Ask the Author: Veronica Roth
Answered Questions (28)
Veronica Roth
I'm glad you enjoyed them! Carve the Mark is similar in that it's YA and it has a strong love story and a lot of action. (And various things I apparently like, such as: training sequences, arena fights, complicated mother figures, and minor eyeball horror.) It's not similar in that it's not dystopian-- it's a second-world fantasy (ie: set in another world) with spaceships and planets. If you were on board with the level of fantasy that Star Wars offers, that's kind of where I'd situate it on the science fiction to fantasy spectrum. Hope that helps! Happy reading!
Veronica Roth
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I'm going to take this opportunity to give a bit of a backlist rundown, a "what should I read next" guide for anyone who sees this (and, of course, for you). I don't really have favorites, but I do have thoughts. What to read after Divergent sort of depends on what you really liked about Divergent, so...
If you loved the romance...
...you should probably read Carve the Mark, which is my most romantic book (except for Seek the Traitor's Son, which comes out in May 2026, just a heads up). It reads like fantasy even though there are planets and spaceships involved. Star-crossed lovers, fate, parents who are lying liars who lie, warring nations, the whole nine yards.
If you loved the setting, or the "only *she* can save them!/chosen one" vibes...
...you should read Chosen Ones, which is contemporary fantasy set in Chicago, ten years after the "chosen" teenagers have saved the world. Now they're cynical and bitter and have to go on a new adventure. Godspeed to all involved.
If you loved the "dystopia" of it all...
...you should read Poster Girl, which is a dystopian mystery set after the fall of an oppressive regime, as the former regime's "poster girl" gets the opportunity to earn her freedom by finding a missing girl. There's a social credit system and eye implants, you know how it is.
If you loved Tris's dynamic with her friends and a kind of warm/found family feeling...
...you should read When Among Crows, which is (like Chosen Ones) fantasy set in Chicago, this time with a kind of underworld of creatures from Slavic folklore. There's a mysterious man on a mission to find Baba Jaga for Reasons, a cursed woman who reluctantly helps him, and the charismatic hottie (imo) who comes along for the ride. With a dash of romance.
Okay, I hope that helps! Happy reading!
I'm going to take this opportunity to give a bit of a backlist rundown, a "what should I read next" guide for anyone who sees this (and, of course, for you). I don't really have favorites, but I do have thoughts. What to read after Divergent sort of depends on what you really liked about Divergent, so...
If you loved the romance...
...you should probably read Carve the Mark, which is my most romantic book (except for Seek the Traitor's Son, which comes out in May 2026, just a heads up). It reads like fantasy even though there are planets and spaceships involved. Star-crossed lovers, fate, parents who are lying liars who lie, warring nations, the whole nine yards.
If you loved the setting, or the "only *she* can save them!/chosen one" vibes...
...you should read Chosen Ones, which is contemporary fantasy set in Chicago, ten years after the "chosen" teenagers have saved the world. Now they're cynical and bitter and have to go on a new adventure. Godspeed to all involved.
If you loved the "dystopia" of it all...
...you should read Poster Girl, which is a dystopian mystery set after the fall of an oppressive regime, as the former regime's "poster girl" gets the opportunity to earn her freedom by finding a missing girl. There's a social credit system and eye implants, you know how it is.
If you loved Tris's dynamic with her friends and a kind of warm/found family feeling...
...you should read When Among Crows, which is (like Chosen Ones) fantasy set in Chicago, this time with a kind of underworld of creatures from Slavic folklore. There's a mysterious man on a mission to find Baba Jaga for Reasons, a cursed woman who reluctantly helps him, and the charismatic hottie (imo) who comes along for the ride. With a dash of romance.
Okay, I hope that helps! Happy reading!
Veronica Roth
I have two thoughts for you:
1. Do you need detailed character descriptions? Reading is a cooperative experience. The author offers something, yes, but the reader offers something, too. So think of your initial introduction to a character as just that-- an offering of your highest priorities, that you will either leave to the reader's imagination after that point or you'll add to, piece by piece, as the character takes shape. You don't have to do everything at once-- and especially in first person, what your main character notices about other people (particularly over time) says something about them as well as whoever they're describing, which is pretty cool.
2. I question whether you really need to think about likability at all. I'm not saying everyone needs to go out there and write "unlikeable" characters, but I think stressing over "likability" just isn't useful to a writer. Building a character who's interesting, who wants things they can't get, who has strengths and weaknesses, who triumphs or fails, who speaks a certain way, acts a certain way, dresses a certain way, whatever-- those are all more important things to consider than whether the character is likable. Likability is mostly a side effect, and it's not that hard to achieve. A person can like a pencil if you tell them his name is Jerry and he's always wanted to be a red pen because red pens can't be erased. (Aw, Jerry.)
