The Revolution of Oz

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

When I was five years old, and I was at some sort of holiday dinner at my grandmother's house or something, I entered the TV to see a girl and her dog, all in black and white, enter a world full of color and wonder.  I just stood there in front of the TV, gawking at the sudden array of bright colors with brilliant blue water and flower of all shapes and colors, as well as cute little houses that were in several different colors.

I was entranced as Glinda the Good Witch descended down from the sky in a shiny bubble. Then, the bubble popped to reveal a beautiful woman in a big, pink princess-y dress with a huge crown.

I was hooked.

As the Munchkins sang and danced for Dorothy in their huge celebration of the Wicked Witch of the East's death, I watched and smiled. The Munchkins were all so cute, especially the Lullaby League (the little Munchkin girls in the ballerina dresses), as well as the baby Munchkins that popped out of the eggs, though I'm not really sure what that was all about, now that I really think about it.

But then, as the Munchkins had just finished their huge dance number, the Wicked Witch of the West had come and gone, and the Munchkins were singing for Dorothy and Toto to "follow the yellow brick road," my mom came in and told me that it was time to eat.

I was utterly disappointed that I couldn't just sit there and finish watching it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I had to go to bed not long after dinner was over, and I couldn't finish watching The Wizard of Oz. I must have pestered my mom for days to finish watching it, because I believe that I eventually did get to finish it, and she even recorded it onto a DVD for my siblings and I so we could all watch it.

I would watch The Wizard of Oz every so often for the next five years or so, completely enchanted by Judy Garland's singing and the brilliance of the vintage Technicolor.

But then, I kind of discovered Wicked.

I was about nine years old, and living in San Antonio. My aunt had come to visit, and back then she would have books with her to read whenever she was bored.

Around that time, my flippant obsession (which had coincidentally started not long after I had read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for the first time) with books was on full blast, and I wanted to read absolutely anything and everything. All I wanted for Christmas and my birthday were books, books, books.

Then, while my aunt was visiting us, I noticed that she was reading a book called Wicked. She had the copy with the logo type thing design on it for the Broadway Musical. My aunt explained that the book was about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch before the Wicked Witch of the West had become Wicked.
I asked to read it, but she was just like, "...It's really hard to get into."

I know now that I've started reading Wicked that she probably definitely meant that it's hard to get to, and that she also probably definitely meant that it is definitely NOT a book meant for a nine year old or anyone with an innocent mind to read.

So, I just had to stick with good ol' The Wizard of Oz. My parents bought a copy of the book (abridged, sadly) for me, and I ended up reading it for an assignment. When I read the book, I realized all that was missing from the movie. I didn't mind it so much, really though, since I love the movie just as much.

Then, when I was around thirteen years old, Oz, the Great and Powerful came out and my family and I watched it when we had one of our Pizza Nights, where we would sit on a blanket in the living room and eat pizza while watching a movie.

I was... kind of disappointed in it, I guess. It wasn't a bad movie, it just didn't capture my imagination and wonder like The Wizard of Oz had.

Fast forward about five years, to this year, during the summer. I may or may not have found several bootlegs for Broadway Musicals on YouTube, including some of my favorites-- Anastasia, Tuck Everlasting, and Dear Evan Hansen. Enough with all these other musicals, though, since they aren't technically related to the current subject topic thingy. *takes a dramatic pause*

But then I found the bootleg for Wicked.

I had tried to listen to the soundtrack and read up on the plot on Wikipedia to figure out what the heck was going on in it, but I just couldn't do it like I basically could with the other musicals I liked. But then I found the bootleg.

I absolutely loved watching the Wicked bootleg. I loved the story, the plot, the characters, and the same wonder and enjoyment I had felt while watching The Wizard of Oz. It's a beautiful story, and I personally like it better than the book, Wicked, which had inspired the Broadway production.

Then, this September, I flew out to North Carolina and went to the place where my love for The Wizard of Oz had begun.

One morning, at my aunt's house (the very house of the person who had told me about Wicked), I was listening to the Wicked soundtrack as I waited in the room I was staying in for her to wake up. I had also woken up early, and I was waiting for a very dear friend of mine to reply to something.

Then, it hit me like the flying house hit the Wicked Witch of the East.

I should write a science fiction retelling of The Wizard of Oz!

After all, I had read all of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and those were a hit, and I loved every single one of them! Why couldn't I give writing a revamped, sci-fi version of the beloved story The Wizard of Oz, a go?

So, once I got the initial idea to write it, I went as fast as a rocket, thinking of ways to replace objects and characters from The Wizard of Oz with science fiction versions of them.

Thus, the Scarecrow became a caretaker android, the Tin Man became a cyborg, and Toto became a robotic dog. The Cowardly Lion did not change all that much, I have to admit. But that's the point of a retelling-- you introduce new elements to the story while retaining elements of the old story that have been loved by many, many people.

When I first came up with my idea, I had been working on plotting and characterization for another book (that's still coming up). But then, I realized, that this retelling would be so easy to write since the story had already been written before!

With that, I decided to work on it for National Novel Writing Month, the annual event that kicks off on November first of each year where thousands of people join as a community to write a fifty thousand word novel in a single month.

And I was right-- The Revolution of Oz did basically write itself, with the exception of Part III: The Flying Monkeys, which relied heavily on my own imagine. But, arguably, that was one of the most fun parts to write!

And thus, my journey in writing The Revolution of Oz began, and throughout October I reread The Wizard of Oz, took notes, and plotted in preparation for the coming storm of writing the science fiction retelling.

Now, my creation (or, rather, recreation) must rest for a while, then I shall tackle the rewrites to flesh it out even more, and hopefully make it better than it is now. I have high hopes of someday, somehow, getting it published professionally by a real publishing house and everything. *swoons and nearly faints at the daydream*

I know there wasn't much of a revolution in The Revolution of Oz, but sometimes the biggest revolution is realizing that a revolution is needed.

I had an enjoyable time writing The Revolution of Oz, and I hope that you all enjoyed reading it! I also hope that you stick around with the story for a while, and maybe even read the sequel that I am now planning on writing.  *Mwah!*