Ask Meg Rosoff - Monday, November 4th! discussion

Welcome to the group! Meg will be answering questions throughout the day on Monday, November 4th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for Meg or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

Hiya Meg! I am so literally in love with How I live now and the movie adaption too- which is odd for me to enjoy both as much as the other! I am a young budding writer and i know you must get a lot of these so I'm not going to ask for any tips to save you:-) Only its my birthday in December and I would really like to answer some questions if that was okay. Does Leah survive the war? Why did you decide to cut Osbert out of the movie? And finally, do the different endings symbolise different things? Hope to hear from you soon- anxiously awaiting the dvd release! Tillz x

When I was in high school I read How I Live Now a zillion times. It's my favorite book. What inspired you to write it? Was it in any way based on something real? -Danielle

Hi Meg I have just read How I Live Now and so enjoyed it. One of the things I liked most about it was the voice of the narrator, especially when she answers her father's questions with 'no no yes whatever'. Did you find any limitations in writing in this style? And [assuming here that you're not a teenager] what techniques did you use to capture this voice so well? Thanks for being available to answer questions!

Was there any scene that you liked better as a movie than as writing?

I don't really have any questions, but I just wanted to say that you are amazing and I love your writing. How I Live Now is one of the best books I've ever read!

Hi Meg, your Australian readers look forward to seeing the film. Here we have a somewhat incoherent film viewer advice classification (euphemism for censorship) so has the film been made for a young adult audience? (Many of our teachers here hae difficulty taking students to films that are classified "MA 15+" so I hope that your film gets only an "M" (for mature!) or a PG for Parental guidance)

Thank you for How I Live Now, Meg! I read it when I was younger. It was the first book I just had to tell other people about.
My question is: If you had three magic wishes, what would they be?
Love, Jess.

I really enjoyed How I live now, which I very recently bought after seeing the advert for the film. I read it in a day, and it is one of my favourite books.
A question I have to ask you is about your writing. I noticed when reading the book that you do not use speech marks in the book when the characters are talking. Why is this?
Another question that I would like to ask is what is your inspiration for the book?
Thanks,
Karina :)

Hi Meg, I loved How I Live Now, it was extremely moving! What inspired you to write the novel, and what did you think of Saoirse's incredible portrayal of Daisy?

Hi, Meg :) I just want to say I think you're really talented and How I Live Now is one of my favourite books. When you were working to get it published, how did people react to Daisy and Edmond having a sexual relationship?

Hello! I have a question about 'Just In Case'. What happens to Peter??

(It was one of the best books I've ever read. I love your original writing style and Peter = the best character in YA fiction. Thank you so much for agreeing to answer people's questions. Lots of love, A Dedicated Fan : D xx )

Hi Meg. I read How I Live Now not that long ago and I absolutely fell in love with it. The characters were so easy to connect with and I really felt for them every step of the way. You actually managed to make me cry, which is something I very rarely do with books.
I watched the film as soon as I possibly could, and it's one of my favourite films right now. My question is this: the film is quite different from the book. Were you involved in the adaptions the book had to go through in order to become a film? And also, how did it feel to be changing your original story so it fitted with the big-screen?
Thank you so much, Daisy.

Hi Meg, How I Live Now is obviously very character-driven, so I was wondering, when writing it, did you have a solid outline that you strictly followed or did you have a loose outline, letting your characters lead you where they wanted to lead you?

Hello Meg, the entire world watched as several countries in the Middle East staged massive protests and tried (and often succeeded) in making fundamental changes to their countries governments. What was most striking was the role social media played. Your characters were so cut off from the world and I felt that it was this isolation that eased their passage into the terrifying events that followed, but how do you think the story would have been different if they'd had access to Twitter or Facebook?

I really enjoyed How I Live Now! I was so excited to learn about it becoming a movie. When you were writing How I Live Now how did you decide to portray the characters they way you did, especially they way you wrote the language(dialogue of characters)? Also, did you have any concerns or desires about how your readers should of have "digested" the novel?
Thanks for everything!!! :D I love your book!