1. Do you need detailed character descriptions? Reading is a cooperative experience. The author offers something, yes, but the reader offers something, too. So think of your initial introduction to a character as just that-- an offering of your highest priorities, that you will either leave to the reader's imagination after that point or you'll add to, piece by piece, as the character takes shape. You don't have to do everything at once-- and especially in first person, what your main character notices about other people (particularly over time) says something about them as well as whoever they're describing, which is pretty cool.
2. I question whether you really need to think about likability at all. I'm not saying everyone needs to go out there and write "unlikeable" characters, but I think stressing over "likability" just isn't useful to a writer. Building a character who's interesting, who wants things they can't get, who has strengths and weaknesses, who triumphs or fails, who speaks a certain way, acts a certain way, dresses a certain way, whatever-- those are all more important things to consider than whether the character is likable. Likability is mostly a side effect, and it's not that hard to achieve. A person can like a pencil if you tell them his name is Jerry and he's always wanted to be a red pen because red pens can't be erased. (Aw, Jerry.)
Veronica Roth
At one time-- years ago now-- I thought I might write a sequel, but I currently have no plans to do so, as my publishing situation has changed and I like where the book ends. I've tried to get the "sequel" removed from Goodreads so that it's not out there misleading everyone, but it hasn't worked so far, alas!
Veronica Roth
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. If you liked Ark, I think the next logical step is to read Poster Girl. The actual plot is "after the fall of a dystopian regime, a disgraced woman is tasked with finding a missing girl," but it's moody and thoughtful and concerned with grief and growth, the way that Ark is.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
Veronica Roth
This is a tricky one, because what you're describing (not finding the right ideas, getting stuck in tricky parts, etc.) is just how writing feels a lot of the time, no matter how experienced you are. The specific nature of the problems you run into will change with each book, but you will still run into problems.
A lot of people struggle with the idea of writing vs. the reality of it. That's okay; it's hard, with a solo activity, to know what's "normal" and what's not. But the reality of writing is that it's often frustrating and difficult. I am, for example, constantly writing the "wrong" ideas, at first. I've gotten better at stopping myself right when I realize an idea is wrong and going back to the last point at which the story worked, but I have not stopped writing the "wrong" ideas a lot of the time. I've gotten better at thinking my way through the tricky parts so they don't derail me for too long. I've made my peace with the idea that a lot of what I write will end up being irrelevant to the story, and I'll have to pare it down later.
So, basically what I'm telling you is: you're doing it. You're doing the thing! Yes, the thing is annoying sometimes. It is also, in my opinion, an extremely rewarding process. But I won't leave you completely without practical advice, so, here are some thoughts:
- Make a list of all the scenes you have ideas for. Then try to isolate which scenes on your list are absolutely necessary to get your story from A to B. These aren't necessarily your favorites or the most fun scenes-- they're the plot-moving ones. Try to fill in the gaps between them. That's a pretty good basic outline that can guide you through the writing process.
- If you find that writing with an outline sucks the joy out of it for you, toss it. There's no rule that says you need one. But if you decide to toss it, know that you will likely have to do more exploring than if you had one. And that will mean cutting, trimming, or changing a lot of your work at the revising stage.
- When you hit a tricky part, put on a song that reminds you of the story and take a walk. Try to visualize the tricky part you're stuck on. That's what I do, anyway.
- Try to explain your story to a trusted friend. This will be tedious for them, so consider buying them a coffee in exchange, or something. The exercise of trying to tell your story out loud or in an email or whatever is extremely helpful for identifying areas of confusion or weak points in your story, but for some reason it only works for me if there's an actual person on the other end of it. Give it a whirl.
I hope that helps.
V
A lot of people struggle with the idea of writing vs. the reality of it. That's okay; it's hard, with a solo activity, to know what's "normal" and what's not. But the reality of writing is that it's often frustrating and difficult. I am, for example, constantly writing the "wrong" ideas, at first. I've gotten better at stopping myself right when I realize an idea is wrong and going back to the last point at which the story worked, but I have not stopped writing the "wrong" ideas a lot of the time. I've gotten better at thinking my way through the tricky parts so they don't derail me for too long. I've made my peace with the idea that a lot of what I write will end up being irrelevant to the story, and I'll have to pare it down later.
