Matched - What Avon Thinks

Official Summary

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. 

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

Short and Sweet

Matched is a dystopian love story with weak characters and an uneventful storyline. But Ms. Condie gives you just enough hope to keep you reading until the end.

So, what's Avon's take on the book?

No wonder Matched is a YA bestseller: it has romance, it's dystopian, and––that's pretty much it. When I first cracked open the spine and decided to see what the hype was all about, I anticipated something that would be so-so. And that's precisely what it was.

The book starts out with Cassia's "Matching Banquet", where her husband-to-be appears on the screen and she excitedly anticipates her soon-to-be perfect life in the Society. Of course, her best friend Xander is her Match. Like any dystopian heroine, Cassia starts out as naïve and accepting of her loving society. And then, like any heroine, she goes on to realize that her society is all wrong and spearheads a revolution that will reawaken the minds of her fellow citizens. And that's it. She has no personality traits that make her unique. As a reader, I'm not endeared to her. I know absolutely nothing about her, because I can't relate to her. She's patient, she's kind, she's a perfect human being. And sometimes perfection gets a bit boring.

That's what the Society has given us: time. We live longer and better than any other citizens in the history of the world. And it's thanks in large part to the Matching System, which produces physically and emotionally healthy offspring. 

However, one element I love about Ms. Condie's writing style is that Cassia always seems to be talking directly to the reader. It's almost as though she's in the room with me. This is a difficult skill to pick up as a writer, and I have never been able to master it.

I always enjoy these few seconds in the theater before a showing, when all is dark and I am waiting. I always feel a drop in my stomach––wondering if, when the lights of the showing come on, I might find myself completely alone.

There is one element that I just can't accept about the book: those cheesy one-liners that pop in here and there and make me red with embarrassment. No one goes around thinking, "Some things are meant to be together" or "We go through a forest that is complicated and full of tangles and there are no stones to guide us except the ones we build ourselves". The only characters who can make such ridiculous statements are ones who have lived a hard life and have felt pain. Cassia is fed, clothed, and cleaned by the Society. She has never felt pain in her life. I feel as though Cassia has no right to act like such a deep character when there really is no depth to her at all. 

"What [color] are [my eyes] now?" he asks. He widens his eyes a little, leans closer, lets me look as long and as deep as I want. 

And there's so much to see. They are blue, and black, and other colors, too, and I know some of what they've seen and what I hope they see now. Me. Cassia. What I feel, who I am.

"Well?" Ky asks.

"Everything," I tell him. "They're everything."

The plot is slow moving and it never really gets to a boiling point. Cassia spends most of the novel trying to choose whom she loves more: Xander, the smart, cute one, or Ky, the dark and mysterious one (of course, what did I expect?). Meanwhile, the plot slips downhill. A bunch of "little incidents" occur that don't lead anywhere. Cassia gradually gets more and more annoyed with her oppressive government, but does absolutely nothing about it. Instead of rebelling, she hides her mutinous thoughts and rants to the reader. She kisses the boy she loves and is let off with a warning. She falls on the treadmill and scrapes her knee. Talk about someone as badass as Katniss Everdeen. By the end, her true love ends up being sent off to war and she moves to the country in hopes of finding him. She's passive and I can't get past that. In fact, almost the entire book is passive.

Overall, Matched is a weak novel. It's typical, and it's near impossible to get past its weak characters. Nevertheless, Ms. Condie's writing style blows me away. I love Cassia's voice and her outlook, and the way I can almost reach into her fictional world. 

So what did you think of the book? Am I right? Did I get everything completely wrong? Do I deserve to go to jail for this review? Tell me your thoughts!

The Infinity Has Been Released!

I've finally published my book! Hip hip hooray! *does magical little dance around the room*

Please please please check out my book! Visit this here page at Smashwords.com:

www.smashwords.com/books/view/330841
(here's the website in case the hyperlink doesn't work) 

Unfortunately, you will have to make an account before buying (but it only takes a couple of minutes). 

Here's the summary:

Fourteen-year-old author Avon Forest embarks on her writing career with her debut novelette, The Infinity.

Doe was a typical teenage girl. She had an eccentric biology teacher, she went to band practice after school, and she always wished her life wasn't so boring. But Doe ends up meeting a group of strangers that make her life anything but dull and monotonous. She is swept up in a chase across time, and suddenly her life is entwined with the very people she once called kidnappers. Throughout all this, Doe realizes that every human being is a mixture of good and bad, and that love is the one thing that glues time together. 

