Retelling is an interesting artform

And upcoming events!

Hey all! Summer is upon us! As a group, we take a semi-break during the summer and have no general body meetings. Currently, in fact, we are in the throes of Camp NaNoWriMo… at least for those participating.

What is NaNoWriMo? Well, more information will be coming out closer to November, but the short version is NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month where aspiring authors try to write an entire first draft of a novel in 30 days. Camp NaNo is the little brother or sister to that. During April and July Campers can choose their word or time goal. It could be as long as NaNoWriMo’s goal of 50,000 words, or it could be shorter.

Interested in more information? Check out NaNoWriMo’s website.

---

The Basics of Retellings

Retellings, to me, seemed like an easy way to write a novel. Take the plot beats and characters of The Little Mermaid, put them in space, and wabam! Novel! Low effort, right? Easy to write?

Probably, but not so easy to write well, I’m learning.

I once watched three back-to-back Wonder Woman movies. The first I enjoyed, the second was okay, and the third was boring because they did the exact same thing! Steve lands on the island, Diana leaves the island, and she fights in a war/War. I found myself relishing the differences in each version I watched because I hadn’t wanted a rehash of the story I knew. I wanted something that built on it. Added to it.

But I’ve also experienced retellings that tried to build on the original, present it in a new way or add to it, only to find the story fell flat. I stopped reading a Peter Pan retelling because Wendy felt off. I couldn’t vibe with a Count of Monte Cristo retelling because I found the new version confusing. Famously, there’s a version of Captain America that ends an issue with him saying ‘Hail Hitler,’ going against the root of the character.

Other retellings I’ve devoured. Teen Wolf was based on the original movie from when I was a kid. To Kill A Kingdom, a Little Mermaid retelling. She’s the Man, based on Twelfth Night.

Enter: Across the Spiderverse.

I saw it last weekend (it’s brilliant), and it struck me that every Spider in the Spiderverse is a retelling. Miles is different from Peter is different from Gwen is different from cast characters like Spider-Punk, Spider Byte, Spider Rex, Peter Porker, and so much more. But at the same time, one of the ideas Across the Spiderverse explores is – what makes someone Spiderman?

What is at the core of each version of the character?

And that is what I think retellings need to understand. I can’t just set The Little Mermaid in space. Or make Beauty and the Beast a romantic comedy (been done actually – see Beauty and the Briefcase). I have to have a solid understanding of the original material.

Who is Ariel at her core? What pushes her forward? Pulls her back? How does she grow?

What are the themes of the story? What are the obstacles? What are its core elements that readers will want to see replicated? A showdown? A moment of triumph?

Suddenly, retellings aren’t easy novels to write. It’s not just shifting the setting. It’s knowing the original so well you can translate it into a different time period, a different location, a different setting, and maybe a different identity. It’s studying and researching and having to deliver a story that’s guaranteed to have a complex reader interaction – is it recognizable as the original they love? does it do something unique? Does it match expectations, rekindling their love for a story, or is what they wanted to see not there? (If a The Little Mermaid retelling doesn’t have Ariel disobeying her father, is she really Ariel?)

Original stuff is so much less stressful. There’s no preconceived notion. No history of lore to communicate. It’s just my words and imagination.

Retellings are hard.

But Across the Spiderverse is a great one, and I highly encourage you to go see it.

---

The Writing Journey, including Gwen Tolios, JM Guilfoyle, and Nikki Green, will be attending Sundays On State on July 16th. Come by our table and say hi or pick up a book by one of our authors!

More information coming soon for October’s Prepatory events for NaNoWriMo! Stay tuned!