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(I tried posting this earlier today, and it might have gotten eaten by the forum. Hopefully, I’m not double posting it now!)
Greeting Kingdom Pen-ers! Or KeePers or Kapeefers or whatever it is that we call ourselves nowadays XD (Seriously, do we have an official title? I’m genuinely curious XD)
To be perfectly honest, I haven’t been on here in 3 months, and I’ve technically only posted enough to earn the title of “Charismatic Rebel” (which actually sounds pretty cool, so let’s see how long I can stay at that 😉 ).
Now, I’ve re-entered the forums to start this topic that has recently interested me!
A few weeks ago, I resolved to sit down a write a short story in one sitting.
…
Suffice to say, I write at about the speed of a sleeping starfish (I didn’t even know starfish could move until I Googled “slow animals”), and that goal was not met. But, I did end up starting a short story that of a retelling (of sorts) of Rumpelstiltskin–which is still in the works (sleeping starfish speed writing is hard to work with). Fast forward a few weeks, I was hit with inspiration and began to cook up the idea of turning this into a full-length book (as well as a bucketload of ideas for the second book–a Peter Pan retelling tied closely to the Rumpelstiltskin story… we’ll see where that goes)
In a nutshell, my story is about what happened when the queen couldn’t guess Rumpelstiltskin’s name and he kept the child.
I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to pursue it as a full book, but I’ve decided to finish the short story before I make that decision.
All that to say, my interest in fairytale retellings has dramatically peaked.
Do you have any advice for me as a newbie at this? I need all the wisdom from y’all experts 😉 And please, if you’ve written/are writing a fairytale retelling, I’d love to hear about it!!!
Basically, if you have any advice, comments, questions, rantings, ramblings, thoughts, notes, stories, *pants for breath* or ANYTHING to say about this topic, please do so!!
Also, as a bonus question, what are some of your favorite fairy tale retellings that you’ve read?
Honestly still new to this whole forum thing, so I’m gonna tag some random peoples…
@joy-caroline @daisy-torres @r-m-archer @kathleenramm @trahia-the-minstrel @godlyfantasy12 @lydia-s @annabelle @karissa-chmil @keilah-h @morgan @koshka
(Please hop on even if you’re not tagged!)
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
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.
SCREEEEEEAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!! *gasps of excitement. Realizes everyone is staring because I just burst through the wall* OH…HEH…
hey…*smirks and waves nonchalantly*
uhhh u could say I used to rlly be obsessed with fairytale retellings….specifically writing them….
I don’t read a ton as of rn, not that I’m not open if they peak my curiosity enough, but writing them….and just the idea of them and just UGH I LOVE IT
ahem….*deep breaths*
so….yea…
FIRST OF I HAVE TO RECOMMEND A BOOK…it is a Runpelstilstkin middle grade retelling and I loved it. It is in series of fairytale retellings that take place in the same world (I’ve only read the first 2 and maybe half/skimmed the third dunno if there’s more) but the Runplestilstskin one was my FAVORITE!!
it’s called….Rump.
yes, rump. XD. By Liesl Shurtliff. It’s great!!!
Now that that’s out of the way (oh there’s also Cinder by Marissa Meyer for more YA readers. It’s awesome but haven’t read anymore in the series cuz I couldn’t bring myself to switch to a different character 🤣)
As for writing them….
actually….
My first (and only) published book is an Alice in Wonderland retelling 😊
it’s not currently being sold (tho maybe I’ll change that in the future.)
I wrote it when I was fourteen or so, so it’s a little cringy but still fairly good. It was part of an over 20 book series of retellings I had come up with.
so to say I was obsessed with them was an understatement.
that being said I still have one rolling around in my brain (who am I kidding I have multiple but this one has stuck with me. I had worked on it about 2 years back before coming up with my current WIP, the Destined series which is not a retelling mind u lol) and that is a Peter Pan retelling series, and it has completely captured my heart. That’s the one, if I ever write a retelling it’ll be that one.
now I’ve kinda droned on about myself…. 🤣 but yea….hopefully I can help somehow if you have any questions.
