Discussing Bella Swan

Posted by Susan in Character Discussion | 2 comments

by SusanAshlea

I was originally scheduled to write a character discussion on Elena Gilbert from the Vampire Diaries for today’s Character Crypt.  Well, I forgot.  When I realized today was the day it was to be posted, I also realized I had slacked and hadn’t re-read the second, third or fourth books in the series.  I didn’t want to discuss the character when I only have a vague recollection of events from when I read the series 15 years ago.

Instead, I decided to discuss a character in fan fiction.

Bella Swan has had many incarnations since she first graced page 1 of Twilight.  Each author has their version of what Bella should be like, and in the world of fan fiction, each author is free to do what they want with the characters we have grown to love.

One of the most realistic incarnations of Bella Swan is from a story written by my own personal beta and BFF, Saluki.  Yes, I’m partial because I was going to like this story simply because my beta wrote it; but it truly is an amazing piece of fiction.

Lost & Found follows Bella Swan Cullen on her journey of self-discovery after realizing that she has devoted all of her adult life to her husband, Edward.  She has no idea who she is; all of the defining points in her life have been centered around her husband, and she needs to find herself.  Bella has a hard row to hoe, because she fully realizes the trouble she is causing and the pain she is putting Edward and the rest of his family through.  She also acknowledges that she can’t imagine being with anyone other than Edward, but unlike the Bella in the Twilight Saga, she decides that she has to learn who she is apart from Edward before she feels she can properly move forward with their marriage.

Saluki had a large mountain to climb when she decided to write this story; she knew that people wouldn’t like the idea of klutzy Bella leaving perfect Edward.  There were people who didn’t understand the underlying message of the story, but there were so many more that did.  Saluki managed to create a version of Bella that almost all women can relate to.  Even if you haven’t been married, or engaged, or with a significant other for as long as Lost & Found’s Bella & Edward have been, you can understand Bella’s internal struggle on even the most basic level.  In the end, Saluki’s version of Bella is more like the everyday woman than Stephenie Meyer’s Bella ever was.

In the spirit of discussion, I decided to talk to Saluki about her inspiration for the story and how she was able to weave the essential parts of Bella into the version in Lost & Found.

SusanAshlea: How did you get the idea to write Lost & Found?

Saluki: I was in the car listening to the radio and “Where I Stood,” by Missy Higgins was playing.  There is a line that says, “I don’t know who I am without you, all I know is that I should.”  That line got me thinking about Bella, and how she met Edward when she was 17 and how her whole world was built around him.  The story just started writing itself from there.

Susan: What parts of the original Bella Swan did you integrate into the story when you started writing?

Saluki: wow – you had to ask a question that makes me think.

I think the main part I retained is that Bella has spent most of her life going along, doing what she thinks will keep Edward happy and sacrificing her own happiness for his.  Not to say that she’s miserable, but I don’t think she really ever thought about all the things she didn’t say or do because she thought they might upset Edward until she had reached a breaking point.  Of course, once she gets pregnant in the books, she changes a lot, but fundamentally, she was a very docile person when it came to her relationship with Edward.  Obviously, I kept the clumsiness factor, because that is just SO Bella.

Susan: Why do you think your readers feel so strongly about your story? I have read your reviews, and it seems as though it’s a polarizing story.  People either love it and relate to it, or they think it’s silly and unrealistic.

Saluki: Personally, I think a lot of it has to do with people being married or in a long-term committed relationship, versus single.  Most of the women who relate to it most strongly have been with their husband/partner for many years, most of them from a young age.  Until you have that type of perspective, I think it can be hard for some people to relate to Bella.

Susan: and what about the other way around?  There are single people (read: me) who relate to Bella, while there are married people who think she’s stupid for leaving Edward.  What do you think it is about your version of Bella that affects people that way?

Saluki: I really don’t know exactly what it is.  I think a lot of readers were angry at how abruptly Bella left.  There are segments of readers who just don’t like to see Bella and Edward as anything but a happy couple.  Ultimately, this is one of those stories that is going to hit people differently depending on what they’ve been through in their lives.  I guess that is the one of the things I’m most flattered by – to know that people are reading my story and that it touches them in some way.  I was really hesitant to post the story because I was afraid I would get flamed.  But, the opposite happened, I had so many women leave reviews that said they related to Bella and wished they had the courage to do what she did.