-Danielle

Hi Meg!
I really liked your book How I Live Now, and I'm planning on reading some other books of yours (:
Also, the movie is almost coming out and I'm really looking forward to go and see it!

What I am curious about is, how long did it take you to write "How I Live Now"?

Mucht love,
Anne

Hi, I'm a big fan. I'm french and I read your books in french because I can't read in english, it's too hard. I read how I live now, Just in case, and what I was, I want to know If picture me gone is available in french. You are my favorite writer with John Green. I read on wikipedia your story and it touched me so much, did your story inspired you for your books ? Where did you find all this wonderful ideas for your books ? I mean, the descriptions are so beautiful, like in Just in case, when justin and agnes are at the beach, this moment is so beautiful. I want to be a writer too, have you got some councils ? Please answer :)

Clemence. (your biggest fan ever)

Hi, I have some other questions, are you writing all the day ? Have you got an other job ? Why did you want to become a writer ? Are daisy and Edmond together ? Because at the end, it's a little bit confused because we don't exactly know if edmond and daisy came back together.

Thank you :)

Is How I Live Now set in the future, or is it an alternate world for the present day?

Hello Meg, this is an incredible book! Now that it's a film, what do you think about Tom Holland playing Isaac. In my opinion Isaac (from the book) was the most interesting character.
Thanks!

Hiya Meg!
What is your all time favourite book, and why?

Much love,
Anne

Hello, Meg. I am a tremendous fan of your work. Your novel What I Was is one of my favourite books. I just love the beautiful situation and setting of the book, and even when the circumstances are bleak, I am still overwhelmed by the way you present it so beautifully. My questions are - how hard was it to write from a male perspective in What I Was? And what were your main inspirations for What I Was? Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!

Hi Meg,

I can count on one hand the number of books that I have read that have left such a lasting impression on me as How I Live Now did. It makes my heart ache, and I love it.

My question: Reading How I Live Now was a very emotional experience, and I still tear whenever I think about it. Was it a very challenging story, emotionally, to write? And was there ever a different ending in your mind, or was it always the one that we all got to read.

Thank you for your time, Meg, and I'm so glad that your amazing stories are published. They are really something.

Leanne Bridges

Hi Meg!

Firstly I'd just like to say that How I Live Now completely changed all my views on writing when I first read it, and both it and What I Was are my favourite books of all time. They're just so unique and beautifully written, and I love them to bits.

My question is this: where do you get your inspiration from? Who are some of the writers you most admire, and which books do you consider your favourites?

Thank you for answering our questions, and I look forward to reading whatever you write next!

Caitriona Doherty

Hello! I admire you so much, as a writer and a person, and I'm such a huge fan of your books, particularly Just In Case!

I was wondering - was the gender twist at the end of What I Was something you had decided on from the initial creation of the novel and if so did it affect the way you wrote the characters and their relationships (as opposed to a ‘traditional’ male/female relationship)? I really admire the way you blurred gender roles, was there a reason why you felt in the end that Finn should be female?

Thanks so much! - Ruth

Hi :) I'm a 17 years old girl from Norway, and I read How I Live Now when we was reading an English book in school :) I really loved the story :) And can't wait for the movie to come out :)

My question is: What inspired you the most when you when you made Daisy's personality and life experiences? :)

- Julie

['WHAT I WAS' SPOILER ALERT]

Hi Meg!

My question is, say the How I Live Now film was so successful they decided to make a What I Was film. Would you prefer it if they cast a male or female actor for Finn? Which would be more believable in your opinion?

(WIW is my favourite book of all time, and I actually wrote a song based on it, so I thought it'd show you. I know you must be very busy though, so it's totally fine if you don't have the time! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPFy4... )

Hi! I love your book How I Live Now very much! I know that their are many ways to analyze the novel and I was just wondering what you consider the main theme of the novel and what symbols/ writing techniques did you use express that theme? I also love how the the book is written and am wondering if it was hard to write it all from Daisy's perspective and if their was a reason behind that? Oh one last thing! Why does no one call Daisy by her real name? Thanks soooo much!!!

Hi Meg, really enjoyed How I Live Now. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

The question I want to ask is, what made you want to add in the incest angle between Daisy and Edmond?