So, basically what I'm telling you is: you're doing it. You're doing the thing! Yes, the thing is annoying sometimes. It is also, in my opinion, an extremely rewarding process. But I won't leave you completely without practical advice, so, here are some thoughts:
- Make a list of all the scenes you have ideas for. Then try to isolate which scenes on your list are absolutely necessary to get your story from A to B. These aren't necessarily your favorites or the most fun scenes-- they're the plot-moving ones. Try to fill in the gaps between them. That's a pretty good basic outline that can guide you through the writing process.
- If you find that writing with an outline sucks the joy out of it for you, toss it. There's no rule that says you need one. But if you decide to toss it, know that you will likely have to do more exploring than if you had one. And that will mean cutting, trimming, or changing a lot of your work at the revising stage.
- When you hit a tricky part, put on a song that reminds you of the story and take a walk. Try to visualize the tricky part you're stuck on. That's what I do, anyway.
- Try to explain your story to a trusted friend. This will be tedious for them, so consider buying them a coffee in exchange, or something. The exercise of trying to tell your story out loud or in an email or whatever is extremely helpful for identifying areas of confusion or weak points in your story, but for some reason it only works for me if there's an actual person on the other end of it. Give it a whirl.
I hope that helps.
V
Veronica Roth
Start with the first scene you want to write. It may not be the beginning you will ultimately need, but that doesn't matter. Just pick a spot and start.
I always start my stories in the wrong place. I usually write 50-75 unnecessary pages at the beginning of a book so that I can feel my way into it. It annoys me that I do this, because it feels like a waste of time, but it's the only way that works for me. Only when I have a rough draft can I look back and see where the story really needs to begin. So my point is, you're not going to magically come up with the perfect beginning for a story-- you need to just tell the story as it comes to you, and worry about its starting place later.
I always start my stories in the wrong place. I usually write 50-75 unnecessary pages at the beginning of a book so that I can feel my way into it. It annoys me that I do this, because it feels like a waste of time, but it's the only way that works for me. Only when I have a rough draft can I look back and see where the story really needs to begin. So my point is, you're not going to magically come up with the perfect beginning for a story-- you need to just tell the story as it comes to you, and worry about its starting place later.
Veronica Roth
My favorite book of the series is Divergent. It was the one that I wrote in the pure joy of creating something without anyone watching. Special shout-out to Four, which surprised me with how fun it was to write.
My favorite character is probably Tris. I don't think I would have chosen her to tell the story if I didn't love her the most. But my favorite non-main character is probably Evelyn. I love her arc so much, and when I reread the series last year, her complicated relationship with Four was one of my favorite parts, especially in Allegiant.
My favorite character is probably Tris. I don't think I would have chosen her to tell the story if I didn't love her the most. But my favorite non-main character is probably Evelyn. I love her arc so much, and when I reread the series last year, her complicated relationship with Four was one of my favorite parts, especially in Allegiant.
Veronica Roth
If spoiling things is your primary concern: yes, you can, it only overlaps with Divergent plot-wise.
If you want the full experience of cursing my name to the heavens that many other divergent readers have had before you: read it after allegiant.
If you want the full experience of cursing my name to the heavens that many other divergent readers have had before you: read it after allegiant.
Veronica Roth
Some tips:
- Try going back to the point when you last felt like your story was working...and move everything after that point to a new document that you will call "deleted stuff." Then start again from that "working" point.
- Take a break and work on something else
- Take a break and don't work on anything. Just do other things you like in the time you would have spent writing and try not to think about writing for awhile.
- Make a story playlist and listen to it while you try to remember what sparked your interest in the project to begin with
- Gather up a bunch of stuff you love in your mind (books, movies, tv, whatever) and consider what you love about each thing. Then think about how you might introduce some of the things you love into the story you're working on, even if that wasn't part of the original plan.
- Relatedly: throw out or change the original plan.
- Make a new document and start experimenting. Try writing from a new POV, writing a scene from later in the story, rewriting an old scene in a different way, writing in a new tense, only writing dialogue, a random barista AU, I don't care, just do weird shit and keep doing it until you hate it and then try new weird shit.
- Read what you have out loud to yourself.
- Reread an old favorite.
- Look at something old you've written and think about how to mash it up with the thing you're working on.
- Drink some water
- Talk to a friend about what's not working
- Talk to yourself in the shower, playing the part of a character in your scene.
- Scream into the void
- Stare into the void
- Become void yourself
I feel like that's enough to get you started. Good luck!
- Try going back to the point when you last felt like your story was working...and move everything after that point to a new document that you will call "deleted stuff." Then start again from that "working" point.
- Take a break and work on something else
- Take a break and don't work on anything. Just do other things you like in the time you would have spent writing and try not to think about writing for awhile.
