When we finish a book or watch the last scene of a movie, sometimes it can be hard to let the characters go. Don't we all like to slip back into the shoes of our favorite character, if only in our imaginations, and wonder what might have happened next? This month on The Slam, two of our talented Slammers have done just that -- dipped under the surfaces of well-known fictional characters and created new pieces of writing that shine with a light all their own.

In "Signed, a Fan, Not a Fangirl," legalist217 writes from the perspective of an anonymous admirer of the great detective Sherlock Holmes. "When you were young, Mr. Holmes," she begins, "the girls thought you were pining..." As she weaves an alternate interpretation of the detective's love life, we come to know not only Holmes himself, but also the narrator. "But I tell you," she protests, "it is I who understands you, Sherlock Holmes, / because I did as you asked: / I paid attention." And it is this same attention to detail that makes legalist217 such a successful writer, and so apt at catching the mood of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original work.

In her prose piece "Diary Entries," Pinkie shows the same observant eye, carefully bringing in details that provide the reader with clues to her setting -- whiskey and cigars, crystal goblets, lamb chops with mint sauce. Where legalist217 announces in the first lines of her poem that Sherlock Holmes will be her hero, Pinkie takes her time in revealing that she, too, has inhabited a fictional setting and a fictional character, from the James Cameron movie TITANIC. Like legalist217, Pinkie chooses an unexpected narrator for her piece, allowing the reader to view the more familiar heroine at a slight remove.

"Signed, a Fan, Not a Fangirl" and "Diary Entries" are two very different pieces -- one is poetry, one is prose; one is second-person, one is first-person; one takes the perspective of an anonymous supporter, the other the perspective of a villain. But both pieces are successful at adopting and reshaping an established fictional world. The authors use convincing detail, they create authentic voices, and most of all, they never forget to tell the story. After all, a character without a narrative is meaningless: it takes the same trajectory of beginning, middle, and end to make engaging reading, even when the story is one that has already been told.

So how about it, dear Slammers? Will you dare to slip into the shoes -- and the thoughts -- of your favorite book or movie character, and make the story your own? We're not looking for simple retellings, but for full reimaginings. From John Gardner's GRENDEL, retracing the epic of Beowulf from the viewpoint of the famous monster, to Lisa Klein's OPHELIA, recreating Shakespeare's play from the perspective of Hamlet's beloved, many authors have found ways to reinhabit and reinvigorate familiar fictional worlds. Given the stellar examples right here on The Slam, we can't wait to see what you come up with!

Cheers,

Ann Pedtke

Slam Master