Tilly wrote: "Hiya Meg! I am so literally in love with How I live now and the movie adaption too- which is odd for me to enjoy both as much as the other! I am a young budding writer and i know you must get a lot..."

Hi Tilly -- Now shame on you! I'm only the writer and am not allowed to tell you what happens after the book ends, mainly because I DON'T KNOW. Everyone thinks that authors have all this information in their heads that isn't in the book (Some do -- JK Rowling is a good example) but I put everything I know into the book. If you asked me if Daisy and Edmond end up together in the future, I might take a punt on that and say.....yeah. But Leah? She's yours now! As for why Osbert disappeared from the film, you'll have to ask the screenwriters. I suspect it's because Edmond and Isaac aren't twins any more and Joe was brought in as a friend of the family. The dynamic just worked better. But so glad you loved book and film!! Yay!!! Thank you!
And happy birthday too..... xMeg

Dani wrote: "When I was in high school I read How I Live Now a zillion times. It's my favorite book. What inspired you to write it? Was it in any way based on something real? -Danielle"
Hi Dani -- when I was 19 I moved to London from Boston to go to art school and met this amazing bunch of people who really changed my life. So there were definite echoes of my own life there -- but books generally come from all sorts of weird bits and pieces in the author's life and head -- I probably couldn't trace it all back even if I wanted to. So glad you liked the book enough to read it a zillion times!
xMeg

R.L. wrote: "Hi Meg I have just read How I Live Now and so enjoyed it. One of the things I liked most about it was the voice of the narrator, especially when she answers her father's questions with 'no no yes w..."
Hi RL -- Like you, I'm really interested in 'voice'. I think an author's voice comes from a really deep place, from knowing yourself, from thinking about the world a lot and experiencing tons of relationships, events....from living a rich and complex life. Having said that, the voices of specific characters are different -- I don't know exactly where they come from, and sometimes they don't come at all. Every really good book has its own "voice" -- even if it's not written in the first person. I never use a teenager's actually words or language, but I try to use the rhythms and the breathlessness of having too much to say and too much to experience and trying to be tough. Mostly I remember really well how it felt to be that age -- partly because I think my adolescence when on for about 30 years! Sometimes I think getting a character's voice starts with knowing who that person is, in your head, and wanting to find out what happens to him/her. I know this doesn't sound very concrete, but it's a strange and mysterious process, even to most writers!
xMeg

Megan wrote: "Was there any scene that you liked better as a movie than as writing?"
Hi Megan -- what a great question! Yes, there were lots of scenes that i really loved in the movie -- I loved the fact that the screenwriters made Joe a friend of the family's from the start, I thought that made much more sense than the way I did it in the book! And of course the director showed the results of the massacre much more clearly than I did in the book -- that was so shocking and amazing. Saoirse Ronan as Daisy was just magical too -- what an actress she is!!! I loved the way you could almost see the thoughts in her head flitting across her face. All the kids were brilliant actually....and the house was exactly the way I imagined it when I wrote the book, so that was pretty weird too!
xMeg

Kelly wrote: "Meg, how do you feel about the movie excluding certain characters from the book?"

HI Kelly -- well, weirdly, I didn't mind that a bit. I liked the fact that they changed the book to work better for the director on screen. I always thought of the book and the film as two completely separate things -- the book belongs to me and my readers, while the film belongs more to the director and the people who watch it. There's room in the world to have two different interpretations, and I loved seeing how someone else interpreted my characters! I didn't always agree with everything Kevin MacDonald did, but I really admired the film he made....it's SO powerful.
xMeg

Bentoboxcreature22 wrote: "I don't really have any questions, but I just wanted to say that you are amazing and I love your writing. How I Live Now is one of the best books I've ever read!"

Thank you Bentobox! I never get tired of hearing people say they like my books.
xMeg

Ernie wrote: "Hi Meg, your Australian readers look forward to seeing the film. Here we have a somewhat incoherent film viewer advice classification (euphemism for censorship) so has the film been made for a youn..."

