Pan-tastic!

Well, folks, my main editor/proofer/test subject beyond the justifiably harsh (yet very satisfied!) critics of Jones and Anon has finished her perusal. Please forgive the length of time it took her to complete the task. I have, without anything ever being there to forgive in the first place. As we know from Wendy’s plight alone, being a mother while trying to accomplish other tasks proves difficult enough. Couple that with another pregnancy and Life throwing curve balls. But even more importantly than the usual round-up of Time-stealing-&-fleeing cues, this proofer went, of her own volition, beyond the call of duty.

Which is to say she read them all!  She could have just read Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between and proofed it. But she opted to read Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens beforehand, so as to better appreciate and understand my interquel novel. Except she didn’t stop there. She also re-read Peter and Wendy. Good thing, too, for the interquel, being such that it connects one book to the other, also uses elements from the well-known Pan adventure. And yet, she read on for another go at Peter Pan’s NeverWorld as well. Thus, she immersed herself in the full scope of both mine and Barrie’s works on the eternal boy.  And truthfully?  Even PPNW connects back to Betwixt-and-Between. {Naturally - it's meant to be a "set."}

And her verdict? LOVED IT!!!!!!!

Other quotes from her:

You have made an excellent bridge between Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy! When I read PPIKG, I was definitely not left with the concept of the Peter I have come to know. You so excellently brought him out of the Thrush's Nest boat and into the rather scary/sociopathic egomaniac I am coming to love.

PHENOMENALLY done! (Spoken about a particular handling of a subject.)

You have a gift - thank you for sharing it with me.

That last line really got to me. The validation of my efforts always means a lot, you know?  Especially when it comes from a voracious reader such as her. She’s no stranger to books and editing, you see. She ran a bookstore in the past (which sadly had to close via circumstances beyond control) and has helped many an author polish to perfection. In this case, she didn’t find much to change (as it has been through the proofing process a few times before with different eyes) but what she did find will bolster the book quite well given her suggestions. Nothing story-wise jarred her, thank goodness.  She even gave her helpful two cents regarding the illustrations.  I'll be sure to attend to them.

So, there you have it. Another person has adored my extra back history to Peter Pan. Any reservations I’ve had with it while writing it (...perhaps you recall I’d originally been wary of one part of the storyline...) have completely disappeared at this point. I’m prouder than ever, and cannot wait for you all to experience it. I’ll try lighting a fire under the final pair of eyes for the book.

So to all who have been incredibly patient: I am grateful. Just a little longer.
Apparently it’s worth the wait.

A Capital Idea

There is a small difference between Barrie’s Pan tales and mine by way of some capitalization. Specifically the Native American characters as a race and Pan’s “gang.” i.e. Redskins & Lost Boys.

It’s true, Barrie does not have them with capital letters. Yet I do. Am I being inconsistent, against what I claim? I suppose on one level, yes. But on another, no. (Could have expected that, right?)

Why do I make them proper nouns instead? In the case of the “Redskins” I just think it entirely disrespectful toward the Native Tribes of the Americas that we don’t give them such a distinction. After all, it’s not exactly the nicest way to refer to them. Yet I cannot have them listed as something other than what’s in the original text. (And I give a reason as to Barrie's motives for doing so in my Foreword.)  Thus, I’ve tried to rectify the situation a little by giving them a shred of dignity as per their moniker.

As for the boys... well, they’ve become quite iconic since Barrie first introduced them, no? It’s my belief that we tend to think of them as a “tribe” in their own right, and so I’ve capitalized them now as well. Within the world of Pan [story-wise], tales of the eternal boy are retold and passed down... so who is to say that they haven’t acquired “proper noun” status by the time the events of Peter Pan’s NeverWorld roll around?

I can just hear someone with a counter-argument using this notion [i.e. that the story is passed down over generations] in the sense of being able to therefore disregard any of what’s in the story by chalking it up to being altered by oral tradition. Consider, though, this text from the Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens : ...if you ask her whether he rode on a goat in those days, she says she never heard of his having a goat. Then is it to be believed? Of course it is. For the Narrator goes on to say: Perhaps she has forgotten, just as she sometimes forgets your name and calls you Mildred, which is your mother's name. Still, she could hardly forget such an important thing as the goat. Therefore there was no goat when your grandmother was a little girl. This shows that, in telling the story of Peter Pan, to begin with the goat (as most people do) is as silly as to put on your jacket before your vest.

