into your brain that make you panic and have nightmares.

I also didn't like to read books with sex in them. I knew I wasn't ready for them, the same way I knew I wasn't ready for all the kissing the other kids were doing in middle school. It's fortunate that I was so aware of my own readiness. Some kids aren't. Sometimes parents need to protect their sensitive children for just a little while longer than the other kids. I think that's okay, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you are harming your child by sheltering them.

So yes, I understand that some parents are shocked by what they see in the YA section, and I understand they don't want their kids to read these books, but I can't help but think those parents need to be more shocked by the world.

They should understand that their kids are in many ways the exception, not the rule, and be grateful that their children don't really really need those "shocking" books to exist. Because while I was going home to a mom who still cooked us dinner even after a hard day at work, a lot of kids were going home to suburban hell. I grew up at a good pace. Not everyone does, and those kids sometimes need the dark books to get through tomorrow and the next day.

That's not to say that kids with a happy, stable home life shouldn't read the dark books, either. I'm only talking about need, here. My major problem with the WSJ article is that it makes general something that should be specific. You want to say, I want to protect my children from this kind of content? Then I say, I am happy for your kids, that they have a parent who is that worried about them. But when you say, these books are garbage and they're damaging the minds of children? I say, the world is damaging the minds of children. Be more shocked by the world than by the books.

And as for going into a bookstore and not finding a book suitable for your 13-year-old...maybe you should do some research before you go in? And I'm being serious here. There are a bunch of great blogs that will tell you the content of books. Reading Teen is one of them, and I've seen others, and I love what they do because they make YA books feel safe to protective parents. There are plenty of YA books that celebrate joy and beauty. Now, I would argue that many of them are also the "dark" books to which the article refers, and that saying they aren't suggests a pretty inattentive reader...but that's neither here nor there. I'm not trying to bicker with the careful parents. I'm just saying: do some research and you'll be surprised what you find.

So, that's what I'm going to say about it.

Printers Row on Saturday!

2011-06-02T19:39:00.001-05:00

Hey Chicagoans! And people who live in the vicinity of Chicago!

I'm going to be at the Printers Row Lit Festival this year! Here's the info:

WHAT: A panel called "Young and Restless" with two other authors.

WHEN: Saturday, June 4th, at 10:00 A.M.

WHO: Me, Katie Crouch, and Daniel Kraus, with James Kennedy moderating.

WHERE: The Mash Stage. Here, have a map. Or look at this:

WHY: Because Chicago is AWESOME. And so are BOOKS.

I hope to see you there!

O Canada, The Home and Native Land of...Really Nice People

2011-05-21T17:48:00.001-05:00

I am back from Canada, and I am exhausted. I am also super lame, and did not take pictures, so I decided to do a post that is less summary of three jam-packed days of Canadian wonder, and more concise.

Without further adieu, 10 things I learned from my Canadian adventure:

1. Writers don't work the same way, and that's okay. The lovely Lauren Oliver, for example, crams writing into all the nooks and crannies of her day, whether that means a fifteen minute car ride or the ten minutes we waited for middle schoolers to show up at the Toronto Public Library. She also has a daily word goal (1500) and works on two projects at once. I decided to give this "write wherever you are" thing a try. It did not work for me. My "writing mode" switch is much harder to flip on than hers is--and that's all right. I may give the two projects at once thing a shot, though. You have to find the things that work for you-- and while that means you should try new things to see if they work, you don't have to work in a particular way. Whatever gets the words on the page, right?

2. Canadians really are nicer. That doesn't mean ALL Canadians, it just means that proportionally, it seems to be A Thing. For example: in Chicago, when you approach a help desk/concierge desk/business counter of any kind, while people may be polite to you, they expect you to state your business right away. Don't waste time, right? But in Canada, when I marched up to the guy at the hotel desk and said, "Hi, I'm here to check in," he gave me a strange look and said, "Hello ma'am. How are you?" At which point I felt like a jerk. I was much nicer the rest of the trip.

3. Canadians will teach you how to put on their accent if you ask them. Two women at one of the Chapters events (which were amazing!) told me that "out" should rhyme with "boat." A few people also insisted that I didn't have an accent when it is clear that I talk like a Midwesterner. I guess you have to listen closely. Or that's just how flipping nice they are.

4. HarperCollins Canada throws a good tour. We were always well fed. Everyone was punctual. There was a bag of Werther's in the car when we drove places. The hotel was fantastic. I am now spoiled.

5. Cory Beatty (of HC Canada) will, in fact, give you books if you give him donuts. No lie.

6. Chapters (the big bookstore chain in Canada), in addition to being lovely and well-organized with very enthusiastic employees, sells a wide variety of gifts, ranging from chalkboards you stick to your walls to those things you put sugar-water in to trap bees. Who knew that a bookstore could be so versatile?

7. There's a chocolate boutique in Toronto called Moroco that has the best salted caramel macaroons I've ever tasted. Actually, they're the only ones I've ever tasted, but their deliciousness was truly unparalleled. They also had Lauren and me put chocolate handprints on little pieces of canvas so they can hang them up on the wall. I never thought I would be in a position in life in which someone actually wants my chocolate handprint. Lovely.

8. Most Canadian women would choose Dauntless. This is according to my highly unscientific data collection system, also known as...my faulty memory. But really! Every other Canadian woman I talked to said she would choose Dauntless! A country full of badasses? I think yes.

9. Maple syrup counts as a liquid. If you're going to bring it through security at the airport, put it in your "these are my liquids!" baggie, or you will get dirty looks from the woman checking your bags, and she will not believe you when you say, rather stupidly, "I forgot it counted as a liquid." Also, don't accidentally take your tiny scissors to Canada.

10. Sometimes you will be asked to make a paper hat onstage in Canada. Make sure that you remember how to do so. (Okay, that might not apply to everyone, but I should really polish up on my origami skills. Or learn how to sing harmony to "On My Own" so I can contribute to Lauren Oliver's rendition of it. Everyone needs a special talent.)

