Re-Write Ideas

With having a narrow reading scope, my topic for my re-write has somewhat chosen itself. I really enjoy the works of Deborah Challinor, especially the Children of War trilogy. She is the first author where I have read numerous pieces of hers and enjoyed them all. I find her work easy to understand because it is set on actual events of New Zealand history. With having done my own learning on New Zealand history, I think this will come in useful when doing my own re-write around the subject.

Children of War Trilogy

Although being my favourite books, I have decided not to use the Children of War series for two reasons. Firstly, it is a trilogy which spans a wide timeline. The first book begins in 1879 and the final book finishes during the 1940s. Along the way, many major occurrences happen such as the Boer war, WWI, the Great Depression and the Napier Earthquake. All of these events generate different story lines which makes the trilogy very intricate. Therefore the sheer size of this trilogy for me makes it difficult to keep my re-write accurate. The other reason for not choosing these books is for my own selfish purposes. I read this series every summer and love the story. If I do the re-write I will be changing what I love about the books and because of my lack of experience in creative writing, I fear I will not do it justice and will not enjoy the books as much.

Kitty

Therefore I have settled on the story Kitty. Just as the Children of War trilogy, this book is set during the years of colonisation in New Zealand. Although there is a sequel, Amber, the two books still stand alone quite well. I also think I will be able to use my own knowledge on New Zealand history, because Kitty is set in the years that lead up to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. I want to use the Maori girls who were used as maids as my main characters, because they demonstrate the theory of feminism. It will also allow me to use the idea of race relations between Maori and the British settlers.