- Make a story playlist and listen to it while you try to remember what sparked your interest in the project to begin with
- Gather up a bunch of stuff you love in your mind (books, movies, tv, whatever) and consider what you love about each thing. Then think about how you might introduce some of the things you love into the story you're working on, even if that wasn't part of the original plan.
- Relatedly: throw out or change the original plan.
- Make a new document and start experimenting. Try writing from a new POV, writing a scene from later in the story, rewriting an old scene in a different way, writing in a new tense, only writing dialogue, a random barista AU, I don't care, just do weird shit and keep doing it until you hate it and then try new weird shit.
- Read what you have out loud to yourself.
- Reread an old favorite.
- Look at something old you've written and think about how to mash it up with the thing you're working on.
- Drink some water
- Talk to a friend about what's not working
- Talk to yourself in the shower, playing the part of a character in your scene.
- Scream into the void
- Stare into the void
- Become void yourself
I feel like that's enough to get you started. Good luck!
Veronica Roth
I spent a long time fighting against the voice that came naturally to me, which was a bit sparser and more straightforward than some of the writing that I admired most when I was younger. But in college I was in a writing class with a professor I ended up taking quite a few classes with, and she circled one paragraph in one of my assignments and said, "this is the best writing in the piece." That paragraph was notable because of its clarity and precision-- not because of any "pretty" or clever language.
This moment unlocked something for me, which is that I was fighting so hard to be a writer I wasn't-- and I needed to just become the best version of the writer that I am. Since then my highest priorities have been clarity and precision, even if I don't always get there. And believe me, there's plenty of room to grow in that style if that's the style that comes naturally to you. And not for nothing, it can be just as beautiful.
The critical moment, for me, was having someone reflect my work back to me clearly, and being able to accept what I saw. I think most writers know what comes naturally to them, but they might not like it, or they might not know how to develop it. Something that might help is trying on different styles to see how they feel. I did that in school and it was really valuable. You just have to think of some writers you admire, then identify what it is about each writer you admire that makes them distinct, and then write a few pages in which you try to emulate those qualities. Inevitably you'll find that some people are easier for you to imitate than others-- and that can help you to discover what works best for you and your voice.
Best of luck out there, writers!
This moment unlocked something for me, which is that I was fighting so hard to be a writer I wasn't-- and I needed to just become the best version of the writer that I am. Since then my highest priorities have been clarity and precision, even if I don't always get there. And believe me, there's plenty of room to grow in that style if that's the style that comes naturally to you. And not for nothing, it can be just as beautiful.
The critical moment, for me, was having someone reflect my work back to me clearly, and being able to accept what I saw. I think most writers know what comes naturally to them, but they might not like it, or they might not know how to develop it. Something that might help is trying on different styles to see how they feel. I did that in school and it was really valuable. You just have to think of some writers you admire, then identify what it is about each writer you admire that makes them distinct, and then write a few pages in which you try to emulate those qualities. Inevitably you'll find that some people are easier for you to imitate than others-- and that can help you to discover what works best for you and your voice.
Best of luck out there, writers!
Veronica Roth
I believe the Four stories are listed individually as well as bundled together in the book Four-- so they're the same stories, just maybe in a different format.
Veronica Roth
Hi!
These days I pretty consistently have a new book out every year to two years-- this past year I had Poster Girl (dystopian mystery set after an authoritarian regime was toppled) and Arch-Conspirator (sci fi retelling of the Greek tragedy Antigone) come out, and in May I have When Among Crows, which is a contemporary fantasy involving creatures from Polish folklore in modern-day Chicago on a Wizard of Oz-style quest to see legendary witch Baba Jaga.
These days I pretty consistently have a new book out every year to two years-- this past year I had Poster Girl (dystopian mystery set after an authoritarian regime was toppled) and Arch-Conspirator (sci fi retelling of the Greek tragedy Antigone) come out, and in May I have When Among Crows, which is a contemporary fantasy involving creatures from Polish folklore in modern-day Chicago on a Wizard of Oz-style quest to see legendary witch Baba Jaga.
Veronica Roth
For anyone reading this who doesn't know the Redundancy, may I direct you to the short story that I wrote called "Void." It's a murder mystery set on a shuttle that takes people between two solar systems (the ship is the Redundancy); the main character is a detective-show-obsessed janitor.
To answer your question, though, I really loved the Redundancy in a way I wasn't quite prepared for-- the characters came together in a kind of "workplace comedy" way that felt cozy to me even if the story was still, you know, about a murder-- so I wouldn't be surprised if I return to that ship one day, though I don't currently have any specific plans.