Anyway. Canadian readers, booksellers, and publishing types--especially Melissa Zilberberg, who took great care of us and was just a lovely person all around, Cory Beatty and Charidy Johnston of HarperCollins Canada, and Melissa, Jeremy, and Lisa of Chapters/Indigo who arranged all the events, Moroco who enveloped us in tasty treats, and Lauren Oliver, who had great advice and conversation and...you know, went on tour with me!--thank you for a wonderful tour!

That said, in the two weeks before I leave for the Dark Days tour, I am going radio silent, which means I will be avoiding the Internet at all costs in order to revise, revise, revise. I will miss you. Tris says hi, though.

Gone to Canada. BRB.

2011-05-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

If you're in Toronto this week, come say hello to me and Lauren Oliver! Or get books signed! I have a passport and silver sharpies and I know how to use them.

If you're not in Toronto this week, well, you can say hello here, if you'd like.

Six

2011-05-12T11:55:00.000-05:00

"Then everyone can call you Six."

-Divergent, Page 407

(That quote will make no sense to you if you haven't read the book, but I thought it was fun.)

I have announced this on Twitter and Facebook, but yesterday I found out that DIVERGENT debuted at #6 on the New York Times Bestseller List!

What I haven't mentioned yet is that it also debuted at #2 on the Indie Bestseller list!

Holy moly.

I am a little too overwhelmed to say anything intelligent about this, to be honest. As usual, I think I confused both editor and agent when I did not scream or squeal or discuss the numbness in my legs (sadly my legs remained full of feeling). In fact, I confused myself by my reaction, which was: sudden relaxation.

Because the news that all the hard work of my agent, my editor, everyone at Harper (especially those on the marketing and publicity side of things), every bookseller who hand-sold Divergent to their customers, every bookstore that put its support behind the book, every teacher and librarian who recommended it to their students, every book blogger who recommended it online, and of course, every reader who bought it, had made something so amazing possible gave me one predominant feeling, and that was gratitude. (Which is more of a relaxed emotion than, say, giddiness. That came later.)

And that's really what I want to communicate to you now. I wrote the book and I made it as good as I possibly could, but without you guys, it would still be a large .docx file on my computer-- something to be proud of, yes, as any complete manuscript is, but not this. This is fantastic and overwhelming and I couldn't have done it without you.

Release Day!

2011-05-03T21:50:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know already: DIVERGENT came out today! It may be available in any of the following places:

1. Your local independent bookstore
2. Your local Barnes & Noble or Borders
3. Your local Target and/or Wal-Mart
4. Online (Okay, it's definitely available there.)

I knew not to expect too much from my release day, because someone told me once that new authors tend to build it up in their heads, like you're going to wake up and the world is a different place, but in fact it is just another day until you go to a bookstore. And even then, if you're me, it's a lot like: "Oh look, there's my book! Why on earth is my book in a bookstore? Oh yeah..." I like to call this "persistent denial of good news." (PDGN. It's a serious problem.)

Here is what I did on my release day:

First, I signed stock at Barbara's Bookstores in the Chicago area. For those of you who don't know what signing stock is (because I didn't until last week), it is when you go to a bookstore and sign all the books they have there (not for people, just so they can sell a signed copy instead of an unsigned copy), and they put an "AUTOGRAPHED COPY!" sticker on the cover. I also got to meet people like...

Lydia, a buyer for Barbara's Bookstores, who was very sweet and very much on top of things. And then, since we were in the Sears Tower already, me and Jenny Sheridan (the wonderful HC sales rep who was escorting me around Chicago today) decided to go to the top because *gasp* I have never actually been up there. Check out the view:

And then, despite my intense fear of heights, I decided to stand in one of the glass boxes suspended from the side of the Sears Tower. Holy crap.

Me and Jenny...SUSPENDED IN THIN AIR! (Or so it seems.)

Look, a bunch of DIVERGENTs at the Barbara's Bookstore near UIC! Many wonderful people also work there.

After that, I went to my local Barnes and Noble to see if they had put DIVERGENT out yet. And there, at the top of the escalator by the teen section, was this stand. With a book missing already!

And that's me, pretending that I am not, in fact, posing for a picture in the middle of a Barnes and Noble.

Then, some relaxing, and a celebratory dinner, and some more relaxing. Every so often I checked Twitter and there was more D-related congratulations and well wishes piling up in my Mentions column. (That was a lot of Twitter jargon. Sorry, non-twitterers.)

Other things that happened today:

1. My interview with MTV.com went up today

2. As did my interview with Kody Keplinger over at YA Highway!

3. And Amazon named Divergent a Best Book of the Month for May

4. And the people in School and Library Marketing at the HC posted some great pictures

5. My editor did a cool interview

6. And so did I.
7. This didn't happen today, but I haven't mentioned it yet (mostly because I didn't have anywhere to link to, and I rely on links to do the talking for me). But Divergent was selected as #1 on the Indies Top 10 Summer 2011 Kids' Indie Next List: Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers. What an honor. Seriously.

So, thank you for reading as I talk incessantly about myself. And thank you, everyone who has been commenting on blog posts and tweeting and e-mailing-- your support is wonderful, and continues to mean a lot to me. I hope you like my book!

DIVERGENT Book Trailer

2011-05-02T11:24:00.000-05:00

Check it out.

Be Brave and Revise (Or, Alternately, My Struggle With Fear)

2011-04-21T11:54:00.000-05:00

Before I get into this post, I want to say that I am not complaining about any of the wonderful things that have come my way. If this post comes across that way, that isn't how I intend it. I have been blessed with manymanymany good things, but life is fraught with difficulty no matter how many good things happen to you. So I'm writing this post because one of my goals, when I started this blog, was to be honest about my mistakes and the things I struggle with. I haven't done that recently, and I want to do it now. That's all.

Anyway. Enough with the disclaimers.