Thanks! 

Stress...Stress...Stess

While I was writing my book, I was constantly stressed out about it. I needed to finish the chapter. I needed to format the book properly. I needed to promote it. I needed to get feedback. I needed to make changes. 

But I've realized that my book isn't the end (or the beginning) of the world. I wrote it because I wanted to, not because I had to. So why am I stressed out about it? I write for relaxation, so writing this book should had been relaxation for me. 

Don't let the stress of writing a book take over you. Think of it as fun, because that's exactly why you started writing it in the first place. Relax, because you will finish your book. And even if it's not successful, at least you did it. You accomplished something that few people ever dream of doing, and that's what counts. 

All you need is love.

I view my book characters as children. Like a parent, I control their faith. I can either screw them up or transform them into a person who can positively change the world. I put myself into my characters, and even though they are their own unique human beings, they will always carry a piece of me with them. And I will always carry a piece of them with me. And one day, when I've finished my story or novel, I will have to say goodbye to them. And that will probably be one of the most bittersweet moments of my life.

And you know what? I've learned that I am an overprotective writer,  when it comes to my characters. And I will admit one of my dozens of weaknesses as a writer:

I can't write emotional romance. 

You see, my characters are special to me, and I don't want to expose them to the heartbreak and heartache they will experience in the big, bad world of writing. Sure, they can be near-shot to death, or be forced to survive two weeks without food. 

But that's physical pain. It gets better. Emotional pain doesn't. 

And physical romance? God, that itself is its own story. 

*cut to scene of me reading [insert name of YA romance novel]* 

"Oh god, no! It's too early! They barely even know each other! What if they break up? Why would you kiss someone you're going to break up with in the future?! If they're not the right one, why kiss them? *shudders*" 

I do not consider myself as a cynical human being. But in terms of love, I am. Especially when it comes to writing. I have attempted to seek this same dilemma in other writers' lives. But it seems as though I am the only one.

So if you see me shuddering while at the laptop, you know what kind of scene I'm trying to write. 

It's called a good taste in music.

I will quote the words of my literature teacher: “You can think of a poem as a song. You don’t really think of a song’s meaning as you listen to it. What you really like is its beat, and tone, and the vocalist’s voice. A poem’s the same way. You don’t really try to find its meaning. You like it’s tone, its beat, and the voice of whoever’s reading it.”

This essay is not about poetry. It’s about story writing. But if poetry is like music, then any type of story or essay writing is like music, too. Writing has a tone; it has a beat; and it has a voice.

When I finished the first book of the Divergent trilogy (always have to bring up that book, don’t I?), I explored around Veronica Roth’s site. And she mentioned in one of her posts that the album “Memento Mori” by Flyleaf had inspired the tone and voice of Divergent. I may not be a big Flyleaf fan, but after listening to “Memento Mori” and realizing how much it mimicked the style of Divergent, I had an epiphany:

Listening to music helps your writing. A lot. And I’ll be metaphorical and say that it seeps into your writing the same way the dye in your tie-dye shirt swirls throughout the cottony fabric. And tie-dye shirts are prettier than your plain white tees, aren’t they? The tones and the styles of Memento Mori swirled throughout Veronica Roth’s book and made it more beautiful.

So I did a self-experiment. While I was writing my first manuscript, I listened to the album “Ceremonials” by Florence + the Machine because the album perfectly mimicked the tone and style of the book I imagined in my head. For some chapters I would listen to that album, and for other chapters I would listen to something else or to nothing at all.

And you know what? The ‘FATM-chapters’ had a more developed voice than the other chapters. It wasn’t that the others chapters were BAD in terms of voice. It’s just that the FATM-chapters were a little bit better. The album “Ceremonials” had seeped into my writing like tie-dye. And even though it seemed a little weird at first, I soon realized how magnificent music could be, especially when it comes to story writing. 

I'm the next J.K. Rowling (NOT)!

Ever since I found out that The Hunger Games and Divergent were each about 100,000 words, I have become obsessed with the idea that my book must be that long, to ever be even remotely successful. Ever since I've finished my first draft (there is still a long way to go, of course), thoughts like these have been seeping into my brain: 

"Successful, huh? Teenagers don't write stuff that's worth reading. No one's ever going to read your book and like it, Avon. Come on. No one your age has the mental capacity to write something that's even WORTH reading."

