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Retellings – Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em?

Tracey Dyck 41 Comments

With my mind on The Brightest Thread, I’ve been pondering retellings lately, retellings of all sorts and all formats. Books. Movies. Fairytale retellings. Superhero reboots. Book-to-screen adaptions. We’ve been seeing an influx of all of them–and perhaps a decline in original ideas, but that’s another topic for another time.

What I want to talk about today is the vast spectrum of responses these retellings get from people. One retold fairytale or rebooted movie from the 90’s might be adored, loathed, criticized, apathetically ignored, or anything and everything in between. Now, of course any work of art, original or retold, will elicit a variety of responses, but it seems that people become rather vocal when it comes to retellings.

Why is that?

I propose it’s because of people’s deep emotional attachment to the original story.

Take Beauty and the Beast, for instance. (And we’ll remove the LeFou issue from the equation for the moment, so we can focus on the bare bones of a retelling without whatever social agendas a director might shoehorn into a story.) Some people loved it. Some people strongly disliked it. Others feel conflicted, because they liked some parts and not others.

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Maybe the big deal is because a lot of the people who went to see the movie love the original tale of Beauty and the Beast–either the animated Disney movie or the Grimm fairytale or perhaps both.

Let’s take a look at an imaginary person for a moment. We’ll call her Jane. Jane grew up with a big fat book of fairytales, a book whose pages she wore ragged with use. She grew up watching B&B and sang “Tale as Old as Time” often enough to drive her brother mad. She’s eighteen now, and when she saw the preview for the new movie, she was ecstatic. Getting to see her favorite story brought to new life with modern special effects and great actors? Of course she’s thrilled!

On opening night, she settles into the theater folding chair, bucket of popcorn in hand, and her breath catches as the first scene starts.

Two hours and nineteen minutes later, Jane staggers out of the theater with her mind whirling.

Now, this could go many ways. She could be euphoric over the magical adaptation, the perfect songs, the many little nods to the original Disney film, the new twists.

Or she could feel angry and betrayed because of how, in her mind, the heart of the original was lost.

Or she could feel anything in between! But chances are good that she’s going to feel something, and it’s probably going to be a strong something. Because Beauty and the Beast is her favorite, and she wants the retelling to do it justice.

This goes for any adaption on the screen or on the page, and it’s an interesting topic to explore whether you’re the consumer or the creator.

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I think of the plethora of superhero films. They reimagine the comic books. And some of them reimagine the first reimaginings of the comic books. I mean, we’ve had three different Spider-Mans in the last fifteen years. If you like superhero movies, you probably have a favorite rendition, right? Even if you never read the comics (I never have), you have a certain expectation of who Spider-Man should be, and you’ll judge the movies accordingly. Nothing wrong with that; it’s just how it is.

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Or what about the Narnia movies? I adore them, even when they strayed from the books. And I adore the books too, just in a different way. That’s another complexity in this world of retellings! Some people are weird enough to separate the art forms, and they love different takes on a story. I don’t think of the Narnia movies the same way as I think about the books. I love them both for different reasons, and I’m on pins and needles waiting for more news on The Silver Chair. (Not to mention very sad that there’s no chance Will Poulter will get to reprise his role as Eustace.)
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I’m writing a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, so I’m growing increasingly interested in what people generally expect of a fairytale retelling. How faithful do they want it to be? How many twists do they want? How fundamental can the twists be? Gender swaps? Role reversals? Genre bending? How many different ways can you interpret the heart of the original story? What is the heart? What do you highlight? What do you downplay? Is the original story a concrete framework, or is it a set of loose guidelines to play with as you please?

Stray too far, and you’ll upset someone. Stick too close, and you’ll still upset someone. Because Sleeping Beauty matters to this audience, otherwise they wouldn’t pick up a book based on it.

I’ve already come to terms with the fact that I can’t please everyone, so I’m not even going to try. But still, it’s worth figuring out what expectations your audience might have when they crack open your book.

I don’t know where I’m going with this post, really . . . I was just puzzling over why people react strongly to retellings, and I think I stumbled over one key reason. What do you guys think?

And when it comes to fairytales, what’s your perfect mix of ingredients? Do you like them to stick close to the original one, or do you like a wild ride of twists and turns? Tell me your thoughts on retellings/reboots in general, too! Let’s discuss them allll!