The rough draft of D2 was the hardest thing I have ever written, and I had no idea why. Why, when I sat down at my computer in the morning, would I do anything, ANYTHING to avoid typing a single word in the word document? Why would I write a sentence and then immediately delete it? Why did I develop such an affinity for cleaning instead of writing?

I explained it to myself several different ways, desperate to figure out what had turned the hobby and job I loved into something I regarded with such dread. And after discarding every explanation I came up with, I was finally able to land on the one that was actually true: it was all related to fear.

Something I have not shared, because I wasn't sure how to share it, is that I am A Person With Anxiety Problems. I have spent many an hour on a therapist's couch. Once I spent several hours breathing into a paper bag, and not just because it smelled nice. Most of that anxiety comes from my constant assessment of other people's opinions about me. Am I making him angry? Am I disappointing her? If I please everyone, I will finally feel safe. I must please everyone, all the time. I have made many unwise decisions in my pursuit of safety above all else. Decisions that were often to my detriment and, even worse, to the detriment of the people around me.

So, you can imagine what happened when I entered into a profession in which assessments of my work (and therefore me, or so it often seems to my somewhat neurotic mind) are constant, abundant, and very, very public. But in case you can't, I'll tell you: the anxiety got much worse.

Writing used to feel safe because it was so private. I could keep it to myself, and decide only after I was finished if I would show it to anyone. So when I was writing, I was secure; I could do whatever I wanted. But it didn't feel that way with D2. I was constantly aware that people would read what I was writing. And the assessment of other people's opinions crept into my safe space. What will she think of this? What if he doesn't like this? What if I let them all down? I have to please everyone, so that I can feel safe.

Several weeks ago I met with my pastor, and he asked me, in the course of our conversation, something to the effect of: do you think it's significant that, as someone who struggles so much with fear, you chose to write a book about bravery? Well if I didn't before, I do now, Jason.

Tris is someone who can step off the edge of a building not knowing what will meet her at the bottom. The moments in which she faces her fears are largely physical, far louder and more intense than any of our bravest moments will ever be. I don't know why I didn't realize that I wrote about her because I longed for that quality of hers that is so distinctive to me: she chooses the true thing instead of the safe thing. And what she discovers is that the freedom to become who she wants to be is worth the danger.

What I know now, after much reflection, is that I have brought much of this intense anxiety upon myself, because I have started to make decisions that do not feel safe, like Tris. I have let people down. Hurt them, sometimes. Pissed them off, other times. Surprised them, almost always. Yet I have not been able to translate this newfound insistence upon bravery into my writing.

I've been working with my bodyguards (agent, editor, etc.) to create a safer space to write, one in which I can stop the assessments of other people's opinions before they take me to darker places. But I know that's only a temporary solution, because I've learned from Tris that there aren't really safe places-- or that if there are, I don't really want to be in them, because it's not who I am. The permanent solution is something I learned from another character in DIVERGENT:

"I ignore my fear. When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn't exist." (145)

Writing is about decisions. Your characters make them, but more often, you make them. You decide what you are going to say and what you are not going to say; what you believe and what you do not believe; where you want the story to go and where you do not want it to go. And I don't want to be a writer who is ruled by fear. I want to be the one who says: they may not like it, but this story is as true as possible, so I don't mind.

Anxiety doesn't just disappear. I will probably always be someone who struggles with fear. But I am determined not to consult my fear when I make decisions, in life and in writing.

I think I wrote all this on the off-chance that you, like me, struggle with anxiety-- or just fear in general-- and might benefit from knowing that you're not the only one. Or maybe I just wrote it because there are no moving trains to jump off around here and this was the next best way to face my fears. Either way, it's time to be brave and revise.

Amazon Q&A

2011-04-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

I have a Q&A up on Amazon, and I mention it mostly because I thought the questions were particularly interesting. I had a great time answering them. Here's my favorite:

Q: You’re a young author--is it your current adult perspective or not-so-recent teenage perspective that brought about the factions in the development of this story? Do you think that teens or adults are more likely to fit into categories in our current society?

Roth: Other aspects of my identity have more to do with the factions than my age. The faction system reflects my beliefs about human nature—that we can make even something as well-intentioned as virtue into an idol, or an evil thing. And that virtue as an end unto itself is worthless to us. I did spend a large portion of my adolescence trying to be as “good” as possible so that I could prove my worth to the people around me, to myself, to God, to everyone. It’s only now that I’m a little older that I realize I am unable to be truly “good” and that it’s my reasons for striving after virtue that need adjustment more than my behavior. In a sense, Divergent is me writing through that realization—everyone in Beatrice’s society believes that virtue is the end, the answer. I think that’s a little twisted.

I think we all secretly love and hate categories—love to get a firm hold on our identities, but hate to be confined—and I never loved and hated them more than when I was a teenager. That said: Though we hear a lot about high school cliques, I believe that adults categorize each other just as often, just in subtler ways. It is a dangerous tendency of ours. And it begins in adolescence.

So if you'd like to learn more about some of the details of Divergent (or, heck, about my life philosophy), check it out. Have a good weekend, everyone!

My Book Is A Book. Did I Mention It's A Book? Or That It's A Book?

2011-04-06T10:40:00.000-05:00

Today I got a very strange package in the mail. It was shaped like a rectangular prism:

(Image from here.)

It was wrapped in orange tissue paper and secured by a piece of gold, curly ribbon. I suspect the bright color is intended to ward off potential predators. It did not, however, work on me. I tore through the flimsy attempt at self-protection to get a better sense of exactly what this package was.

Lo and behold, upon opening it, I discovered something of intense and awe-inspiring beauty.

What is this strange creature? How did it adapt to the point where it developed a jacket to keep it warm and safe? And how did I get the privilege of having it in my life?

And why does it SAY my NAME on it?

Okay-- in all seriousness.

GUYS. This is a BOOK. It has a JACKET. You can take the jacket off, and put it back on again, and take it off again, and put it on again...

Yesterday I was so cool, calm, and collected. I was all "yeah, I know my book comes out in a month. I'm looking forward to it, but no, I don't feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust. I'm chill. I'm drinking tea and reading in my pajama pants."

