Writing blog: Noodling some old stories

[hrj]

Since I didn't actually manage to get any writing in on Mother of Souls in the past week, there aren't any Alpennian topics sitting at the top of my brain. On the other hand during the road trip to Worldcon, I was doing some plot-noodling (or more accurately, character-noodling) on a trunk novel that I'd like to revive at some point.

Being the history buff that I am, I have a whole string of ideas in various stages of development for plain-old historic romance novels (lesbian, of course), of which one actually got to the point of being written and revised and sent out for consideration. The title is The Rebellious Heart, set in 1st century Britain during the Boudiccan revolt. After it collected a few rejection notes, I decided the plot felt a little thin and I put it away to consider layering in a few more subplots. But on further consideration, I think it would be better improved by revising the protagonists and making them the driving part of the added complexity.

As originally conceived, it was a relatively straightforward "first love" romance. The sweet, virginal daughter of the Roman commander falls for the charismatic, somewhat butch daughter of the local British chieftain. Initial attraction leads to unfortunate consequences, then to a surreptitious relationship, but with the turmoil of the revolt they must negotiate competing loyalties of the heart and head and discover what sacrifices are needed both to survive and to remain together.

OK, well enough, but a bit thin. And the least culturally plausible aspect was the relationship between the Roman girl and her father (in trying to keep all her relationship resolutions happy). And, quite frankly, it fell into the trap that I very much want to avoid of the romantic couple having to invent their understanding of same-sex love alongside recognizing their attraction. I'd been thinking of layering in something of a murder mystery type plot on top of the romance, but it seemed a bit pasted on.

So I started brainstorming what sort of social context would better motivate the character interactions I wanted. Originally I had my Roman girl being sent to live with her father for some nebulous reason, leaving her mother behind in Rome. (Her father is senior enough to have a family while still being posted to the provinces.) New idea: she was married off to be off her father's hands when he was posted to Britain, but the marriage has been unhappy for both parties and after enjoying a wild time with her gal-pals, she's just manged to goad her husband into divorcing her. (The "wild time" has included sexual escapades which have convinced her that women are a lot more Her Thing.) Unfortunately, having been divorced means she falls under her father's authority once more and very much against her will she's shipped off to Britain by her scandalized relatives. The British girl is still a bit on the butch side but older than originally conceived. She's in a generation that missed the initial conquest but isn't yet Romanized and is twitchy and itching for a fight. So now when the two of them first meet, I can have them both be a more knowledgeable and more sophisticated about their desires, and rather than having all the initial moves being made by the British girl, it makes more sense for the Roman girl to be the initial aggressor (which fits better with the socio-political dynamics).

Much of the rest of the plot can run as currently drafted (though with changes to details and interactions), but I think the final conclusion requires some sort of fatal break between the Roman girl and her father, because I can no longer buy him deciding his daughter's happiness is more important than upholding honor and propriety. Still working on that part.

I have a lot more background research under my belt at this point on empire-era sexual possibilities. It occurs to me that if I give the Roman girl an Egyptian background, it's a great opportunity to bring in the references to female same-sex marriage in Egypt at that era. The new version also gives me a reason to locate some initial chapters in Rome itself, rather than having all the action take place in Britain. I still don't envision myself writing anything particularly sexually explicit, but this would be definitely more in the "genre romance" category than the Alpennian books are.

Comments

[irina (from livejournal.com)]

Oh wow, I want to read that.

[m-nivalis.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested in reading that one!

[kareina.livejournal.com]

I think that both versions would be really interesting to read side by side, as part of a class on writing, literature, etc. I want to participate in a discussion comparing and contrasting what the same author does with the same characters and setting, but some fundamentally different baseline decisions as to character background. It would be fascinating, and not something that is often available--most authors either only write a story once, or, if it has under gone changes of the level you describe here, pretty much no one else ever gets to hear about the earlier version...

Oh, and the setting and story line sounds fun, too.

Yes please

[(Anonymous)]

If you write that book I will read it! Sounds fantastic!
Dar

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Useful feedback!

[hrj.livejournal.com]

I have a whole list of "historic lesbian romance through the ages" plots, though most are far less developed than this one.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

"Process" is enough of an interest of mine that I've kept a number of records that others might find amusing. (I have an idea-by-idea diary of the early development of Daughter of Mystery, as well as lots of interim versions--though that was more for the sake of backups.)

Re: Yes please

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Wait until you hear the one I pitch as "Welsh princess and Viking girl go on a quest for adventure and revenge."