Writing a Story That Feels Like Chaos (In the Best Way)

Written By Ann Marie Harris

There’s something about stories - especially fairytales - that always felt a little too neat to me.

So I started imagining…what happens when they’re not?

Wars in Wonderland is a story about fairytales fracturing and colliding into Wonderland - a place that isn’t whimsical and safe, but dangerous, chaotic, and unpredictable in ways no one was prepared for.

At the center of it is a group of characters who honestly feel like they shouldn’t work together - but somehow do. A human FMC who is probably a little too sarcastic for her own good, a prince of unfinished stories, a runaway princess, a reformed Big Bad Wolf, the Mad Hatter’s apprentice, and the Queen of Hearts.

It’s chaotic. It’s strange. It’s a little unhinged.

And I love it.

Where it started

I’ve always loved fairytales, and Alice in Wonderland has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. But I didn’t just want something whimsical - I wanted something darker. Moodier. Something that felt like it could unravel at any moment.

So I started asking myself: what if Wonderland wasn’t just strange…but dangerous?

That question turned into an idea, and that idea turned into a series - because one book honestly isn’t enough to contain the chaos. (The second book will focus on villains, which I’m very excited about.)

Why I started writing

I read a lot. Like…a lot.

And sometimes I hit a point where everything starts to feel the same. Same tropes, same patterns, same kinds of stories.

So I decided to write the story I wanted to read.

Something darker. Something a little chaotic. Something that doesn’t feel safe.

What writing this has been like

Honestly? It’s been amazing.

I love bringing these characters to life - especially the narrator, who is dark and eerie and just slightly unsettling in a way I can’t fully explain (but I love writing). And the FMC…she’s very sassy, very sarcastic, and if I’m being honest, she probably says a lot of things I would say.

Building Wonderland has been one of my favorite parts. Taking something familiar and twisting it into something more dangerous, more layered, more alive.

The themes

At its core, this story is about:

  • identity

  • chaos

  • the line between heroes and villains

  • and the relationships that form in the middle of it all

It’s also very much a “maybe the villain has a point” kind of story…which says a lot about me, honestly.

The hard part (and being honest about it)

Writing the first draft has been…a challenge.

Not because I don’t love the story - but because I want it to be perfect immediately.

And that’s just not how writing works.

I keep wanting to go back and fix things, rewrite things, make everything exactly how I imagine it - but I know I have to keep moving forward. I have to let it be messy before it can be good.

(It’s a work in progress. So am I.)

The best part

Letting other people read it.

Especially my husband - who is not a big reader - but has actually enjoyed the parts I’ve shared with him.

That alone has made this whole process feel real.

The vibe

If I had to describe this story in a few words:

fairytales, chaos, intrigue, and just enough darkness to make it feel a little dangerous

Or maybe more simply:

a windy, rainy night…in a library…where something feels just slightly wrong

For the readers

If you love:

  • dark fairytales

  • chaotic stories

  • morally grey characters

  • and main characters who are just a little too sarcastic

you might feel at home here.

Final thoughts

This is still just the beginning.

I don’t have everything figured out. I doubt myself sometimes. I question things.

But I also love this story.

And for now, that’s enough.

Ann Marie Harris