"Was" is the operative word.

Because right now? I'm "!!!!!MY BOOK IS A BOOK!!!!!!"

And I hate exclamation points. So I don't use them lightly.

I don't know what else to say, other than...LOOK AT IT WITHOUT THE JACKET!

FYI: This book came to me straight from the printer (well, straight from the HC, who got it straight from the printer), so it's one of about...ten copies that exist, or something. It's not out yet! Only 27 days left, though!

The First 100 Pages, and the DIVERGENT Dictionary

2011-04-04T12:29:00.000-05:00

The first 100 pages of DIVERGENT are online!

You can read them HERE.

You know. If you want.

It occurred to me yesterday that now that summaries/reviews/snippets/ARCs are more readily available, and the release date is fast approaching, it might be a good idea to provide some necessary information. Such as: the faction names. What do they mean?

I have been asked in the past if I made the words up. I didn't, but I did intentionally choose unfamiliar words, for an assortment of reasons. One of them is that I wanted to slow down comprehension of what each faction stands for, so you learn as much by observing as by the name of the faction itself. Another is that the definitions of the more obscure words are more specific, in interesting ways. And a third is (since I'm being honest, here) that they sound cooler.

People have also asked me why the faction names are different parts of speech-- three nouns (Candor, Amity, Abnegation) and two adjectives (Dauntless, Erudite). (For the record, I love this kind of grammar consciousness.) I am aware of that, and it was something I thought about in revisions. The reason for the discrepancy is that each faction chose their own names independently, just as they wrote their own manifestos independently, and formed their own customs and rules independently (to a certain extent, anyway). Keeping that in mind, I tried to pick the words that made the most sense for each faction without considering the other factions too much.

And so, from Merriam Webster:

DAUNTLESS: fearless, undaunted.

Undaunted: courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged.

It's those two definitions (fearless, and undaunted) that I found so fascinating. Being fearless and being undaunted are two different things. And the characters in DIVERGENT struggle with that distinction.

And from dictionary.com:

ABNEGATION: 1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.

2. to relinquish; give up

I like the verbs in that one: refuse, deny, reject, renounce--active forms of stripping things from your life. As opposed to relinquish, give up-- more passive.

ERUDITE: characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

The word "erudite" focuses on knowledge rather than intelligence-- intelligence being something you're born with, and can't necessarily control, and knowledge being something that you acquire. I find that interesting, given what I know about Erudite.

CANDOR: 1. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness.

2. freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality.

That definition definitely helped me flesh out Candor more, particularly in the second book. The faction is not just trying to develop honesty-- they're also trying to develop impartiality.

AMITY: 1. friendship; peaceful harmony.

2. mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord.

3. cordiality

It's not just about banjos and apple-picking. It's about cultivating strong relationships and trying to understand each other. Oh, Amity.

Also, it's not a faction, but for fun:

DIVERGENT: 1. diverging; differing; deviating.

2. pertaining to or causing divergence.

3. (of a mathematical expression) having no finite limits

Diverge: 1. to move, lie, or extend in different directions from a common point; branch off.

2. to differ in opinion, character, form, etc.; deviate.

3. Mathematics . (of a sequence, series, etc.) to have no unique limit; to have infinity as a limit.

4. to turn aside or deviate, as from a path, practice, or plan.

And:

FACTION: 1. a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like.

2. party strife and intrigue; dissension.

I'm just going to leave that one alone.

In the Grand Tradition of This Blog: Marshmallows, Happy Dances, and NEWS

2011-03-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

So, exciting news time.

(It’s been awhile since I’ve said that, hasn’t it?)

DIVERGENT film rights sold to Summit Entertainment!

(From here.)

Yes, Summit: of Twilight and The Hurt Locker fame.

And I’m crazy-excited! My experience with the people at Summit has been very positive so far—I think they have a great vision for the book, one that is close to my own. I also think they’re no strangers to taking risks, which is important to me. (coughDauntlesscough)

None of this would have happened if not for the amazing Pouya Shahbazian (“my film rep guy,” as I sometimes call him). He worked so hard to make this happen and I’m so appreciative—and so happy he’ll be involved with developing the film.

What This Does Not Mean: Instant movie! BAM! BRING ON THE ACTION FIGURES AND THE DIVERGENT THEMED HALLOWEEN CANDY!

What This Does Mean: Many wonderful people will be working hard to bring a movie to fruition. I will wait patiently and see what happens. (Okay, that’s a lie. I will wait impatiently and see what happens.)

I think this calls for a happy dance.

And some mini marshmallows.

Really Quick: About E-Mail

2011-02-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

I was crossing my fingers and hoping I wouldn't have to address this, but as time wears on I realize I probably should. Here goes: I am crap at answering e-mail.

Many of you have e-mailed me, either to ask for something in particular or simply to share your reactions to the ARC or the blog. The reasons I haven't responded are twofold:

A. I suddenly find myself getting a lot of e-mail, and by the end of the day, the collection of e-mails seems so large that I am almost certain it will congeal into an e-mail shaped monster with very sharp teeth that will eat me whole if I so much as try to respond even to one.

B. Because I am trying very hard to finish the rough draft of D2 (the sequel to Divergent, for those not In The Know), I have not had time to fashion myself a sword to combat that menacing e-mail monster. (Or, if you'd rather me say it plainly, I'm trying to prioritize: draft before e-mails.)

So I'm going to respond very generally here.

Question 1: "Can you send me an ARC?"

Lovely E-Mailer, I would love to send you an ARC. I really, really would. In fact, I would love to send you a free hardcover copy, even though those don't exist yet. But I just don't have them. If you would like an ARC, you must contact HarperCollins. I will try my best to forward your request, but that also takes a lot of time, so please be understanding if I don't manage to do that.

Question 2: "Can I interview you?"

