Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Writing lessons learned from CROSSED


I recently read CROSSED, by Ally Condie, book two in her MATCHED trilogy. If you want to read my writing lessons learned from book one, click here. Like I mentioned in that earlier post, I absolutely love Condie's writing style. Mmm, mmm, good.

From Goodreads:

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky--taken by the Society to his certain death--only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander--who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart--change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Did I learn writing lesson from this book? You bet! Here they are (Warning! Avert your eyes if you haven't read this book yet and don't want to know any plot points):

  • Brief references to important moments from book one--I've never written a sequel, but I recognized a great technique in Crossed. Condie weaved snippets of book one into this story. She didn't linger there for long. Just a reference, and a brief connection to how it mattered in book 2. For more help on writing a sequel, visit Janice Hardy's blog and type "sequel" into her search bar. Treasure trove.
  • Add new characters--In Crossed, the main players remained the same: Cassia and Ky. But adding new players organically, with new goals and conflict, made book two fresh.
  • Simple story goals become bigger--Cassia and Ky were forced apart at the end of book one. In book two, their goals started simple: find each other, and survive doing it. Bits of the story hint at a larger purpose for the two main characters. There was talk of a Rising, and the Pilot who would lead the Rising. It made me wonder how these two characters would fit into that storyline. Which brings me to my next lesson...
  • Reluctant leaders--Cassia and Ky thought they were regular people, and for a while, I thought that too. Although they don't think of themselves as a leaders, other people look to them for guidance and information. The reader knew there was more to them than originally thought. I liked that it wasn't an "I'm a leader, so listen to everything I say" sort of thing.
  • Bring on the love--For teen girls, and women like me who love love, the romance angle is huge. Yes, the characters were escaping a totalitarian government. Yes, they were fighting for survival. But the love story made reading about all that other stuff more meaningful. Who were they willing to fight for? That was what I wanted to read about.
Have you read CROSSED? MATCHED? What was your opinion? And what do you think of the writing lessons learned. Ever used any of these yourself? Please share!

22 comments:

  1. Condie's writing style is indeed beautiful! I love that romance addition too - it gives the whole 'raison d'etre' for the whole story & the fight :) Great analysis!

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    1. Thanks, Jemi. And the whole triangle thing is done so well :)

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  2. I still have to read these!! I need like an extra year of frozen time so I can catch up on all my reading. AND writing! LOL Great breakdown as always!

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    1. Lisa, I have a feeling you'll really like the series. And heck, look how long it took me to read Hunger Games!

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  3. Giving out snippets from the first book is the best way to remind people and maintain understanding for those who didn't read the first book. I tried to do that with mine.
    And that's another bonus about setting each of my books twenty years apart - a whole new set of secondary characters.

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    1. Alex, excellent point about setting your books far apart. Keeps things fresh!

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  4. As always, amazing points here, Julie. You really do have a great eye for picking up on the treasured lessons to be learned! And will you be at the LA SCBWI conference this year? Curious! If so, we must find each other and hug! <3

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    1. Morgan, I'm not registered, but I MIGHT buzz down there and say hi to Karen and another friend. If I do that, I'll be sure and connect with you!

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  5. I read both of these. So agree that these things made book 2 so good. It's really important to weave in little tidbits about the first book. I know I need these reminders. And I love Janice Hardy's blog too.

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    1. Natalie, Janice's blog is great. So many helpful bloggers out there, like you!!

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  6. I actually read REACHED before either of those. I thoroughly enjoyed it even without reading the previous books, so it did a good job of making the story stand alone, yet still be part of the trilogy. Lesson learned.

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    1. Ooooh, interesting! I've never read a series out of order! Then the author must have done a super job of making book 3 amazing. I still have to read that one!

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  7. I wasn't impressed with book 2 like I was book 1, but I can't wait to read book 3! And I LOVED the writerly tips you pulled from it! :)

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    1. Jenn, I'll admit, I loved book 1 much more. But I really did enjoy book 2.

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  8. The addition of new characters in this book actually didn't work for me! Like Jenn I was not impressed with book 2 (or 3 for that matter).

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    1. Oh, interesting! I liked the characters in book 2. Goes to show how subjective it all is, right?

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  9. I am hooked on this series. REACHED is calling from my Kindle. The tension of Ky and Cassia trying to find each other kept me on edge and flying through book two.

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    1. I'm excited to read book 3 as well. Which reminds me...I need to hit the library!

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  10. why do they always put teens and kids in totalitarian regimes and dangerous settings in YA novels? That's not a place for them, not at all! And I say that as a teacher and a psychologist!

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  11. I'm so with Lisa. I have fallen way behind on my reading and my writing. Where did all of my time go?

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  12. Good points about Crossed! I had a hard time with it because I didn't love the new characters and basically found I could skim the whole first half of her way to finding Ky, because once they meet up she tells him all about it anyway, and it defeated the purpose of the whole first half of the book. I was pretty disappointed with it, actually! But I LOVED Matched. LOVED!!!

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  13. Great post with good examples. Sequels are tricky to write because you have to bring in a whole new character arc! I liked this book but not much as Matched. I have Reached but I haven't started it yet.

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