Friday, January 24, 2014

BRB Crying. Or, How ALLEGIANT By Veronica Roth Destroyed Me In The Best Way.


Some of you may know that this book has been the source of CONTROVERSY and FEELS. Not only is it the ending of a (hugely successful) trilogy, it's the ending's ending that got tongues wagging.

I managed to avoid spoilers before sitting down to read ALLEGIANT

I'm so thrilled I did. 

I was genuinely surprised by the ending.

I cried while reading it.

I cried after I finished the book.

And I feel a strong need to thank Veronica Roth for destroying me. 

I think this ending is going to haunt me forever, not just as a reader, but as a writer. Especially as a writer. Stories that resonate and linger and cling to my bones often have authors who do the unthinkable. In ALLEGIANT, a character tells another the following two words: "Be brave." It's a story for the story's sake, not its fans' sake. I wouldn't have it any other way. Veronica Roth's bravery, as well as that of the countless authors I admire, has taught me that I should never conform with whatever I can conjure. No. It's not enough to write. 

It's enough to write bravely.

Even if it destroys you. Even if it destroys those who trust you to pick them up and give them the happy ending they envisioned. Fiction isn't one thing. It doesn't provide the same answer over and over. Sometimes, it doesn't provide answers at all. I'm at peace with that. I think I always have been.

I'm going to try and write as bravely as I can. I hope you do the same.


4 comments:

  1. And writers are glad to have readers who read bravely, as you do!

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    1. Thank you! I look forward to supporting awesome authors (like you) forever. :D

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  2. I am happy to find others who feel the same way about the end of the series. I too kept away from the reviews and commentary in the weeks after the release. Yes, "Be brave."

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  3. (Here via Jenn Hubbard)
    Writing bravely is one of the hardest things an aspiring OR published author can do. An aspiring writer hazards rejection for stepping out of established boundaries, and a published on risks upsetting fans. But the GLORY is when they do it anyway, and--as you say--it destroys you in the best way possible. Thanks for the reminder.

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