I'm not planning on getting my book published, as in 'on the shelf at Barnes and Noble' published, but I do want to eBook publish it. Once I reach that milestone, which may take either a couple of months or a couple of years to complete (hopefully a couple of months), I will seriously consider trying to get it properly published. I am fully aware of how long and dreary that process is, and I'm aware that, if I DO get my manuscript published, it will have to be a freakin' good book. And I mean, A FREAKIN' GOOD BOOK. 

Down in the dumps about your manuscript? Here are some ways to feel better. 

1. Have a cup of tea. And relax. 

Try to do something fun, and forget about your book for awhile. Don't touch the document for a week, and instead do something else. Maybe write on your blog. Or write an essay for that creative writing contest you've been planning on competing in. Get out of that 'book' mindset and focus on another type of writing. 

2. Read a book. 

Avid readers tend to be good writers. And good writers tend to be appreciative readers. Pick up a good book (I'd suggest John Green's The Fault in Our Starts or Lynne Rae Perkins' Criss Cross). Since writers tend to understand and appreciate the troubles and toils of writing, you're more likely to appreciate all the little 'gems' inside other authors' books. 

3. Look at a criticism. Good criticism. 

If you're feeling awful about your book, open up that e-mail your last year's literature teacher sent you about how amazing your manuscript is. Or re-read a couple of your favorite essays from last year. 

4. When you come back to working on your manuscript, be proud. 

Not many teenagers can write a book. So be proud of that. But remember, very very very very very few teenagers can write a GOOD book. So become one of those teenagers that can. The reason WHY adults are skeptical of teen writing is because they know that few teenagers can write something GOOD. So prove them wrong. Focus on being J.K. Rowling. It may never happen, but it's worth the effort, right? 

There's More to 'I' Than You Think

First person narrating is reader friendly. It makes you connect with the main-character, like you're his/her best friend. When used correctly, it's an excellent way of sucking your character into your book.

It has the potential of being a writer and a reader's best friend, but it also has a way of being a writer's downfall, as well as a reader's torture.

PROS

1. Make it unique, make it interesting, make it fast

When you're writing from a character's perspective, you often have an idea of what that character is like already floating around in your head. You can implement that personality into your writing easily. Fit in your main character's thoughts here and there, make that character interact with others in a unique and interesting way, and voila! you have a surefire way of snagging readers with your distinct and engrossing character.

2. Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number...(okay I'll just shut up now...)

When a book is written in first-person, I often finding myself wondering, 'Would I react to this scenario like the main character did?' I find myself connecting with the MC's actions and feelings, and thus I find myself more interested in that character, and therefore more interested in the book. The main character quickly becomes my personal BFF in the book-world she is guiding me through.

CONS

1. Why are you so stupid, Main Character?

Realize that the whole plot of your book is inside the main character's head. So anything that the main character doesn't experience in some way...well, you just can't include it.

So, what if this detail is important to the overall plot line but you can't include it because the main character wasn't there when it happened? What if all the other characters know something the main character doesn't and the reader HAS to know what the main character doesn't know but the main character is the narrator of the story so how does the reader find out that information?

I'm sorry. Really, I'm very very sorry. I cannot help you.

2. One viewpoint, one story. One direction. (just made a 1D reference right there...anyone? anyone?)

When writing from one viewpoint, you'd better be sure that it is a viewpoint that can take you through the WHOLE ENTIRE story without becoming boring. Which means your character better be interesting...AND consistent. If you have a bland POV, the reader will become aware of the fact that your character is not interesting, and therefore your book is not interesting. And as for consistency...if your character is moody and angry for one chapter and happy and joyful for another chapter for absolutely no reason, your reader gets disoriented and confused, and will thus let go of your book.

Happy writing!

See Veronica Roth's comment on first-person writing here.

I Can't...Right?

                                     
I think every novel writer goes through it. It's a time when you just can't write...you don't have nearly 2% as much inspiration and hope and excitement as you did before. You keep putting your writing off; you write less often; your writing quality goes down.

And that's okay. Give yourself a break.
But not forever.

When I was in this lull of writing, I had a conversation with a friend, who was reading my developing novel. And she didn't tell me how much she liked it, or even how to improve it. She told me what it was about. She explained to me the plot, the characters, the style of writing, what kind of book it was.

It wasn't like she was talking to me, the author of the book. It was like she was talking to someone who had never read the book before, let alone wrote it.

And she explained the book to me in a way I'd never thought of the book before. All of a sudden, it was a completely different book, it was a completely different manuscript, it was a completely different project. It wasn't my book, it was someone else's book. And now it was my opportunity to work on it.

