What non-YA character would you love to see star in a YA book as themselves?
This could be a hard question but I had one character come to mind right off the bat. I know I'm approaching the point of talking Persuasion to death, but I can't help but choose Anne Elliot. Actually, the reason I choose her is this: before starting my modern-Persuasion WIP I struggled back and forth between making the book YA or adult. Originally I thought adult. Then I thought, since I loved writing YA so much, why not YA? Then no, adult. Then back to YA. You get the point.
Anne Elliot as a high school character might not be that interesting since her school days are before she ever meets Frederick Wentworth. And let's face it, Anne is such a good person that she might not be that interesting to read about before her love story happens (then un-happens). But I can't help but choose her because I've already imagined what her love story could have been like if it had taken place during High School instead.
This is what I was going for... Anne meets Frederick in Grade 9. They date, but her friends convince her to dump him because he's not cute enough/good enough/rich enough/cool enough/captain of the football team/whatever (I hadn't figured that detail out). Then he moves away and comes back Senior year. Suddenly he's a hottie, all the girls want him, and Anne wishes she had never dumped him back when she was a silly fourteen-year-old. So she has to watch him date other girls, maybe even her friends, because he doesn't want anything to do with her since she broke his heart four years before.
I think that would make a great story. HOWEVER... the one problem I had with it was how shallow Anne would come across (aka: dumping a guy because her friends think she should and then wanting him when he comes back because he's all hot? HELLO- SHALLOW). I've had a hard time with people seeing Jessica from my YA MS Daze and Knights as shallow (mostly in my query) and I didn't want to go there again. I'm sure someone else could write this story and not have this problem.
But, I think that would make a great story. Anyone wanna write it? Cuz if they do- I'll be one of the first to read it!
How about Rhett Butler. He'd liven things up in any story.
ReplyDeleteYES!!!!! I have been thinking about writing this too, not actually because it's the type of book I write, but because I LOVE this story more than anything and I want people to know it.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, right now it's not at the top of my list. I guess as with the original, you'd have to make Anne's reasons compelling (so perhaps not only because he's 'not hot enough' or what have you, but because an older, trusted family friend warned her off of him-- for some reason that perhaps turns out to me a misunderstanding?)
Should we collaborate? email me!
:0)
I need more hours in the day!
Anne Elliot is a great example. I'd love to see Jane Eyre in a YA. I think she'd teach her girlfriends a thing or two about self-respect and undying devotion.
ReplyDeleteI like the whole idea of taking characters from historical novels and turning them into modern YA stories. And you should so write your Anne Elliot story, I'd read it :) I don't have a problem with characters starting off shallow, the whole point of many stories is for the characters to grow and learn from past mistakes, to become better people byt the end of the book.
ReplyDeleteWell, I decided on adult- so I am actually writing this story, just spun an adult way, not the high school way.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre would be a good one too.
Persuasion is totally my favorite, and I've contemplating writing it for a YA audience, too! I know you just commented that you decided to work on an adult version, but I think that a shallow reason is not that big of a deal. It's the idea that Anne was so easily persuaded before and she grows into someone that's much more sure--that's the key. I think that Anne is going to come off as less-than-awesome (at first) in any version, since she has not yet developed enough balls to stand behind her own decisions.
ReplyDelete