Hi, everyone.
As I continue sharing with you my Red Riding Hood retelling, I’ll ask a question: What is the theme of my story? Or a theme, anyway?
Let me stall in answering by talking about a movie I’ve just seen.
I watched the movie version of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s Shiloh. I’ve read the book, though I like the movie version better as it has a lot less language. Also, I think it better addresses the importance of keeping a promise and telling the truth. When Shiloh’s abusive owner, Judd, goes back on his word by not giving Marty the dog, Marty tells him, “Shouldn’t your word be enough?” That is huge. Talk about teaching an important lesson without being on-the-nose about it.
That’s what I strive for when writing my stories: illustrating a virtue without spelling it out. It’s something that readers appreciate, because instead of being preached at, they’re so immersed in the emotions of the story, they can’t help but think and ponder.
Kindness is a theme in Shiloh, and it’s one of the themes in my book, too. My main character, thirteen-year-old Nan, has compassion on an injured dire wolf, just like Marty cares for an injured Shiloh. She wants to be the wolf’s friend (even giving her the name Silvera). Yes, my wolf character is a girl, and Nan and the wolf develop a sisterly friendship.
My story is different from Marty and Shiloh’s, though. Even though the wolf is open to human contact, she can be aggressive when threatened, which can cause her to be more dangerous. However, Nan goes on a camping adventure with the wolf, and her kindness plays a key role in taming the beast.
I know, it sounds a little like Beauty and the Beast, but my story still has elements of Little Red Riding Hood (i.e. befriending a wolf, the dilemma of trusting a stranger, an older woman in a nightgown, a villain disguised as a grandmotherly figure).
Isn’t the above picture gorgeous? I found it on Pexels’ website of downloadable photos. This wolf’s eyes are closed, but if Silvera had her eyes open, they would be part purple and part blue. Why? You’d have to keep reading to find out. 🙂
K.A. Ramstad 