maembe13 wrote: ↑Sun Jun 18, 2023 5:22 am
Finally found this list you all were referring to. Woohoo! Love reading through these! Also, now I can jot ideas down too.
Hi there, maembe! That's some great ideas in your list - looks like you were on a roll! I'm loving that you're thinking a little outside the box in your suggestions.
Idea 1: John is still a draper’s assistant when he meets Margaret. (Maybe Mr. Hale left Helstone earlier?)
Tricky, that one... One might, of course ignore the age gap and make them basically the same age, but there would still be the class divide which in Victorian England would have been profound; and with Margaret's prejudice against 'shoppy people' I can't really see this happening - but I'd love to see someone try.
Idea 2: Early on, when Mrs. Hale mentions that handsome Helstone carriage maker who Margaret thinks is too shoppy- what would have happened if they stayed in Helstone and Mr. Hale never left? I.e. who would Margaret have become without the influences of Milton?
Yes, why not? Margaret and JT could just meet later in life; or in the South; or both.
Idea 3: Frederick never joins the navy. He is still around and an active part of the Hale’s lives
Another tricky one.
For me, much of Margaret's character is defined by the fact that she does some rather 'heavy lifting' in terms of responsibilities. She is very competent in many respects (all the while being totally clueless when it comes to affairs of the heart). If Fred was in the picture he'd be expected to be the responsible one. I wonder if Margaret would yield graciously to being the meek little sister?
Idea 4: Margaret goes to Corfu with the Lennoxes. She has to endure the mortification of their response to her father’s change of circumstances. She misses the formative times in Helstone and early Milton. All she knows of John and Milton come through letters. She first arrives in Milton during Mrs. Hale’s illness.
Oh, yes. Austenesque study of manners eventually turning into gritty northern drama.
Idea 5: someone please let Bessy live????? Is there a way? A bessy-centered story where she gets some form of redemption and her own life?
I love Bessy as a character, especially in the miniseries. So, I'm all for it!
(although I generally 'kill' her in my stories
)
Idea 6: Margaret is Mrs Shaw’s daughter. She grew up entirely in London. How does this change Margaret?
As long as Margaret has
some chip on her shoulder this might be doable
Idea 7: John’s father lives. He perseveres after his financial failure and is still around by the time Margaret moves to Milton.
Personally, I don't really see that
... Losing his father at a young age and in such a manner has, basically, defined JT.
Idea8: the Global North and Global South. A modernized version of the tale.
I'd love that!
Though it would have to be written by someone at home in both cultures.
Idea 9: the Hales never move to Milton. captain Lennox and Henry Lennox meet John at the Great Exhibition and invest in the mill. They introduce Margaret… who later inherits the mill.
Yes, well, why not... The class situation might be a bit tricky to navigate: A successful manufacturer might aspire to a wife of Margaret's class (the impoverished lesser gentry), but a down-on-his-luck manufacturer would be kicking well above his league by showing an interest in a London society girl (even one who's paddling at the shallow end of the pool)
Idea 10: Margaret delays going for the water mattress. She is not at the mill for the riot. John does not face the crowd. There is no stone and no declaration of love after. John is much slower in realizing his feelings.
I see that this one has lots of takers already
and I concur; this has a lot of potential (though I totally
love the utter train wreck that is the riot and the proposal scene).
Lots of food for thought there. So, thank you again, maembe, for your many great suggestions.
already looking forward to it
That looks like fun and also a little terrifying. Cheers.