Hi Ernie -- wellllllll.....the film had a 15 certificate here and I have to warn you that it's very dark -- not that the book wasn't dark, but it's really different to see things on screen that you've just imagined. And Kevin's a pretty dark director as well, so altogether it's not really a film for younger teens. When he does war, he does war.....
Having said that, I'm not sure how it will be released in the US and Australia....I think there might be a few changes made to the edit. I've had lots of emails from people telling me their 11 year old can't wait to see it, and I've had to say, whoa! Probably not.
xMeg

Jessica wrote: "Thank you for How I Live Now, Meg! I read it when I was younger. It was the first book I just had to tell other people about.
My question is: If you had three magic wishes, what would they be?
Love..."

Ha ha! What a great question Jessica. Let's see.....I'd go for 1. World Peace, 2. No one being hungry and 3. My own horse!
xMeg

Karina wrote: "I really enjoyed How I live now, which I very recently bought after seeing the advert for the film. I read it in a day, and it is one of my favourite books.
A question I have to ask you is about yo..."

Hi Karina --So glad you liked the book! I didn't use speechmarks because I wanted the thoughts flowing out of Daisy's head just to sound like a kind of stream-of-consciousness rush -- she wasn't the sort of girl who would stop for punctuation. At least that was my theory! I was inspired to write the book when my sister died of cancer -- I'd always been afraid to write a book before then -- afraid it wouldn't be any good, but then i decided just to give it a try because life is short and I hated my job. And amazingly, it worked! I was 46 years old, so it's never to late to follow your dream....
xMeg

Lois wrote: "Hi Meg, I loved How I Live Now, it was extremely moving! What inspired you to write the novel, and what did you think of Saoirse's incredible portrayal of Daisy?"

Hi Lois (my mom's name is Lois! That's not you, mom, is it???) I've talked a lot about what inspired me to write the novel, so I'll answer your question about Saoirse -- she is just amazing. She wasn't really what I'd imagined Daisy would look like, and was much tougher than I thought she'd be (that was the director's idea) but Saoirse is just the most amazing actress. And the loveliest person you'll ever meet as well. Oh, and totally beautiful. How annoying is that!!!???
If you live in the United States, look at yesterday's New York Times Style Section -- such beautiful pictures of her on in it.
xMeg

Laura wrote: "Hi, Meg :) I just want to say I think you're really talented and How I Live Now is one of my favourite books. When you were working to get it published, how did people react to Daisy and Edmond hav..."

Hi Laura -- I had no trouble getting it published at all -- in fact we had big auctions for the book both in the US and in England. Not a single person made a peep about the sexual relationship between Daisy and Edmond -- but I will say that not every publisher we approached bid on the book, so maybe the ones that didn't want to buy it were put off by that. I never really worry what people think of my books too much -- I just write what I want to write and leave it to the publishers to worry about whether the content is OK or not. If they don't like it, they don't have to publish it!
xMeg

Mo wrote: "Hello! I have a question about 'Just In Case'. What happens to Peter??

(It was one of the best books I've ever read. I love your original writing style and Peter = the best character in YA fiction..."

Hi Mo! How fantastic to hear someone talking about Just In Case! I love that book, but it's quite different from How I Live Now and I think some people expected more or less the same thing again. I love Peter too -- I gave him to poor Justin as kind of a gift -- to say that you can be really idiosyncratic and non-conformist and still be balanced and happy and sane. I think he has a lovely happy life when the book ends, but you never know. I haven't heard from him since I finished the book-- not even a postcard!
xMeg

Daisy wrote: "Hi Meg. I read How I Live Now not that long ago and I absolutely fell in love with it. The characters were so easy to connect with and I really felt for them every step of the way. You actually man..."

Wow, Daisy! What a great name (tee hee). So glad you liked the book and the movie. I didn't have all that much to do with writing the film, so anything you didn't like in there you can blame on the 3 film writers and the director! I really loved seeing someone else's interpretation of my characters on screen -- they made changes I would never have thought of, so that was great to see. You kind of have to be open to change when your book is made into a film. I've been really excited about it all along, and really loved the final product. PHEW! Not everyone is as lucky as I was.
xMeg

Lois wrote: "Hi Meg, How I Live Now is obviously very character-driven, so I was wondering, when writing it, did you have a solid outline that you strictly followed or did you have a loose outline, letting your..."

