Featured Submission: The Revenant
Hey hey folks! I hope the mods will forgive me for the lateness of this post, but I've had an extremely busy couple of weeks...But here (finally!) is my Q&A session for The Revenant, which happens to be one of my favorite fics I've written, so I'm really looking forward to discussing it with you guys. :) I've already done some introductions the last time I was featured, so I figured I'd keep this strictly focused on the story, but for a brief introduction...my name is atalanta84, though I go by Atalanta, and I've been writing Dramione for about 2 and 1/2 years now. Thank you so much to everyone who nominated my story for featured submission! I'm especially honored that it was selected for the characterization of Draco, who is always a challenging but fun character for me to write. All right, let's dive into some Q&A now, shall we? XD
How did you come up with the plot for this story? This story was written for the dmhgficexchange and the prompt my recipient gave me was the song "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade. I basically just listened to the song over and over again, absorbing the lyrics, and the emotions that they brought up. To me it was a song about second chances, about trying to rekindle a love that really never died in the first place. And the plot for "The Revenant" was born.
How did it develop? I think of all the stories I've written, the plot for "Revenant" was the easiest to develop. First, I figured out my starting point; I decided that rather than starting with Draco and Hermione falling in love, as is the norm, the story would start later, after their love had fallen apart, and now it would be about picking up the pieces (I don't want to give too much away here!). Once I figured that part out, the story really took off from there.
Did you outline down to every moment, or does the story lead you instead? I have to say that this story purely led me along. No outlining, and very little planning, really. It took me places I didn't expect, and sometimes places I wasn't sure I wanted to go, but in the end, it was a fun journey and everyone ended up in the right places in the end. :)
What is your favorite thing about this story? I think the suspense and mystery were the most fun, because it's something I really haven't written before or since, so it was new and exciting to write.
Is there something about it that surprised you? I think this goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. I was surprised at how interactive the story became. I loved the readers reactions to it, and I enjoyed reading people's reviews and comments as they tried to puzzle through it and figure out what was going to happen next, who the villain was, etc. It was the most fun I've had as a writer so far. :)
Was there a part that was difficult to write? If so, why? I really don't want to give away any plot spoilers here, but there was one part in particular, where Draco and Hermione go through a very bad experience in their past, and that was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever written. I wondered if the story was taking me in the wrong direction, or taking me too far into the dark, but I stuck with it, and in the end, I think it worked for the story. But yeah, that part was particularly hard to write.
Do you have a favorite line of dialogue from the story? The very last line of the first chapter. That seems to be a favorite line for a lot of people. But I won't repeat it here because that would spoil all the fun for those of you who haven't read it yet! :P
How did you come up with the title? That is actually explained by one of the characters, later in the story. According to the dictionary, the word "Revenant" could mean "ghost" or "one who returns". I felt like that described Draco's character very well in this story. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon that word, but yeah, it seemed to fit. Short but simple. And because this has generated some confusion for people in the past, I just wanted to clarify that no, this story is not a ghost story. :)
What is one thing you want people to take away from this story? I'm not sure, to be honest. I guess it could be about second chances, or redemption, or that true love never fails - any of those things. As long as people enjoyed the story, that's all that really matters to me, in the end.
Okay, now please give me some questions! But try not to make them too spoilery, 'kay? I don't want to ruin the mystery for those who haven't read it yet. XD Here is the link for "The Revenant" on H&V:
The Revenant
How did you come up with the plot for this story? This story was written for the dmhgficexchange and the prompt my recipient gave me was the song "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade. I basically just listened to the song over and over again, absorbing the lyrics, and the emotions that they brought up. To me it was a song about second chances, about trying to rekindle a love that really never died in the first place. And the plot for "The Revenant" was born.
How did it develop? I think of all the stories I've written, the plot for "Revenant" was the easiest to develop. First, I figured out my starting point; I decided that rather than starting with Draco and Hermione falling in love, as is the norm, the story would start later, after their love had fallen apart, and now it would be about picking up the pieces (I don't want to give too much away here!). Once I figured that part out, the story really took off from there.
Did you outline down to every moment, or does the story lead you instead? I have to say that this story purely led me along. No outlining, and very little planning, really. It took me places I didn't expect, and sometimes places I wasn't sure I wanted to go, but in the end, it was a fun journey and everyone ended up in the right places in the end. :)
What is your favorite thing about this story? I think the suspense and mystery were the most fun, because it's something I really haven't written before or since, so it was new and exciting to write.
Is there something about it that surprised you? I think this goes hand-in-hand with the previous question. I was surprised at how interactive the story became. I loved the readers reactions to it, and I enjoyed reading people's reviews and comments as they tried to puzzle through it and figure out what was going to happen next, who the villain was, etc. It was the most fun I've had as a writer so far. :)
Was there a part that was difficult to write? If so, why? I really don't want to give away any plot spoilers here, but there was one part in particular, where Draco and Hermione go through a very bad experience in their past, and that was probably one of the most difficult things I've ever written. I wondered if the story was taking me in the wrong direction, or taking me too far into the dark, but I stuck with it, and in the end, I think it worked for the story. But yeah, that part was particularly hard to write.
Do you have a favorite line of dialogue from the story? The very last line of the first chapter. That seems to be a favorite line for a lot of people. But I won't repeat it here because that would spoil all the fun for those of you who haven't read it yet! :P
How did you come up with the title? That is actually explained by one of the characters, later in the story. According to the dictionary, the word "Revenant" could mean "ghost" or "one who returns". I felt like that described Draco's character very well in this story. I don't remember exactly how I stumbled upon that word, but yeah, it seemed to fit. Short but simple. And because this has generated some confusion for people in the past, I just wanted to clarify that no, this story is not a ghost story. :)
What is one thing you want people to take away from this story? I'm not sure, to be honest. I guess it could be about second chances, or redemption, or that true love never fails - any of those things. As long as people enjoyed the story, that's all that really matters to me, in the end.
Okay, now please give me some questions! But try not to make them too spoilery, 'kay? I don't want to ruin the mystery for those who haven't read it yet. XD Here is the link for "The Revenant" on H&V:
The Revenant