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Magical Places

Tracey Dyck 31 Comments

There are places I feel connected to, places that my restless heart grabs onto like a wandering magnet finding its match. I can’t explain how or even why, whether it has to do with being an INFJ or if it’s just me or if it’s something everyone experiences. But there are places in this world that feel like home.



[Pinterest]
Firstly and most obviously: my actual, physical home. When I’ve been traveling or even just busy, and I finally drag myself through the front door, my whole self just sighs in contentment. (Or relief, let’s be honest. #hobbit) It’s lived in, our stuff is everywhere, it’s comfy, all the sunshine streams through the picture windows in the front, and there are usually the voices of the people I love most filling the rooms.



[sorry, this one and the remaining pics are from Google Images; I saved them
on my phone and neglected to keep the URLS, so I can’t give proper credit]

Trees. I’m not a super outdoorsy person, I’m not into camping (though I love the idea of being capable of roughing it), but there’s something about a forest that draws me in. Green everywhere. A quiet thrumming of insect wings and birdcalls and paws rustling in the undergrowth and life growing. In a forest, it feels like an adventure could be hiding around any given corner, but it’s also a place to pause and drink in the peacefulness.

Water. Not being in it so much as being near it. Put me on the shore of a lake or the bank of a river; send me on a wild goose chase to track down a trickle of water, and I’m happy. The sheer bigness of a body of water whose opposite shore is somewhere unseen past the horizon fills me with awe. Even the sound of snowmelt running down the drainpipes in springtime awakens hope in me.

Mountains. These crop up in my stories all. the. time. and I don’t even live near any. I’ve been amongst mountains so few times I can count them on one hand, but they fill my imagination and utterly fascinate me. Just like forests, they practically sing adventure; and just like water, they are awe-inspiring.

Someplace in the middle of nowhere, on a clear night when the stars are bright and close and the Milky Way breathes brilliant dust across the sky. Living in the city, I don’t get to experience this much, and sometimes I stare longingly upward and wish to be away from streetlights. But there was one night in particular, at a tiny cabin with my family, when we lay on the grass and just gazed at the stars for a while. I felt so small. So at peace. So full of wonder.

Cutesy coffee shops awaken a little bit of hipster in me. The smell of coffee grinds . . . the hum of conversation . . . the clink of dishes . . . oftentimes, the rustic timber and adorable knick knacks and the atmosphere of people pausing long enough to enjoy each other’s company. Plus, it’s kind of the picture-perfect place for a writer to pen those words. (At least, the romanticized writer that proooobably doesn’t exist in real life.)

Great architecture & history. Preferably a castle (I’ve never visited one YET), but I’ll settle for legislative buildings, museum buildings, cathedrals, anything made out of stone, anything with arches or domes or spires or tall, skinny windows. Yep. Take me there, and let me stay a good long while to soak in the stories seeping through the walls.


Whichever place on my list I visit, once I’m there, I want to be there long enough to enjoy it. These are the places that make my heart sing, that seem to speak a language without words. Somehow, they fill me with inspiration–magic tingling in my fingertips and fire glowing in my chest.

What are some of the places you love with all your heart? Do we share any?

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Subplots and Storylines – November 2016

Tracey Dyck 23 Comments

I don’t know how it’s physically possible, but somehow this month seems even fuller than the last!

November opened with my birthday, which I celebrated a bit differently than other years in order to fit with my school schedule. Later on in the month, we also celebrated my lil’ sister’s birthday.

I grew a bit more in my public speaking skills: I was called to answer Q&A in one of our communicators meetings, I was the timer for another meeting, and a classmate and I got to preach a mini message to the youth volunteers.

My class and I helped build our church’s float for the city’s Santa Clause Parade, which was so fun, especially because we also got to participate in the actual parade, walking alongside our beautiful float.

There was a last-minute event I volunteered at, a youth worship night, a youth talent show, Christmas shopping, friend stuff, and my first exam of the year.

And through it all, my little corner of the world disguised itself as London, with miserable rain mixed with melting snow, and some of the densest fog I’ve ever seen.

Movies

Very little this month. I watched the last episode of Once Upon a Time Season 4 with my sisters (oh my goodness, THAT ENDING) and saw some more of Season 1 with my parents.

