Know The Novel: Introducing The Wild Swans Retelling

 

 Guess who's back, back again. 

And guess what's back, yet again. The Know The Novel linkup that has, for the last few years, been literally the only thing pushing me into actively posting on this stupid blog of mine. It's done it again, lads, I'm back. For like three months. Kind of. 

 

Just in case you don't know what Know The Novel is, somehow even though I'm pretty sure the only people who are going to be reading this are people coming from the linkup itself, let me quickly explain. Know The Novel is a three-part linkup created by Christine Smith, one for each month of October, November and December, originally intended for NaNoWriMo participants - and other writers working on projects in that time-frame - to talk about their projects. Christine has, however, opted to create her own writing challenge this year, instead of doing NaNo, starting on October 15th, which is why this post is a little earlier this year. Each part consists of ten questions about the novel in question. 

 

The new challenge is called Fall Fiction Writing Frenzy, or Fall Fic Frenzy for short (my British self is in pain with writing 'fall' for autumn, but it's fine, it's chill, it's okay, we're all good haha). Christine has made this beautiful graphic for it. If you want to know more, just follow the link up above to get to the post which contains the details of both the linkup and the challenge.

 

I've decided to do NaNo, but I'm also participating in Christine's challenge as well, intending to do the normal 50k in November, and also an additional 10k in October, hopefully writing 35k by the end of Christine's challenge. If I write more than that, great! If I don't, hopefully I'll at least complete the challenge I've set for myself.

Admittedly, it'd be absolutely delightful to finish this novel by the end of November but...I'm not holding my breath for it. She's going to be a monster.

 

With that explained, which project am I working on this year? 

 Last year and the year before, I worked on Project Wales, but as I said in my post earlier this year, I actually completed the first draft of Project Wales right at the very end of last year, at a whopping 144k. I finished on Christmas Eve, actually. I've started work on the second draft, and considered doing that this year, but in the end, I decided that I'd rather take my time with it. I'm focusing a little bit more on prose and character and I really want to put the work in to make this story as good as it could be, and I think pushing myself to write loads on it at once is definitely not the way to do that. I have also considered writing Book 2 for this, however, I...don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. I would like to at least iron out Book 1 first - I'm someone who's very chronologically minded and thus far my edits are going to require changing a lot of Book 1, such as adding a whole new character to the main squad and making Peri's brother a much bigger part, and I just don't think I'm capable of writing a second book without having Book 1 pretty much through developmental edits. That way I know where I'm starting from. My hope is to get Book 1 through the second draft by February/March next year, and then to maybe do Camp to start off the second book. We'll see if that happens or not haha. Either way, I'll probably be doing it for NaNo next year.

I went back and forth on a few different projects when trying to decide which one to do this year, and ultimately settled on my space opera retelling of the Wild Swans by Hans Christian Anderson. It's a weird freaking novel and, most likely, is going to end up absurdly long just like good old Project Wales. I made the unfortunate decision to keep all twelve of the siblings from the original fairytale, so...yeah. This is going to be rough.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce you to my Wild Swans Retelling - she doesn't have a proper title yet, shush. I'd recommend you go get a cup of your beverage of choice, we're going to be here a while.

 

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

  

The first idea for my Wild Swans retelling actually came from a post on Fairy Tale Central, specifically one of their Story Wishlists. I don't actually remember which one it was - I went back to see their Wild Swans post and, strangely enough, it actually wasn't that one. I think it may've been an amalgamation of a few different ideas mentioned in different posts. This is their Wild Swans post.

Either way, I think I properly started work on it in December of last year, although it took me a little while to properly get going on it. I went through a lot of different ideas whilst trying to find the best way to adapt this lovely fairytale. My original idea was much closer to straight-up sci-fi, there wasn't any magic at all, but I ended up taking it much closer to the original fairytale as I developed it until it reached what it currently is. 

 

BEHOLD, the first ever brainstorming words i wrote for this stupid book.

 

It took me quite a few months to figure out how I wanted to tell this story. After I decided I wanted to keep all twelve siblings, I knew I had to find a way to balance all of them and give them all characterisation, so I chose to write three of them as POV characters, which will hopefully allow me to give all of the siblings some degree of focus??? We'll see. Which siblings specifically those POV characters were going to be changed a ton, I couldn't decide which brothers to use, but I finally settled a little bit ago. I've actually already written the first 25k words of this novel, so I'm going to be continuing it.

 

Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

 

Hi, I remain terrible at blurbs. This might actually be the hardest blurb I've ever had to write. I have no idea why this story is so hard to summarise, but it is.

 

Six months ago, Queen Freya Averlarde of Ciraniya was murdered, in front of four of her children. Ever since, Eden Averlarde has lived in fear. She hides away in her workroom, afraid of the outside world, afraid of the dangers that lurk beyond her rooms. She longs to keep her family safe, but how can she do that when all sense of safety has been stripped away from her. Meanwhile, her brothers all fall apart in their own ways, grief taking its vicious toll on all of them.