Wait, is this the same Lois or another one??? ANyway, hi Lois. I NEVER write from a tight outline. I usually have no idea where my book is going to go. Usually I have just a first line or a couple of characters, and I just follow them to see where they take me. Sometimes it works brilliantly, like in my new book (Picture Me Gone) but sometimes I spend days and weeks not knowing what will happen next, or trying to figure out what my character should do next. Writing is a great job, but there are days when I'd much rather be digging ditches.
xMeg

Jennifer wrote: "Hello Meg, the entire world watched as several countries in the Middle East staged massive protests and tried (and often succeeded) in making fundamental changes to their countries governments. Wh..."

Hi Jennifer -- what an interesting question. Obviously it would be a really really different story with facebook and internet. But I'm very interested in our dependence on the internet -- what would happen to all of us if the internet went down? I know a lot of people who would lose their minds and not be able to get to the local shop without their I-phone and GPS. So it's interesting to me what happens when modern technology gets shut down and we're all dependent on stuff that we've nearly forgotten -- navigation, maps, observation, quiet, etc. Sometimes I kind of miss it.....
xMeg

Danielle wrote: "I really enjoyed How I Live Now! I was so excited to learn about it becoming a movie. When you were writing How I Live Now how did you decide to portray the characters they way you did, especially ..."
Hi Danielle
My characters tend to arrive in my head fully formed -- so I don't really have trouble developing them most of the time. The thing I really have trouble with is plot -- I'm not actually very good at it so I suffer a lot trying to figure out what comes next! My characters come with their own ideas and voices and usually I just have to do what they tell me to do.... In terms of worrying how people receive my books, well....I obviously prefer it when everyone likes them, but that never happens with any book. So if a bunch of people tell me they really connected with one or another of my books, I'm happy enough. It's kind of dangerous to write to please an audience. Which audience would you choose? I write to please myself. It's a lot simpler!
xMeg

Anne wrote: "Hi Meg!
I really liked your book How I Live Now, and I'm planning on reading some other books of yours (:
Also, the movie is almost coming out and I'm really looking forward to go and see it!

Wha..."

Hi Anne -- I wrote How i LIve Now really quickly -- in fact it was by far the quickest book I've written. The first draft took me about 3-4 months, but it was pretty much finished at that point. I got so excited, thinking "Wow! I can write a best selling book every few months -- and then my next book, Just In Case, took me more than 2 years to write. So much for that.....
xMeg

Clemence wrote: "Hi, I'm a big fan. I'm french and I read your books in french because I can't read in english, it's too hard. I read how I live now, Just in case, and what I was, I want to know If picture me gone ..."

Hello Clemence (what a beautiful name....) -- I'm so glad you read my books in French! I'm pretty sure the new one is being translated right now, but not sure what the title will be in French. I have a wonderful French publisher, so I'm sure they'll think of something good. My main advice to aspiring writers is 1. READ A LOT, 2. WRITE A LOT (doesn't matter what it is, emails, essays, whatever) and 3. DON'T BE IN A HURRY! Sometimes you're not ready to write a book at 18,but you will be at 30 or 40!
xMeg

Clemence wrote: "Hi, I have some other questions, are you writing all the day ? Have you got an other job ? Why did you want to become a writer ? Are daisy and Edmond together ? Because at the end, it's a little bi..."

Hi Again Clemence (or is it a different Clemence?) I think Daisy and Edmond do stay together, but you never know! After the book is finished, your guess is as good as mine. And yes, I write all day -- I don't have another job, though answering questions and talking at book festivals and schools takes up a lot of my time....as does thinking!
xMeg

Laura wrote: "Is How I Live Now set in the future, or is it an alternate world for the present day?"

Hi Laura -- what a brilliant way to pose that question -- the answer is yes to both -- I always say that How i Live Now takes place about six weeks in the future, not the distant future, but more like an alternative present. I like to get people thinking about what might happen in a place we all live and all take for granted; what would it be like to have a war in the place we live now? So many people have to deal with that question for real in their lives today....
xMeg