Lovely E-Mailer #2, I would also love to do an interview. However, I won't be able to do every interview I'm asked to do. And I'm not sure how many I'm going to do. And I'm not sure how I'm going to pick which ones I do and don't do. So...give me a bit to figure that out. *flail* I will try to get back to you.

E-Mail 3: "I read your book! And it was [insert adjective here]!"

First of all, thank you so much for e-mailing me! I am really delighted to read reactions to the ARC. I'm even open to somewhat-less-positive reactions (though I don't delight in those so much, they are still important). And every e-mail I get, I do read, so I promise you that I got your e-mail, smiled at it, wanted to reply with a thank you and a few "what did you think of THIS part? Or THIS part? Did you get confused at THIS part?" questions, decided I needed to work on the draft first, put the e-mail aside, and promptly forgot about it. I'm going to try to respond to you all in due time, but I may not get to it, so I will say this here, now: I really appreciate hearing from you.

And for those of you wondering how on earth you can send me e-mail, my address is veronicarothbooks[at]gmail[dot]com.

BACK TO THE DRAFT CAVE!

Some Advice for Young Writers: Above All, Do the Work

2011-02-15T09:40:00.001-06:00

(Kinda makes me want to throw up just looking at it. Thanks, calebdrostphoto)

I think I've gotten asked about what advice I would give to young writers a few times recently, so, here goes.

My advice to young writers is manifold. The first is: learn to love criticism.

When I was a young(er) writer, I never wanted anyone to read my writing because I was afraid they would tell me that it sucked. So I hid all my stories away until college, when I took my first writing class, and no longer had the option of hiding anymore. So I lovingly crafted my first short story, revised it a million times, and then submitted it for workshop, thinking, "I'm pretty good. Maybe they'll like it."

And I. Got. Smashed. To. Bits.

Ouch.

But this story has a good ending, or I wouldn't be telling you. I went through the obligatory period of mourning, involving some anger and some tears. And then, several days later, I finally sat down with my story and something interesting happened. I found that I was able to look at it honestly. To see what some of my classmates had seen in it.

Soberly I set about revising it, toning down its ridiculousness, refining its rough edges, and reworking some of its themes. And the story, while still not very good, got better.

I've always been awed by people who do extreme sports (you know: skateboarding, BMX, etc.) because they continually get injured (and not just injured, but REALLY freaking injured) and then, weeks or months later when they finally heal, they're right back on that giant ramp on that little board with wheels, itching to try again. Is it masochism? Or is it something else?

But the thing is, if you want to be a good writer, you have to be a little like people who do extreme sports. For me, critique always hurts. But I keep throwing myself back into it because I love to write-- and not just to write, but to see my writing improve over time. There was nothing more rewarding than taking another class with my first writing professor, about a year after The Story We Do Not Speak Of, and hearing her tell me how much I surprised her with the progress I had made.

So my advice? Let people read your work. Not just ANY people, mind you, but people you trust to give you honest and constructive feedback. And when you get that feedback, don't be so stubborn that you can't listen to it. You're young and you don't know everything; I know that because I'm young too. But that's okay, because you have time to learn.

One of the quotes I see most often from writers is this one: "Ever try. Ever fail. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." (Samuel Beckett) I'm not REALLY into inspirational writer quotes, but I take that "fail better" to heart. I find it extremely useful to think about my writing that way. Because I still get criticized. (The only difference is, now a lot of it is/will continue to be public!)

I just tell myself to fail better next time.

The second piece of advice is: be persistent. I will say this: if you're only writing because you like the idea of being published, or something like that, you probably won't be able to make it through all the criticism you're going to get before you reach the "published" point. If you write because you love stories and you love words, you will continue to write no matter how hard people hit you with critique. And you should. Write your adolescent fingers off. Write so much your family thinks you're turning into a recluse. (Mine did!)

And last: be patient. It's hard, because everything in life feels like it's hurtling along so fast when you're a teenager that you get used to it, and you want everything to work that way. But if you declare your book finished too soon, and send queries too soon, you will get frustrated too soon. Take the time to learn, not just about writing, but about the publishing world and how it works.

Really, it all boils down to this: do the work. Writing is fun, but it's also work, and improvement and success don't just fall into your lap. That's true of any profession.

(But ours is the best one.)

It's Like I'm SEVENTEEN Again...

2011-02-14T11:10:00.000-06:00

So, in case you've all been wondering if I fell off the face of the earth and into some kind of dark abyss: I haven't, really. I have been hard at work finishing the first draft of D2, and will be depriving myself of most Internet usage until I accomplish that task. But this is an exception, because something COOL happened.

A little while ago I got an e-mail asking me for a photo, because...*dramatic pause*...Ann Shoket, the editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine wanted to include it in her Editor's Letter for the March issue. Immediately I ran to my computer (okay, I didn't run, because I was sitting right there) and e-mailed my sister, because she and I used to get Seventeen when we were younger (or rather, she got it, and I stole it from her.). And we had a little freakout moment together. It was wonderful.

The other day while I was in the glamorous town of Stockton, IL, I bought a copy of Seventeen in the local grocery store. Let me tell you: I have experienced nothing more bizarre than purchasing a magazine that has my face in it.

To Ann Shoket and everyone over at Seventeen: thank you for this extremely cool experience. And for liking Divergent!

And to everyone else, here's the page so you can see it:

If you're of Seventeen age, I encourage you to go out and get the magazine itself.

Heck, even if you're not.

I'm going to retreat into my writing cave again. Hopefully I'll be out soon!

Rounding Up Assorted News Items

2011-01-28T11:57:00.000-06:00

ITEM 1: Across the Universe

Maybe you've heard of it. It's not just a Beatles-themed musical/movie. It's a young adult sci-fi mystery. It's the book I'm currently dying to get back to, but have to do work first. It's also a NYT bestseller.

I had the pleasure of meeting Beth Revis last week at ABA Winter Institute (which I will discuss at greater length next week), and she is A. sweet and B. seemingly unaware of how awesome she is. A winning combination.

