Writing Literature Adaptations
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Some writers love developing original intellectual property, and others are very interested in literature adaptations. Could rewriting a classic with a fresh protagonist, new tone, or a unique setting be marketable—or are the classics untouchable?
Literature Adaptations In Today’s Market
If you’re curious about literature adaptations, remember that it's essential to add value with whatever you do when reupholstering a familiar idea. Changing only a few superficial elements, such as wording, names, locations, and time periods is not enough to produce something unique in the literature adaptations space.
Moving a few words around can be done by anyone, which means that it won't stand out for publishers. The most successful literature adaptations are those which draw inspiration from a classic but then develop a wholly fresh direction—if some readers might not even realize you have a classic inspiring your project, that might also be an asset.
One of our favorite "curve-ball" literature adaptations of classic tales is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It takes the story of Cinderella to an entirely new level by transporting readers to a futuristic world of cyborgs and Lunars living in the bustling metropolis of New Beijing. Reading the manuscript was a truly unique and captivating experience—more remarkable and creative than simply changing a few names and places!
If Marissa Meyer hadn't revolutionized the classic Cinderella story, there would have been no book. She didn't simply add a few tweaks, she deconstructed the entire thing, gave it a fresh coat of paint and reassembled it in her own unique way. In today's market, writers can’t expect to sell half-hearted literature adaptations.
Literature Adaptations for Creativity
When you’re stuck in a creative writing rut, one of the best ways to kickstart your book ideas is to consider literary adaptations, because they can also get your own juices flowing. You can always step away from original inspiration. By taking something familiar and giving it a unique spin, you can create something entirely original that audiences will be eager to read. Here are some more tips for literary adaptations.
When adapting an existing work, it’s important to stay true to the essence of the original story while mixing in your own ideas to make it unique. Start by creating new characters and settings that fit within the world of your chosen source material, but give you enough to contribute. For example, if you’re retelling Snow White, add some characters with different personalities than the original dwarves and set the action in a modern city instead of the enchanted forest. Or maybe take the protagonist herself in a new direction. This way, your literature adaptations will come off as fresh—and you might even want to spin off the project into your own original work, regardless of the story’s roots.
Once you’ve established your new characters and setting, start coming up with plot points that are unexpected yet still flow naturally from the original narrative. Brainstorm several ideas before settling on one—the more unpredictable twists you can come up with, the better! Just remember to keep them believable within the context of the origin story for literature adaptations—don’t go overboard by introducing anything that would seem out-of-character or absurd for readers who are super fans of the original.
Bringing Literature Adaptations to Life
When adapting an existing work, you can really shine in your use of interiority and dialogue. While this can seem intimidating because you might worry that readers will expect some degree of familiarity, you can also let your creativity shine here.
Make sure you have a true understanding of each character's personality as much as possible, but then let your imagination run wild. Include lines that evoke emotion in readers so they feel connected to what is happening on the page. Additionally, avoid having conversations between characters that do not move along plot development; otherwise, readers may get lost or overwhelmed by unnecessary details and lose focus on where the story is headed. (But this is a best practice in any novel, not just literature adaptations!)
Adapting a fairy tale or famous work into a new story is no easy feat but it can be incredibly rewarding when done correctly. By creating new characters and settings as well as developing unforeseen plot twists, then crafting meaningful dialogue throughout your literature adaptations, you can take an old classic and make it brand new again for modern audiences everywhere.
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