I submitted my proposal for
Kursaal to BBC Books in August 1996. Commissioning editor Nuala Buffini wrote back
to me in late September to say that she liked it—but had some reservations
about the way the story “split” in the middle.
I e-mailed her in early
October with suggestions about how this could be addressed in a number of ways.
She subsequently sent this on to her successor, Steve Cole—who wasn’t so
worried about the split in the middle.
Here’s the text of my
e-mail to Nuala, so you can see how I might have revised Kursaal had the need
arisen.
DATE: 10-02-96 TIME: 23:51
SUBJECT: Re: Kursaal: DW novel
proposal
Hello Nuala.
Thank you for your
encouraging letter and kind words about my proposal, “Kursaal” I understand
your reservations about the split between Part One and Part Two. Originally, I
wrote it as one long narrative, but then decided to emphasise that it had two
parts. The first is darker, more exploratory, with the gloomy and somber
building site setting the tone for scenes and characterization. The second part
is brighter, faster-paced, more action-oriented—which reflects the theme park setting
and the (literal) race towards the climactic scene.
I had hoped to use the time
gap to counterpoint the changes between the two eras: the aspirations of the
first are not fully realized in the second (despite its brash appearance).
Kadijk and HALF are thrown together in ways they could not have anticipated.
And, ironically, the one character who should not have changed (she is the same
age in both) is Amy, yet she is revealed to have changed the most—and changed
literally. Only the Doctor, a catalyst for much of what happens, seems
unaffected.
The scene intended to bring
this out was the part 2 confrontation between Kadijk and the Doctor. This is
not the stand-off and resolution that the reader expects, but the revelation
that Amy was the villain al aong and the start of the narrative gallop to the
finale.
On the assumption that can’t persuade you, however, here are a
couple of options for playing down (mabe removing) the distincion between the
two parts. I may have some further thoughts over the weekend, but do you have a
preference so far?
1. Remove the Time Travel
Saturnia
Regna is supposed to be a big lace, s we could have half of it completed and
open for business while the other half is being built and looking like a
building site.
(a)
Just link the two
parts.
The
Doctor and Amy go off to see the theme park after the confrontation with Gray.
We’d need to have two jax sites: the first is where Amy’s expedition was first
attacked (and Gray infected), and the second is the Jax Palace in the theme
park.
(b)
Interweave scenes in
the building site and the completed theme park.
Start
with the Doctor in the theme park, and involved in an accident at the Jax ride
(where Gray has become infected). The medical facilities are on the moon, so
the Doctor accompanies Gray there. Here he meets up with Amy (caught in the
crossfire which killed the media crew who were filming the building work on the
other side of the planet). This gets the Doctor and Amy back to the building
site, and much of the first part of the book. HALF’s hideout is in the theme
park, so there’s a link throughout the book between the key scenes of
old-part-one and those of old-part-two.
After
the Amy/Gray confrontation of old-part-one, she is hospitalized (shock?
Apparently-minor injuries?). The Doctor thinks Kadijk still wants to imprison
him, and flees the scene—trying to get back to his Tardis in the theme park.
Kadijk has discovered that Amy is infected, and that she’s escaped from the moon-hospital,
so he pursues the Doctor to get to him before she does. And so into
old-part-two.
GOOD
POINTS: combines the two parts, and retains some of the build-up. Avoids using
the tardis (it need never actually appear in the book). No substantial new characters
and subplots. Starts and ends in the same location and time period.
DISADVANTAGES:
not clear about the link between Amy and the Doctor in new-second-part (why
does she need to tag along with the Doctor? Why does Kadijk need to chase
him?). Not enough time for the drones to build to a substantial number for the
final confrontation? How does the excavation bomb get into the Jax Palace?
(using the Jax equipment to destroy the Palace might be a bit deus ex machina.)
And there could be quite a lot of implausible planet-hopping between the
finished and unfinished sections.
2. Make the two parts still
more distinct, and split them completely into two novels with different
authors.
Each
novel would need further subplots: the first could take ray’s financial
finagling further, and extend the “murder mystery” elements. He second could
play up the drug cartel aspects, with the fight between rival gangs obstructing
the pursuit of the Jax drones.
GOOD
POINTS: two novels which stand alone, but which can be read together with
benefit. Several TV stories do this without becoming a complex Continuity Fest
like, say, “The Five Doctors”. You could have the seventh Doctor (a darker
characterization) meet Amy in the first novel, and leaving the planet with her.
Then the eighth Doctor could collect her from wherever his predecessor left her
(Amy “persuades” him to return her to Kursaal).
Or
you could introduce Amy as an eighth-Doctor companion for several novels (he
seems to like bright professional women), and then kill her off (shock horror)
in the second werewolf novel. The TV series did something similar in the fifth
Doctor stories “Kinda” and “Snakedance”, but didn’t kill off the companion,
tegan.
DISADVANTAGES:
a much more substantial rewrite. You’ve said you’re not keen on linked novels.
Well, those are just a
handful of thoughts off the top of my head this afternoon. If you have a
preference, or other thoughts/suggestions, do please drop me an e-mail. I’ll
revise the proposal (in whatever form) next week.
Thanks again for your
interest. I understand that recently you’ve taken charge of other BBC-DW
releases, such as videos—so good luck with that, too.
Best wishes,
Peter Anghelides
© Peter
Anghelides 1996, 1998
Last revised: 10 March 2001