To answer your question, though, I really loved the Redundancy in a way I wasn't quite prepared for-- the characters came together in a kind of "workplace comedy" way that felt cozy to me even if the story was still, you know, about a murder-- so I wouldn't be surprised if I return to that ship one day, though I don't currently have any specific plans.
Veronica Roth
I've never chiseled a sculpture out of a big rock, so this is probably going to be a wildly inaccurate comparison, but I imagine at a certain point you just have to pick up hammer and chisel and give it a whack, and the same is true of writing a book.
I have tried several methods, but I always feel like a child attempting to jump into cold water. Do I dip in a toe or do I just hurl my body into the pool? Sometimes I make a list of all the scenes I have ideas for and then I start writing one, and then inevitably I hate it, trash it, and start over; sometimes I just start writing and then stop, write an outline, and start over; sometimes I make a meticulous outline and then start writing the first scene, decide I hate it, throw it out, and start over.
Basically what I'm telling you is that if it feels daunting, that's because it is, and you have to find a way to make your brain understand that whatever you start with probably won't end up in the final draft (at least not without a lot of revising), and that's FINE and the only "right" way to start is with the scene you need to start with, even if you ultimately cut 50+ pages from your beginning, which I have done several times before (Carve the Mark, Chosen Ones, and my current work in progress).
So if what you need to do is start in the middle, do that; if you need to start with a scene that's really interesting to you, do that; if you need to start five different times and then pick the best one, do that; if you need to write a detailed outline before you make an attempt at writing a scene; do that; and if one of these things doesn't work for you, let go of it and try something else. Just take a chunk out of that rock, my friend, and the more you chisel the more your draft will take shape, even if you have to lose some bits along the way.
I have tried several methods, but I always feel like a child attempting to jump into cold water. Do I dip in a toe or do I just hurl my body into the pool? Sometimes I make a list of all the scenes I have ideas for and then I start writing one, and then inevitably I hate it, trash it, and start over; sometimes I just start writing and then stop, write an outline, and start over; sometimes I make a meticulous outline and then start writing the first scene, decide I hate it, throw it out, and start over.
Basically what I'm telling you is that if it feels daunting, that's because it is, and you have to find a way to make your brain understand that whatever you start with probably won't end up in the final draft (at least not without a lot of revising), and that's FINE and the only "right" way to start is with the scene you need to start with, even if you ultimately cut 50+ pages from your beginning, which I have done several times before (Carve the Mark, Chosen Ones, and my current work in progress).
So if what you need to do is start in the middle, do that; if you need to start with a scene that's really interesting to you, do that; if you need to start five different times and then pick the best one, do that; if you need to write a detailed outline before you make an attempt at writing a scene; do that; and if one of these things doesn't work for you, let go of it and try something else. Just take a chunk out of that rock, my friend, and the more you chisel the more your draft will take shape, even if you have to lose some bits along the way.
Veronica Roth
When I was trying to get published for the first time, I truly didn't think it would work. I've lived a lot of my life this way, with a kind of Teflon-like defensive pessimism that makes it okay to take risks because you expect failure, and any success, no matter how minute, is a happy surprise. So when I sent out query letters for Divergent-- the second manuscript that I pursued representation with-- I was pretty sure it wasn't going to work out, and that I would have to write another manuscript, and another one, and then MAYBE it would come together for me. But I was in no rush.
And perhaps there's some dysfunction in that, but there's also maybe some wisdom, because I truly enjoyed writing and coming up with new ideas and I was content to keep doing that, knowing I had plenty of time to find the "right" project. And I made plans for how to earn a living while failing regularly, because I'm a pretty practical person.
If you've read the rest of my answers here, you might have seen me advocate for a certain level of detachment from any one idea, and this is why-- because I refuse to let the failure of any single idea derail me from the thing I love doing, which is writing.
Loving the process is one way to get rid of those nerves. Because listen, just because a book gets published doesn't mean it's any good (you KNOW this, you've read bad traditionally published books before, I'm sure), and just because a book is good doesn't mean it's going to get published (the amount of amazing manuscripts I've read that didn't sell would surprise you), and just because you think your book is good doesn't mean it is, and just because your book IS good doesn't mean you'll think it is! No one knows anything, really, and no one can predict the future. So do what you love and give it a try and accept that your imperfect work may make it into the world and haunt you with its imperfections forever, because that is how publishing books works. And that's okay, too, because you can, in fact, learn how to be proud of your past self and what they accomplished...and also recognize that you need to improve and grow.
Trust me, I know.
