aliciainlove wrote:
What inspired you to write this book? And how much of it did you have planned, as in....what direction were you going when you initially started, and how much changed as you neared the end?
Inspiration came from a bunch of different places, but at the heart of it I always wanted to write a book about change, and the evolution of a character--someone who starts off with little or no understanding about what makes life really meaningful and is able to develop this understanding over time. I did actually plan out the whole plot before I began writing. Structurally, Before I Fall is somewhat complex (in terms of tying various threads together), and I knew I would just get lost in the material unless I had a really detailed outline to work from. Some writers have a more organic process, but if I write without an outline I just write pages and pages and pages and no plot. Not very compelling. 
BoilerWriter wrote:
Lauren Oliver will join our group through the 26th of the month. Please help welcome her to the book clubs and post your questions for her here!
As a person whose hobby is writing YA material, I read a number of YA books for market research. I was thrilled when I received notice via Facebook that your novel was involved in the First Look club. This is my first opportunity to participate in the club. Your novel far surpassed my expectations. Your writing style ranks up there with the quality of YA authors like Laurie Halse Anderson. Publishing a novel of this caliber at such a young age indicates to me that I will be seeing more of your work in the future. Your novel is well-written and engaging with many clever lines sprinkled throughout. Given its page-turning style, I couldn't keep myself from continuing to turn pages until I completed the book, but I took notes so that I would be able to follow along in discussions without revealing details in advance. Although I will have additional questions as we proceed through the discussions, I currently have two.
I came across three typos as I was reading. Should we share this information with you or wait until your editor comes aboard? I'm assuming the first edition of your book is already in print, but thought you might like to know for editing in future editions.
Secondly, I found it interesting that you named one of your characters Lauren and wondered if there was a reason for doing so. It's a great name and I, in fact, have a character named Lauren in my own current work, but my name isn't Lauren and I don't recall ever seeing an author use their own name for a character unless they were writing a memoir. I just found the name choice interesting and it made me curious to know why you chose to use it.
One last tidbit, when I read through the book description, I immediately thought of the movie 'Groundhog Day'; reliving the same day repeatedly. I had to smile when I came to page 131 and you mentioned the movie. At that point I turned to the back cover and read your bio. I noticed you went to school in Chicago and wondered if you'd visited Woodstock where the movie was filmed or if the connection was just coincidental? I thoroughly enjoyed your novel and look forward to futher discussions.
Thanks so much for all your nice words about the book! I am so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for being attentive to the typos. They have no doubt been corrected in the final edition so you don't have to worry about them; you are reading an uncorrected (i.e., un-copyedited) proof.
Ha. I hadn't even noticed that I'd inserted my own name into the book; it certainly wasn't conscious. I guess I just felt it was the right name for the character.
In answer to your final question, no, I have never visited Woodstock--the connection was, as you say, entirely coincidental. I actually only saw Groundhog Day once about twelve years ago, but yes, I had to call the movie out in the book, as structurally it is quite similar to Before I Fall. But hey--it worked for Bill Murray!
thewanderingjew wrote:
I want to let you know that I have had a hard time putting your book down. I read until 2 am last night and decided not to torture myself. I am going to read the final chapter, early, and be very careful with my posts so as not to spoil it for others. I think you wrote a winner.
Thank you! I am so glad you are enjoying (though very sorry to have made you so sleep deprived...)
Hi Lauren,
I was wondering if there were any parts in the book that you were nervous about putting it into your novel.
I'm also on chapter 5 and the story is getting better. Today while reading at school I got a little teary eyed. I have a really good feeling about the ending. Usually if a book starts off with bad characters or bad things (sex, drugs, drinking, parties) I quit reading the book. I'm totally against drinking and drugs. But your characters had this quality about them that made me feel like they were going to change and that you were not just writing about a teen party randomly. That you had an important message to tell us readers. So I couldn't stop reading Before i Fall.
Melissa_W
EEK! Melissa. Thank you so much for your generous words but lots of spoilers in your post so other readers should beware if they haven't finished the book yet...
Melissa_W wrote:
Dear Lauren,
Congratulations on your book! It's really great to see a YA book that has some meat to it's bones.
I have to thank you for being brave enough to let Sam die at the very end. I was hoping you wouldn't cave and make it a "happy" ending just because people would want that (although a little part of me would have been happy to see Sam survive after being hit by the car). It is an amazing growth of Sam's character that allows her the maturity to see that she must sacrifice herself to allow Juliet to live.
