Now that I'm done my manuscript, I feel like I can actually talk about it. I like to stay mum about things, for one because I know there are stealers out there who actually NAB ideas from other writers! I know! I was shocked when I heard about it too (this has happened to a few authors and it makes me so very sad). And since I'm not the fastest writer out there, I really didn't want to announce to the world that I'm doing an Eponine retelling. Not that I have the patent on this idea or anything, but still. And for two, I didn't want to jinx said idea, because I wasn't sure if I could actually pull it off.
To be honest, I'm still not sure I did. I'm scared about my low word count, I'm scared about my shoddy world building, I'm scared that this story JUST DIDN'T WORK. I'm scared that my MC is totally unlikeable or unrelateable, that my love interest isn't that desirable, and that my secondary characters are flat and boring (LIKE THEY ALWAYS ARE).
Basically, I'm scared.
But I'm also super excited about this idea. I've always loved the character of Eponine from Les Mis... or should I say, from the musical Les Mis. In the book, she's not that likable. More than a year ago I was watching the 25th Anniversary DVD of Les Mis, my heart breaking (as it always does) when Eponine sings On My Own, and crying (as I always do) when Eponine and Marius sing A Little Fall of Rain. So during all this breaking heart and crying, I thought, WOULDN'T HER STORY BE SO GOOD ON ITS OWN? WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO MAKE IT MODERN?
Cue a few months later when I decided, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF I MADE THIS STORY URBAN FANTASY? (I'm still not sure if that was great or not.)
Cue another year later and I'm done and I still think GREAT GREAT GREAT mixed in with a lot of SCARED FRIGHTENED and HOLY CRAP WHAT DID I JUST WRITE?
On Monday, when I pick this thing back up again, I'll get to see just how crappy/great it turned out. So, here's to first drafts! *clink* And here's to revising! *clink clink*
And here's to Eponine.
To be honest, I'm still not sure I did. I'm scared about my low word count, I'm scared about my shoddy world building, I'm scared that this story JUST DIDN'T WORK. I'm scared that my MC is totally unlikeable or unrelateable, that my love interest isn't that desirable, and that my secondary characters are flat and boring (LIKE THEY ALWAYS ARE).
Basically, I'm scared.
But I'm also super excited about this idea. I've always loved the character of Eponine from Les Mis... or should I say, from the musical Les Mis. In the book, she's not that likable. More than a year ago I was watching the 25th Anniversary DVD of Les Mis, my heart breaking (as it always does) when Eponine sings On My Own, and crying (as I always do) when Eponine and Marius sing A Little Fall of Rain. So during all this breaking heart and crying, I thought, WOULDN'T HER STORY BE SO GOOD ON ITS OWN? WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO MAKE IT MODERN?
Cue a few months later when I decided, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF I MADE THIS STORY URBAN FANTASY? (I'm still not sure if that was great or not.)
Cue another year later and I'm done and I still think GREAT GREAT GREAT mixed in with a lot of SCARED FRIGHTENED and HOLY CRAP WHAT DID I JUST WRITE?
On Monday, when I pick this thing back up again, I'll get to see just how crappy/great it turned out. So, here's to first drafts! *clink* And here's to revising! *clink clink*
And here's to Eponine.