Anyway, here's a video in which many writers congratulate her by dancing on camera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F582kMjGpbI

And here's a post in which I congratulate her in a somewhat lamer way:

CONGRATULATIONS BETH! From what I can tell so far, your book totally warrants it.

Item 2: Book Covers

My friend Michelle Hodkin wrote this unique, amazing book called (tantalizingly) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. It will be out in the fall. I will talk about it at length some other time. But recently the cover appeared on the Internet as if from nowhere, and I sighed and said, "Perfection."

Because: kinda hot? Check. Kinda creepy? Also check. Visually appealing? Triple check. Perfect for the book, and perfect for covers generally. Here, enjoy:

I also spent too much time drooling over this:

I love how it kind of messes with your mind. And that it's clean, intriguing, and beautiful. I also can't wait to read it.

ITEM 3: Look!

DIVERGENT was on PW yesterday! So many wonderful things were said in that article. I sincerely hope that the book in some way measures up to those things. In any case, though, going to ABA Winter Institute was a great experience, and I love booksellers.

That is all.

Some Answers: On Sequels

2011-01-26T11:52:00.000-06:00

I want to know what the biggest challenge is working on a sequel.

Two things about this. First: one of the biggest challenges of working on a sequel, for me, is that It Will Exist In Large Quantities, IE, Will Be Published. When I wrote the first book, I wrote knowing that there were no guarantees; chances were, no one would ever read it. Now, writing the second one, I know that eventually people will read it, which means that I am constantly thinking about people reading it while I'm writing it, which makes it harder to break out of The Safe Box and explore things and fail miserably and start again, and so on, which are all integral to my writing process, especially the failing miserably.

It has been very difficult for me to turn off the "people are going to read this so it better be good!" voice that shouts at me all the time, but I've tried to develop a new way of thinking when I sit down to write, and that has helped some. I also think it just takes some getting used to.

Second: the trouble with sequels is this. In the first book, I explored some deeper themes (choice, moralism, goodness, etc.) as I was writing, not with the intention of Making A Point, but with the intention of...well, exploring. Questioning. Examining.

But with the second book, I found that I was just continuing the story I'd started in book one, which is fine, but somehow lacking. Certainly the story has to continue, but the deep exploration can't vanish, or the book is not as meaningful to me, which means it probably won't be as meaningful to the reader. It's something I wish I had kept in mind when I started, and that I am now remedying as I continue, and will keep trying to remedy as I revise.

My advice to people writing sequels is to think of the work not just as a continuation of the first book, but as a whole book in and of itself, with the same story arc, the same character arcs, and the same undercurrents of thoughtfulness that you would have in a stand-alone. Easier said than done, right?

How do you handle new ideas, when you know that the trilogy is just beginning? Do you write them down and then just plan to tackle them after all three books are complete?

What I do is: I let the idea percolate for awhile in my head--write it down, think it over, let it develop--and then I start to write whatever scenes I've got floating around. I usually get to about 30 pages before I get stuck and would normally have to do some serious thinking/exploratory writing, if I was going to commit to making it a full-length work. But instead of doing that serious thinking/exploratory writing, I just save the 30ish pages I have and put them aside. That way, if I decide to go back to that idea once the trilogy is done, I haven't forgotten anything crucial.

I know it sounds a little crazy to devote so much time and energy to a new idea, like I should just try to shove it out of my head. But if you're a writer, you know that doesn't work--the idea just pokes at you over and over again, begging you to write it. So I spend a little time on it, knowing that it will ultimately make it easier for me to re-focus on my trilogy writing.

Also, do you ever get nervous or anxious at the thought of working on the same story for so long?

Yes, definitely! But it was before I started book 2. Now that I'm almost done with the rough draft of book 2, it seems more like "well I'll just revise this, then write the next one, and that's it." (Yes, I do manage to sound extremely cavalier about putting WHOLE BOOKS together in my head...trust me, it's all talk.) I think the key is not to look too far ahead. Just take it one step at a time--one book at a time, one scene at a time. That's how I stopped feeling nervous about it.

Did you write Divergent as a stand-alone novel with series potential or just as a stand-alone? And if you wrote it with series potential, how did you leave it open ended enough that sequels can follow but not so open ended that agents reject it for a an ending that doesn't wrap up perfectly?

I wrote Divergent as a stand alone with series potential, which means that I worked very hard to find the right balance for the end: satisfying, such that the story could stop right there if it had to, but intriguing enough that people would want to read more. In my mind the world and greater story were always big enough for three books, so when I was asked how many I thought there would be, 3 was always the answer.

I don't know if I can answer the question of HOW I did that "satisfying but intriguing" thing without giving the ending away (although I will say--and I hope this doesn't sound arrogant-- that I believe I did strike that balance successfully), but I'll try. Basically, in Divergent there is The Immediate Conflict, which forms the plot of the book, and The Greater Conflict, which is essentially, how do these people get themselves out of this downward spiral (even if they just end up getting themselves into yet another downward spiral)?

It's like this: you're in a tiny, crappy boat in the middle of the ocean. And your boat springs a leak. ("CRAP! WE'RE GOING TO SINK! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE IF WE DON'T PLUG UP THIS LEAK RIGHT NOW!") You manage to plug up the leak, but once the leak is plugged, you are still in a tiny, crappy boat in the middle of the ocean, and really need to find land. ("CRAP. WE'RE STILL IN THIS BOAT!")

The plot of book 1 is like the leak. The series arc is being in the boat.

I think you try to answer the most pressing questions, like "what happens to Character X?" and "Does Character X ever reach Very Important Goal X?", etc, but leave other, not essential but still intriguing, questions unanswered. It's hard to figure out. If you have beta readers to tell you how they felt at the end, that's extremely helpful.

Awesome questions all. Thank you! Next week I'll be talking about Divergent specifically (inspiration! Writing process! Revision process! Etc.), if you want to check back again.

