Howdy! Today’s blog chain topic was created by moi. I asked:
“Pick a book or story and imagine it in a new genre. For example, what would Oliver Twist be like if it was a sci-fi novel. Would Fagin have been a robot? Do you prefer you new creation or the original?”
I love these kinds of twists, and the dystopian I’m working on now has some of this element (more on that later). The idea of a known tale being set in our time period or the future is so fun. For example, while I never read, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I’m dying to. It takes a creative mind to come up with something like that!
But, if I had to think of a way rework something, I think I’d choose Shakespeare. I know I’m going to be struck down by the literary gods for saying this, but I so prefer modern retellings of Shakespear’s works. Whoa, I think I just missed a lightning bolt. It’s not that I don’t like the stories and word play, but reading Shakespeare is a project. It’s hard to understand the language without someone explaining it to me, and that’s just so much work these days. One of my favorite Shakespeare retellings was the movie version of Romeo and Juliet, starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio. I loved the modern twist of gang wars, and it worked so well. Plus, I have always been a huge Leo fan. AND, I enjoyed that version more than the play. Blasphemy, I know, but THEY did use the same language, so it’s not complete betrayal.
On topic, one of my favorite shows is GRIMM. It’s set in modern time, but the premise is that many who walk among us are a form of creature, good or bad, and this explains the bad things in our world. For example, Hitler possessed these magic coins that made anyone who had them hungry for power. Add to that, that he was a certain type of monster, and it’s just brilliant.
Back to the dystopian I’m working on (I know you’re dying to hear about this). So while it has a variety of things (power-hungry government, tormentors and the tormented), it also (very) loosely uses some themes and elements of the biblical story of Moses. In fact, that’s how the idea of this story began in my head. It has veered in some ways, but that’s ok. It was never intended to be a step by step retelling. However, the parts that remained are pretty cool to me, and I look forward to adding more as the books progress (I see it as a trilogy).
How about you? Do you prefer your stories tried and true or with a twist? Be sure to catch Amparo’s post before mine; then, head over to Sandra’s blog to start from the beginning in case you missed some.