All of this is brought to a head when their father announces his re-marriage, to a mysterious woman named Lady Insa. The fall-out from the announcement alone is massive, but when, merely hours after the wedding, Eden and her siblings discover that Lady Insa has an entire file of information on their family, including their mother’s autopsy report, everything only grows worse. Lady Insa stops them before they can warn their father, and reveals terrifying power that nobody could’ve foreseen. She sends Eden’s brothers away and, before doing the same to Eden, tells her that she must find out how to save them before they are gone forever, all without saying a single word.

Eden lands on a new, strange planet, one twisted and torn apart by monsters that were once human. Once she finds her siblings, it’s to find out that Lady Insa has turned them into monsters too – at least, for the daytime and, increasingly, for the night too. She must find a way to save them before they lose their humanity forever, whilst uncovering the secrets of the planet they’ve been trapped on, secrets that Lady Insa herself holds terribly dear.

 

Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects of the setting?

  

It takes place in two major locations - rather, two major planets. Those two planets are:

•  Ciraniya - The Averlardes' home planet. A magnificent, technologically-advanced planet covered with greenery and life, filled with elegant structures and beautiful mountains. Due to the then-King's decision to cut Ciraniya off from the Galactic portal network, Ciraniya has had five hundred years of peace, which means that they remain rich and prosperous, even when many neighbouring planets have been ruined. 
• Palenesia - A mysterious planet destroyed by an apocalypse of humans-turned-monsters, that have massacred their way through the world, leaving behind magnificent empty cities haunted only by them and the corpses of the dead. Small pockets of survivors hide away, planning ways to retake their planet, at whatever cost.

I'm super excited to write in Palenesia. I've already written most of the part of the novel taking place on Ciraniya, but I haven't gotten to write in Palenesia yet. 

I absolutely adore the combination of magic and technology that science fantasy grants you. For this story-world, I got to play with creating cool technology whilst also creating magic systems and combining the two, which is so much fun. I also love that, since it's a completely fictional and also technologically-advanced world, I don't have to worry about the characters sounding too modern. I mean, I can't use obvious slang, but they generally sound pretty modern.

I also love the horror element to Palenesia. It's kind of inspired by the Netflix K-drama Sweet Home*, if any of you have seen that, and I just love the vaguely post-apocalyptic vibes. This book's not going to be quite as dark as that show, but the aesthetic is similiar.

 

*i would recommend it, it's very good and has some beautiful themes, but it's also...very violent and quite dark. to the point that i had to take frequent breaks. so, be warned. it's not for the faint of heart.

 

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

 

The real challenge is figuring out how to explain these characters to you. There's just...so many. There are only three Main characters, as in, point-of-view characters, but I feel like I should probably introduce all twelve of the siblings so...here we go. Wish me luck.

 

 

Point-of-View Characters 

 

 Eden

INTJ | 14 | Slytherin | 5w6 | original fairytale's Princess Eliza | third-youngest | self-reliant to a fault | asocial | extremely introverted | agoraphobic | loyal and protective | autistic | loves fashion and fashion design | 'you expect me to leave??? my room??? abhorrent idea' | pretends she doesn't have any siblings most of the time | which is impressive because she doesn't have any other friends | extremely perfectionistic | quick-tempered | so freaking sarcastic | just very tired, let her rest | has to have a backup plan for everything, Just In Case | socially awkward | had lessons on etiquette for years but still doesn't have a clue how to talk to people | has an unemotive voice | actually does have a lot of emotions but they're pretty invisible from the outside

 

 Hawthorne

ENFJ | 19 | Hufflepuff | 2w1 | fourth-oldest | concerningly over-protective | basically Surface Pressure from Encanto in a person | places all of his self-worth into taking care of his siblings and takes failure badly | kind-hearted | can be manipulative | somehow ends up being the one to take care of everyone else's problems | Hawthorne, just trying to have a fun day: ... | one of his annoying siblings: heyyyyyyy, so you know how i love you, right? | loves cooking | isn't very good at cooking | is, however, good at hot chocolate | schemes too much, they're always absurdly over-complicated

 

Juniper

 ISTP | 15 | Slytherin | 8w9 | fourth-youngest | youngest of the Averlarde triplets | the others tease him and call him the baby and boss him around | it drives him up the wall | generally has trouble with the idea that other?? people??? care??? about him???? sounds fake but okay | refuses to acknowledge his own emotions ever at all even once | hot-tempered | extremely hyper-vigilant | sleeps with a weapon under his pillow | big fan of machines, any kind will do | extremely impulsive | thinks he's way cooler than he actually is | control freak | Juniper when his siblings are around: whines and tells his siblings to leave him alone, Juniper when they actually do it: ummm, excuse me??? | has thought through a decision precisely once in his life | 'i think we should go break in there just because that's what my Heart is Telling Me To Do'