Some Answers: On College and Being Young

2011-01-17T13:33:00.000-06:00

First off: thanks so much for your questions, guys! I have a lot of blog posts to write now, and I'm happy to hear your feedback. Today I'm going to tackle some of the more practical questions, because I'm in that sort of mood. So, about college, and youth.

How did you juggle college and writing?

The best answer I can give to this is: I prioritized writing. That sometimes sounds misleading, so I'll say this-- I did work hard, attend class, and maintain good grades. But: I also figured out exactly what was necessary to be in good standing in any given class and did only that. I didn't always finish all the reading. I didn't always revise every paper to the best of my ability. I didn't always study until I felt confident about the material. Certainly I regret not engaging with some of the more interesting material as much as I should have.

But it's important, whether you're a writer or not, to remember that while you are a student, you are also a person. And I think you should prioritize being a person-- being healthy, sleeping, resting, hanging out with friends, exploring the world-- even at the expense of your grades. For me, part of being a person was writing. And I found that if I allowed myself time to be a person, when I did sit down to be a student, I worked HARD. I was far more focused during the time I set aside to work than I would have been if I had tried to work all day. So it's also a matter of using your time well. And you'll be able to use your time well if you have your priorities in order. That's my theory.

Sometimes the juggling was difficult, and didn't turn out well. Most of the time it was okay, if not great. So...there it is.

Is it hard being a "baby" in the published world? Does being so young hurt your chances or help?

Just to set the record straight: I was 21 when I wrote Divergent. BUT other talented authors like the delightful Kody Keplinger were even younger than that when they wrote their books. So this age question is an interesting one.

Being young didn't hurt my chances because it wasn't a factor. I didn't mention my age in query letters to agents; sometimes I didn't even mention that I was a student. JSV knew my age only because she'd met me in person, and she didn't care. She just wanted to see a good manuscript, and in that, she's not alone. I haven't met many people who care how young you are, as long as you write a good book.

In a certain sense it's difficult, because I'm just not as wise or mature as I'd like to be. That's not to say that I'm unwise and immature, because I'm not-- but sometimes I seriously struggle to handle the things that are on my plate, sometimes I react to things like a young person does (with stubbornness!), sometimes I get anxious about what's ahead of me because it feels too adult, too soon. Maybe older writers also have this struggle, but some of it is specific to my youth and my personality. I also know that I can only push my writing so far before I just have to say, "Wait. With time, wisdom. With wisdom, better writing."

But as far as my reception among other writers, or people in the publishing industry...being young is not a hindrance. Some people will make a thing out of it, but only in a good way ("And she's so young, too!"), in which case I try to remind myself I still have a lot to learn, so that it doesn't go to my head.

I'm a senior in high school who just finished all her college applications from hell and I'm quite curious to read of what you thought of the process when you were going through that period of application stress and all. I'd also love to know how Northwestern is like, as I applied there as well.

Applications! Ahh! Congrats on being finished with them, first of all. My application process was pretty easy, since I applied early decision to Carleton College, got my acceptance letter in December, and didn't have to think about anything after that. And then, when I decided to transfer, I applied to UChicago and Northwestern. Some people freak out and apply to a dozen; some people freak out and make a very logical list involving a few safety schools and a few "reach" schools; and I freaked out and made very intense, not particularly well thought-out decisions. But everyone freaks out. And you really never know about a school until you go there.

My one piece of advice is: don't make a decision about a school based on your perception of the people there. Even small colleges have thousands of people, and in any group of over a thousand people, or over a hundred people, you're going to have all KINDS of different personalities. You will find people to get along with wherever you go. It's just a matter of locating those people.

Northwestern is a great school, and I met a lot of wonderful people there. If you want me to get more specific, I will gladly do that-- just send me an e-mail! (veronicarothbooks@gmail.com)

I am currently a senior in high school and plan on majoring in English in college-hopefully creative writing-but I am a little hesitant. Since you majored in that area, I was wondering if you always knew that you would eventually publish a book or if you had some other idea of what you would do after college with a creative writing degree. Thanks!

I certainly hoped I would get a book published, and was even determined that I would eventually do so, but I didn't know if selling that book would supply me with enough income to write full time-- and in fact, I knew that would be nearly impossible, so I was fully prepared to seek other employment. My plan was to work in publishing, if at all possible. I was an editorial proofreading intern at Sourcebooks, and later did freelance proofreading for them, so I knew that my skills leaned toward the nitpicky editorial (copyediting! Proofreading!), and would have tried to get a job in that area somehow.

This isn't The Absolute Truth, but here's my experience: it doesn't really matter what you majored in. Study what you love. Get involved in an activity or two. Get good grades. Get an internship. Get a degree. Then your past internship and your degree will help you get the next internship/job. (Hopefully.)

You will be much happier if you spend your time in college studying something you're actually interested in, instead of something that seems practical, and I say with a reasonable amount of confidence that it won't harm your future if you're determined and lucky enough.

Note: I feel a little nervous giving advice about this, so...take it with a grain of salt. I have a very narrow range of experience.

(Oh, and if anyone still has questions, you can either keep asking them in the previous post, or e-mail me with them! I love them. Really.)

An Inquiry for Blog Readers

2011-01-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

(Thanks, Karen Eliot!)

It's no secret I haven't been posting as much lately, and part of that is because I'm hard at work on the rough draft of D2, but part of it is because I'm no longer sure what to say. Not that I don't have a million things to say, but this blog is less for me spilling my thoughts all the time and more for the enrichment of the people reading it (I hope), and I'm not sure what you guys are interested in hearing.

So, I wanted to know: does anyone have any questions? About me? About the book? About the book publishing process? About writing? About living in the Midwest? About...tea? About...college? (These are my only areas of expertise.)

I may not be able (or if they're really personal, willing) to answer all of them, but if you want to e-mail me at veronicarothbooks@gmail.com, or ask in the comments, I think your questions could inspire some worthwhile blog posts.

The "'Choice'-Themed Pictures Are My New Favorite Thing" Giveaway Winners!

