Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Cracking the Magic Mirror

I never really thought I'd want to write something based off a fairy tale.  But I think we all know what it's like to have an idea that won't go away.

I've seen a lot about fairy tale rewritings or retellings or whatever you want to call them over the past few years.  From an abstract perspective, I can understand why they're popular - these stories have become such a huge part of our culture, they're tales that most people will recognize immediately, and there's just something about them that resonates.  The way they can freely change in the telling, the way they've been reinvented all across the world, and the fact that the original stories are often violent and brutal...  There's a lot to work with there.

Hell, if I hadn't already decided to work with this one, I might have talked myself into it with that last paragraph.

But until a few weeks ago, I'd never had an idea that lent itself to reimagining a fairy tale.  I've plotted enough stories, though, to know that my best plots tend to come from combining two different ideas.  A song I kept hearing at work gave me ideas toward one sort of story, just vague hints and images, so I did the usual note-scribbling, unsure if anything would come of it.  That same day, I explained the concept of apple spiders to a co-worker.  She said it reminded her of a particular fairy tale, and my brain made the connection.  I suddenly realized what the story I'd been taking down notes for was meant to be.

I'm still putting everything together - hell, I just figured out how the story starts today, right in the middle of my drive home.  (Getting story ideas on the freeway is all kinds of fun, believe me.)  But the way it's coming together now, I can tell this is one that will work.

I'll need to read the original tale to really make sure I get things straight, but there are all kinds of elements I'm already putting together into the plot.  The magic mirror, the glass coffin, blood and snow and ebony, so on and so forth.  A system of magic I thought of years ago will fit perfectly into this world, and it's something I've wanted to use for a long time.  This is why I write everything down and urge other writers to do the same - you never know when it'll be useful again.

Granted, I still don't have a full plot, and the standard number of characters for this tale means I have a lot of work ahead of me.  And as I said, this isn't a story I ever expected to tell.  But I'm excited about it.  With any luck, I'll hash out the plot this winter and have this ready to be my second book for 2015.

I'm well and truly glad I figured all this out, because it fulfills a story desire I've had for a long, long time: I just plain really want to do "Snow White and the Seven Samurai".

Next entry: Contested.

18 comments:

  1. I definitely know what it's like to have an idea that WON'T back down, no matter how much you shoo it away. And since, when I finally succumbed to that idea, I ended up with the best book deal of my career so far, I have to admit "The Muse Knows Best!"

    If your Muse tells you to write a Snow White story with Samurai, then she obviously knows better than us mortals. Go for it! And good luck!

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    1. Eh, the 'samurai' thing is more of a concept, more about who she's with instead of dwarves, but you get the idea. And I have learned to trust the Muse over the years. ^_^

      The only downside is that I'm an early riser while my Muse sleeps late. Which is why I get ideas on the freeway. And in the shower. And...

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  2. ah, the idea that will not go away. It's always equal part blessing and curse. Good luck. And fairytale retellings in space are pretty popular right now.

    (I know, I'm no help at all).

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    1. Understanding is always helpful. ^_^ And I have heard that fairy tale retellings are still popular, hopefully they'll remain so for a few more years.

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  3. I think that reimagining fairy tales are great. I have an idea for a sort of slick retelling of Cinderella that I think would be a hoot (but knowing my stories, someone would probably get shot or kidnapped, and then I'd be doing a page on rewrite). I say go for it and I certainly wish you luck with it. Definitely keep us posted on the progress.

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    1. I likewise say go for it. ^_^ Some of the best stories are the ones that surprise you, and there's a ton of ways Cinderella could go and still be Cinderella.

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  4. I love it when this happens to me. The seeping in of a story idea that leads to fun and fabulous prose. :-)

    Anna from Shout with Emaginette

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    1. True, but the idea's the easy part. I do think this one's going to come together well, but we'll see what happens when I actually start plotting it for real, instead of just jotting down ideas.

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  5. Samurai - that's just awesome!
    If you decide to redo a fairy tale with Ninjas, let me know...

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    1. Heh! As I said above, the samurai thing is more of a metaphor. She definitely isn't working with dwarves. :P And ninjas aren't entirely my thing, though the main character of this story may have some ninja-like moments.

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  6. I love fairy tale retellings, myth retellings, folk lore retellings...mainly, I think, because of exactly what you said - there is something in them that resonates in our collective unconscious. I'm a big Joseph Campbell fan :) And the few elements you mentioned ("The magic mirror, the glass coffin, blood and snow and ebony,") are so rich in imagery and metaphor and meaning, I'm already excited to read this story.

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    1. Gah! Don't get hyped yet, odds are good no one will see this 'till 2016 at the earliest. >_< But yeah, once I started thinking of all the elements of the original tale and its various versions, I saw just how much there is to work with. That's why I want to read the original, it could be very inspiring.

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  7. Sounds like fun, count me in to read when you're done (or purchase, whichever) :D

    *dancing*

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    1. Gladly, but again, I really need to *not* talk about stuff long before I've even started it. >_<

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  8. Great when a plan comes together. Sounds like it'll be a fun one.

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    1. It should be. There's a lot I need to figure out, but it's really different from what I've done before, so I'm looking forward to it.

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  9. Yay! I love that feeling. :) I have a fairy tale mashup on my own back burner, and it just won't let up...

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    1. No kidding. This entry totally pre-empted what I was actually going to write about, just because I was excited about this. O_o

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