Therefore, the establishment of certain elements of Peter Pan’s history can’t be ignored or forgotten. We have the cannon text. It [a la the Narrator] obviously knows what from what and when from when, so we have to follow strictly. Something as trivial as whether or not “Lost Boys” is capitalized, though, well, that’s subject to change - either in thought or in the text as per how much importance one winds up placing on them. And as I’ve said, the Lost Boys, in my opinion, have earned the right to be given proper credit with a proper noun.  And the Native People?  Let's give them the respect they deserve, too.

Gee, I’m not too hyper-speculative or anything, am I?  ;)

TRUE? False.

I have been  keeping my distance from Twitter, for the record.  It's just too time-consuming. Or else I let it be, I suppose.  One of these days I'll figure out how to organize and handle it better.  But for right now, I check in every blue moon...and @jediahsoka, someone who found me via the net, sent me a link to this page.

It's called True Peter Pan.
It's a website apparently under construction, but at the time it had just been pretty much a placeholder wherein you could plug in your email for update information.  There's more to it now.

I'll be honest.  I find it (for lack of a better word) offensive.  How so?  Here's what it says on the site, the parts that raise my eyebrows are in red:

Ever since J.M. Barrie published his story of the boy who would never grow up, the public has been fascinated by it. But who is Peter? In Barrie's book, he is a self-righteous, obnoxious,brat. If we are to believe that Barrie has given us the true representation of Peter, then it's no wonder his mother locked the window so he couldn't get back inside! But what if so many people have a wrong idea of Peter? What if we have been deceived by parents, friends, and Disney movies?

This site seeks to dispel the old thoughts of Peter, by reporting news of other stories about the boy who couldn't grow up that show a different side of him. I will always be grateful to J.M. Barrie for bringing Peter to our attention, but what if Barrie's story misses key details?

PARDON?    If we are to believe that Barrie has given us the true representation of Peter...

Why on earth would we not believe that the CREATOR of the character gave us a "true representation" of him?  Can this BE any more disrespectful?   I suppose the implication is that Peter Pan is an actual person... and perhaps this "true" Peter is not as Barrie described.  That's a lovely notion (albeit a scary one) to have... but still, it just boils down to claiming a renowned author did not do his job correctly. [Not to mention the fact that Peter Pan flew away from his mother's window before she'd ever found out what a brat he can be.  And when she closed the window on him [as Pan views the situation] it's even more so true.  She doesn't even know of Peter still being alive it would seem, so how can she have made a judgment call on him like that? She couldn't. So....what does that line even mean?]

The only time (in my opinion) that a form of this has ever been acceptable is when done by Linda Woolverton.  Her Alice makes "claims against" Lewis Carroll's famed wacky works... such as it's not the 'Cheshire Cat' - his name is Chessur.  Alice, being a little girl, heard the name wrong and latched onto it as the closest thing familiar to her:  Cheshire, England.  (A la the cat-shaped cheeses from there to which Carroll referred.)  Many other examples abound.  All of them, though, can be chalked up to Alice mistook things the first time she ventured into the Wonderland/Looking-Glass World[s].  But that isn't saying Carroll got it wrong, per se.  Just that he reported it as Alice observed it.

In this instance, the very nature of the character/personality of Peter Pan is being called into question... with the idea that Barrie got it wrong.  What the hell?

Not only that, but in the Peter Pan Timeline on the site, it neglects to include Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens as the beginning in favor of the fault-ridden Barry/Pearson novels.  Again, what the hell?

Here's the blurb regarding the Timeline.  It's both worrisome and funny.

This is the "official" timeline of the books and movies in which Peter's story is most accurately told. Keep in mind, these are only my opinion, and most traditional Barrie fans will either laugh at me, or try and kill me. These books and movies are all considered to be "official" by True Peter Pan.

Including movies as official representations of literature?  Okay.... how about no?  Allowing for stories riddled with mistakes from the originals to count as official?  How about no again...

