Fanfic ideas

[Forsteriaana30]

Hi guys!

Things have been busy here lately and will continue to be - summer in Alaska. But I came up with a new fanfic idea that I wanted to share. I will be adding this one to my list of future fics.

I have yet to read The Screwtape Letters (it's on my tbr), but I am tentatively calling this a N&S-Screwtape Letters crossover. I imagine some evil demon watching over J&M and throwing all those obstacles up between them (Stephens, illness, death, riot, Frederick, Leonards, misunderstandings galore...) preventing them from getting together. There would be the triumph of Margaret's fall from grace. But of course, in the end, love conquers all.

What do you think?

I like this idea very much and would love to read it. Do it, Colleen!

[DaisyNinjaGirl]

This is one of my favourite letters - torturing John is entirely in canon...

My dear Wormwood,

So you “have great hopes that the patient’s religious phase is dying away”, have you? I always thought the Training College had gone to pieces since they put old Slubgob at the head of it, and now I am sure. Has no one ever told you about the law of Undulation?

Humans are amphibians—half spirit and half animal. (The Enemy’s determination to produce such a revolting hybrid was one of the things that determined Our Father to withdraw his support from Him.) As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time. This means that while their spirit can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time means to change. Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation—the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks. If you had watched your patient carefully you would have seen this undulation in every department of his life—his interest in his work, his affection for his friends, his physical appetites, all go up and down. As long as he lives on earth periods of emotional and bodily richness and liveliness will alternate with periods of numbness and poverty. The dryness and dulness through which your patient is now going are not, as you fondly suppose, your workmanship; they are merely a natural phenomenon which will do us no good unless you make a good use of it.

To decide what the best use of it is, you must ask what use the Enemy wants to make of it, and then do the opposite. Now it may surprise you to learn that in His efforts to get permanent possession of a soul, He relies on the troughs even more than on the peaks; some of His special favourites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than anyone else. The reason is this. To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself—creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself: the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct.

And that is where the troughs come in. You must have often wondered why the Enemy does not make more use of His power to be sensibly present to human souls in any degree He chooses and at any moment. But you now see that the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of His scheme forbids Him to use. Merely to over-ride a human will (as His felt presence in any but the faintest and most mitigated degree would certainly do) would be for Him useless. He cannot ravish. He can only woo. For His ignoble idea is to eat the cake and have it; the creatures are to be one with Him, but yet themselves; merely to cancel them, or assimilate them, will not serve. He is prepared to do a little over-riding at the beginning. He will set them off with communications of His presence which, though faint, seem great to them, with emotional sweetness, and easy conquest over temptation. But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs—to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. Hence the prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best. We can drag our patients along by continual tempting, because we design them only for the table, and the more their will is interfered with the better. He cannot “tempt” to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.

But of course the troughs afford opportunities to our side also. Next week I will give you some hints on how to exploit them,

Your affectionate uncle
Screwtape

[anywhereis]

omg, yes please! I’m sure you will do splendidly! I love your stories and crossovers already looking forward to it

Hi guys!

Things have been busy here lately and will continue to be - summer in Alaska. But I came up with a new fanfic idea that I wanted to share. I will be adding this one to my list of future fics.

I have yet to read The Screwtape Letters (it's on my tbr), but I am tentatively calling this a N&S-Screwtape Letters crossover. I imagine some evil demon watching over J&M and throwing all those obstacles up between them (Stephens, illness, death, riot, Frederick, Leonards, misunderstandings galore...) preventing them from getting together. There would be the triumph of Margaret's fall from grace. But of course, in the end, love conquers all.

What do you think?

[AnnabellaGrace]

Hi guys!

Things have been busy here lately and will continue to be - summer in Alaska. But I came up with a new fanfic idea that I wanted to share. I will be adding this one to my list of future fics.

I have yet to read The Screwtape Letters (it's on my tbr), but I am tentatively calling this a N&S-Screwtape Letters crossover. I imagine some evil demon watching over J&M and throwing all those obstacles up between them (Stephens, illness, death, riot, Frederick, Leonards, misunderstandings galore...) preventing them from getting together. There would be the triumph of Margaret's fall from grace. But of course, in the end, love conquers all.

What do you think?

I like this idea very much and would love to read it. Do it, Colleen!

Go for it, Colleen! I will devour it, I am sure! I love your crossovers and think you do them amazingly well!

[Philipaholt]

Hi guys!

Things have been busy here lately and will continue to be - summer in Alaska. But I came up with a new fanfic idea that I wanted to share. I will be adding this one to my list of future fics.

I have yet to read The Screwtape Letters (it's on my tbr), but I am tentatively calling this a N&S-Screwtape Letters crossover. I imagine some evil demon watching over J&M and throwing all those obstacles up between them (Stephens, illness, death, riot, Frederick, Leonards, misunderstandings galore...) preventing them from getting together. There would be the triumph of Margaret's fall from grace. But of course, in the end, love conquers all.

What do you think?

I think you'll do splendidly. What an idea! I adore Lewis. Glad to be hearing from you colleen! Hope all is well in busy Alaska. Send pictures.

