Telling Old Stories in New Ways

Writing Retellings of Fairy Tales and Myths

[A previous version of this craft article was originally posted in the Retreat West Community, during my time as Community Writer-in-Residence.]

Retellings of old or traditional stories are extremely popular; you can find them in the form of novels, TV shows, movies, and also in the world of short/flash fiction. In a Reader’s Digest article titled 'Why do we love retellings of old stories?' (sadly no longer available online), journalist Kate Townshend speculated as to why:

There’s an argument that says the best stories, the ones that take root in our imaginations, lend themselves to retellings as we turn them over in our minds, digging deeper and deeper in order to reach the underlying “truth” of a tale. Perhaps this is why fairytales have long been a genre particularly ripe for retellings.

But what makes a good retelling, and how can you approach writing one? For me there are two key elements; having a good knowledge and understanding of the story you want to retell, and finding an approach that means your version of that story says something new.

New Perspectives

A common tool in retellings is to choose a different perspective from which to tell the story. This could be a secondary character, the love interest, or the villain, all of which can give the reader a new viewpoint. However, your narrator doesn’t even have to be human; many fairy tales and myths feature animals or significant objects that play key roles, and this can give your retelling a unique perspective. Consider the possibilities of a story told by the glass slipper in Cinderella, the apple in Snow White, or the birds that eat the breadcrumbs in Hansel and Gretel...

Prequels and Sequels

Sometimes the most interesting part of the story happens before or after the tale we commonly hear. Thinking about how the characters ended up where they are at the start, or about what might happen after the happy-ever-after, can lead you down new paths and give you something to write that feels fresh but still inherently tied to the story you use as inspiration. This is often combined with choosing a different perspective, as in Wicked by Gregory Maguire, or Disney’s Maleficent, both of which focus on the villain’s backstory.

Mash-Ups

Mixing two or more different stories together, or taking elements from several stories to create your own, is a good approach if you want to use particular elements or tropes but play around with the story structure or plot, and perhaps diverge a bit more from the original than you might if you were retelling a single story. I’ve often seen this done in visual media, such as the TV show Once Upon A Time or the musical/movie Into The Woods, but it can be just as effective (and fun) in writing!

Change the When or Where

A change in setting or time period is an excellent way to breathe new life into your story. Maybe you transfer a myth to the modern world or far into the future (Sleeping Beauty in space, anyone?). Alternatively you could shift it further back into the past (how about a prehistoric Little Mermaid?). Douglas Adams’ The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul (the second Dirk Gently book), for example, transports the Norse gods Thor and Odin into modern-day (well, 1980s) London, with predictably weird consequences.

Hermit Crab Retellings

Hermit crab formats (telling a story in the form of something else, such as a recipe or a list) can be another useful tool in crafting an effective retelling, as an unusual or unexpected form can shift your focus, reset your perspective, or allow you to highlight details in a way that gives them new meaning. One of my own stories is a retelling of Rapunzel in the form of a recipe!

Example Readings

Of course you don’t have to stick to just one of the above techniques - you can mix and match as you see fit. I’ve collected together some examples of flash/short fiction retellings to show the range of what can be achieved and to serve as inspiration:

If you were red riding hood by Hannah Grieco (Fairy Tale Review) - told from the wolf’s perspective, and focusing on female desire rather than portraying Red Riding Hood as the victim.

The Beast’s Man by Iain Rowan (Ellipsis Zine) - Beauty & the Beast told through the eyes of the Beast’s manservant, layering a new relationship into this old tale.

Thrice Around the Walls of Troy by Gary Duncan (FlashBack Fiction) - Hector, at the moment of his defeat, gives us a different viewpoint on Helen of Troy.

Medusa’s Bridesmaids by Jo Withers (Milk Candy Review) - a portrayal of female friendship and support, and a sympathetic perspective on a character traditionally seen as a monster.

Lock and Key by Candace Hartsuyker (Cease, Cows) - an example of using inanimate objects, this is the dark and disturbing story of Bluebeard as told by the keys to the rooms in his house.

Variations on Snow White by Cathy Ulrich (Pithead Chapel) - a fragmented, modern retelling exploring themes from Snow White, particularly the parental relationships.

Red by Melissa Ostrom (matchbook) - quite a different Little Red Riding Hood retelling from the one above by Hannah Grieco, this one is transported to a modern setting, and is almost entirely told in questions.

Writing Exercises

If you’d like to have a go at writing a retelling of your own, here are a couple of exercises to try:

1. Pick a fairy tale or myth that you know really well, and make a list of all the characters, any animals, and any important objects that feature in the story. Consider which of these might give the most interesting perspective on what happens, then start writing from that viewpoint.
2. Choose two traditional stories and find a common thread that connects them, either in the plot, setting, or character(s). Rewrite both as a single tale, weaving them together to create something new. For bonus points, consider trying this one in a hermit crab form!

Let me know how you get on - I’d love to see what you come up with!