Ask Ally Condie - Tuesday, March 12th! discussion
Ask Ally!
Hi Ally!I love dystopian literature, and your story was incredibly unique and I applaud you and thank you (: I just have questions about that plot that have been killing me...
1) In Matched, Xander mentioned a time when they all had to take a red tablet but tells Cassia he doesn't want to talk about it. “That time Xander won’t talk about, when we all took the red tablet—what happened?” (Chapter 31 of Matched) I'm assuming it was when Matthew Markham was "killed"/sent away, but it's not really clarified....?
2) Who's tube did Indie take from the Cavern? (it's mentioned in Chapter 11 of Reached) She died too early to reveal it to us ):
Ally,I love the series and was glad to see that Xander found someone in the end. My question is do you have a list of the 100's that you could share with everyone? Or do you have a few that you would include that aren't mentioned in the books?
Thanks,
Sherrie
Hi Ally,My name is Khirsten Cook and I am a huge fan of your novels! Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, as I'm sure you are extremely busy working on your next project. As a young writer, I struggle most with knowing when to use lyrical, metaphorical language and when to be straightforward in my prose, so I don't confuse my readers. Is there any advice you could give me, based on your experiences as an author, that could help me judge which type of language to use based on audience, style,point of view, etc.?
First, let me say, I absolutely love your books. I adore Cassia, Ky and Xander and the whole plot. The books in the Matched Series are one of the best books I have ever read. My question for you is this: To me, you are an inspiring writer and just an inspiring person in general. What advice would you give to young girls who are going through hardships and have a dream similar to yours/just a dream in general?Thanks,
Leila
Dear Ally, I love your books! I'm from Chile so I don't hear a lot of things about you or your inspiration. The paintings from the story, are they real or you just imagined them? What was the reason for choosing those paintings and poems?
Thanks!
Catalina
Hey Allie, Are you going to write any other novels continuing the Matched series? Or like short stories etc.? And are you coming to Canada, Toronto for any tours, etc.?
Sabreena
How much of the trilogy did you have planned out before you started writing it? What was intended from the beginning, and what were the surprises?
Which character in the book can you relate to most? How do you relate to this character? Elizabeth G.
How long did it take you to complete your first book?
Hi Ally! I am a writer in the making and I was wondering how you wrote this series using all your ideas. Was it hard to come up with original ideas? I love your writing style!(:
so I just want to say that I love your books! I can see how you progressed as an author throughout the series, and Reached was sooooo amazing! normally in trilogies the 3rd book is the worst because it is where the author has to find a way to end the story, but I think you managed to make an incredible ending!will you be writing more books? If so, this would make lots of readers, including me, very happy :)
Hi Ally, I love the Matches series.My questions for you are:
What inspired you to make the main theme of the book about the Matching in particular? The world the Cassia is in is very complex, and the context was beautiful, but I get the feeling we were focusing on the Match, which is only one of the many different aspects of the community. And why is the Matching ceremony considered so much more important than, for example, a job distribution? In modern times, people tend to place more weight on jobs and financial security than finding a partner.
So that's my question for you. :)
Jeanne
I loved all the books and I was wondering if there was going to be a movie. That would be super awesome! :))
Would you ever consider writing another book for Xander fans in which Xander and Cassia end up together and Happy in an alternate universe?
Will you be releasing any new books soon? Loved the matched trilogy :)
Hello Ally!I was a bit confused at the end of Reached. Is this a trilogy? I loved your books and I was wondering how the plague was triggered. Also, how was Ky put into the Matching pool. Was there a computer malfunction when she put her card in? Did Ky and Cassia end up together? Also, what was the Red Garden Day? I love your books and I hope to find more books by you.
Your reader,
Madeleine & Merrilegs
Hi Ally,First of all, I'm not a native English speaker, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes on this message.
I wanted to know how could you write the way you had done! Your books are so well written that reading them were pure poetry! I think that the matched trilogy is one of the best written in the world! I love that! Can you give me some advice! I want to write like you!
Dear Mrs. Condie,What was your inspiration in developing Ky and Cassia's relationship?
Hey Ally~I love your trilogy!
I was wondering, whose character was easiest to write, and whose hardest?
How did you come up with Ky's name? Anything to do with sky? And, though this has nothing to do with your books, who is your favorite actor? (:
Ally,First of all I just wanted to commend you for your writing because it is truly beautiful. It is simple prose yet so poetic, and it feels like almost every line has some deeper meaning. I really loved the Matched series.
As for my question, I am currently writing a novel myself in dual point of view. I was wondering if there were any tricks you used or methods you had when writing Crossed and Reached which had multiple points of view. How did you keep each character's "voice" unique to them and not let each personality spill over into the others? How did you keep them distinct?
Thank you!!
Jessica
Hi Ally!I loved your series and what I especially loved was your descriptions and writing style! I was wondering if you had any tips for coming up with unique descriptions/words.
Hello Ally,Thank you this open discussion. I would like to know, how did you come about picking the colors for each tablet and what they meant and that they matched each color of the covers of your book?
Elena Carpenter
Dear Ally, I was wondering if there is going to be a matched movie. And also what your dream cast is.
