Hello all, I am currently working on a new project. A re-telling of Beauty and the Beast told from Gaston's point of view, following his childhood as he grows up in Paris and eventually joins the army. I've planned the first few chapters but I'm stuck as to how to tie it all together. I'd love some help and ideas? The road so far... In the story, I've called Gaston "Gus." It's set in mid 1700s in Paris, during the creation of the Eiffel Tower. Gus lives with his brothers, Etienne, Philippe and Felix while they work and look after their elderly father, Lucien, who is sick and struggles with PTSD from his days in the Crimean war. Soldiers are stationed at the French border as a (fictional) war i brewing on the continent and they temporarily return home in airships for home-leave. Gus sneaks out to watch the celebrations at the local tavern where his brothers are, when one of the soldiers makes inappropriate moves on a young barmaid who is a romantic interest to one of his brothers, Gus interferes and as he's about to get beaten up by the soldier, the regiment captain steps in and reprimands the soldier in front of everyone. Basically, what happens next is when Gus and his brothers go home, Felix the older brother announces he has decided to join the army and leaves in the next couple of days. While Felix is gone, Gus befriends a young girl called Belle and they become good friends. Not long after Felix's departure, their father dies of sickness and old age. A few months later - the regiment captain is waiting for them at home and Gus finds out his brother has perished in battle. The idea is that Gus deals with his brother's death by becoming distant and rebellious from his brothers, he gets into trouble and makes friends with a group of boys who are a bad influence on him. One day, he meets an old beggar woman who reads him his tarot cards and tells gus three things, if he stays in Paris his life will be full of tragedy and heartache. If he leaves Paris he will be destine for greatness. Belle is not the woman for him. Gus ignores this and curses the beggar woman for her words. The next day, he breaks into the workshop of an old watchmaker called Maurice but they get caught. As punishment Gus takes up apprenticeship with Maurice and lives with him. THE TROUBLE That's how far I've written. The trouble I have is not knowing in what direction to go. I think it could be a really interesting story. I somehow want Gus to end up in the army and then later on end up in the small provincial town where the story is set. I've changed the story somewhat, so Belle is no longer Maurice's daughter. I think I've over complicated things for myself but would like some input on whether this is a good idea to follow or not? Thanks!
It's certainly interesting, but like you said it might be a bit complicated to fully realise. Rather than re-telling Beauty and the Beast, why not just write your version of a modern fairy tale, taking inspiration from said work and others from Disney and the Brothers Grimm. I find fan fiction to be, no matter how clever, an ultimately pointless excercise because it puts limitations on how a story can develop and produces sub-par work out of the finest authors yet to be discovered. Without the story being a fairy tale, without it ending the same as the film, how would Gaston's life actually turn out? Perhpas the magic is an extension of some coping mechanism during the war, perhaps Belle is his sweetheart whom he dreams about... perhaps he is wounded and worries she will see him as a beast. To me, that's the kind of original take on a classic fairy tale that gets me super excited to find out how it all plays out. I hope you find my suggestions agreeable, because I find what you're headed towards is one massive headache and a story that's difficult to work out without changing several key events and characters. Happy writing friend!
