I have an idea for a Margaret/Nicholas fanfic and I think it would be really helpful to externally process my thoughts/get feedback on the concept so I can step more confidently into the writing process. This will be my first time writing a fanfiction—I’m excited, but also overwhelmed.This post is very much so basically a stream of consciousness. I appreciate y’all bearing with me on the length and informality—please don’t read every word if it means inconveniencing yourself. Feedback on even part would be much appreciated, but I also am pleasantly surprised by how much I got from just externalizing some of my thoughts already. In other words, there’s no obligation to read or respond. Of course.
First of all, John and Margaret are one of, if not my top, OTP ever. So don’t mistake me that I ship Margaret and Nicholas over J&M at all. (I also def will figure out a way to adapt ages, etc. to make it not creepy with Margaret being Bess’s age, etc.) However. I find the idea very intriguing and as we all know, sometimes you have to be the fiction you want to see in the internet, lol.
Forced marriage is def one of my favorite tropes, ngl, and I def think that these two could make for a fascinating pair. I also am very interested in exploring political economics (capitalism, socialism, class struggle, etc.) in the fic because, I mean, how could I write a N&S fic about Nicholas Higgins and not touch on the working class struggle?? But I digress.
I obviously think there are ways in which I’ll need to significantly change the plot to make this work but I also really want to make an effort to maintain the integrity of Gaskell’s story but most especially her beautiful characters.
I’ll go into some of my ideas for the plot and then into some of my concerns/tricky bits I need help troubleshooting:
I think the most obvious and perhaps likely way Margaret and Nicholas would be forced to marry and also have very interesting implications for the rest of the fic is if instead of Margaret lunging to protect John from the workers, it’s Nicholas. I could see Nicholas coming to the mill, trying to protect the Irish (people he views to be as much a victim of greed as they are) and urging the workers to go home and not destroy the work of the union by harming the Irish or John.
I like the implications of this plot-wise because I think it would take the John-Nicholas friendship/collaboration in a new and earlier direction. It also might change John’s perspective on the union/workers’ struggles some—or at least make him more open to listen to Nicholas.
Now for the conundrums:
1) It could work to have either Margaret or Nicholas go down from the stone, etc. If it’s Nicholas, Margaret could show an “inappropriate” degree of concern for him and easily incur a damaged enough reputation to force them into marriage. If it’s Margaret, well, I think there could be some chemistry development beforehand (although I dread writing a fic that takes ages for the marriage to happen so would prob do that in judicious flashbacks, etc.) to make it a bit closer to the book in terms of Nicholas being devastated/having **A Realization** post-faint. There’s also potential for interesting tension between John and Nicholas after they carry her inside, etc. (John’s breathless confession to Margaret’s prone figure is one of my absolute **favorite** moments in the book—I have a vivid memory of a rush of butterflies and adrenaline the first time I read the book.)
2) Would Mr. Bell be too classist to have Margaret as his heir once she married Nicholas? I think the story having a section where they’re in poverty and struggling to care for the Boucher children and another where they have to adjust to their change in financial status and Nicholas has to adjust to moving in different circles could be really interesting. M&N figuring out how to live comfortably but not extravagantly to abide by their values will be interesting as well. I can see them getting into fights about how to help folks similar to the tension over the basket when they first met. (E.g. Margaret wants to focus on charity but Nicholas, knowing Northerner’s pride and fierce independence might push for more organized relief efforts)
3) Age. I honestly don’t recall how old Nicholas is in the book, or if it even specifically says. But a huge concern for me is making sure that though an age-gap is inevitable, that it’s one I’m comfortable romanticizing. Regardless of social norms of the day and legality, power dynamics are real and I want to ensure that that aspect of M&N’s relationship is healthy. A few adjustments come to mind: I think the biggest one would be to make Bessie a couple years younger. This would make Nicholas being a few years younger more plausible, and, especially if Margaret is a year or two older but still of an age to have a friendship with a precocious Bessie, it would greatly lessen the creep factor of Nicholas having the hots for a woman his daughter’s age. Specific areas of the book to find more age info, esp on the Higgins’ as well as any ideas for adjustments would be much appreciated!!
4) Smut. Let’s be honest with ourselves, some well written smut is *chef’s kiss* especially if the tension has been built well. Obviously, Margaret and Nicholas are gonna have some HAWT fuckin sex, but when?? Nicholas of course would never expect or persuade Margaret, but I don’t think he’d be above some consensual seduction, ya know? (A lot of M&J forced marriage fic I’ve read have had him helpless to do anything about his desire and I definitely think Nicholas’ personality would lead him to be much more proactive.) I’ll need to do some research around Victorian working class attitudes toward sex. I know Victorians in general were a lot less prudish than we assume but how much would the working class have been more open/experienced, if at all? Any recommendations of books or resources would be much appreciated!!
5) Chemistry. How much should I build up chemistry between the two (M&N) before their marriage and how much should I leave to proximity and time post-marriage? I also don’t think I can ignore John’s feelings toward Margaret and their chemistry. [A bit of a preface before the next bit: polyamory/ethical non-monogamy is a theme I am interested in eventually exploring in my writing. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I would ask that folks be respectful and trust that I sincerely do not espouse cheating or lying and that I earnestly believe that some people have love and room enough in their heart for more than one person. I’m interested in researching more about polyamory in Victorian times, but I know it existed—just look at how common and even accepted mistresses were.] I think trying to do justice to a M/J/N polyamory fic in my first fanfiction would be biting off more than I can chew, but I think the possibility for a future sister-fic that diverges at some point to head in a M/J/N direction could be fascinating. I also want to add that while I’m not sure yet how queer I would make J and N, there are plenty of throuples with two straight men and one woman if I decided to head in that direction.
6) OoC/Perfectionism. I really, really want to strive to preserve Gaskell’s vivid characters and I don’t want to dull their edges to shoehorn them into my story. I am chiefly concerned about losing Nicholas’ spirit in this. I must confess that he has never been a main focus of the time I’ve spent in this universe and while I’ve probably read the novel 5 times, it’s been a few years since the last read. I suppose I’m hoping for advice from other writers on finding the balance between being faithful to the book and characters and overwhelming yourself with perfectionism. I really struggle with writing anxiety (mainly around essays) and I’m really hoping that this will be an outlet that will finally allow me to release the beautiful things I know lie within me. But, I can easily see myself getting so bogged down in research that I can’t free myself to just write. Encouragement/advice, rules of thumb or pithy phrases to repeat to oneself would be much appreciated!!
Anywho, enough rambling! In closing, I would like to offer my thanks in advance to this community. I’m very excited to dive into this corner of the internet and I’m very grateful for any insight, advice or support that y’all might have to offer.
Sending lots of heart hugs from California,
The Captain
(He/They)
