I've been meaning to post this for a month or so, but something always seems to intervene, whether my photo shoot for the post was delayed or it was simply my procrastination. After posting When Writing Fails, Facepalm last week--saying how I was having trouble with an overloaded plot--I thought there was no better time than now to finally write this.
Photo by me; modeled by Courtney C.
About a month ago I watched a live streaming of "The Dark Days of Supernatural" book tour featuring authors Veronica Roth of "Divergent"; Tara Hudson of "Hereafter"; Amy Plum of "Die For Me"; Aprilynne Pike of "Illusions"; and Ellen Schreiber of "Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings." There was one piece of advice Veronica Roth said that has stuck with me since--only recently have I discovered she has a blog post about it, as well. It was a great advice that I have taken to heart, especially since my book feels so overrun by ideas.
Attention Writers: When revising, remember "The Backpack"!
"I learned about The Backpack from my writing professor (the brilliant Shauna Seliy). And it goes like this: imagine that you are about to embark upon a twenty mile hike through the wilderness, and you have to fit everything you need into one backpack. Do you want to bring your hair dryer? Uh, no. First of all, because there aren't any plugs. Second of all, because no one's going to see you. And third, and most importantly, because it will take up space in your already cramped backpack, and it's completely unnecessary."
--Veronica Roth
The full content about "The Backpack" can be found here on Veronica Roth's blog.
Photo by me; modeled by Courtney C.
The purpose of the "The Backpack" is learning to cut out what scenes and subplots are not imperative to your characters or the plot of your story, no matter how painful it may be. There are many scenes currently in my book that I want to keep--I even find myself trying to convince myself that it IS essential to my book, other than being just a good scene. Finally, a few days ago, I told myself I'll worry about it when I'm done--throw all the stuff in "the backpack" and deal with the clutter later. This is a revising tool after all ;)
I didn't get to post my book review yesterday because I was having trouble with the blog, so I am posting it today. But in addition to a book review I have had planned for two weeks now, I also ran upon a topic from the YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
I wanted to read "Divergent" a few days before its release on May 3rd. The only dystopian novels I have read are Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies";"Pretties"; "Specials"; and "Extras" . Those books were amazing, and so is "Divergent". Before reading the book, I was so confused about which faction I would join. Now I definitely would choose Dauntless for the experience and because it includes some of my favorite bits of action--guns, fighting, snarky attitudes--even though I would face the horrifying, feasible issue of becoming factionless. A few posts ago, talking about "Divergent", I said I was afraid to become Dauntless because I would hate be factionless. Now I believe that the Dauntless experience would be worth becoming factionless. Shocking, I know. Being factionless is horrible, an eternity alone and struggling for food and clothes with horrible, outcast jobs.
Two of my favorite aspects of a book are romance and action; if the romantic scenes and action scenes are exceptional, I will swoon. "Divergent" is packed with action, and I mean guns-up, butt-kicking action, mixed with a slow flow of romance--picture me swooning. I absolutely LOVED every SECOND of it! As if dystopian isn't an interesting subject already--and I certainly cannot wait to read The Hunger Games now--this futuristic Chicago is a city I would love to visit to observe and learn more about. I know, my Erudite is showing. *Grins*
Also, I would like to state that Tris (Beatrice Prior) is probably my favorite heroine. If I could choose to be like a character from a book, it would probably be Tris--I would love to have Hermione Granger's brain and ability to remember everything she's ever read, though. I love Tris' bravery and will, mixed with her Abnegation-self and her intelligence. To me, "Divergent" is a wonderful story about allowing yourself to be who you want to be, no matter the limits or obstacles, nor how terrifying or challenging those obstacles may be.
I cannot wait for the sequel, whose title has just recently been released:
Here are some of my favorite quotes, though I do not have the page numbers:
"Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again."
"What is it with you today?" says Christina on the way to breakfast. Her eyes are still swollen from sleep and her tangled hair forms a fuzzy halo around her face. "Oh, you know," I say. "Sun shinning. Birds chirping." She raises an eyebrow at me, as if reminding me that we are in an underground tunnel.
"Moths," repeats Will. "You're afraid of moths?" "Not just a cloud of moths," she says, "like...a swarm of them. Everywhere. All those wings and legs and..." She shudders and shakes her head. "Terrifying," Will says with mock seriousness. "That's my girl. Tough as cotton balls." "Oh, shut up."