2011-01-09T20:52:00.000-06:00

The last few days have been some of the best e-mail checking days of my life. So many choices! Mac or PC? Homework or Harry Potter? Art or writing? To destroy or not to destroy? The pen or the sword? And your looks of frustration or deep thought, numerous and varied as they all were, were also amusing. Clicking the button on the random number generator has never been so difficult.

But...

THE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR HAS SPOKEN.

And the winners are...

Mrsheisefpms!

and

Rachele Alpine!

and

Claire LeGrand!

Also, because Claire made her entry public on her blog, and I think we all need to bear witness to its wondrousness...here it is. (I know not everyone likes to put their faces on the Internet, or I would post them all!)

(Check it out on Claire's blog here.)

I laughed so hard when I saw that that I started coughing and spluttering. Which rarely happens.

As always, you are all amazing and I'm so glad you want to read Divergent. And I'm even more excited than usual for it to come out so that everyone can!

The "One Choice Can Transform You" ARC Giveaway

2011-01-06T11:41:00.000-06:00

It's a new year, which obviously means it's time to give away some books.

Obviously.

But first, I just found this using google image search. It comes from a test prep/teach you what fancy words mean website.

(From here.)

Oh. Man. Are you seeing these connections right now?!

1. "Diverged." Not so different from "Divergent," wouldn't you say?
2. One choice can transform you (that's the Divergent tagline)...into a skeleton at a fork in the road. Choices. Indecision. COMMON THEMES, people.
3. Then there's the whole, my name's in there, thing.

This comic and I were destined to meet. Destined.

I think every writer has certain preoccupations that continually present themselves in whatever work he or she is doing, and one of mine is: decisions. Every character with some semblance of agency makes decisions, obviously, but there's something about The Tough Life-Altering Decision In Which There Are Clear But Very Different Choices that fascinates me. What will a character decide, and for what reason? And why now? And what does it say about them? These questions nag me at all hours of the day, like a song you just can't get out of your head no matter how many times you whistle "happy birthday" or "ain't no mountain high enough" or whatever tune you use to dispel other tunes.

Indecision, therefore, is equally fascinating to me. It's a choice in and of itself, of course, but why does the brain sometimes gravitate toward one path or another, and sometimes get stuck like it just got dunked in superglue? (...What a strange visual that is.)

ANYWAY. As I said, I'm giving away ARCs! 3 of them! YAY! (And with those ARCs, I will include a little CD and little descriptions of where/why each song matches up with the book. I always find it interesting when I hear about other people's writing music, so hopefully you do, too!)

Here's the deal: if you want one, post in the comments below with your e-mail address and tell me so. BUT if you want one and don't mind being ridiculous, you can take a picture documenting choice-making in the spirit of Ze Divergent Tagline (One Choice Will Transform You) and I will enter your name twice instead of once.

By the way, here's an example:

(That's me "weighing my options," in case you couldn't tell.)

(And "pondering each option carefully.")

There. Now that I have embarrassed myself, maybe you won't be as afraid to. Do note that the picture doesn't have to be of you. It can be of your dog. Or of some kind of indecision-related object. Or some wacko MS Paint drawing you did at 3 in the morning.

Anyway: either post the picture on your blog and link me, or let me know in the comments that you're e-mailing a photo to me, and I'm sure I will enjoy this immensely.

Other Things:

It is now 12:30PM on Thursday. This contest will end at 12:30PM on Saturday. A short timeline, I know, but that's part of the fun. (I'll announce winners on Sunday afternoon, if you want to check back then.)

One entry per person.

(And I hate saying this, but...) US only.

Readysetgo.

Knowing Character Vs. Knowing About Character

2011-01-03T08:25:00.000-06:00

(The computer: one of The Basics. Also, this picture is COOL. Thanks, Alii_)

Recently it occurred to me that I might need to simplify things, as far as the writing goes. Writing advice is a good thing to hear, from time to time, because it gives you fresh ways of approaching your work. But ultimately, writing is not quite that methodical, at least not for me. I can't learn how to do it better in the same way that I can learn a language or how to complete a math problem. There isn't a formula. There's what I see and how I talk about it, and a lot of that is inexplicable.

Why do the words come out one way with one story and another way with another story? I have no idea. Why do little pieces of myself work their way into my work without my knowing? I don't know. Do I need to know? Probably not.

Anyway. For me, the first task of this new year is to pare down all the tidbits of advice floating around in my head in the hope of rediscovering The Basics: me, the word document, and the characters.

The other day I listened to a recording of Marilynne Robinson speaking at DePaul University, a talk titled "My Faith and My Fiction." (It's on iTunesU if you want to hear it! It's fascinating.) And I thought "AHA! Here is someone who is talking about writing in a way that is currently helpful to me. Perhaps I should transcribe part of it and put it on the blog!"

(No, this is not, word for word, what I thought. I rarely say AHA to myself. Or "perhaps.")

Anyway, enjoy:

"For me at least writing consists largely of exploring intuition. The character is really the sense of a character, embodied, attired, and given voice as he or she seems to require. Where does this creature come from? From watching, I suppose, from reading emotional significance in gestures and inflections as we all do all the time. These moments of intuitive recognition float free from their particular occasions and recombine themselves into nonexistent people the writer, and if all goes well, the reader, feel they know.

There is a great difference in fiction and in life between knowing someone and knowing about someone. When a writer knows about his character he is writing for plot. When he knows his character he is writing to explore, to feel reality on a set of nerves somehow not quite his own."

And later on...

"It was then that I had the sense of this, that I knew this man. ...I didn't have trouble sustaining the voice because I felt as if I knew him so well. It seemed more as if I simply had to pay attention to him than that I had to do anything else. I liked him; I enjoyed his company. Who knows where he came from?"

Cool, right? The last time I really knew a character was when I sat down to write the first draft of Divergent. Maybe one of the reasons I've been having trouble with the end of D2 is that I've lost touch with her.

Just some thoughts I'm having.

Anyone else have some writing resolutions?