YOU GUYS - it's fairytale month, and guess which fairytale-retelling-genius is here to give us an epic post that will DEFINITELY have you itching to write a retelling? The incredible Christine Smith from Musings Of An Elf! <3
And I'm going to hand the blog right over to her, because I'm just as excited to read this post as you are ;D.
Fairytales.
Or as I like to call them: Plot Bunny Fodder.
I've
been a fairytale nerd since...forever. I can't remember a time where I wasn't
captivated by brave princes, cursed princesses, wicked stepmothers, magical
fairies, enchanted woods, haunted castles, fearsome dragons, and on and on and
on it goes. The myths and legends and folklore and pure intrigue and wonder
of the world of fairytales is like an endless wellspring to my imagination.
There
are so many fairytales out there and so much that can be done with them.
It makes my writer heart trill. (And makes me want to achieve immortality
because lololol I'll neverrr live long enough to retell alllll the fairytales I
want to. Which is...all of them.)
But
maybe you're not big into fairytales. Maybe you're not so sure there should be
yet more retellings in the world. Or perhaps you just haven't thought of
doing a retelling before. Whatever the case may be, today I'm here to tell
you WHY writing retellings is a joy, and maybe even convince you to create one
of your own! (Nooo, this is not manipulation because I want more fairytale
retellings. What are you talking about? *cough, cough, cough*)
- 5 REASONS TO
RETELL A FAIRYTALE -
THERE ARE SO
MANY TO CHOOSE FROM
I'm
talkin' hundredssss here. I'm not kidding when I say fairytales are endless
plot bunny fodder. Not only are there a gadrillion stories just begging to
be retold out there, there is an INFINITE amount of ways that you can
retell them. From the traditional medieval European fantasy story to
Cinderella in space. There are NO limitations.
The
thing about fairytales is that they're not...detailed. Most are just a couple
of pages long and leave much to be desired. But that's what I love about
them. They stir up the storyteller in me because I want to know why the
villainous witch is so evil, I want to know how the prince found the
cursed princess, I want to explore the inner workings of the enchanted forest
and see more of the strange castle and figure out a solid reason why the dragon
wants a damsel in distress in the first place.
Literally
every. single. time. I read a fairytale, I have this incredible yearning to
retell it. To dig deeper and create answers for all the many questions
the original story left me with. And maybe actually bring some logic to it as
well because, let's be real, not all fairytales lean on the logical side of the
spectrum. Eheh.
Are you
feeling dry on story ideas? How about go pickup a fairytale collection? If
you're like me, next thing you know you'll find yourself overwhelmed with
hordes of plot bunnies!
IT CAN
CREATE ORIGINAL CONTENT
“Okay,”
you may be saying, “fairytales are nice and all, but shouldn't we be creating original
stories?”
A lot of
people complain about this one. I've seen many a person whine that there are
too many retellings and that we need more original content.
Well...there
are no original stories. Per se. You know how you make a story original?
You take already used story elements and twist them into something new. You
know how you make a fairytale retelling? You take a fairytale and twist it into
something new.
It's
literally the same thing.
Retelling
a fairytale is basically taking a plot device, as we would with any
story, and shaping it into something fresh and intriguing.
I'm a
huge fan of Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, which takes the
stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White and
puts them in the future and in space. And you know what? I found that far
more original than if the author had skipped making them fairytale retellings
and instead simply created a generic sci-fi series. Cinderella as a cyborg is
the kind of original content this world is looking for.
THE STORY
FOUNDATION IS ALREADY THERE
Sometimes
the hardest part of writing is that blank page. After all, we're literally
having to come up with an entire universe (I mean...if you're writing
fantasy, but still), people, plotlines, and strain to make it logical and
amazing one...word...at...a...time. WRITING IS HARD, GUYS. Plots are hard. It's
all hard! But retellings help ease the pressure.
Even if
you're making your retelling wildly different from the original tale, you still
have that foundation, that fist inkling of a plot bunny. A baby bunny, if you
will. Instead of an entirely empty canvas, you've got that backdrop color to
get you started, it's just up to you to add the picture and details. (Let's
just pretend my analogies make sense...) And as an added bonus, every fairytale
has a theme already built in. And I repeat: WRITING IS HARD. Capturing a good
theme can sometimes be headache-inducing. But with fairytales? It's already
there! (Hey, we will take any excuse to make the writing process easier,
amirite?)