So, yes, this "traditional Barrie fan" is not laughing and tends to want to have the devilish streak in Pan that is being denied [one, I might add, that Barrie insisted upon] to seek vengeance.  But allow me to use a line from Barrie:  Of course he did not strike.  I suppose I have, though, but it's not as if it hadn't been expected by the one who put up the site.  He sat down on the floor instead and sobbed... No, not really.  But I do "weep" for the blatant disregard for well-crafted art.

Wouldst He Be Pirate?

Here's a passage from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens [The Little White Bird]:

If I were to point out all the notable places as we pass up the Broad Walk, it would be time to turn back before we reach them, and I simply wave my stick at Cecco Hewlett’s Tree, that memorable spot where a boy called Cecco lost his penny, and, looking for it, found twopence. There has beena good deal of excavation going on there ever since.

Suppose that said Cecco is the same Cecco of the Jolly Roger.

I'm not saying it is.  Since it's not actually relevant to my stories (as of yet, at least [and I have no plans to work with the pirates of Peter and Wendy beyond the snippet mentions in Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between]) I don't really want to spend the time to research the logistics of it... but I couldn't not mention it, either.  Could just be a "re-used" name from Barrie.  But it's intriguing nevertheless. 

Perhaps Ms. Jones (who does deal with the pirates of the Neverland) might have an idea about it?

Peter Pan Began Before, Though

I found out about this naught but a minute ago.

A movie is being pitched/shopped around in Hollywood:

Peter Pan Begins

It's going to be an origin tale.  Whether or not it's remaining at all faithful to Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens I do not know.  For very little has come forth regarding it, other than Channing Tatum is reportedly involved.  Writer Billy Ray and producer Joe Roth are the duo who are opening the windows.

Channing Tatum - Peter's Dad?

It leads me to speculate what it could be like.  Since my penchant is to be faithful, I suddenly had a scenario in mind which I haven't thought of before per se.  What if it used PPiKGardens as a springboard only?  Do the key scenes, like Pan flying out the window and such, but also focus on his parents in much the same way that Mr. and Mrs. Darling are revisited during Peter and Wendy.  Perhaps it also now shows that they had a struggle to have a child?  Which would make Peter's leaving all the more heartbreaking.  I'm not sure this would work, mind you, it's just "playing around."

Whatever the manifestation turns out to be, I sure hope Peter Pan Begins is respectful of Barrie's origin story along with the well known one.  For a different window into the origins of Pan might be just the cool wind of change we didn't know we needed.

Peter Pan in Kensington Broadway?

Don't worry (that is, if the title makes you worried) as of right now such a thing is not going to happen.  But I came across this article on the 'net and apparently it almost did.



Colin Meloy

The Decemberists regularly perform with stage props and weave complicated storylines into their songs. Their 2009 album The Hazards of Love was a rock opera that they performed in full on tour. You’re never going to believe this, but frontman Colin Meloy grew up doing theater. For years, talk has swirled about Meloy writing a Broadway musical; in 2007, he told The Portland Mercury, “There was one that nearly worked out, but it fell through. It was based on Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, which is the prequel to Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.”

Link to page.

 Quite interesting indeed.  I'm not so sure it wouldn't work, actually.

Staging the Past

Just came across this one...
A theatre company, PuppeTyranny!, is doing an adaptation of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens this weekend in Philadelphia.  Wish I could go out and see it.  Puppetry, when done right, is quite effective.  Here's a link to their site.  I've got the image of it below, though, since it's likely to no longer show up in the future (as it is on an "upcoming" page.)  I like that they say "forgotten prequel."  And that there is a male fairy on his shoulder, who incidentally, looks (correctly!) mauve.  I do have one question, though:  Giant invisible goat?  Umm...

Leaf It Alone?

I've just been doing a little thinking about how to fix a particular event in Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between. I had the suspicion that something had been wrong with the playing out of it. Anon flagged it as well, and also pin-pointed exactly why it didn't work. I gave a suggestion back, and Anon deemed the idea better. Well, I've expanded on it a little bit since then... and as I said, I'd moments ago been tinkering with it.