I wish you the very best luck-- and more importantly, I wish you many happy writing days.
And perhaps there's some dysfunction in that, but there's also maybe some wisdom, because I truly enjoyed writing and coming up with new ideas and I was content to keep doing that, knowing I had plenty of time to find the "right" project. And I made plans for how to earn a living while failing regularly, because I'm a pretty practical person.
If you've read the rest of my answers here, you might have seen me advocate for a certain level of detachment from any one idea, and this is why-- because I refuse to let the failure of any single idea derail me from the thing I love doing, which is writing.
Loving the process is one way to get rid of those nerves. Because listen, just because a book gets published doesn't mean it's any good (you KNOW this, you've read bad traditionally published books before, I'm sure), and just because a book is good doesn't mean it's going to get published (the amount of amazing manuscripts I've read that didn't sell would surprise you), and just because you think your book is good doesn't mean it is, and just because your book IS good doesn't mean you'll think it is! No one knows anything, really, and no one can predict the future. So do what you love and give it a try and accept that your imperfect work may make it into the world and haunt you with its imperfections forever, because that is how publishing books works. And that's okay, too, because you can, in fact, learn how to be proud of your past self and what they accomplished...and also recognize that you need to improve and grow.
Trust me, I know.
I wish you the very best luck-- and more importantly, I wish you many happy writing days.
Veronica Roth
I'm just going to talk about Tris, because otherwise I'll ramble on and on, and each character is different.
In the beginning, I knew three things about Tris: I knew she was born in Abnegation, I knew she would choose Dauntless, and I knew what she sounded like.
The manuscript I wrote before Divergent was a little more "voicey," which for me meant WORDY, and an agent who ultimately rejected it did me the huge favor of marking up the writing in the first five pages to show me how I could improve my prose. (That agent signed me with Divergent, by the way, and we are still working together now.) My creative writing professor had made similar observations at around the same time, pointing out a particularly well-written passage in one of my assignments. After those two experiences, I realized that my natural voice as a writer is spare, not particularly poetic, and I wanted to make sure that my next manuscript embraced that as a strength instead of trying to change it. So I decided to write from the point of view of a character whose voice was as concise and clear as I wanted my writing to be.
This choice was about the style of prose in my manuscript, yes, but it was also about Tris. An Abnegation girl with a tight, sharp voice who chooses Dauntless -- that says a lot about her, doesn't it? It told me that she looked harmless, but she wasn't harmless at all. That her bravery would be surprising. That her insides didn't match her outsides. And really, that's a lot to know about a character at the start.
I got to know her better as I proceeded through her story, of course, and that's how I always build characters-- by seeing how they react to the world around them and by defining what they want in the midst of their situations. But it's good to have a starting point, and for Tris, her voice was mine. Each character has a little story like this, of the moment that I "got" them. For Tobias it was when he took Tris through his fear landscape. For Tris's mother it was when she told Tris to have a piece of cake. They're moments of oddness that surprise me, but also *don't* surprise me-- moments of insight when what I don't know collides with what I've always known.
This is the subconscious aspect of writing-- you put the words down, but you're still startled by them. The trick with characters, then, is to stay open to surprise. And I do that by just feeling my way through the necessary scenes. I plan the plot but I don't plan every moment. And sometimes that makes me go back and change the outline.
In the beginning, I knew three things about Tris: I knew she was born in Abnegation, I knew she would choose Dauntless, and I knew what she sounded like.
The manuscript I wrote before Divergent was a little more "voicey," which for me meant WORDY, and an agent who ultimately rejected it did me the huge favor of marking up the writing in the first five pages to show me how I could improve my prose. (That agent signed me with Divergent, by the way, and we are still working together now.) My creative writing professor had made similar observations at around the same time, pointing out a particularly well-written passage in one of my assignments. After those two experiences, I realized that my natural voice as a writer is spare, not particularly poetic, and I wanted to make sure that my next manuscript embraced that as a strength instead of trying to change it. So I decided to write from the point of view of a character whose voice was as concise and clear as I wanted my writing to be.
This choice was about the style of prose in my manuscript, yes, but it was also about Tris. An Abnegation girl with a tight, sharp voice who chooses Dauntless -- that says a lot about her, doesn't it? It told me that she looked harmless, but she wasn't harmless at all. That her bravery would be surprising. That her insides didn't match her outsides. And really, that's a lot to know about a character at the start.