It's so,
so nice to have that foundation of a story before you. And on that note...
ENDLESS
INSPIRATION TO FIGHT BACK WRITER'S BLOCK
Back
when I was outlining my current WIP, a Beauty and the Beast retelling, whenever
I'd get stuck, I would go back and read the original Beauty and the Beast
fairytale. Almost every single time, it would spark an idea and break down that
wall of writer's block.
Now, my
B&B story is nothing like the original, but it helped so much to snag ideas
from the original story and twist them into something new. Such as the magic
mirror gave me an idea for a very huge plot device within my own story. And in
one part in the original story, Beast sent Beauty a trunk of gowns, which gave
me just the idea I needed for another section of my book.
Yeeears
ago I wrote an Arthurian Legend novel and did the same thing. Every time I was
stuck, I'd go read King Arthur legends and next thing I knew, I had too many
ideas.
Of
course I don't mean copy the original tales, but studying each element in the
fairytale can give you some amazing ideas for where to take the story. Such as in The Lunar
Chronicles, Cinderella's glass slipper is instead a mechanical foot because
Cinderella is a cyborg. (I know, right???)
There are always ideas to glean within the original fairytales. I find writing stories based off fairytales or legends so much easier when it comes to gaining ideas and fighting off that writer's block.
There are always ideas to glean within the original fairytales. I find writing stories based off fairytales or legends so much easier when it comes to gaining ideas and fighting off that writer's block.
BUT, for
the love of everything good in the world, please go to the original
source and do not base your story off Disney's fairytales. I adore Disney's
movies with all my heart, but those are nooooot the original, they are very
much retellings themselves. It just gets really annoying when people mistake
Disney's movies for the basis of fairytales. #PetPeeve
Ahem.
Moving on!
TWISTING
FAIRYTALES IS JUST WAY TOO MUCH FUN
When
it comes down to it, retelling a fairytale is just FUN, whatever method you
take. Finding
new and crazy ways to retell a well-known story is thrilling, and so, so
satisfying when you think up a brilliant way to turn the story on its head.
And
there are so very many awesome, wild ways to do it. If you're not sure where to
begin, our own dear Savannah just wrote THE most
inspirational post about asking “what if?”. I seriously have like
three dozen new plot bunnies after reading it. It is a fantastic place to start
if you're looking for great ways to retell a fairytale!
So have
I convinced you yet? Retelling a fairytale is a crazy and wondrous experience.
The possibilities are literally endless. ENDLESS, GUYS. Sometimes retellings
can be the most original, epic stories in the fiction market.
And have
I mentioned they're fun to write? Because THEY'RE REALLY FUN TO WRITE! But you
won't know until you've triiiied. *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge*
Christine Smith is a twenty-something, homeschool graduate who still believes in fairies and has every intention of owning a pet dragon someday. One day she thought it’d be fun to write a book. Sixteen years and much caffeine later, she’s still writing. Stories are her life—reading, writing, watching, whatever it may be. She writes primarily YA speculative fiction novels, and refuses to stop, no matter how old she gets. She loves tales grand and epic and whimsical and beautiful. But her greatest love is her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Her favorite adventure of all is letting Him sweep her off on His beautiful plan for her life. You can find Christine at her blog, musingsofanelf.blogspot.com, where she muses on those many peculiar things writers think about.
*applause, applause* Wasn't that great? I always love Christine's posts - and all of that made me want to go out and start writing yet another retelling! If you guys managed to escape the flock of plot bunnies gathering around this post, then you are a special person indeed xD.
ANYways, I hope you all enjoyed that epic post! And if you want more posts about writing retellings, I'll be back with another in a week-ish, so stick around! I can't wait to chat retellings with you ;D. But for now, feel free to jabber with the lovely Christine Smith down in the comments (and check out her blog!)! I can honestly say that she is one of the sweetest people in the blogosphere <3.
~ Savannah Grace
have you ever written a retelling?
what got you into writing retellings?
Yes the Lunar Chronicles!!! That’s definitely what got me into retellings. I’ve always wanted to write one, and now I feel like I MUST WRITE IT NOW!!! Awesome post, Christine.
ReplyDeleteThe Lunar Chronicles is sooo epic! I love how unique they are!