What is it? It's Peter Pan's outfit. He essentially comes to be naked in Kensington Gardens. Yet we know he wears leaves in the Neverland. I believed I'd bridged the gap. Then, I went poking around on Neverpedia and I came across this line: 'In the play, Peter's outfit is made of autumn leaves and cobwebs.' I must have caught Peter Pan's forgetfulness, as that detail seemed new to me. (I tend to concentrate on the novel since I am working in that medium and it's Barrie's 'fixed' form of the story.) Yes, I did then recall it as part of the play, but could not shake off the "hmm." So I hunted the novel. Nope. No mention of cobwebs. (And for the record, it's now "skeleton leaves.") No reference to cobwebs in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens either. As in the word itself does not appear in both books.

Chalk it up to another of Barrie's own tinkerings. But it got me to thinking... could I, or even should I, use cobwebs as part of the story in Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between? To be honest, cobwebs give me the creeps. And the thought of wearing them...eech. But then, Pan is not my second name, and he's the one who would be sporting the spider spun spats. (Okay, they wouldn't be used as spats but I love a good alliteration.) If I do use it, it will serve as an extra bridge, no? To the play in addition to the two books. When it makes sense to do so or can provide helpful information, I like to incorporate the play or screenplay.

And while I'm on the subject of his outfit... I find it a pity that most people equate Peter Pan with a tunic, tights and a hat with a feather. A suit of leaves with juices that ooze out of trees (and cobwebs?) is much more intriguing.

Anyway, I've give the scene a little more thought...

The photo is a close up shot of Jeremy Sumpter's costume in the P.J. Hogan movie.
The other is a Disney costume. [They have (or had) several versions of a 'Peter Pan' outfit, most of which don't look like their cartoon.] I do like the rather large leaf aspect of the costume shown, though.

Flying High.. and Don't PANic, It's Almost Right

Anon finished Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between,
my interquel adventure, a little while ago now.
We’ve been discussing it back and forth via emails.

Here are just a few comments that brought me joy:

Oh. My. God. :D :D :D :D :D
This gets better and better! While there are still some problems, this REALLY feels like Barrie's Peter Pan!

Wow.... O_O I did not expect that....
This chapter opened up looking like the kind of heartless fun that I remember and love, and then --

Now I REALLY want to finish this thing tonight

Overall, an EXCELLENT final chapter to the book! Could hardly have been better if you tried

As for the book overall? Aside from [ … ], it was VERY much what I'd hoped for!
In some ways it was even MORE than I'd hoped for, as it pointed things out that hadn't even occurred to me, and made me curious about others! It really DOES feel very much like "Chapters 7-20" of Peter Pan In Kensington Gardens, the Peter Pan book with no ending!

The “problems” and “Aside from” spoken of are mainly the same ones that I have mentioned as possibly being problematic in other posts regarding this book. However, it’s also still the case that it isn’t as if these things cannot be smoothed out. Especially since Anon had given me some great suggestions. And the “did not expect that” refers to something that shocked in the good way.

Anon also had some issues along the way which wound up working themselves out. For instance, Anon thought Pan seemed too poilte. But as I pointed out in our email-ing, the boy Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is quite different from the one in the Neverland. Without giving too much away, it's the events of this novel that shape him into the cocky, rude and horribly self-absorbed boy that we somehow love in spite of all that.

Having someone so well versed in the world of Barrie certainly helped quite a bit. And it’s not just the re-tuning to make those sections more Barrie-like. Anon came up with some delicious tidbits to add as well as ideas to further the impact.

And so, it’s back to wordsmithing for me… Although I am going to take a little bit of break first. But I’ll get to it soon enough. So anyone else who is looking forward to the “lost chapters” of Peter Pan’s life, just hang on for a little while longer. Once I’m done with the rewrites, I’ll be sending it off to Andrea Hook & Jill Jones.

And what’s on the agenda after that? I’m not sure. I certainly am not lacking for ideas, thank goodness. I have a few things I can go back to as well as a few new projects to begin. As of yet none of them are leaping out at me. But I expect one of my characters (or a new character) to come knocking before I’m ready to return to the page.

I can, however, say that as of right now I do not expect to be returning to Peter Pan. I’ve had enough of him for a while. But there’s plenty more to write about the boy… so I’m not done with him yet.

Oh... the pic is the "tagline" for this book.

He Writes... He Scores... With Some Time-Out

Well, my “faithful reader” Anon has begun

Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between.
So far, it’s very well received. WHEW!