I got to know her better as I proceeded through her story, of course, and that's how I always build characters-- by seeing how they react to the world around them and by defining what they want in the midst of their situations. But it's good to have a starting point, and for Tris, her voice was mine. Each character has a little story like this, of the moment that I "got" them. For Tobias it was when he took Tris through his fear landscape. For Tris's mother it was when she told Tris to have a piece of cake. They're moments of oddness that surprise me, but also *don't* surprise me-- moments of insight when what I don't know collides with what I've always known.
This is the subconscious aspect of writing-- you put the words down, but you're still startled by them. The trick with characters, then, is to stay open to surprise. And I do that by just feeling my way through the necessary scenes. I plan the plot but I don't plan every moment. And sometimes that makes me go back and change the outline.
Veronica Roth
Really the best advice I can give you is to hold on to your character loosely enough that you are willing to explore their flaws. This is probably a frustratingly vague answer to give, but I mean it. Some writers are so attached to their characters that they can't stand to watch them fail-- and I mean REALLY fail, like catastrophically, relationship-destroyingly, WTF-ically fail. And that's not just a creative problem, it's a human problem; it's a person underestimating just how much they can or should empathize with a flawed human being.
I'm currently outlining a project, and I have a scene in the outline that involves the main character succeeding on a moral level-- doing something brave for another person. I wrote it that way because I thought that moment would be right for a friendship-cementing act. About an hour ago, though, I thought, "Maybe this moment is actually right for failure." Maybe it's a moment to let the character mess up. To create an opportunity for complexity. To create a low point in the friendship so that there's greater motivation for a high point. Maybe I want my character to feel like they have to earn trust-- to go to great lengths to do so. Maybe that would be more interesting.
There's no right path forward here, but this choice affects my character in a real way. Are they steadfast from the start in this friendship? Brave and selfless at their core? Will I have to find another place to explore their flaws? OR... is this going to be the starting point for their growth and self-discovery? Are they going to find out that in a moment of stress, they value self-preservation over friendship, and is that going to motivate them to do better? (or not?) I'm not sure what I'm going to choose. But I'm entertaining the notion of catastrophic failure, and that's what I'm getting at-- you have to be willing to ask the question. Even in scenes that seem very straightforward and necessary to you, ask yourself what would happen if your character screwed up instead. What that would mean for them. What kinds of paths it opens up for your story.
Keep in mind, we don't love characters because they're perfect. We love them because they're human-- which is to say, they're capable at any moment of deep compassion, beauty, and strength...but also of selfishness, cruelty, or carelessness.
I'm currently outlining a project, and I have a scene in the outline that involves the main character succeeding on a moral level-- doing something brave for another person. I wrote it that way because I thought that moment would be right for a friendship-cementing act. About an hour ago, though, I thought, "Maybe this moment is actually right for failure." Maybe it's a moment to let the character mess up. To create an opportunity for complexity. To create a low point in the friendship so that there's greater motivation for a high point. Maybe I want my character to feel like they have to earn trust-- to go to great lengths to do so. Maybe that would be more interesting.
There's no right path forward here, but this choice affects my character in a real way. Are they steadfast from the start in this friendship? Brave and selfless at their core? Will I have to find another place to explore their flaws? OR... is this going to be the starting point for their growth and self-discovery? Are they going to find out that in a moment of stress, they value self-preservation over friendship, and is that going to motivate them to do better? (or not?) I'm not sure what I'm going to choose. But I'm entertaining the notion of catastrophic failure, and that's what I'm getting at-- you have to be willing to ask the question. Even in scenes that seem very straightforward and necessary to you, ask yourself what would happen if your character screwed up instead. What that would mean for them. What kinds of paths it opens up for your story.
Keep in mind, we don't love characters because they're perfect. We love them because they're human-- which is to say, they're capable at any moment of deep compassion, beauty, and strength...but also of selfishness, cruelty, or carelessness.
Veronica Roth
Really glad you enjoyed the first book! I would read it in the order it was published: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and then Four. While the events in Four precede (and then overlap with) Divergent, it doesn't have the same impact if you haven't read the entire series already. (Not to mention the fact that it doesn't spend time on world-building, since it assumes you've read the series already.)
Veronica Roth
The thing about the speed of Divergent is that when you piece together all the drafting and revising time, it took roughly the same amount of time that many of my other books did: a year and change. Yes, I drafted it quickly, but it was quite short (50,000 words, as opposed to its finished length of 105,000 words) and I would describe that draft as scaffolding. I didn't know that at the time, of course, but it's easy to see now.