Other Siblings

 

Paris

ESTJ | 22 | Hufflepuff | 1w2 | oldest and crown prince | expects perfection from himself and everyone else in all aspects of life | very controlling |’you should all listen to me because I’m Right’ | except none of his siblings listen to him which annoys him | ‘rules are good! rules help CONTROL the fun!’ | prone to hero speeches | *while facing down a monster the size of a skyscraper* ‘guys, this is a minor obstacle that we can totally overcome very easily just so long as we Believe in ourselves’ | naive and idealistic | hero-worships their father and refuses to acknowledge that he could ever be wrong | protective | relieves stress by grumbling | you know how i said Hawthorne was Surface Pressure from Encanto personified? somehow Paris is Surface Pressure and What Else Can I Do? combined

Ilon

ISFJ | 20 | Ravenclaw | 6w5 | second-oldest | twin of Rowan | grouchy | likes to give off grinch vibes | profoundly done with everyone | intensely introverted | interacts with someone for five minutes and has to take five hours to recover | never leaves the library | has in fact fallen asleep in the library before | The Braincell Holder(TM) | quietly selfless | constantly gives of himself to everyone | absolutely terrible at self-care and generally allowing himself to have feelings | considers himself to be less important than everyone else | excruciatingly self-sacrificing | Rowan picks fights with him on the daily for this | hates physical touch, except for with Rowan and also Sky | generally prefers to not be perceived by other humans, especially ones who aren’t his siblings

 

Rowan

ENFP | 20 | Gryffindor | 7w8 | third-oldest | twin of Ilon | doctor-in-training | adores arcade games more than life | may be a medical student but will not let that stop him from consuming too much sugar | rules are for SUCKERS | ‘i may be an idiot, but i’m not stupid’ | constant puns | completely unhinged | talks to himself out loud | goes from being really quiet to being ridiculously loud with seemingly no in between | ‘personally, i don’t agree with concepts, ideas, thoughts, existence’ | always impulsive | EXTREMELY protective over his siblings | hurt one of them and you will die | this goes double for Ilon | who might just be his entire world | probably has the healthiest emotional processing skills of this entire family | dyspraxic king

 

Kai

ESTP | 17 | Gryffindor | 3w4 | fifth-oldest | *vibrates with anxiety* | ‘repeat what I just said? bold of you to presume i ever listen to a single word coming out of my own mouth’ | literally always down to fight | fist-fighting preferably | would (and does) fight himself if no one else is available | his life aspiration is to be the ‘cool older brother’ | he is not | tight hugs are the Best, if you don’t crush his ribs then you don’t really love him | stims aggressively by literally yeeting himself across the room like a cannonball | if he senses anything that feels even remotely like a rejection it will send him into a Spiral | competitive swimmer
 

Winter

INTP | 16 | 5w4 | Ravenclaw | sixth-oldest | star boy | ‘stars. can’t do it. not today.’ | only rarely deigns to acknowledge the real world | horrendous eye sight | despite this, refuses to ever wear his glasses which is a major problem | except for when he’s stargazing, can somehow remember to wear them then | pretends he doesn’t care about his appearance but actually spends hours in the bathroom styling his hair | then claims he just rolled out of bed | constant sarcasm | his first and last goal in life is driving Paris up the wall | has a planetarium and basically lives his entire life in there | every so often one of the others goes up to make sure he's still alive

 

Tegan

 

ESFP | 15 | Gryffindor | 7w6 | sixth-youngest | oldest of the Averlarde triplets | incredibly clumsy | once fell down three flights of stairs in succession | voted mostly likely to accidentally cause the end of the world by tripping over his own feet and hitting the wrong button, but we’re not going to hold that against him | means well, not great at follow-through, but at least the intentions were good | formerly known as the resident ray of sunshine | definitely is not that anymore | hasn't stopped dissociating in six months | constantly sneaks out to get into fights | argues with any and everyone who gives him the opportunity | has more unhealthy coping mechanisms than you could shake a stick at

 

Aspen

 

ENTP | 15 | Ravenclaw | 7w8 | fifth-youngest | middle Averlarde triplet | inventor of a variety of hilariously useless things | such as exhibit 1 - an egg-thrower | ‘you want me to ‘explain my thought process’???? who says i know?’  | nothing but a fool | *making coffee and also Mistakes at 3 am* | actually nocturnal | extremely dry | constant unending sarcasm | kindhearted but you won’t catch him admitting to it | *cares for you but, like, behind your back so he doesn’t have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known* | far more impulsive than could ever be healthy | surprisingly gullible | an extreme sport, getting Aspen to focus on one topic of conversation long enough to get him to finish a sentence

 