How can I not be pleased with being told it "DEFINITELY" feels like we're back in the world of Peter Pan? Anon also said that it doesn't feel like a new book. Rather, it feels like Chapter 7 of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. (i.e. the next chapter of it, as if it actually came next.) Thanks, Anon! Glad you're enjoying it.

Anon does have some minor issues, though, but that's to be expected of the first read through of something so near and dear to the heart.

You might recall I’d been a tad worried about the one section of it - I said it might seen too outlandish. To my relief, Anon doesn’t hate it or think it too strange. Then again, the general feeling is that it doesn’t quite fit. That is to say… yet. For it’s not as if it can’t, it just doesn’t seem so quite right at this point. But from Anon’s comments/comparison to Barrie (on this part as well as another) I know just how to fix it so that it will thus become much more Barriesque. Thanks for the inadvertent suggestion on how to make it work, Anon!

Anon is only four chapters in so far… and there’s a lot to come in the next ten. Here's hoping the "wonderings" and "issues-that-might-not-be-issues-after-all" turn into a genuine love of the book!

For the record, I'm going to make the necessary revisions before I pass it along to Hook & Jill author Andrea Jones. No sense in giving her something to read that can use some polishing, eh?

I'll keep you posted.

Putting Down the Pen on Another Pan

Woo!
Last night I finished writing
Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between.

For those who do not already know:

This novel is an interquel.

That means it's a sequel to one work, but a prequel to another. You see, there's a major gap between Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (really part of the novel The Little White Bird) and Peter and Wendy (aka Peter Pan.) In PPiKG, Pan's "origin story" by Barrie, he is an eternal infant living among the birds and fairies in the famous London park. But the next time we see him, he's a young boy fighting pirates in the Neverland. One could just chalk it up to Barrie changing his focus for the character. Sure, that's true. Yet reference is made in Peter and Wendy as to the first adventure having happened. That means story-wise, we have a major chunk missing. How did the little boy who wouldn't grow up...er... grow up to being a boy? And how did he get to the Neverland? Thus, I've pored through Barrie's works again and devised that very story. Those and some other ponderous elements are made clear.

I must, of course, read through it all again and make any necessary revisions. And I've got a few very minor details (such as which birds specifically) to fill in... but otherwise it's a completed book. It clocks in (currently) at 53,533 words. Naturally that will change. It's a short novel, but then, so are Barrie's.

Before I unleash it, I am going to have (at least) three people take a gander at it first. Not just anyone, either. Andrea Jones (Hook & Jill) will be delving into it for me. Since she's quite versed in Barrie's world it can only behoove me to get her opinion. Her obsession has the very helpful advantage of a feminine perspective as well as masterfully manipulating Barrie without sacrificing any of his integrity and themes. My faithful reader Anon will also have a read. Anon rivals my own obsession with Pan and Barrie and also matches my insistance on the meticulous details. Anon has been anxious to read this tale since I mentioned it. And of course, Bart.

I really am curious what they will think of it. I'm hoping it doesn't seem completely off the mark to them. Not that I doubt the work. I am very pleased with it. I just wonder if since I've been dealing with and living with it for so long that I'm more readily accepting of some of the ideas, characters and events in it. After all, I am more than touching a subject that is both delicate and difficult - namely the wherefore of how Peter Pan...er, grew up, so to speak. There's the chance that at first experiencing this adventure it could seem too outlandish. But I do feel it remains true to Barrie's universe while expanding it just that much further.

At this point, then, I am not entirely sure of this novel's fate. But I will be sure to keep you posted.

*Yes, that's the cover I've devised for it. The photo is of a walkway gate in Kensington Gardens. Bart took the picture when we visited London and the "world" of Sir J.M. Barrie.

Pan Through the Looking Glass...

Gee, am I looking forward to THIS, or what?

Chicago's own Lookingglass Theatre Company will be re-staging

J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.

Yes, a new adaptation by Amanda Dehnert, who will also direct.

There's not much to know about it yet, but here's a quote from PLAYBILL.com.

Artistic director-elect Andy White stated, "Our first show, Peter Pan, looks at life through the prism of childhood — with wonder and awe, yearning for flight, fear of pirates and fearsome crocodiles, and all the delight and terror that might accompany any child's dreams."

