{"id":769,"date":"2016-08-31T13:04:03","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T17:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/?p=769"},"modified":"2016-08-31T13:04:03","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T17:04:03","slug":"before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/31\/before\/","title":{"rendered":"Before"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 25, 2016, Christie V Powell wrote, I\u2019m thinking about writing a prequel, but a lot of the information already came up in backstory. Do you have any advice for putting a new spin on a story where the basic plot is already known?<\/em><\/p>\n

In this case, my book begins several months after an evil group took over the kingdoms. I\u2019ve included enough backstory that most of the original takeover is understood but I thought it might be fun to write out the prequel if I can find a way to make it unique enough.<\/em><\/p>\n

First off, if the original isn\u2019t published, we can move the backstory out and put it in the prequel. In Christie V Powell\u2019s instance, this would be the history of the takeover, and then\u2013hooray!–we can end the prequel on a cliffhanger. Our reader, panting for what comes next, can rush to her bookstore to be saved from her agony. The example of this that I know best is The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I pity the readers who had to wait for the next book while J. R. R. Tolkien was writing them.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never managed to do this. Maybe someday, because it sure would be neat.<\/p>\n

A nice aspect of the immediate prequel is that we can write a tragic or seemingly tragic ending even if we intend for everything to work out well eventually.<\/p>\n

However, an immediate prequel isn\u2019t the only option. I googled the word and read the Wikipedia entry. Here\u2019s a little of it: \u201cLike sequels, prequels may or may not concern the same plot as the work from which they are derived. Often, they explain the background which led to the events in the original, but sometimes the connections are not as explicit. Sometimes, prequels play on the fact that the audience knows what will happen next…\u201d You can look up the rest, which I found interesting.<\/p>\n

An important and encouraging word in Christie V Powell\u2019s question is fun, which suggests that there are elements in this world she wants to explore more. That\u2019s great!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve now written a prequel and am in the middle of a second, and there\u2019s Fairest<\/em>, which is in Ella\u2019s world, just a little earlier than the events in Ella, so loosely another prequel. I approached each one differently, and I have ideas about where to look for inspiration.<\/p>\n

Lucinda has been invaluable for generating new ideas in the universe\u00a0of Ella Enchanted<\/em>. In Fairest<\/em>, she\u2019s behind the creature in Queen Ivy\u2019s mirror–the magic mirror in \u201cSnow White.\u201d In my WIP, Ogre Enchanted<\/em>, she casts the ogre spell. I never know what she\u2019ll get into next. Thank you, Lucinda!<\/p>\n

We can ask ourselves if we, too, have a character in our original book who can set a new plot spinning. Lucinda, who means well or thinks she does, makes trouble almost every time she intervenes. In a way, she\u2019s the villain, so a villain may be the right place to start our inquiry. Do we have a villain who can create new conflict?<\/p>\n

That Lucinda is a fairy with a lot of power is helpful, too, but not necessary. Any character with bad intentions can be terrific for prequel purposes. For example, a gossip can set an entire world spinning if word spreads. A bumbler, who means no harm, may still cause major damage.<\/p>\n

We can look at our other characters, too, not necessarily for their power to change a universe, just for story. Which ones fascinate us? Is there a corner of their backstories we can expand? We may discover more than one character and more than one prequel. I find myself thinking about Anne of Green Gables<\/em> and Anne\u2019s friend Diana. L. M. Montgomery isn\u2019t very kind to Diana, who\u2019s painted as beloved by Anne but dull. Is Diana\u00a0aware of the way she\u2019s perceived? Does she suffer? What about Josie Pye, who\u2019s painted in an unflattering light. What\u2019s her story? Is she misunderstood?<\/p>\n

We can also add characters who don\u2019t appear in our original but exist in the world. When I started writing Fairest<\/em>, I thought Ella’s friend Areida would be my MC, but I describe her in Ella<\/em> as dark-skinned, and my MC had to have a\u00a0snow-white complexion, so I gave Areida\u00a0an older, adopted sister. Anyone can do that. We can add siblings, uncles, long-lost friends who, we think, will slot right into our world.<\/p>\n

The world itself can suggest prequel ideas, as is the case with me and The Two Princesses of Bamarre<\/em>. The novel begins with lines from an ancient epic poem, \u201cOut of a land laid waste,\u201d which got me going. And now, because of elements of the world I set up in the forthcoming prequel, I have an idea for a sequel to it, although the idea is still vague.<\/p>\n

My favorite example of a fascinating world, as I\u2019ve mentioned here a zillion times, is Terry Pratchett\u2019s Discworld, which he exploits beautifully. Within the world, he sets books in the Watch (the constabulary of the city of Ankh-Morpork), the witches in the hinterlands, the guilds, and the character of DEATH himself. So that’s another source: groups in our world.<\/p>\n

An aspect of Christie V Powell\u2019s project that especially interests me is the genesis of evil. I\u2019ve read or heard on the radio that many criminals start with small missteps. Recently, I listened to a podcast interview with a former police officer\u00a0who had become corrupt. His badness began with\u00a0a small rule-breaking to help a friend, which didn\u2019t benefit him at all. Getting away with it, however, led to trouble.<\/p>\n

A prequel that explores the roots of the takeover sounds fascinating.<\/p>\n

Just one more thing: worry about uniqueness. I\u00a0think this may be\u00a0a waste of good anxiety, which might be more usefully applied to obsessing over what favorite earring is going to fall out of my ear next and be lost forever. From everything I\u2019ve read, there aren\u2019t many possible plots, so repetition rather than uniqueness is inevitable. What\u2019s guaranteed to be unique, however, is the way we pursue our plots, the way the narration unfolds, the words we–because no one else can\u2013put in our character\u2019s mouths.<\/p>\n

Here are four prompts:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Let\u2019s borrow from Christie V Powell. Imagine a kingdom. Write the development of a coup. Consider the conditions that might lead up to it. Think about the people–possibly villains, possibly idealists, possibly some of each–who might start conspiring. Historical research and\/or reading about current events may be useful. I\u2019m remembering the recent failed coup in Turkey. Write the first meeting of the cabal. If you like, write the whole saga.<\/p>\n

\u2022 If you\u2019re a fan of Anne of Green Gables<\/em>, as I am, or if you know it well, write a story about a secondary character. Could be Diana or Josie, as I\u2019ve already suggested, but the childhoods of siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert might be interesting, too. They turn out to be just what Anne needs, but they have limited lives. What stunted them? Write a crucial backstory scene for any of them. If you don\u2019t know Anne of Green Gables<\/em> well enough to do this, pick a minor character in a book or movie you love and write a backstory scene.<\/p>\n

\u2022 There are helper characters in many fairy tales. In particular, I\u2019ve always wondered about the cat in \u201cPuss In Boots\u201d and the genies in \u201cAladdin.\u201d Pick one of them and write a prequel to the fairy tale.<\/p>\n

\u2022 This is a sequel idea. In my opinion, Hansel and Gretel are abused by their parents. Sure, the father was remorseful, but if he felt so bad, why didn\u2019t he go after his children? The fairy tale ends long before their story is over. How do they recover from the treatment they received from the witch and their own parents? Write a scene or the whole saga.<\/p>\n

Have fun, and save what you write!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On May 25, 2016, Christie V Powell wrote, I\u2019m thinking about writing a prequel, but a lot of the information already came up in backstory. Do you have any advice for putting a new spin on a story where the basic plot is already known? In this case, my book begins several months after an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[217],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":770,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769\/revisions\/770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}