Cedar

ENTJ | 12 | Ravenclaw | 8w9 | second-youngest | loathes being the second-youngest | 'why must i be "nice" and "friendly", is it not enough to be always right and the best person in any given room?’ | brat | ‘i am no longer Baby, i want power’ | simultaneously very clever and also the stupidest person you’ve ever met | the most annoying troublemaker | mostly because he somehow never gets in trouble | there is only one person who has ever been deceived in Cedar & that’s their tutor/pseudo-parent | bullies his siblings but if anyone else even looks at them wrong he’ll lose it | delights in breaking rules right in front of Paris just to drive him mad | obsessed with botany | good luck getting him to leave the gardens

Sky

INFP | 11 | Gryffindor | 4w3 | youngest | art baby | everyone's baby | mildly feral | should not be given unfettered access to matches | very soft | book-lover | ‘you better watch out if you mess with me, cause you know what i’ll do??? that’s right, cry’ | has never heard of a lie | makes the bold assumption that absolutely everyone is being completely honest with him all of the time | they are not | very protective of his older siblings for someone who's literally four foot two | you could knock him over by shouting at him yet he's out here sticking up his fists | loves music | loves to sing | tone-deaf

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

 

 The main antagonist is Lady Insa, or ye old evil step-mother from the fairytale. She's...complicated and there's a lot to her. Most of which is spoilers. She's also a Fashion Icon. Behold! An aesthetic.

There are other villains too, but I can't talk much about them. Partly because I haven't actually developed them yet haha.

 

What excites you the most about this novel?

Everything! I love absolutely everything about this story. It's so much fun to write, even if there are emotionally harrowing parts.

• The Setting - I love especially the world of Palenesia. I'm so excited to explore it along with my characters.
  
• The Themes - The themes to this story are, currently, really close to my heart. To the point that I might have some trouble writing it. The central theme is really grief, and the different ways of dealing with grief, and about healing from grief. The other theme is one that I also adore, and it's one that good old Tolkien put the best name to - estel, or irrational hope. That kind of hope that says 'There is no logical hope of winning, no logical hope of surviving, but I'm choosing to cling onto hope anyway'. That, I would say, is the other major theme. Irrational hope.
  
• The Characters - I love these characters so much. These kids are so much fun to write, even just in the part I've written. I suspect they won't let the story get too dark, since they literally can't stop bickering for the life of them. I love their relationships, they're a delight. As someone who has four siblings, I just love getting to write siblings, in their natural habitat. I am going to put them through it though. These kids are coming into the story with trauma and I'm just over here like 'here, have so much more'.
  

 

Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

 

I'm actually not sure. I'm currently thinking a standalone, but it might well end up being too big a story for that. It'll probably depend on how the story goes. The problem is that if I were to add another story, it'd probably be going fully off-book, as in the actual retelling events would be over, so I don't know yet. Depends on if there's more story to tell, I guess.

 

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

  

Plantsing. Basically, my whole outline is...the fairytale I'm retelling and some notes on how to retell specific events. And a few notes on different plot points, like the midpoint. I have a decent idea of where I'm going but not a freaking clue how I'm getting there.

 

Name a few unique elements in this story.

Well, I think the post-apocalyptic space opera take on a fairytale is pretty unique. It's a strange blend of sci-fi, zombie apocalypse and high fantasy - and I think that's pretty cool.  There's also lots of fun technology, such as travelling from planet to planet via a magical portal system and holographic computer scrolls. There's also no romance, which is actually a major divergence from the original fairytale as there actually is a romance between Eliza and the King in that, but seeing as how my version of Eliza is literally only fourteen years old, we're not going in that direction in this story.

 

Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

 

Wild Swans Retelling Aesthetic 

 

family bickering | tight hugs | shadows moving in the corner of your eye | magnificent yet totally empty ruined cities | hollowed-out mountains | loyalty | protectiveness | sacrificial love | hope in darkness | holding onto your humanity with both hands | choosing to do what is right, not what's easy | kindness | grief | monsters screaming in the dead of night | desperation | fear | faith | remnants of what came before

 

My main Pinterest board for this story is here. And this is my Spotify playlist. As you can tell, I've spent a lot of time adding songs to it. The 100 songs that the embedded playlist shows isn't actually even half of it, haha. I'm actually pretty happy with it, I went with a lot of orchestral/rock vibes, mixed in with some other songs.

If I had to choose just a few songs that, to me, sum up this novel - I'd probably pick the following: Hey Brother by Avicii, I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, Burn It by Golden Child and Come Back Home by ONEUS.

And with that, I'm done! My apologies for this obnoxiously long post. It's about ninety-nine percent the characters' fault, I'm pretty sure. If you want to participate in Fall Fic Frenzy or in the linkup, then just head over to Christine's blog through the link up above. I hope to see you all in November, when I do the second part.