And I was excited to start something new. You know why? I had a head start: what I'd already written.

(this pictures is by INeedChemicalX on DeviantArt)

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month

In my quest to write a novel in one school year, I have discovered the wonders of NaNo. 
What is NaNo about, you ask?

It's writing a novel. 
In one month. 
50,000 words long. 

NaNo is a pretty awesome opportunity for writers. It is a chance to loosen up and write down something that has not been thought through at all and will probably be the craziest thing you've ever written. 

But that's okay. Aren't the most amazing things you've ever read also the craziest, most unique things you've ever read?



Come on, a guy living in a hole in a ground? That's a guy with no life, not a mobbit. Wait, a hobbit? 
Kids killing kids? What kind of world is that? Do you actually think that anyone would read something that depressing?
A kid who goes to school at a magical wizard school? Excuse me, but do you think we're five year olds? 



Imagination sometimes comes in a hurry. When you have a short span of time (like a month), your brain is pulling things out of the air. (Please imagine, for a moment, the time when you did not study for a test and in the last five minutes of exam time you wrote down whatever you could think of even though it didn't make complete sense). 

About 100% percent of the time when you're writing your 50,000 NaNo words, whatever you write down is not perfect. 
But it's probably good. 

And there are a lot of people who worked with good and made awesome, right?

*cough cough J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Suzanne Collins cough cough*

There may be a future for your NaNo novel. But you have to make it. 

P.S.  I love the coffee cup on the NaNo emblem-thingy (because that's what NaNo is all about). 

Some Writing Quotes to Write By (or simply be interested in)

It really is magic when a writer pours herself into her writing. It seems to make the writing more relatable, more human. Sounds easy, right? After all, don't we humans love to talk about ourselves? No, not easy. Not easy at all. It's a wonder how hard it is to bring life to writing: 

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. 

-Ernest Hemingway

One of my favorite authors is Neil Gaiman, who wrote American Gods, Coraline, Anansi Boys, and The Graveyard Book. As a full time author, he knows how much of a pain writing a book can be. But he also knows the magic that strikes while writing a novel (well, by halfway through writing a book, the magic evaporates a little bit): 

This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard. 

-Neil Gaiman

When writing a novel, that's pretty much entirely what life turns into: 'House burned down. Car stolen. Cat exploded. Did 1500 easy words, so all in all it was a pretty good day'. 

-Neil Gaiman

I don't know whether I should be proud of this, or slightly afraid:

So what? All writers are lunatics!

–Cornelia Funke, Inkspell 

Some quotes from Ray Bradbury, the master of science fiction and and one of my idols. (I love how he can take his feelings, turn them into words, and make his writings some of the most powerful novels on the planet). 

Some hear voices when no one is there. Some are called mad and locked in a room where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called 'writers', and they do pretty much the same thing.
    -Ray Bradbury

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you."

    –Ray Bradbury

My Voice is a Bit Hoarse

There are times when I wonder if I'm all over the place in terms of my writing 'voice'. Sometimes my writing is reminiscent of a snobby elitist, and other times my writing looks like the a conversation between two average 16-year-old teenagers (sprinkled with 'likes' and 'you knows', stuff like that, you know).

If you can put your own personality into your writing, then by god, you can put anything into your writing. After all, it is a feat to put yourself into your writing, because doing that requires a heck of a lot of heart and soul.

When your writing has strong voice, your writing has charisma. It's almost as if you're watching a TV show or a movie...in your brain! The actors are all there (the words) and you're the director (the writer). Arrange the words well, make them create beautiful things, and voila, you have a masterpiece (well, that's a bit of an overstatement). 

Having trouble finding voice? This is what I do:

For an informal essay (maybe even a literary analysis):

• write the way you think (directly on to your paper--don't worry about grammar and spelling, that can wait until later). This makes your writing more relatable. 

• do your pondering before hand (if you're planning on making deep observations about human nature, don't ponder on the page--no one likes to see the messy thinking process, one wants to see the finished and complete idea) 

• be passionate (if it's an informal essay, that means you have a lot of freedom! If you believe in something, write strongly about it. A toned down voice is just plain boring--save it for the research paper) 

For a formal essay:

• be sure about what you're writing about (do research beforehand, not during! If you have facts and quotes to back you up, then your writing will be sound, and you'll naturally speak in an active voice, rather than a passive voice that is unsure) 

• avoid using vague words, specificity is key! Bump up adjectives like 'good' and 'bad' with words like 'benevolent' and 'monstrous'.

Hope that helps!