Dear Yuletide Writer...
Greetings and imaginations!
Right...now that I know what I'm doing, I'll continue to toss out a thought or two and get things started.
By now, most of us know that "optional details are optional." Because sometimes we sign up for something and later wonder why we did that, and we're left wondering what the heck to write. Then you read your recipient's letter and panic because, "Eek! I can't write that!" We've all been there and we feel your pain. So we'll just jump in and try to have some fun.
I'm rather fond of apocalypses. Yup, I'm one of those people who likes to watch stuff blow up, volcanoes erupt, dams burst, etc. From "When Worlds Collide" to "World Made by Hand," I have a fascination with the end of the world as we know it. Set your story in some sort of post-apocalyptic wasteland, and I'll be happy. My favorite apocalypses are technopocalypse (technology stops working at some level for any of a variety of reasons), zombies, Ragnarok, and the Biblical apocalypse. But however you choose to destroy the world, I'll supply the popcorn.
But what if I don't WANT to destroy the world, you ask? No problem.
Alternate universes, perhaps? Alternate history, alternate timelines in which the story deviates from canon, re-setting part of a story in the distant past or the distant future...go for it! Turn it into steampunk or space opera...cool!
I also have a penchant for stories of epic scope. But have no fear! This doesn't mean I expect your story to be something you might write for NaNoWriMo. If you can turn it into a piece of something big, even if you never write what goes before or after, cool.
I've had an awful lot of fun with crossovers. If you're just itching to cross one of this year's...er...opportunities with something that's been eating your brain, go for it. Sure, it'll work best if it's a fandom I've at least heard of, but heaven forbid I explore something new!
Fortunately, my list of dislikes is fairly short. And it pretty much boils down to that I prefer my relationships to remain canonical.
Now on to a few specifics...
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate
What's not to love about this song? The ex-farmer who doesn't quite understand the whole pirate thing...the Mountie who is, apparently, inept...and the entire farcical situation. It just cracks me up! There's a lot of canvas to play with here. It could be an opportunity to show off your knowledge of all things Canadian (aw, come on, you have some, I know you do). Or maybe the Southwest when our pirate goes plundering in New Mexico. Set it in outer space. Or he's an airship pirate. Or a Viking. Or...? Extra points for coming up with something as zany as the song.
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
I always found poor Lucy's fate to be, well, kind of a downer. I suppose she was meant to illustrate that when you invite evil into your heart, it destroys you. Though just what she did to invite that evil is a little vague, as I recall. But what if something of the host remains, as it were? Or more than just something? Instead of some sort of demonic presence driving Lucy's body around, let's suppose that it's still her, just saddled with this strange, new, and terrifying existence. How does Arthur deal with this? Does Van Helsing try to stake her anyway? Does she have to move away from London, or even out of Britain entirely and if so, where would they go...Patagonia perhaps?
Moana
I have this crazy idea that Moana has latent hydrokinetic powers. I figure we can probably infer that the movie takes place more or less around the time that Cook is plying the seas of greater Polynesia. Maybe Moana has a run-in with him, and if so, do they wind up butting heads? Or if not, Polynesia covers a lot of territory, so there's plenty of room to play--perhaps have some fun with Maori traditions?
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
I'm one of many who was more than a little annoyed with how Snow was portrayed by Disney. It's pretty dated, to put it diplomatically. She's a princess who was just betrayed and nearly murdered. Like she's really going to be happy and chipper about cooking and cleaning for a bunch of bachelors. Let's give this gal some backbone (like they tried to do with "Snow White and the Huntsman"). I'm partial to some of the fanart out there depicting Snow in armor and wielding weaponry. But if you don't particularly feel like redeeming her character, there's plenty of darkness in the forest, as with what Kevin Ritchey did with his collection of zombie fairy tales, or Jefftoon's Twisted Princess art series. Of course, there's no need to stick with the well-known story. With plenty of theoretical future, there's lots of potential.