I have a confession to make. I love fairy tales. And I love a good retelling. I love the new spins that Once Upon A Time takes on the characters—although I wish Ruby/Red Riding Hood featured more prominently. Here’s how much I love that story:
Yes, that’s me as Little Red Riding Hood. And my husband, Robin Hood. (Get it? We’re the Hoods.)
And I’ve always wanted to write a retelling. But somehow, every time I start, the story either stalls or veers off in some non-fairy tale related direction.
But this week I started another retelling. It’s called The Broken Mirror and is based on Snow White. It follows her granddaughter, Mirna, as she explores her family’s past. I’m hoping I can see this one through from beginning to end. And it’s definitely firmly planted in fairy tale territory.
I think there’s a good reason that fairy tales endure, that we keep telling these stories over and over. Partly it’s that they tell of good triumphing over evil, justice being served, the good getting their happy ending. But it’s more than that. I think it’s that these stories belong to everyone. No one owns fairy tales. They’re inside each and every one of us. They’re our stories. And that makes them special.
ROW80 check-in…
Writing: Wrote 3,101 words in The Broken Mirror. It’s my first attempt at YA in a while—and I’m excited to be working on a fairy tale retelling.
Reading: Read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Amazing. Seriously. Read it. Also reading Clutter’s Last Stand by Don Aslett. I’m already fairly organized, so it wasn’t super-helpful, but if you’re overwhelmed by clutter, I’d recommend it. It’s got a humorous, conversational tone, so it’s fun to read.
Decluttering: My massive decluttering has ended. I took two large boxes of miscellaneous items, two small boxes of dishes, and one large bag of clothes/blankets to Goodwill. I also have four boxes of books to donate to the library. Now all that’s left is to go through the attic.
A Round of Words in 80 Days is the writing challenge that knows you have a life. Click here to cheer on fellow participants.
Happy Halloween/Samhain!
What about you? Do you like fairy tale retellings? What are some of your favorites? I’m always looking for recommendations. How did you celebrate Halloween?
November 1, 2015 at 2:18 pm
Your husband looks like Chris O’Donnell. Just thought I’d mention it.
November 1, 2015 at 2:36 pm
LOL. I guess he kind of does! 🙂
November 1, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Your costumes are cute! And congrats on the decluttering. I wish I could get motivated/find the energy to get back into that.
November 1, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Thanks, Jennette! 🙂 I won’t lie; decluttering did take a lot of energy–physical, but mostly mental. It’s quite the undertaking, but I’m glad I did it.
Have a wonderful week!
November 4, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Congratulations on completing your decluttering! I am still in procrastination mode but I did seriously clean the kitchen yesterday and through some things away that tend to clutter up the place like boxes and bottles.
Speaking of fairy tales… I too love them and in particular love reading retellings of modern day fairy tales. Several years ago I had a dream that led me to start making notes about a modern day fairy tale and retelling of sorts. That is the story that I decided on and have been writing for the last three days. I’m so excited about it, don’t worry, it doesn’t have anything to do with Little Red Riding Hood. 😀 Great job working your goals!
November 4, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Thanks, Morgan. Although doing a massive decluttering worked for me this time, I find that taking things slowly–one drawer, one shelf at a time–can be a great way to approach the process. It’s less overwhelming that way.
Oh. Is this your NaNoWriMo project? A fairy tale retelling for NaNo? Yay. I would love to read it when it’s finished. If you’re looking for beta readers, sign me up!
November 4, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Yes, it is my story for NaNo and I will definitely put you on the list for Beta readers. Thanks!
November 5, 2015 at 3:38 pm
Yay! Good luck!
November 4, 2015 at 10:32 pm
I love fractured fairy tales. A few years back I discovered that Mercedes Lackey has two different series of them, one set in fairy tale land (500 kingdoms, and the main characters are fairy godmothers who have to fairy godmother their way out of problems), and one set in turn-of-the-20th-century England. They’re both fantastic, and worth a read.
Some day, I too will finish decluttering… But for now I have the NaNo excuse, and am working myself back into the daily fiction-writing habit. (With the obligatory detours to blog distractions. HA!)
🙂
November 5, 2015 at 3:39 pm
Okay, I’m adding those to my reading list. They sound fantastic. Thanks for the recommendation, and good luck with NaNo!