Marissa Meyer talks to Hypable about the trials and triumphs of Cress (and teases Winter!) in honor of the book’s release.
How did you approach developing Cress as a character, and introducing her into your storytelling web?
I like to write about strong, independent female characters, because I think they’re the most interesting heroines to read and write about. But I didn’t want to just write the same character over and over again, so I gave a lot of thought to how each of my heroines would stand on their own and be their own unique people. They all have their own strengths, weaknesses, and quirks.
Cress is a big change from Cinder and Scarlet, who are both very brave and strong-willed. Cress is easily the “weak” one of the group – she’s shy, naïve, and a total romantic. But she’s also very intelligent and has mechanisms in place for coping in scary situations, which were a lot of fun to write about. I really enjoyed writing Cress’s character because she’s easily the one that I relate to the most.
Was there any additional world-building or research you had to do for Cress?
Every book comes with its own world-building challenges, in part because every book is set in a different part of the world. In Cinder, we were in New Beijing (China), in Scarlet it was in France, and in Cress we’re largely in northern Africa. I did a lot of research on Egypt, Syria, the Sahara, and desert survival, among other things.
There was also (slight spoiler!) the complication of writing about the first community in this series in which we get to see both Earthens and Lunars intermingling, so I had to give a lot of thought to how that worked, how they came to be there, and what their community was like.
What is it like to develop our original heroine Cinder, as she both learns more about herself and is forced to take drastic measures to save the world?
I’ve loved watching Cinder grow over the course of this series! She still has a tendency to surprise me, and I’ve enjoyed seeing her grow into the leader she’ll have to become. She really starts to take charge in Cress, and it gives an indication of where she might end up, but we also see that having strength and power comes with a whole new set of challenges and fears. It’s fun as a writer to witness her confidence emerging… but not always for the better.
The heroines of The Lunar Chronicles all have very quirky and distinct love-interests. How do you approaching writing “the princes,” so to speak, especially when they are independent from their female counterparts?
They are quirky, aren’t they? Lol! I feel like most girls have “a type.” The boy next door, the bad boy, the class clown, what have you. I went into this series wanting to write male leads for every girl out there – I want every reader to develop at least one crush as the story goes on!
Related: Cress book review: Rapunzel’s new story is anything but a let-down
But once I had an idea of the “archetypes” I wanted to explore, I had to give a lot of thought to characterization, just like you do with every character. Why are they the way they are? What was their past like, their childhood? What choices have they made that brought them to this point of the story? What are their strengths and weaknesses and how are they going to grow throughout the books? And a big one — why are they worth falling in love with? So a lot goes into them.
We see an especially different side of Carswell Thorne in Cress. What was it like to challenge and develop such a determinedly-unfazable character?
I got lucky with Thorne – he practically writes himself. I just have to ask, “What’s the most awesome thing he could say right now?” and go with that. It takes a lot of pressure off of me! I also had a really clear idea of his character arc from the beginning and how much influence Cress would have on him. I think it’s safe to say he still has a long ways to go in Winter, but the seeds have been planted.
Things can get pretty emotional in Cress. Were there any moments that were hard for you to write?
There are always difficult scenes to write! I think any time Cinder is struggling with her identity and her willingness to make sacrifices and the cost of using her Lunar gift – I find myself struggling right along with her. The problem with having the power to control people is that there’s a lot of gray area on what’s good vs. what’s evil.
We get to meet Winter very briefly in Cress, and she already seems very different from Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress. Can you tell us anything about your approach to her character and story?
A lot of Book Four is from Winter’s POV (given that she is the title character and all…) so readers will be seeing a lot more of her and coming to understand the choices she’s made. She’s been difficult to write largely because of what I mentioned before about the struggles associated with the Lunar gift and when it is or isn’t okay to use it. Cinder tries to use the power for good when she can, whereas Winter has decided never to use it at all – and that decision’s come with some bad consequences. I think she makes a great foil to Cinder.
All that said – Winter is also a lot of fun to write because holy schnikeys the girl is crazy. I love having a character for which anything goes.
Can you describe the finale of The Lunar Chronicles in six words or less?
Happily ever after? To be determined…
Cress by Marissa Meyer is on sale today at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your local independent bookstore!
Fan of our book coverage? Why not join our Hypable Books Facebook group!
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.