I write to you from sunny Los Angeles, where I have finally arrived after quarantine-RVing across the country so that my husband and I can live with some family for a couple months for a nice change of pace. I am here to answer some of the questions you submitted via this form, as I will do semi-regularly in this newsletter. Thank you to those who asked questions! Even if I didn’t answer yours here, I did keep the questions so that I might be able to answer them later. Please keep ‘em coming! And I hope you are all well and reading good books.
And now, to the Q&A!
Jeremy: Height-wise, did Theo and Jai Courtney measure up to each other?
First, I appreciate that this question appeals to my knowing-heights obsession, which has recently transferred to tennis players. (Rafa Nadal, recent French Open champion, is 6’1”. His opponent, Novak Djokovic, is 6’2”. The more you know dot gif.) Anyway, to answer your question, yes, Theo James and Jai Courtney are roughly the same height.
Ashlynne: Where did you get inspiration for both Four and Tris?
When I was writing the rough draft of Divergent, I’d just had a significant writing revelation, courtesy of one of my professors. She had circled a particularly crisp, simple passage in one of my assignments and said, “this is the best writing in this piece.” I had previously been struggling to write in more florid, poetic prose—and the results were not great. That was not my natural voice at all. So Divergent was a bit of an experiment with what felt more natural. The character of Tris came from (among other places) that straightforward, no-frills, crisp voice. An assertive, bold person trapped in a life she needed to escape.
Four, on the other hand, I came up with a few years earlier. I had written an extremely early draft of what would later become Divergent—just a couple scenes, no real world-building except the vague idea of factions. The character first appeared much the same way Tris does in the book: he was getting his hair cut. But there was this tension in him as he sat for it, this interesting restraint—he didn’t want anything about the life he was in, but he knew better than to let it show. I obviously didn’t use that draft in the final book, but I included the character anyway.
Evelyn: I enjoyed the Divergent Commentary so much. So cool that Neil decided to pitch it as “16 candles but in the future.” From your experience on the set of Divergent, was Neil very hands on with every aspect of the film, as far as lighting, costumes, etc. or was he primarily focused on the actors? As someone who's pursuing a career in the film industry, its interesting to see and know about the director’s approach. I am grateful that you let us in on his secrets to such an amazing adaptation.
My impression of Neil Burger was that he was hands-on with every aspect of the film, yes. I mean, one time he called me to ask me how important it is that the aptitude test involve cheese. (He wanted to use meat, which is what’s in the film. This change was perfectly fine with me.) On my first day on set, he came over to talk to me about the Dauntless fighting stance (which I teased with great affection in the commentary) with the stunt coordinator. I could tell you a dozen stories like those—moments when he communicated extraordinary thoughtfulness to me. I’m a fan.
Diego: Hey Veronica! My name is Diego, I’m a huge fan of all of your books (I’ve just picked up “Chosen Ones”, and I can’t wait to dig into it!). I’ve been admitted to and will be attending your alma mater, Northwestern University, as a part of the Class of 2024. My primary major is theatre; however, given the huge impact that reading/writing has had on my life, I’m considering taking a couple of creative writing courses and potentially double majoring. My question is the following: is there any piece of advice you could give me in regards to creative writing at NU, any tips an incoming freshman, such as myself, should know before starting? Thank you so much for your time, and I can’t wait to read about your next projects!
Hey, congratulations! I’ll try not to make this answer too insider-y—but you can definitely double major, most of the other creative writing majors in my year were double majoring, since the creative writing major is somewhat smaller than others, credit-wise. The good thing about the writing program at NU is that you have to take a few introductory writing courses before you can submit an application, and you’ll therefore get a sense of whether you enjoy it or not before you apply. Best of luck!
My advice for anyone in college is to find out, to the best of your ability, which professors are amazing—and take their classes whether the subject matter interests you or not. A good teacher can make anything rewarding and interesting. Also, take classes just because you want to. Know that a good writer is a curious, creative person—that knowing more about the world will help you more with your work than a writing class (though I certainly benefited a lot from my writing classes!). And please, for the love of God, have some fun. 😊
Elisa: I wanted to ask that, do you ever have writer's block? If yes, how do you cope up with it?
Every writer does! But there are different kinds. The first is fatigue-based—you’ve worked yourself too hard and you need a break. Bet you can’t guess how I address that one.
The other is that you’ve hit a sticking point in your draft. Whatever you just wrote, it’s not right, it’s not working for you in some deeper way. OR maybe it’s not that—maybe you’re teetering on the edge of a decision that you’re not sure about. Maybe you don’t know where you’re going. The trick with writer’s block is to recognize where you are and what you’re up against. Then you have to problem solve. I can’t give advice here because every story and every problem is different. Only you can find the solution. But it’s helpful to identify the exact, specific problem you’re having. Ask yourself: what did I just do? Is it right for the story? Or: what am I about to do? Do I know what my options are? Have I picked one, or am I avoiding making a decision at all? Remember: you can always try something out to see if it works. You can always go back to an earlier draft.
Tori: Did you enjoy being in the movie? Also I really appreciate you making the books it helped me through really hard times.
To address the second part of your question: I’m so glad the books were helpful to you. I hope times are a little less hard now (though I guess during this pandemic, we’re all having a bit of a hard time!).
As for the movie: yes and no. Yes, I was so thrilled to have the experience of getting made up and costumed and being on the set in that capacity. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But on the set that day, the crew kept joking around that I would get the acting bug, and my answer to that was an emphatic NO. No, I will not. I am not a performer. I am not an actor. I do not enjoy it. I was stressed out of my damn mind for the two hours I spent as an extra. I prefer to be, not just BEHIND the camera, but AWAY from the camera entirely, preferably at a laptop with a word document open.
Me on set (with appallingly bad posture)!
Take care everyone,
V