DeleteDO IIIITTTT!!!! You won't regret it. Retellings are so fun!
So happy you enjoyed it! ^_^
Not that I need more reasons to love retellings. This post just made me love them more!
ReplyDelete:D
And your retellings are GOLDEN. I want you to retell like...ALL THE THINGS!
DeleteThank you so much for having my on your beautiful blog, Savannah! It's always an honor.
ReplyDeleteAnd consider this payback, because your posts are always making ME want to go write yet another retelling. :P
ahhh, Savannah AND Christine???? That was amazing. <3 I'm starting a retelling now...of Robin Hood, so we'll see how that goes. XD I'm really bad at writing retellings, honestly. For some reason I think "unique" and write the most unique thing I can come up with, which really doesn't have anything to do with the original. XD (as you would know from reading Ink Storm, Savannah...) This was a wonderful post, though, Christine, and your love for the fairy tales is so evident. Loved every bit of this!!!
ReplyDelete*blushes* You are the sweetest, Faith!
DeleteROBIN HOOD???? Aaaaahhhhh!!! I'm such a Robin Hood nerd. This is so exciting! And unique is good! Unique is the goal. I don't think you can go overboard with uniqueness when it comes to storytelling. That's what us readers want!
D'awww! Thanks, Faith! <3
Fun!! Thanks, Christine. =)
ReplyDeleteI've never written a retelling of any of the "typical" fairytales, but I've retold St. George and the Dragon, and The Little Drummer-boy. I've always wanted to write a version of Cinderella, that story is so beautiful. *heart eyes*
-Hanna
takingmytime.rothfuss.us
Oooh, I love it when people retell obscure fairytales. I wish people would do it more. Although, I adore the well-known ones too. Cinderella is one of my faves! YES. I guess I just want ALL the retellings, whether they're obscure or popular. Lol.
DeleteExcuse me but I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR MORE NOVELS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME. *flees from all the new ideas*
ReplyDeleteBwahahaha! Succumb to the plot bunnies, Jane. Do iiitttt! >:D
DeleteThese are amazing reasons to write a retelling, Christine! I totally want to write one now. =) I have written a Sleeping Beauty retelling before, but that was a lonnnngggg time ago, so I'm not sure I ever want to look at it again. xD
ReplyDeleteMicaiah @ Notebooks and Novels
Awww, thanks! I'm a bit of a retelling nerd, if you couldn't tell. ;D
DeleteOh funnnn! I've had a few Sleeping Beauty ideas bouncing around my brain for years now. There's so much potential there. And hey, EVERY novel can be rewritten. Besides, it may not be as bad as you think. There are always gems to be found in every story. ^_^
This post was wonderful, Christine! If I wasn't already doing fairy tale retellings, I would be totally be convinced to do them now!
ReplyDeleteCatherine
catherinesrebellingmuse.blogspot.com
Thanks, Catherine! That's so fun you're already working on retellings. Huzzah for fellow retelling writers. *high-fives*
DeleteHow fun! This was such a neat post, and it's only making me want to write a retelling even more! (Which was the point o this post, so consider your mission accomplished!) I haven't ever finished a retelling, but have been recently dabbling on one of Wizard of Oz and a few short stories of various fairytales. But this post is only giving me more motivation and ideas to go back and work on them some more.
ReplyDelete~True // atruewriter.blogspot.com
*beams* I'm so glad you liked it and found it inspiring!
DeleteWizard of Oz??? THAT'S SO FUN! I've never even thought of doing a retelling for that. :O But that sounds like a BLAST! You should absolutely keep working on all of those. Sounds like you have some amazing ideas! :D
I love retellings so so much! I haven't written a fairytale retelling in a long while, but my current trilogy (otherwise known as, my child) is three classic novels retold and gosh, so much fun!!! I love retellings and I'll literally retell anything if you let me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this wonderful post (and a billion plot bunnies) Christine and Savannah!
By the way, Savannah, if you haven't met me, I'm Chelsea R.H. and I enjoy stalking your blog *shakes hand*
YAY! Fellow retelling lover! *high-fives*
DeleteI've never retold a classic story myself, but I think it's suuuch a fun idea! That is wonderful you love your stories so much and are having such a fun time with them. Isn't that the best feeling? And I am SO with you! I kind of want to retell ALL the things!
I'm so happy you enjoyed the post! <3