What intrigues me the most, however. is that the article says

from the books by J.M. Barrie.
Does this mean she'll be incorporating some of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens? I doubt it, actually, but nevertheless I'd like to see it happen. Assuming the inclusion is warranted. It again makes book plural later in the post (and also on Lookingglass Theatre's web page) though it's probably just an oversight:

"Nationally-known director Amanda Dehnert will direct her adaptation of Peter Pan, the classic tale from J.M. Barrie's books of the boy who wouldn't grow up. Bombastic, playful, and darkly comic, Dehnert's adaptation brings innovative theatricality, aerial arts, and a soulful understanding of yearning and regret to this legendary childhood adventure of pirates, fairies and fantasy. [Dehnert's] student production was developed at Northwestern University's Theatre and Interpretation Center in 2009 and resulted in a sold-out run on campus. For Lookingglass, she is creating a new adaptation that will feature Lookingglass Ensemble members."

Sounds promising, no?

It begins October 20, 2010.

I'll be looking into it further, and of course, attending. Perhaps I can go with Andrea Jones, author of Hook & Jill.

Read the whole article and more about Lookingglass Theatre's upcoming season here, or go to their site:
Lookingglass Theatre Website

Beyond the Words

Here's a progress report since the post Thanks and Thinkings:

The chance of my work Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between having a word count "betwixt-and-between" Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy has gone out the window! I have just passed the mark which would allow it to have such status. In fact, it will overshoot that mark by a large degree, as I had guessed.

The writing of it is going rather well. As usual, if not actually writing, I'm tinkering with or fleshing out scenes, doing research and setting the story up in my head. It's rather like a dance of those elements. And right now I'd been writing and looked down to realize I've surpassed the middle-ground word count.

The proper adventures on the island called the Neverland have just begun, so plenty of story remains to be written. Thus, it very well may be a novel rather than a novella. For as I said before, I also have to go back and expand the "placeholder" bits (i.e. the parts of the story where I've not composed the actual text but a quick runthrough of the events in order to be able to move on to a part that interests me more.) There are only about two of those at this point. But given all the rest of what's to come for Pan as well as those... it may reach the 50,000 milestone. For now, it remains to be seen.

But it is all coming together nicely. Rather than being just a partially written story idea I've had for some time now, I'm truly starting to feel as if I've sealed up the glaring gap in the life of Peter Pan.

Thanks and Thinkings

I may have already done so, but it bears repeating:

I want to thank those whose discussions, comments and/or "point outs" have helped in the writing of Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between.

Most notably are reader/commenter Anon and Andrea Jones, author of Hook & Jill.

Tidbits here and there have worked their way into story, making it not only better but much more exciting for me to compose.

Still going well. In fact, yesterday I had another instance of a scene appearing on the page for which I don't feel I may claim responsibility. Peter Pan and some fairies took hold of my pen (er... keyboard) and soon I had a fun incident with a great image, providing just what had been needed as a transition into the next part (where I did know what would happen.) I never tire of this phenomenon.

I've already exceeded the length of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (approx. 21,850 words.) I'm currently around 31,690 words. Since I've thrown out a set of characters and their scenes (which would only convolute the already fantastical tale) and I've gotten further along, I am wondering at what length this story will turn out to be. I don't have a sense of that yet - especially when the characters are taking the reins! I did have this thought, though: Perhaps it shoud be a word count which would be (ahem!) betwixt-and-between Barrie's two tales about Pan. Peter and Wendy weighs in at circa 47,190. The median would then be (Good grief! Math! Argh!) 34,520. Well, the dream of it being exactly in-between lengths must vanish, for I don't feel as if I can tell the rest of this story in only 3000 words. But I shall at least try to keep it under Peter and Wendy. Then again, that would technically classify it as a novella. Not that it matters, as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is a novella (when dealt with separately from The Little White Bird.) Just a lame lament that it wouldn't actually be a "book." I'll just keep going, and see what happens...

Have the Cape and Read It, Too

Time for another “useless secret” regarding an aspect of Peter Pan’s NeverWorld.

In my novel, Peter Pan now wears a capelet, i.e. a small cape. No, Barrie didn’t describe him with one in Peter and Wendy. So where did I get it from - and why did I include it? Even Andrea Jones, author of Hook & Jill, asked me about it during her visit.