Books

(I searched high and low for an image of my copy. This ain’t it.)

Journey to the Center of the Earth // Jules Verne
I wanted to read one of the unread, second-hand books on my shelf, and randomly picked this one. It was more enjoyable than I expected, quite honestly. I remember not totally loving Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea during high school, and while Journey does pause now and then to dump facts on the reader, it keeps a good pace overall. And it was funny! Axel and his enthusiastic uncle, Professor Liedenbrock, make an amusing pair.

[Professor] “Do you remember a visit the famous English
chemist Humphrey Davy paid me in 1825?”
[Axel] “No, I don’t. For the very good reason that I wasn’t
born until nineteen years later.”

Was the book scientifically accurate? Probably not, seeing as it was written in the 1800s, but it was still fun to pretend that Verne’s theories could be true, to envision a whole new world beneath the earth’s crust. My biggest quibble was the ending. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but let’s just say the characters didn’t accomplish quite as much as I expected they would.

Prophet // R.J. Larson
I loved it! I haven’t read very many fantasies with a Biblical type of setting, so that was neat. I found it especially intriguing to follow Ela’s journey as a Prophet of the Infinite, to see how it mirrored real prophets in the Old Testament. She was so compassionate even when she had to communicate the Infinite’s judgment on people who deserved it. (That compassion is a trait I need to grow in.) I adored Kien, a charming ambassador who spends a goodly amount of time in prison and has a strong appreciation for food. Ela’s little sister, Tzana, was sweet and sympathetic.

The plot slowed down a bit once or twice, or maybe that was just me taking a long time to finish the book. There was another seventy-ish pages after the big climax, so I was expecting a plot twist, but instead I got an abrupt segment of story that might have been better left for the beginning of book two. I also had some thoughts to sort through about the Infinite, who seemed loving but also enforced a works-based sort of faith among His people . . . but then I remembered that this is, in effect, the Old Testament, and a savior is not part of the story yet. (There might be one later in the trilogy?)

Don’t let either of those things stop you from reading, though! Prophet is a wonderful, refreshing book that took the fantasy genre down a less well-trodden path. Between readings, my mind kept going back to the story–definitely the mark of a good book.

Writing

I felt a lot more productive this month than I have in quite a while! I wrote a poem for the first time in forever,* and wrote 9,497 words in The Prophet’s Key. That’s more than I’ve written since college started, so I was happy. I’m close to the halfway point in my outline, too. The villains are gaining the upper hand, so the whole situation is about to change for the worse for my protagonists!

*breaks into song (I listened to the Frozen soundtrack earlier this week, okay?)

I’ve also set my writing goals FOR THE REST OF 2016 (and a little bit more), so I am super pumped. I want to reach 80k by Christmas, which means writing almost 10k in three weeks. Then the goal is to utilize my Christmas break to add another 20k, which will bring the book to 100k. Then if I can finish the whole first draft by springtime/the end of college/sometime around there . . . I just may have enough time to rewrite The Brightest Thread into a full novel so I have something to pitch at the Realm Makers Conference.

O.O

Yeah.

I’m that crazy.

And as I look at the things filling up my December calendar, I’m questioning the sanity of that plan even more. But if you shoot for the moon and miss, you still land among the stars and all that jazz.*

*Except not really. Because the stars are light-years away. So if I miss the moon, you can find me floating aimlessly in space or headfirst in a crater on earth somewhere.

Learning



Just trying out a new feature in S&S. We’ll see if I have enough material for it each month.

I learned about the DISC personality system in college, and found out that I’m a CSD. To give you some background, D=dominant/driver/determined, I=influencing/inspiring/impulsive, C=compliant/correct/cautious, and S=supportive/stable/steady. A CSD is otherwise known as a Contemplator. Basically, I like to get things done, and get them done well. I’m detailed and logical; have high standards; precise but competitive; sensitive to others around me; a natural peacemaker; etc. Reading through the full descriptions, I was amazed at how accurate most of it was! Now that I know the personalities of my other classmates, I hope to develop better ways to communicate with all of them.

I started experimenting with bullet journaling in an old notebook of mine, just to see if I like it. So far I do, though I’m not quite happy with the layout. Hence the term experiment. Come the new year, if I’m still enjoying the practice, I’ll start fresh in a brand new notebook and go from there.