It takes me about a year and a half to draft and revise a book once I've committed to a concept. The important thing to note there is that my ideas have to sit for a lot longer than that before I ever draft them. I sent the concept of Chosen Ones to my agent years before the book actually sold; I have a little "first scene" of Poster Girl on my computer from around the same time. Even with Divergent, a few chapters from a version of that story sat for four years before I knew what to make of it. This is why I think it's important to let ideas flow constantly, to take breaks from your "main" project and write up a little paragraph of something new, or a page, or a chapter. Give yourself the opportunity to let something simmer in the background.
As for first time authors-- I find they fall along a particular spectrum. At one end is a writer who's impatient and overly confident, frustrated with the market and convinced they can do better than what's out there; at the other end is a writer who's timid and careful, working and reworking their draft for years and thinking they can control its success by making it perfect. It's hard to give advice without knowing where someone falls on this spectrum.
If you are more impatient, what you need is thoughtful critique of your draft. (No shade; I leaned this way, too.) You need to give yourself a reality check and realize that you don't know everything, either about writing a book or even about writing *your* book. You need to slow down and do the hard work of listening to hard things and maybe even let your draft sit for a few months as you think about other stories, so that you can return to it with a new perspective.
If you're more timid, you need to loosen your grip. You need to understand that no first attempt or second attempt or even fiftieth attempt at writing a book will be perfect. Even when I've put books into the world that I felt were absolutely polished and tightly written, it only takes me a few months to figure out what I could have done better. You can't work and rework a book into perfection. And if you try, you'll just get stuck-- mired in this one idea until every last one of your hopes hang on it, and that's not healthy or practical in this industry where even amazing ideas sometimes fail or get ignored. The best way to get better as a writer is to write more, but thoughtfully. That doesn't only mean write more of the one idea you're obsessed with. It means working on completely new ideas, again and again, to teach yourself how to better develop a story from start to finish.
You can see why this is tricky-- one group needs to slow down and the other needs to speed up. There's no magical solution here. You will develop a sense for "this is as good as I can get it to be" over time, through practice. You won't have that sense now, and that's fine. Just do your best, and if it doesn't work, try again. If that happens to you, let yourself believe that a new story can be even better than the one you had to leave behind.
Writing is work that you can do for a lifetime. It will reward you continuously-- not because of the success it does or does not bring, but because the work is intrinsically rewarding. At least, that's what I think. Best of luck with your work! You can do it!
It takes me about a year and a half to draft and revise a book once I've committed to a concept. The important thing to note there is that my ideas have to sit for a lot longer than that before I ever draft them. I sent the concept of Chosen Ones to my agent years before the book actually sold; I have a little "first scene" of Poster Girl on my computer from around the same time. Even with Divergent, a few chapters from a version of that story sat for four years before I knew what to make of it. This is why I think it's important to let ideas flow constantly, to take breaks from your "main" project and write up a little paragraph of something new, or a page, or a chapter. Give yourself the opportunity to let something simmer in the background.
As for first time authors-- I find they fall along a particular spectrum. At one end is a writer who's impatient and overly confident, frustrated with the market and convinced they can do better than what's out there; at the other end is a writer who's timid and careful, working and reworking their draft for years and thinking they can control its success by making it perfect. It's hard to give advice without knowing where someone falls on this spectrum.
If you are more impatient, what you need is thoughtful critique of your draft. (No shade; I leaned this way, too.) You need to give yourself a reality check and realize that you don't know everything, either about writing a book or even about writing *your* book. You need to slow down and do the hard work of listening to hard things and maybe even let your draft sit for a few months as you think about other stories, so that you can return to it with a new perspective.
If you're more timid, you need to loosen your grip. You need to understand that no first attempt or second attempt or even fiftieth attempt at writing a book will be perfect. Even when I've put books into the world that I felt were absolutely polished and tightly written, it only takes me a few months to figure out what I could have done better. You can't work and rework a book into perfection. And if you try, you'll just get stuck-- mired in this one idea until every last one of your hopes hang on it, and that's not healthy or practical in this industry where even amazing ideas sometimes fail or get ignored. The best way to get better as a writer is to write more, but thoughtfully. That doesn't only mean write more of the one idea you're obsessed with. It means working on completely new ideas, again and again, to teach yourself how to better develop a story from start to finish.
You can see why this is tricky-- one group needs to slow down and the other needs to speed up. There's no magical solution here. You will develop a sense for "this is as good as I can get it to be" over time, through practice. You won't have that sense now, and that's fine. Just do your best, and if it doesn't work, try again. If that happens to you, let yourself believe that a new story can be even better than the one you had to leave behind.
Writing is work that you can do for a lifetime. It will reward you continuously-- not because of the success it does or does not bring, but because the work is intrinsically rewarding. At least, that's what I think. Best of luck with your work! You can do it!
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