What I really enjoy doing is keeping elements of stories almost as “Easter eggs” if that makes sense, to kinda make the reader like “Oh my gosh that represents this from the original!” Or, “OH WHAT, this character has a totally different personality!!”
so in example- in my Peter Pan retelling, The Indian Tiger Lily, is not an Indian. There are no indians in my story. There are a fantasy race of people who look entirely normal EXCEPT they have certain animal-like things about them (cat ears, a cat tail, claws, etc) and Tiger Lily is one of these! She lives on an island in her tribe, and is the chief’s daughter. And she is, obviously, a “tiger” girl, thus Tiger Lily. And instead of having Nana the dog, her grandmother, the elder of the tribe she calls Nana.
those are just little things I did in my story, anyway just some things I keep in mind. That’s what is so much fun about retellings, you can kinda switch so many things up and it’s soooo fun!
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebOoh, 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. . .
- Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley.
- Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine.
- The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale.
- Dust and Shadow, Kara Swanson.
Well. That was a ramble. *dusts off hands* Hope that helped, and best of luck with this retelling! <3
wonder | beauty | truth | love
@madelyn Ooh! I haven’t read any fairytale retellings, but a few friends of mine told me about a show they watched which was basically about all the different fairytales mixed together. Like, the descendant of a character from one story was a character from another, etc.
I’ve read the original Rumpelstiltskin story (a few different versions, actually), and I could see how your version could be interesting. But one question: In the version I read, he wanted to kill the child or something. I think (it didn’t exactly say, but it seemed to be implied). Are you going to explain that he wanted the kid alive in this version?
Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.
@joy-caroline
Hey there, thanks so much for popping in!! =)
Ooh, I’ll look into those books!! I’ve honestly never read The Goose Girl or heard of the Steadfast Tin Soldier, so the Cinderella one might be the only one whose retelling I understand XD
Thanks so much for the recommendations!!!!!! I love fairytale retellings, but I’ve not read as many as I’d like to 😉
YAYYYYYY I’M HAPPY THAT YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS TOO
I know right?? Fairytale retellings are just so INTERESTING, and they give you a TOTALLY different perspective on the original.
Thanks for the recommendation!! That title is hilarious XD I’ll look into it!!!
THAT’S AWESOME (and congratulations on finishing a book!). Can you tell me the approach you took on Alice in Wonderland? Also, where is it published?
And a 20 book series??? Did you ever write any of the other books in it?
Yessss, that’s a good idea!! I’ve had a lot of fun coming up with Easter eggs. Rumpelstiltskin is originally from Germany, so I’m trying to include German words and references.
And also, the other book is “Peter Pan” (which is of course from England) is set in a country at war with the other one, so I just had the idea (inspired by your mention of Easter eggs) to make the war an analogy of WWII (to some extent). It would save me the trouble of coming up with my own war XD So thanks for the inspiration!! 🙂 *time to research WWII*
Your Peter Pan retelling sounds amazing!! And that’s super interesting what you did with Tiger Lily and Nana!! It motivates me to mix the original story up more 🙂
Thanks a ton for your help!!!
Hi there!
I LOVE the concept of your retelling!!!!! I’ve never made that connection between Little Red Riding Hood and Robin Hood… wow, that’s just mind-blowing!!!! How far are you into it?
Yessss, you’re right! Researching is a must. I’ve researched the original story, but haven’t looked much into adaptations of it… I’ll have to do that!! *adds to mental list*
Ooooh, I didn’t think at all about the “feel” or message of the original story!! Thanks for bringing that up!! I’m not exactly sure what the message of the original Rumpelstiltskin is… I’ll look into it.
(Man, you have sooooo many good points!!!)
I’ve read Ella Enchanted, and I’ve read the Kara Swanson books (Best. Retellings. Ever.), but I’ll have to look into the other two!