Sincerely, your reader
Dear Ally, I was wondering if the colors of the tablets had anything to do with the colors of the books. And I just wanted to say that I really loved your trilogy and have gotten many people to read it and they have also loved it. Huge fan! Thanks!
Could you tell us what your next book is going to be about? Have you started writing it?
How many times was Matched rejected? I'm doing an informative speech on how to get a book published and it goes along with my point of getting rejected.
Dear Ally,Were the characters in the Matched trilogy based on specific people in you life and if they are what made you want to write about them?
Sincerely,
Katie
Dear Ally,I am currently reading Crossed I was wondering how long it took you to plan out the whole trilogy? Also I am a huge fan of your writing.
Ally,How do you feel about the way your series is compared to Hunger Games. Yes, they are two dystopian novels but is your message that similiar to the Suzanne's?
Hi Ally,My name is Alexis. I am a huge fan of the Matched series, I literally had ten preordered as soon as I could. I have a few questions. My first question is: what made you come up with the idea, did you just one day have this epiphany of what a great story they would make. Second: is there going to be a movie, and if so will you have a say on who the characters are? Third: will you continue to write dystopian books type books? Lastly: do you plan on doing a book tour, since your books have become so popular?
Thank you for your time,
Alexis
Ally,Where did you get inspiration for the characters or just for the book in general. Thanks. I also just want to let you know that I love your books and I actually did Matched as a 4th grade book report (and no I'm not in elementary school anymore)
Yours truly,
Caitlin
Hello Ally! I loved these books! You are an amazing author.Did you have an alternate ending to the series? If so, can you tell us what it was?
. Thank you so much!
Hey!I wanted to ask where you found the inspiration to write a dystopian series. Additionally, who would be your least favorite character in the series?
Dear Ally, I'm looking foward to read the third book of the trilogy. Do you know when is it going to be published in Spanish? We are dying here!! We can't wait to know the end of this awesome love story between Cassia and Ky. Keep writing, you are an incredible writer!! Thanks for sharing your work with us!!
Ally, was there anything from your real life that brought inspiration for your books?And, how do you fight writer's block?
Thanks, Victoria x
Would you say that by the end, the Rising was basically just a new name for the Society and that no changes were truly made?
I love your series, they were all great! I especially like Reached, with that intense search to find a cure for the Plague. I want to be an author some day, and have started writing a few stories. Most of the time I start one, but I can't keep it moving and get it to the end. Do you have any advice for me?
Laura wrote: "Would you say that by the end, the Rising was basically just a new name for the Society and that no changes were truly made?"I'm wondering the same thing.
Hi! My name is Anna. I was wondering, was there any chance that Cassia would have ever gone with Xander? I mean, it just seems that in love triangles the character always seems to go with the person thats new- not the one that they've known forever. And also, did the Hunger Games trilogy inspire you at all? I know that while reading your series I often compared it with the Hunger Games and found many similarites- although all together your story was completely different and unique. And by the way, I absolutely loved your series and was betting on Ky the entire time!!Thank you!
How did you come up with the idea for these books? Did it just hit you, or was it something that developed over a long period of time?Cristina :-)
How did you come up with the idea for these books? Did it just hit you, or was it something that developed over a long period of time?Cristina :-)
Dear Ally,Being a young writer myself a Question I have is when creating your books what inspirations from your life became part of your books and when you didn't have the experience of what you wrote how did you get the information needed to write it?
why did you choose not to reveal who won the election in the third book?
Hi Ally!I was wondering, do you have a couple of key tips for creating characters? :)
Thank you so much!
-Anna
Okay, I don't mean to go main stream with this, but seriously, your trilogy got me back into reading again! I had been looking for a great book series to get me back in it for years! And your trilogy fulfilled that! Congrats
Hi Ally, I've read everything in the Matched series and loved it from start to finish. How long did it take you to write Crossed? And did you know what was going to happen in the end when you got your book deal?
How much research and what kinds of research did you do while writing the series?
Reached is one of my all time favorite books and has a featured place on my bookshelf! Thanks for answering our questions.
-Meg
Have you ever seen Logan's Run? Is this where you drew your inspiration?
Dear Ally,I've read your whole Matched Trilogy, and I have to say, I loved it! The first book was definitely my favorite, then the second, and lastly the third. I loved Cassia, Ky and Xander as characters! The whole series was completely suspenseful and exciting, and (especially for Matched) kept me on the edge of my seat. I have a few questions actually-I hope you don't mind.
1. What was your inspiration?
2.I've heard people say that your books were a "rip off" of the Hunger Games (though I don't agree). Could the Hunger Games possibly have influenced your decision to write this series?
3. I would like to be an author one day. Do you have any tips for me and for others who would one day like to write a book?
4. Who would you pick-Xander or Ky?
5. Are you happy with the way your series turned out? Did you expect there to be less commotion about it, or more commotion? Did you like the way it ended?
6. Could Matched possibly become a movie? (I would totally watch it if it did!)
7. Do you have any regrets? Did you like writing this series? If you could, would you change anything?
Thank you so much for your time, and thank you so much for writing this series. Everyone I know who has read it loved it!!!!
I am a big fan of your books and I was wondering, whats next? After the matched series will you be writing more young adult books? And if so give me a hint to what genre or idea?
thanks! ~Emelia