Here’s the answer:

Truth be told, I’d rather liked the inclusion of it in Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates. It brought an extra certain something special to him, a neat touch out of the routine. But I knew very well that this could not be reason enough to impose it upon the eternal boy. So why else?

As can be expected, one reason for the capelet does in fact come from Barrie. In the original production of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, Nina Boucicault’s costume has something draped over Peter’s shoulders. I figured since Barrie had been involved with the show, if he objected to the small cape it would have been removed. Thus, I’d already found just cause for the addition of it in my novel.


But there’s also another reason. The very first public depiction of Peter Pan, it would seem, is art by Charles Buchel from 1904, used to promote the play before any other bit of it had been released. As you can see, Peter Pan is shown with a big flowing cape. It’s a great piece of art, but the big cape is a little much, I think. Yet it does give another reason to have Pan with something over his shoulders.

And there you have it. I really like Pan with the capelet, so I put it in the book. I of course made sure to have a line or two stating that it’s something “new” such as: Luckily she had a knack for catching hold of the capelet he’d taken to wearing.

Later on, as I learned from the recent Peter Pan at Kensington Gardens prodcution in London, it can also serve as a “reminder” of his wings from having been a bird.

My personal “rationale” for it is thus: It’s a given fact that fairies can weave cloth from leaves, as learned in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: … a fairy who had been gathering skeleton leaves, from which the little people weave their summer curtains… So for me it only stands to reason that eventually Peter would have clothing made from such an endeavor. (In fact, that’s precisely the case for Peter’s entire outfit in my book.) And even more importantly, I reckon that some of Peter Pan’s “mothers” (descendants of Wendy) would have left their own marks on the Neverland and sewn him some new togs.

Yet in my mind it’s not one of the “mothers” who presented him with the capelet. Nope. I have something else in mind as to where he obtained it. I don't want to reveal that just yet… as I’ve got a scene in mind for another tale on NeverWorld which will explain its appearance. Nothing major, but I think it would be more fun to find out then rather than now.

Lastly, I also knew that even with these“justifications” for the inclusion of a capelet for Pan, I had to have at least one good reason story-wise. I surely do. The lesser of these is quoted up there, when Amy Alexis Richards grabs hold of it as tries to fly away. But there’s a better reason, too. What is it? Why, it’s in the book, of course! ;)

Planning the Neverland Arrival

I don’t know whether you have ever seen a map of a person’s mind…
There are zigzag lines on it, just like your temperature on a card…
- J.M. Barrie
Peter and Wendy

That’s how my mind feels right now. Or at least it describes my current process of writing.

As you may know, I’ve gone back to Barrie’s world to finish my interquel novel Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between. In a nutshell, it bridges the gap between Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens and Peter and Wendy.* In order to do so, I’ve been zig-zagging back and forth between ideas scampering around in my mind (both new ones and playful thoughts which have been skipping about for some time) and back into Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, over to my notes, back toward research (both Barrie and otherwise) and again to the Barrie book, to my book… here, there, back again…you get the idea. Oh sure, this sort of activity happens all the time when writing a novel. But I do believe much more so this go around, as I’m contending with Barrie’s universe in addition to my own work.

Having re-read his prequel story, I came upon quite a few bits which struck me in a new light. So I’ll be using more elements from the original to craft my tale. I’ll need to insert some scenes into what I’ve already written. But no matter - as I’ll enjoy doing so. I’m following my general rule of writing out of sequence. I have a couple spots with “placeholder” text, detailing in most general terms the nature of the action and dialogue. I’ve also chopped out a few chunks, both large and small.

And last night, after staying up way too late working on it… I lay in bed, unable to think about anything but this story. Then an idea came. One I could not ignore, one I built upon then and there…next, quite possibly what are to be the final two lines of the novel. I had to leap back out of bed to write it down.

So, in essence, it’s going well. I’m pleased, as all of the additions and cuts will strengthen the novel immensely. Puzzle pieces are falling into place.

And I have YET to get through all that I’ve written thus far upon the first go at this novel, having revised and reworked and backtracked and consulted and…

okay, never never mind…

* Note: It does not bridge the entire gap of the books.