Susan: Bella starts out very similar to the Bella we all know from The Twilight Saga; but aside from leaving Edward, what is the catalyst that propels her towards her new self?

Saluki: I think it is a combination of things. I think Jasper and Sam help her discover that she has been a strong person all along; she had just buried that person for so long she didn’t know how to find her.  Once she started tapping into that strength, everything else just followed.

Susan: Did your version of Bella ever consider seeing anyone else?

Saluki: Never, that was one thing that I knew before I even wrote the first chapter.  No matter what she was going through, she would never, ever cheat on Edward.

Susan: Why was it so important to Bella that she leave in order to find herself?  I believe even Edward didn’t understand why she had to physically remove herself from his presence if she was so sure he was truly the one for her.  Why couldn’t she have just stayed home and focus on herself?

Saluki: I think she needed to prove to herself that she could make it on her own.  It might sound silly, but as I thought about Bella and how she went from living with Charlie to living with Edward, I started to feel…suffocated.  Living on my own was one of the most important things I ever did and I can’t imagine not going through that experience.  Ultimately, I think Bella could have worked through her issues and never left Edward.  However, I think that for her, it was important to immerse herself in the experience, as hard as it was.  Much like the Bella in the books, once she made up her mind, she was sticking with her decision come hell or high water.  Was it the best decision to make?  Maybe yes, maybe no, but she stuck with her decision and came out the other end a better person for it.

Susan:  Some people could argue that the resolution of the story came too easy, that Bella backtracked when she gave in so easily to what Edward wanted at the end. I personally believe that Bella really came into her own and that Edward respected her more for it, even if the journey was bumpy and painful.  What would you say to the readers who think that Bella’s progress took a few steps back at the end of the story?

Saluki: I don’t think Bella “gave in” too easily to Edward or too a few steps back at the end of the story. I believe the Bella at the end of the story was a much stronger, confident person and would be a more patient, understanding wife than the Bella that we met in chapter one. When Bella “gave in” to Edward, what she was really doing was finally growing up and coming into her own as a woman. In the end, she realized that she wasn’t perfect either and that being her own person was a beautiful thing, but it didn’t mean anything without Edward by her side.

Susan: okay, last question. We have to discuss the Jake Factor. Jake is a long time friend of Bella’s and Edward expresses some jealousy over the friendship in different parts of the story. What I really liked about your Bella was that she laid down the law with Jake. She never had wishy-washy, emo tendencies toward him like she did in The Twilight Saga. How was Jake’s character important to Bella’s growth process?

Saluki: Bringing Jake into the story was important for me.  Even though they hadn’t been in contact for a few years, he still remained one of her closest friends.  I think bringing him into the story served a couple of purposes.  First, it was a big step in coming into her own.  She had let her relationship with Jake langusih because Edward had jealousy issues.  Instead of talking to Edward about working thorugh those issues, she cut Jake out of her life. Reestablishing their friendship was one of the most important thing she did for herself during her separation from Edward.   Obviously, she should have given Edward warning that Jake was going to be visiting, that was a big mistake on her part.  The other important thing Jake did was to challenge her.  Up until his visit, no one had really called her to the carpet as to when she was going to go home.  He wasn’t afraid to cut to the chase and ask her what she was waiting for.  I think for Jake to have that conversation with her was shocking.  He had been in love with her for so long and now he’s telling her not to take Edward for granted.  It might not have been what she wanted to hear at the time, but it was what she needed to hear.  No one else could have gotten through to her the way Jake did. He proved how much he loved her by that one conversation alone.

So, in conclusion, I think Saluki did a marvelous job of taking the important aspects of Bella from the Twilight Saga, and incorporating that into a story with a mature adult willing to take risks and make mistakes in order to be a better person, for her and for Edward.  If you haven’t read Lost & Found yet, I highly suggest you do. It’s only 12 chapters, but it packs a serious punch.  Saluki created a wonderful, relatable and most of all, real version of Bella Swan.  It’s a story you won’t forget.

Make sure check out Lost & Found by Saluki by Clicking Here.  And make sure to review her chapters too!

Lost & Found is rated NC-17 for some lemons and language.

Comments? Have you read Lost & Found already? Make sure to let us know what you think in the comment box below!