  Drama
This week: Drama Inspires Drama Edited by: Kit  
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Have you ever read a novel and thought, "Hey, I've been here before?" It's not just amateur writers who write fan-fiction.
This week's Drama Newsletter is all about reinterpretations and a professional twist on fan-fiction.
kittiara
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It's funny when you open a book and think, hey, this looks familiar! Not because of terrible cliches, or storylines that have been done a million times before – it's more the kind of sensation that you've just bumped into an old friend who you wouldn't mind a conversation with.
Existing tales inspire new tales, I've found. Sometimes it's blatant, other times it's cleverly disguised, and if you're in the hands of a good writer, it's actually quite brilliant. Take Terry Pratchett's Lords and Ladies, for example. It has elements of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but it's recreated in such a new, original way, that it's a little masterpiece in its own right.
Drama inspires drama, too. A Weekend with Mr Darcy is one of the more obvious ones, as you can no doubt tell by the title. It's a sweet novel and a treat for Austen fans. The setting is a Jane Austen conference at Purley Hall, where several endearing (and sometimes not so endearing) characters have adventures and new beginnings they never expected when they arrived.
Its author, Victoria Connelly, has written four more novels in her Austen Addicts series. The second installment is reminiscent of Persuasion, and is also worth a read. I haven't read the others yet, but they're waiting for me in a box of Christmas gifts. I reckon that it won't be long before I'll give them a try.
For those who love romantic movies, I can recommend From Notting Hill with Love . . . Actually, by Ali McNamara. It's about a young woman, about to get married, who finds that having your head in the clouds and an obsession with movies can get you into trouble, but also lead to wondrous events even she couldn't have dreamed up. It has a sequel - From Notting Hill to New York . . . Actually, which I've just started on, and it looks promising.
For all my enjoyment of these novels, I have wondered why people draw their inspiration from other people's work. Especially when it's obvious that they don't lack in imagination, or talent. It's sometimes said that there is no such thing as an original idea, but I've never believed that. For one, my dreams are frequently so bizarre that I would pity the person who shared them with me. For another, all ideas have to start somewhere.
I've only had a couple of dips into the fan-fiction genre, but I do sort of get why people become so attached to certain characters that when the original creator of these characters stops writing about them, the fans aren't willing to let go, and dream up new adventures. At other times, they describe alternate events and what they would have led to, which is fair enough.
I don't think I could ever write a full-blown novel inspired by another story, though. A couple of years ago I began a satirical novel with hints of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight, but my characters soon insisted that I do something different with them, and the further the story developed, the more it went off track.
That doesn't mean that I am complaining about reinterpretations or books that show a clear love for whatever or whoever inspired them. Not when they're good novels in their own right instead of blatant rip-offs. It's not something my muse would permit me to do, but I am glad that some of these works exist.
Have you ever written a novel, story or poem based on or hinting at someone else's work? Did you enjoy writing it? If so, do let me know and if I like it, I'll highlight it in my next Newsletter  .
kittiara
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The Drama Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
Quick-Quill  - I read the Millennium Trilogy as it was released and loved all the movies. I've read every Christine Feehan's series. The Dark series, 7 sisters, Mind Games. I haven't got into the new animal shifter series. I love her writing and it follows through in all her series. That being said, I am not a re-reader. If I've read it and know the ending the thrill is gone. There are some movies I will watch many times, Shooter, Hunt for Red October, Blind Side and Pretty Woman. If I'm watching on DVD I skip to the good parts; Vivian shopping, Leanne walking across the practice field and skip the crash. I love the part in Shooter where he takes out all the guys who are trying to set up the guy to kill himself. I'm done and can walk away.
Oh, I haven't watched Hunt for Red October and Pretty Woman in ages! Thanks for reminding me  .
It does have to be a while for me to re-watch or reread something. I'm not one of those people who can do so again and again and again in a short amount of time. I like when it gets to a stage where it's all a big vague and I can't remember a lot of the details, and then I'll revisit if I feel the urge. I admit that when I re-watched Buffy, I did skip some of the bits or even episodes that I didn't really enjoy, so that I could focus on the good parts.
~~~
jack-tyler - Yet sometimes old friends change. After 32 books spanning 25 years, R.A. Salvatore utterly ruined the Drizzt Do'Urden series in one stroke. I've heard rumors that demands were made by his publisher that he change things, but I don't know anything about that. All I know is that it's going to be a long time before I ever trust another author to write a sequel and get it right. Tragic, really, to have all that invested, and then be thrown to the wolves like that...
Yes, that would be tragic!  25 years is a long time, and 32 books is a whole lot of reading. What did he do?
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Drama Newsletter Team
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Drama: January 15, 2014 Issue [#6104]
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