I was reading on Saturday about the idea of stealing from other writers…..noooo, I don’t mean plagiarism I mean, stealing an idea, stealing a character.
Take Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, which is most probably the most famous example.
The novel is a prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. The story of Mrs Rochester, before she became the mad woman in the attic.
My favourite example though is Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin. It’s tells the Jekyll & Hyde story from the viewpoint of Dr Jekyll’s maid, Mary. A wonderful book (and film btw) that I found fascinating, after having read the original Stevensen book.
I would love to use a character that another writer created, and tell their story successfully. But who? Where do I start?
How about Miss Haversham, the story of her ending up in that big old house in her wedding dress. Or Mrs Dalloway’s wild teenage years? And what actually happened to Holly Golightly, now that would be fun! 🙂
What famous character would you like to steal?
How many times do you come across a minor character in a book who intrigues you? Who you’d like to know more about?
Today’s prompt about a diner turned into a story about a waitress who bumps into her male childhood playmate 😉 Tomorrow’s prompt is on the eve of the wedding which I kinda already did a few weeks ago….. Hmmm, will need to think about that one
The View Outside 