So how was your November? Anything out of the ordinary, or perhaps ordinary but still worth mentioning? Have you ever taken the DISC test? All ye lionhearted NaNo’ers–how did it go? And who’s all cranking the Christmas carols now that we’re in December?

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Small is Beautiful

Tracey Dyck 18 Comments

A couple months ago, Jenelle Schmidt totally made my day. She was joining in a “Small is Beautiful” blogging thingamajig highlighting the smaller, but still wonderful, blogs out there–and she included Adventure Awaits. Her words brought a big smile to my face. Blogging can be difficult, and attracting readers can be even harder, so to hear authentic encouragement from a follower is so motivating.

And so today I wish to spread that encouragement around by giving a big ol’ shout-out to some small blogs that I love! You might discover a new corner of the internet, and it might just be such a fun place you’ll want to stay.

Guidelines:

  1. Feature 3-5 blogs with fewer than 100 followers.
  2. Write 1-3 paragraphs about each blog, including information like what the blog is about, a brief bio of the blogger, and/or why you recommend their blog. Don’t forget a link to their blog!
  3. Include an image for each blog, whether it’s a blog button, profile photo, header, or simply a screenshot of the blog.
  4. Thank the blogger who featured you, and include a link to their blog. If you like, you can even include them as one of the blogs that you feature (especially if they joined the tag without having been featured by someone else).
  5. Include the tag image somewhere in your post.

Optional: For extra visibility, share a link to your post on Twitter with #SmallBlogsTag. Don’t forget to follow the hashtag and retweet others’ links!


Jenelle, I’d love to feature you if you had less than 100 followers, but you’ve surpassed that number (so good for you!).


Okay, I may be biased, since Lost is my littlest sister, but she has a fun blog. She writes about Animal Jam (an online game she plays) and occasionally the books she reads and stuff she does. She shares her artwork, which is detailed and completely adorable, and is also posting chapters of a story she’s writing. Her blog is as quirky and fun as she is!

As a busy university student, Sarah doesn’t post super often, but when she does, they’re usually entertaining posts about writing or reading, or sometimes life-y things. One of her book ideas–which I’ve heard about personally–is a superhero flip book. As in, half the book is from the hero’s perspective, and then you flip it over, and the other half is from the sidekick’s. How cool is that?

Skye writes honestly about writing, the difficulties of life, and miscellaneous other things like books, movies/TV shows, art, inspirational things, etc. Her photo shoots are AH-MAY-ZING. Serious photography skills here. She ropes her siblings and friends into dressing up and posing in the beautiful BC woods where she lives. This one is a recent fave of mine.

Mary is just a ray of sunshine wherever she goes, so it’s no surprise her blog is like an instant shot of caffeinated happiness. She writes about her stories, reading, occasionally life, and yes, more books. Her book photo shoots are so cute and colorful! She has a love of Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Pride and Prejudice. Her posts and comment replies never fail to make me smile!

This friend of mine just recently started blogging! She writes dramatically about–you guessed it–books and writing, including her own journey and some of the clichés that drive her batty. I’ve had the opportunity to help edit some of her work in the past, and it’s neat to see how she’s growing.

If you’re looking for thoughtful reflections on life, history, and stories, look no further! Blue’s ponderings (which she posts every few weeks or so) make me think. They’re short and sweet, and often point out the little things in life we can be grateful for, even something as simple as the scenery we pass every day.

A relatively new friend of mine also recently started her blog, where she posts her ramblings about anything and everything–her life as a farm girl turned student, things she’s learning, places she wants to travel, and little stories she writes based on holidays/events (such Remembrance Day or Daylight Savings).

Tori’s blog has become one of my favorite writing blogs–the advice she shares is always comprehensive and well-thought out. She frequently uses specific books or movies as examples of writing lessons, and has a “So Your Character Is . . .” series. She also reviews novels, and interviews her characters, and talks about the books she’s writing. I can’t wait till her books are published!

These are just some of the blogs I enjoy!

I sense a bookish theme going on . . . Anyway, go on and check them out! Show them some love! (I do have to mention there were many blogs that were around the 100-200 followers mark that I wanted to mention, but couldn’t.) What are some of the smaller blogs you love?

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