1. There's nothing more terrifying than a dream come true.
I mean this quite literally. It's one thing to empty the contents of your twisted mind into a word document. You're never going to watch anyone read it. But having your book translated for the screen is like having someone DVR your dreams... and then air them on network television. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. But seeing my characters walk, talk, and yes, make out screen (it is the CW, after all) is both thrilling and unnerving.
2. If you love something, let it go...
I'm extraordinarily lucky because the brilliant The 100 producers and writers brought the world to life in ways I never even imagined. However, the show varies a lot from the book. This is a good thing--TV and literature are very different mediums, and excel at telling different types of stories. But you have to be prepared for your characters to do things you never expected. It's kind of like sending your kids off to college. You have to give them the freedom to become their own people. That saying, if Clarke comes home with a tribal tattoo, I'm cutting off her tuition.
3. If your show is on the CW, you will never be an extra.
The one downside to having the most beautiful cast in the history of television is that you will (probably) never make a cameo. I mean, if I'd written Game of Thrones, the producers probably could've shoved me behind a bevy of bar wenches and no one would be the wiser. But I'd feel a smidge uncomfortable hanging out under a glow-in-the-dark tree while 100 super hot teenagers ran around, making out in the (slightly) acid rain.
4. And you definitely can't write yourself into the show.
When I saw that Henry Ian Cusick had been cast as the Vice-Chancellor, I grabbed my computer and started drafting a scene in which the character puts saving the human race on hold to conduct a secret affair with the ship's novelist-in-residence. Needless to say, that chapter didn't make it into the sequel.
5. You will google "what is twerking" and "what is flappy bird?"
Once the show was announced, the publication date for my sequel was moved up, so I had to go into major writing lockdown. For a few months, all I did was work, write, and hyperventilate. (When I finally made it to the laundromat, the owner said, "Nice to see you; we thought you were dead." The people at the gym definitely still think I'm dead.) Because of that, I still haven't seen a single episode of Orange is the New Black, and at one point, found myself googling "what is twerking." Pro tip--don't do it at work.
6. You'll be investigated by child services.
After the first episode aired, my friends had a lot of questions, like, "Why did you hide Octavia in the closet for all those years?" Fingers crossed no passerby reported me for that one.
7. You will need a wing person.
And by wing person, I mean someone to keep you from attempting to flirt with the Vampire Diaries actors when you're lucky enough to get invited to a CW party.
8. Your high school boyfriend will want to know which character is based on him.
Um... the one who finds the two-headed deer? No, wait! The one who gets eaten by the radioactive water snake!
9. You will need a car with an excellent turning radius.
Because when you go home to visit your parents, you will make your father perform numerous U-turns on Sunset Blvd at rush hour so you can take photos of the billboard... with eight different Instagram filters.
10. You will break things.
Your friends will host lovely viewing parties for you, and you will repay them for their kindness by knocking over a punch bowl while shouting, "We're back, bitches!" along with Octavia. (What? Homegirl's obviously excited to be out of the closet.)
11. You will fail as a writer by telling people that "Words can't describe how excited you are."
Sad, but true. Luckily, I have many, many more interesting words in The 100, so while you're waiting for episode two, be sure to check out the book!
Kass Morgan's The 100 series has just been adapted into a show for the CW.