Thank you SO MUCH for all your help (and for organizing it into points, that’s super helpful); I’ll be referring back to your tips!! I feel more equipped to do this with all this expert advice 😉
Best of luck with your story! It sounds super interesting!!
Hey!
That sounds like Once Upon Time. I haven’t seen it, but my sister watched it and explained a bit of it to me. It sounded like a really good concept!
Hmmm, that’s a good point. In my retelling, his reason for stealing the queen’s child is that his own son was killed on the front lines; so it’s essentially a retaliation to the king for taking his son (though that still feels a little flat, so I’ll work on fleshing that out more).
I haven’t really established what he planned to do with the child. I figured at first that he made a spur-of-the-moment decision in demanding the child because he literally just found out that day that his own son was killed. But maybe I should brainstorm that a little more…
It’s possible he planned to harm or abandon the child, but felt pity towards the baby after taking him. He does end up raising him.
Lots to think about XD Do you have any ideas? This story is still in the early stages, so I’m open to all and any suggestions 😉
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
What if Rumplestiltskin wasn’t an old man? What if he was a younger man? What if it was a woman named Rumplestiltskin? What if he asked for a firstborn daughter instead of a son?
Just throwing ideas, please feel free to ignore all of them. I just find what if questions fun.😊
The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.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. 😉
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
Oh, and your idea sounds marvelous! That’s such an interesting twist, for the child to be taken, I mean. Is it all in backstory?
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
@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!!
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.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebAwww, thank you! The connection was actually pointed out by a friend, and I latched onto it at once. I’m almost done outlining (just need to run it by some friends and get the chapters sketched out), and then I’ll plunge into the first draft. 😀
Mhm! I feel like I’ve read something recently that had to do with Rumpelstiltskin, but I’m not sure. . .
Yeah, that can be a bit tricky – but soaking in all those different versions can be a great way to get it done!
(XD Thanks!)
*gaspeth* Yessssssss, Kara’s books are fantastic. Not a retelling, but have you read The Girl Who Could See?
You’re very welcome! So glad it was helpful! <3
Thanks! Same to you!
wonder | beauty | truth | love
Gotchaaa, I can relate *has never finished a book in 8-ish years of writing* Still though, maybe you’ll come back to it in 5-10 years and write the whole series! XD You never know 😉
Hey, that was a cool gift idea, for them to publish it!! Let me know if it’s ever available!
For one, the whole “twysted tales” title is super neat! Sounds like something I’d pick up at the library. And I love the plot idea! I’ve only read part of the way through the original Alice in Wonderland (had to return it ’cause it went overdue), but I can totally see how that would add a cool twist to the story!
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
It really sounds like an intriguing story!! Honestly, I just get excited hearing about it XD. Be sure to let me know if you ever get it published ;P. Ooh, and have fun starting the first draft!! That’s one of the most exciting (and scariest and exhilarating and crazy) parts of writing.
Let me know if you remember it ;P. I could use all the research/adaptation material possible.
*adds gaspeth to personal dictionary*
IKR?? They completely gave me a new (and better!) perspective on Peter Pan, and further inspired my love for retellings. I haven’t read her other book; what do you think of it?
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
HEY, NOW I’M A WISE JESTER
*contemplates this new role*
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
So, perfect timing, Nadine Brandes and Sara Ella happen to be focusing on retellings in their webinar next month! There’s a $10 registration fee, but Nadine and Sara are always super helpful, they answer so many questions… Honestly, it’s worth a lot more than $10, in most cases if not all cases. XD And Nadine has written a couple of historical retellings, while Sara is publishing an Alice in Wonderland retelling this year! So they definitely have the experience. ^-^
Here’s the link for their webinar.
As far as free advice goes, though, I ditto what @karissa-chmil said! Study the original(s), figure out what you like about them and what you want to change, play around with it, and make something that maintains the original in some way while putting your own spin on it. And the balance of the original flavor vs. your own interpretation can vary depending on what you want for the particular retelling. 🙂
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Singer. Worldbuilding enthusiast.
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