Ever since I knew what fairytales were I’ve been in love with them. Fairies and mermaids and knights and princesses and castles and magical forests filled my fantasy loving heart before I had even grasped the concept of fantasy, long before Tolkien entered my world, or I stepped through that wardrobe into Narnia. Fairytales awoke the whimsy inside of me and introduced me to the enchanting worlds I know and love today. By the time I really got serious about writing, medieval fantasy had taken its grip on me. But here, some 13 years into my writing journey later, it’s finally time to explore my roots. To write of the things that first led me to my love of the otherworldly and whimsical.
Out of the countless fairytales known to the world today, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite. That picture of love transforming the hideous into something beautiful to me portrays Jesus dying on the Cross for us. Were we not ugly with sin before His love washed us clean? As G.K. Chesterton said: “There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.” Just as Beauty’s love transformed the Beast, so did Christ make us anew. It’s a beautiful story, a story I’ve wanted to tell for many, many years.
A few days ago I finished my outline for Burning Thorns, and I’m officially ready to turn what was once a simple Beauty and the Beast novella into a full length novel. This isn’t going to be a fluffy Disney princess story though. I adore those Disney movies, but for me they aren’t real fairytales. If you read the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, you’ll find the original fairytales are far darker than Disney ever portrays, often very creepy, perhaps a little too creepy. But maybe that’s the point. I believe fairytales are meant to prepare us for life. Life is a dark and dangerous place, is it not? Yet there is always hope to be had. And that’s what fairytales are about. They reveal people from all sorts of different backgrounds, struggling, learning right from wrong, experiencing love and loss. Fairytales are dark stories all weaved into life lessons. Eerily beautiful. And that’s what I want Burning Thorns to be.
Mine is a tale about darkness vs. light, about loss and pain and betrayal. About things beautiful and things terrible. Of sacrifice. Because love is about sacrifice, just as Jesus shed His blood for us, and life is a dark but beautiful place. After all, the stars shine brightest during the night.
These are the things fairytales have taught me, and these are the things I want to write about as well.
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more intelligent,
read them more fairy tales.”
-Albert Einstein
You're turning Burning Thorns into a novel??!!!! COOL!!!! I look forward to the expansion of the story!
ReplyDeleteYES I AM. :D And I'm so excited about it. It's going to be much, much bigger than the original story with a new character and multiple plot threads and a darker tone. I cannot wait to begin!
DeleteThank you so much! It just thrills me when people show enthusiasm for MY silly little stories.
A new character???!!! OOOOOOOOOOOH, exciting!!!!!!!!
DeleteYESH. I'll actually be introducing all the characters next week, so you'll get to meet him. He's going to be...interesting.
DeleteI love this. I feel like these are my own thoughts about fairy tales, just put more beautifully.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your novel! It sounds brilliant!
It's so awesome finding people with the same opinions on things. Fairytales can often be a controversial topic, so it's a relief to know people who share my views.
DeleteThank you! I'm looking forward to writing it. ^_^
ooh, good!! A full-length novel will be amazing. :D
ReplyDelete*beams* I'm so glad you think so! Honestly, I don't know if I would have made it this far without your sweet self. You're amazing. <3
DeleteWow, Christine! I love how you worded this post, and your goals for Burning Thorns sound like they would make an absolutely fabulous book. I'm not usually a fan of dark books because some of them have been unnecessarily dark with little hope. I think there's a huge difference between darkness without hope and honesty with hope. It looks like you're shooting for honesty with hope, and that's wonderful because I love those types of books.
ReplyDeleteOh my, how sweet! Thank you!!
DeleteI'm with you there. I DO like some dark and dramatic stuff, but when it's just so depressing without a shed of light I'd rather not be exposed to it. I always want to portray hope in my stories, in some form or fashion.
I love how you put that, darkness vs. honesty. That's an awesome way of comparing it!
YES. Just yes. The original fairytales /are/ dark, and I love that you're threading light through your retelling. Hope shines brightest in those dark places. I'm so excited to see this story "grow up," I suppose you could say, as it expands and gets more complex. :D
ReplyDeleteAnd that quote--haha, some of Einstein's quotes make me laugh, because they're so simple and straightforward, even blunt, but still came from a genius. XD
That makes me feel all warm and fuzziful. Thank you!!! I really am so excited about what this story is becoming. And, my goodness, I'm so grateful to all the support. <333
DeleteEinstein quotes are awesome. XD That's definitely one of my faves. I'd love a pretty artprint of it to frame or something.
*beams* I am bouncing up and down on the inside, just thinking about reading it sometime. :D
DeleteThat'd be nifty! I wish I had more quotes/artprints and things to hang on my walls...as limited for space as they are. :P
Oh, and Deborah mentioned something I forgot: that banner is gorgeous!!! How do you create such prettiful things?
Ack, Tracey! I can't even handle all your niceness.
DeleteYeah, my walls are quite filled up as well. I don't think I have room for yet another picture... I see people have inspiration walls which I think is awesome and would love to do, but I have no wall for it. XD
I have an addiction to photoshop I fear. Heh.
^____^
DeleteMy furniture takes up a lot of wall space, but I have vague plans for redecorating the space I do have. :P I know! I'd love a wall covered in quotes and pictures and prettiful, inspiring things too.
Heheh. I have never delved into photoshop myself. You obviously get some gorgeous things out of it! :D
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DAT PICTURE!!!!!!!!!! *SCREAMS AND FLAILS* SO MUCH BEAUTIFUL AAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! <3<3<3 ^___________^
ReplyDelete...Ahem. >.> I love this post and I can't wait to see how the new version will turn out and YES fairytales!!! <3
(Oh, and that is one of my favoritest quotes EVAR and I have it on a bookmark. ^_^ FAIRYTALES ARE THE BEST.)
DeleteTHANK YOOOUUUU!!!!!!! Somehow I ended up making a banner instead of a cover... XD But I had a blast putting it together. Originally I was just going to put three or four pics together in a simple collage but then it kind of...blew up. I have no self control. Hehe.
DeleteThank you, thank you, thank you! You are the best, you know that?
YESSSS. I love that quote so much! I'd love to have it hanging on my wall or something. It's just too great.
I love your no-self-control if it makes you make beautiful things. ^___^ YOU ARE THE BESTESTER! <3 <3 <3 And oooh, on a wall?? o.o That would be so cooool. :D
DeleteYOU'RE THE BESTEREST. <333
DeleteO_O This. Post. Just BEAUTIFUL. And my thoughts regarding fairytales exactly, but definitely more poetic. :] So excited about this!! Keep up the fantastic, dearie! Even when you hit a wall. This is going to be BE-AWESOME. ^_^ <3
ReplyDeleteYou are perfection, Sarah! Thank you!!! But if anyone's a poet around here it's YOU.
DeleteEeeee! I'm so happy you think so. I am very excited! ^_^
Ohh, I'm excited! I am so very, very muchly excited (apparently too excited to use proper grammar).
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME:D
Psh. Grammar can't be bothered with when there are exciting things going on. But you are so sweet!!! I'm all giddy over the enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3
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