Fairytale Retellings

@madelyn

Okay, so I am one hundred percent the wrong person to ask about writing fairytale retellings, because I’m horrible with such art. 😅 Seriously, fairytale retellings are so creative, I don’t think I’d be able to manage writing one myself.

BUT I have an awwwwesome recommendation for you! You absolutely NEED to check out Allison Tebo’s fairytale retellings. She’s written four, and I loved them all. Please do yourself a favor and read them. I’ll list them here for you.

• The Reluctant Godfather – a Cinderella retelling. It was so amazing and made me squeal and laugh and it’s just a gem!
• A Royal Masquerade – a retelling of the Goose Girl. I swear you’ll never read anything funnier in your life. There were so many hilarious scenes, and Allison’s wit is just to die for.
• Poppy’s Peril – a prequel short story for A Royal Masquerade that’s meant to be read AFTER you read ARM – because trust me, if you read it before, you’ll majorly spoil yourself.
• The Goblin and the Dancer – a retelling of the Steadfast Tin Soldier. TGatD is just such an adorable story in every way and I’ve never enjoyed anything more.

@madelyn

Ooh, sounds exciting! Fairytale retellings are awesome. 😀

My current WIP is actually a fairytale retelling, so let me summarize that real quick as I’ll likely be drawing on that a lot in this answer. . .

It’s a novella that draws on the what-if of if the shared last name between Robin Hood and Little Red Riding Hood was no accident at all – what happened to their story? How were they connected? So, in a way, it’s a retelling of both at the same time, and drawing parallels has been a lot of fun. (I’m currently referring to it as the “Scarlet concept” since that’s the girl’s name and I don’t have a title as of yet.)

All right, now that there’s a bit of context. . . here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Research the fairytale.

Seriously. . . research the fairytale you’re retelling. Make sure to read a ton of different versions, other retellings, movies, books, etc., etc., etc. . . you’ll be drawing from a well here, and the more versions you read, the more you’ll be able to draw from.

(Reading the original is always a good idea, too – try to find where it first popped up in history and read the original.)

• Find the aesthetic.

Most fairytales will have some overarching “aesthetic”, or feel to it. For example, Little Red Riding Hood focuses on talking with strangers/trusting people you don’t know well/etc., and I’m drawing a lot of those themes into Scarlet’s story.

Since you’re retelling it, there will likely be several key things you’ll be changing. But if you keep the general feel to it, it will feel more uniform with the original.

• Don’t be afraid to change things.

On a different note, be sure to change things! If it’s the same story as the original, it won’t be terribly interesting.

For example, with Ella Enchanted, a retelling of Cinderella, everyone knows the story of Cinderella. But the author gave Ella such a vibrant personality that went against most Cinderellas out there. And her unique personality and situation made the familiar story feel so mush fresher.

• Familiar yet strange.

To draw together some of my other points, the goal with a retelling is to make it clear that it is a retelling, but also not so clear that the reader knows exactly what’s going to happen.

For example, in Scarlet’s concept, the character who’s standing in for the wolf isn’t presented like that at the beginning. All I mention is that he’s wearing a ring with an emblem of a wolf on it, and the parallel won’t truly become clear until Scarlet makes it to her grandmother’s and finds the ring on the table and her grandmother gone.

• Read other retellings.

That last point is hard, no matter how many retellings you’ve written. There’s always the question of What if this is too obvious? or Is this really clear enough?

It does, though, get easier as you get more practice – as well as reading retellings that did this well. A few examples. . .

1. Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley.
2. Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine.
3. The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale.
4. Dust and Shadow, Kara Swanson.

Well. That was a ramble. *dusts off hands* Hope that helped, and best of luck with this retelling! <3

@madelyn

Oooo! Fractured Fairy tales are super fun! I’ve only read a few, and can’t exactly give any advice, but I have a few thoughts etc.

And, hey, you said to say anything, so…

Have you ever read Ella? I know there are tons of Cinderella retelling, and Ella Enchanted is probably one of the best, but I thought I’d recommend this one.

(And now realizing I don’t remember who wrote it. Uh oh.)

Anyway, it was actually recommended for a book for teenagers to read, because of it’s portrayal of romantic love. It contrasts the fairytale-will-never-happen-type with (grits teeth at cliche) true love. And forgiveness, and personal worth.

…and it’s one of the very few that I’ve found that make the Stepmother and Stepsisters real people. (Which is above and beyond my pet peeve when it comes to Cinderella retellings.)

Anyway…

I have had an idea for a retelling that’s been wandering about in my mind for the past while. It actually happens to be a Cinderella one, but incredibly different, using aspects of Esther in it as well.

What if she were an orphaned slave of war? What if the ball were actually a multiple month process? What if when she ran away she was running for her life? What if she wasn’t the only one to flee? What if she wasn’t running from the prince, but a more dangerous person? What if she never wanted, or intended to be noticed at the ball? What if…

So yeah, you get the picture. It’s a bit complicated, but if I ever wrote it, I’d enjoy it.

By the way, the Steadfast Tin Solder is a really sweet, yet sad and ridiculous fairytale. Goose Girl is… something else. XD

Okay, don’t worry, I’ll stop rambling. 😉

@larissa-chmil

OH MY GOSH YOU THOUGHT ABOUT TOO WITH ROBIN HOOD AND RED RIDING HOOD?!? ME TOO GIRL!!! In my series I had made them siblings!!! Robin had run away from home when Reddie was younger, moving to Nuodinghan.

Mine was all kinda interconnected like how Red’s father was actually the huntsman, from Snow White and red riding hood, and already has a past with the older brother of “the big bad wolf” who in my series is actually a young female girl who wants revenge for the betrayal she and her brother went through before Reddie was ever born.

so yeaaaa

Talking about these old ideas gets them all stirred up fresh in my mind….ahhh story ideas…some ideas just never fade. Ya still love and cherish them!!

@madelyn

So writing anymore, I never actually finished any lol. I started them but never got very far 😂

And as for where that book is being sold, I honestly am not sure. We aren’t advertising it. My parents had published it for me as a surprised for my 16th birthday, and we usually only buy copies if someone asks for one like for a gift or something.

As for the Alice book story wise, it was called Twysted Tales: Alice From Wonderland, and it was basically the tale of Alice, except through her adventures in Wonderland she comes to discover she is actually FROM wonderland. She was born there, and not only that, but is the only key to Saving it. That’s why she’s never fit in at earth.

It’s kinda clingy, but ya know I think it’s still a pretty good story.