[ColleenD]

Hope all is well in busy Alaska. Send pictures.

Sure, you wanna see what I've been up to... Little bit o' gardening, little bit o' beekeeping (which is new for us), little bit o' hooligan fishing, and I just had to add the mama and baby moosies in the backyard.

[Philipaholt]

Hope all is well in busy Alaska. Send pictures.

Sure, you wanna see what I've been up to... Little bit o' gardening, little bit o' beekeeping (which is new for us), little bit o' hooligan fishing, and I just had to add the mama and baby moosies in the backyard.

05-13-23 Colleen Brushing Bees.jpgIMG_20230614_183653435.jpgIMG_20230522_202543781_HDR.jpg6-10-23 Mama Moose and Two Babies.jpg

whoa! the baby moosies That looks like fun and also a little terrifying. Cheers.

[maembe13]

Finally found this list you all were referring to. Woohoo! Love reading through these! Also, now I can jot ideas down too.

Idea 1: John is still a draper’s assistant when he meets Margaret. (Maybe Mr. Hale left Helstone earlier?)

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?

Idea 3: Frederick never joins the navy. He is still around and an active part of the Hale’s lives

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.

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?

Idea 6: Margaret is Mrs Shaw’s daughter. She grew up entirely in London. How does this change Margaret?

Idea 7: John’s father lives. He perseveres after his financial failure and is still around by the time Margaret moves to Milton.

Idea8: the Global North and Global South. A modernized version of the tale.

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.

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.

[merry]

Colleen! Bees and Moosies and a fish (?) found on the shore!

Maembe! lovely to meet you!

There are some GREAT ideas in there, thank you so much for posting!

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.

That one really speaks to me, I love it. I like nothing more than to write a slow-burn!

Bessy... oh Bessy! I love Bessy so much. (I think she lives on in a couple of my stories and in at least one marries and has children, one per year happy and fulfilled.) We need more Bessy Stories!

She is a wonderful character! I love her whole sassy non-deferential attitude to Margaret 'what would we do wiv a basket??!" and 'oh about two years, in your case - "

Great post, thank you!

[DaisyNinjaGirl]

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.

That one really speaks to me, I love it. I like nothing more than to write a slow-burn!

I agree with Merry - there's such a lot of potential for things Butterfly-effecting off that incident.

[SHBirds]

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.

[Philipaholt]

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.

These are fantastic observations. Wow. I need to not read these lists....I have enough to work on as it is

[maembe13]

See, I post these random ideas in the hopes that someone is inspired to write them because then I will get to read the end result. Now, I include myself in that list of possible “someone’s” but I am not having much traction in stories lately so would be more than happy for some other of you brilliant authors to find inspiration and flood the rest of us with more stories.

[maembe13]

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.

I love your responses and thoughts about each of these. Great points to all! Thanks!

[Kaybell]

I am beyond thrilled that I found a place to post fic ideas that I’ve always wanted to write, but am not talented enough/patient enough to do so. I actually attempted to write this one, but didn't get very far. So…

In this one, the Hales are in Milton, and the incident at Outwood Station has already occurred.
John, being a lover of books, has always wanted to be a writer. He always has story ideas running through that beautiful mind of his, but of course, it’s nothing he would ever admit to. Unable to squash the itch to put his ideas on paper, he begins to anonymously submit parts of a story to the local newspaper. Eventually, seeing as his writing are very good, the newspaper begins to print them on a weekly basis (very similar to how N&S was originally published). Each week, they print a new addition to the storyline. I figured that John could have some sort of PO Box (not sure if those existed back then) to anonymously correspond with the newspaper. In this way, the paper could also write back to him if needed.
Margaret reads her father’s daily newspaper and becomes very engrossed in Mr. Thornton’s story. She begins to have story ideas of her own, as well as further questions about the story and characters. She ends up writing these questions down and forming a letter to send to the newspaper. But, feeling slightly foolish, she signs a fake name to the bottom of her letter so that no one will know it is truly her. She sends her letter to the newspaper, who is able to forward the letter to John’s PO Box. Margaret begins to send letters after each weekly publication, and John eventually begins to answer. (I suppose Margaret would also have to have a PO Box so that John can anonymously write her back without knowing who she truly is). In this way, a correspondence begins between them, though neither know who the other person truly is. They discuss the storyline, characters, plot, and ideas for what should happen next in the story. But, eventually, they begin to discuss other topics as well, and become sort of pen pals, and friends. Perhaps they even share things that they wouldn’t normally tell anyone else. I can see how it might be easy for them to lean on/confide in an anonymous friend when things get tough in their real life relationship. They may also begin to truly respect/value their anonymous pen pal.
And of course, one day, they will shockingly discover who each other truly is. I always figured they would figure it out while John is still unaware of Fred being Margaret’s brother.

So, what do you all think??

[dianakc]

I love that idea! It reminds me a bit of a Victorian "You've got mail".

