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ike most authors, inspiration comes to me anywhere, anytime, and from anything.
Sometimes I’ll randomly think of a line and quickly jot it down, with the plans on using it someday. Sometimes a What If? kind of scenario enters my mind and the beginnings of what could be a book are formed.
With my retellings, my main inspiration was my love for the original story and the excitement I felt at making it my own. With SWAY in particular, I remember watching this version of PERSUASION and thinking how it would make an amazing modern story. I started planning the details almost immediately- where would they live? What jobs would Anne and Wentworth have? How would I make it different from the original?
When I decided to do a second retelling, I was so in love with NORTH & SOUTH that retelling it was a given. Plus, Richard Armitage. 😉
A lot of inspiration for me is visual or musical. Scenes play out in my head like a movie, and then I have to get them down on paper. Writing descriptions is easier for me when I’m looking at a picture of that thing. I’ll hear a song and ideas start flowing that may or may not relate to that song at all. JAR OF HEARTS, my Young Adult mystery novel, was inspired completely by Christina Perri’s song and music video (my fave music video of all time) of the same name.
Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a book called BIG MAGIC and she talks about ideas like they are real things floating through the air and that they’ll land on you, choose you, and then it’s up to you whether you’ll take them or not. If you don’t, she says they’ll move on to someone else. While this is a magical way to look at inspiration, I do sometimes wonder where I come up with stuff, how it suddenly comes to me. I marvel when details and plot threads suddenly fall into place.
One of those ideas I felt just settled on me one day was mashing up PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The two just seemed to fit so well together. The story ended up being harder than I thought but I had a lot of fun twining these two stories together and seeing what they produced. If you haven’t had a chance to read this story- THE BEAST OF PEMBERLEY- now is your chance! I’m going to give away a paperback copy of THE DARCY MONOLOGUES (which features my story THE BEAST OF PEMBERLEY plus stories from some other AuVar members) to one lucky commenter! Tell me, what two stories would you love to see mashed up? Or what song would you love to see as a book?
Who knows, maybe a new idea will land. 🙂
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Would love to see pride and prejudice and the holiday merged. My favourite book and favourite movie. Travel and romance, with interesting characters. Irene
My all-time favorite movie is the 1957 version of ‘An Affair to Remember’ with Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant. The story… she, a kept lady of leisure/mistress and he a kept man/gigolo/impoverished painter, would never work as a Regency. It would have to be modern and tweaked a bit. His wonderful grandma could then leave him her wealth. That would, of course, include her estate called Pemberley. Who knows, it could work.
Northanger Abbey and Wuthering Heights!
I would also love the above idea with An Affair to Remember, one of my all time favorites as well.
I’m afraid my favourite film/series just has to be Pride and Prejudice, followed by Dirty Dancing.
My favourite stories are about Darcy and Elizabeth so I’m not sure how that would work?
As for songs? I have many favourites but can’t think of one to make a good story ( this is why I’m a reader not a writer!)
Thanks for writing your books and for the secrets behind your inspiration!
I would love to see a mash-up where Jane Austen’s characters live in the world of Harry Potter. I also would love to see a mash-up with JA and a song of ice and fire series but I think that would be a huge undertaking. North & South would also be great mashed up with these series.
To me, North and South (which I LOVE!) is already a remake of Pride and Prejudice with the Darcy/Lizzy roles reversed. So many parallels. I always thought Elizabeth Gaskell must have been a Jane Austen fan.
I’d love to see a mash-up of Pride and Prejudice with any one of the Kate Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films. Two strong-willed characters butting heads.
Wonderful post, Melanie!! I’ve so enjoyed your books, especially Sway. It would be fun to do a mash-up (and so much of it is already there) of P&P and Much Ado About Nothing. Jane and Bingley would be Hero and Claudio, and Wickham could be Prince John. Colonel Forster or Colonel Fitzwilliam could be the Prince…so many ideas if they aren’t already so parallel.
Thanks, Melanie, for your amazing post!!
Warmly,
Susanne 🙂
P&P and Mulan would be awesome. The characters have similar personalities in both, so I think it could work. Hope I win your twinned book. It sounds really interesting. Thanks for this opportunity.
I was thinking Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Pride and Prejudice mashup.
Thanks for all your comments on my post! I loved hearing what mashups you’d like to see. Winner of a copy of THE DARCY MONOLOGUES, randomly chosen, is LEEZA!
Leeza, either message me on facebook, or you can email me at mmstanford(at)Hotmail[dot]com with your address so I know where to send the book!
Congrats!