[TRavine]

I am beyond thrilled that I found a place to post fic ideas that I’ve always wanted to write, but am not talented enough/patient enough to do so. I actually attempted to write this one, but didn't get very far. So…

In this one, the Hales are in Milton, and the incident at Outwood Station has already occurred.
John, being a lover of books, has always wanted to be a writer. He always has story ideas running through that beautiful mind of his, but of course, it’s nothing he would ever admit to. Unable to squash the itch to put his ideas on paper, he begins to anonymously submit parts of a story to the local newspaper. Eventually, seeing as his writing are very good, the newspaper begins to print them on a weekly basis (very similar to how N&S was originally published). Each week, they print a new addition to the storyline. I figured that John could have some sort of PO Box (not sure if those existed back then) to anonymously correspond with the newspaper. In this way, the paper could also write back to him if needed.
Margaret reads her father’s daily newspaper and becomes very engrossed in Mr. Thornton’s story. She begins to have story ideas of her own, as well as further questions about the story and characters. She ends up writing these questions down and forming a letter to send to the newspaper. But, feeling slightly foolish, she signs a fake name to the bottom of her letter so that no one will know it is truly her. She sends her letter to the newspaper, who is able to forward the letter to John’s PO Box. Margaret begins to send letters after each weekly publication, and John eventually begins to answer. (I suppose Margaret would also have to have a PO Box so that John can anonymously write her back without knowing who she truly is). In this way, a correspondence begins between them, though neither know who the other person truly is. They discuss the storyline, characters, plot, and ideas for what should happen next in the story. But, eventually, they begin to discuss other topics as well, and become sort of pen pals, and friends. Perhaps they even share things that they wouldn’t normally tell anyone else. I can see how it might be easy for them to lean on/confide in an anonymous friend when things get tough in their real life relationship. They may also begin to truly respect/value their anonymous pen pal.
And of course, one day, they will shockingly discover who each other truly is. I always figured they would figure it out while John is still unaware of Fred being Margaret’s brother.

So, what do you all think??

Oh wow!!! I LOVE that idea!!! I bet one could really work with it. Have you started writing it? Any idea what John's novel could be about?

This thread is wonderful. I got the idea for my current crossover from here, and I think some other stories were picked up from here as well in the past.

[Forsteriaana30]

I am beyond thrilled that I found a place to post fic ideas that I’ve always wanted to write, but am not talented enough/patient enough to do so. I actually attempted to write this one, but didn't get very far. So…

In this one, the Hales are in Milton, and the incident at Outwood Station has already occurred.
John, being a lover of books, has always wanted to be a writer. He always has story ideas running through that beautiful mind of his, but of course, it’s nothing he would ever admit to. Unable to squash the itch to put his ideas on paper, he begins to anonymously submit parts of a story to the local newspaper. Eventually, seeing as his writing are very good, the newspaper begins to print them on a weekly basis (very similar to how N&S was originally published). Each week, they print a new addition to the storyline. I figured that John could have some sort of PO Box (not sure if those existed back then) to anonymously correspond with the newspaper. In this way, the paper could also write back to him if needed.
Margaret reads her father’s daily newspaper and becomes very engrossed in Mr. Thornton’s story. She begins to have story ideas of her own, as well as further questions about the story and characters. She ends up writing these questions down and forming a letter to send to the newspaper. But, feeling slightly foolish, she signs a fake name to the bottom of her letter so that no one will know it is truly her. She sends her letter to the newspaper, who is able to forward the letter to John’s PO Box. Margaret begins to send letters after each weekly publication, and John eventually begins to answer. (I suppose Margaret would also have to have a PO Box so that John can anonymously write her back without knowing who she truly is). In this way, a correspondence begins between them, though neither know who the other person truly is. They discuss the storyline, characters, plot, and ideas for what should happen next in the story. But, eventually, they begin to discuss other topics as well, and become sort of pen pals, and friends. Perhaps they even share things that they wouldn’t normally tell anyone else. I can see how it might be easy for them to lean on/confide in an anonymous friend when things get tough in their real life relationship. They may also begin to truly respect/value their anonymous pen pal.
And of course, one day, they will shockingly discover who each other truly is. I always figured they would figure it out while John is still unaware of Fred being Margaret’s brother.

So, what do you all think??

Wonderful idea. I like it. And it's also remind of movie "You've got a Mail". This could really be like Victorian version of it. I would love to read it!

[Kaybell]

I am beyond thrilled that I found a place to post fic ideas that I’ve always wanted to write, but am not talented enough/patient enough to do so. I actually attempted to write this one, but didn't get very far. So…
o

Oh wow!!! I LOVE that idea!!! I bet one could really work with it. Have you started writing it? Any idea what John's novel could be about?

This thread is wonderful. I got the idea for my current crossover from here, and I think some other stories were picked up from here as well in the past.

I was hoping some wonderful writer on here might want to write it. I attempted to write it, but it wasn’t good at all. I think it’s something more complex, detailed, and time consuming than I am capable of. So, if there are any takers, feel free to grab the idea!

[Kaybell]

I wasn’t able to come up with anything good for what John’s story might be about. I tried, but I have given up on writing it. So again, this story idea is free for the taking!