3 Things I Learned Writing Fairy Tale Adaptations
I turn to fairy tales because they are a place of comfort for me, and yes, I do realize how grim and gruesome fairy tales can be. Many fairy tales are warnings, life lessons, or even tales of inspiration and hope.
(Using Magic as Metaphor in Fantasy Novels.)
These were the very first stories I was told as a child, “The Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Cinderella,” and more. I hold these stories dear to my heart, and in many ways, they’ve contributed to the fabric of the writer that I am today.
I grew up with stories of glass slippers, magical apples, enchanted mirrors, and helpers and villains lurking in the woods. I imagine too that these are the tales that many others were first told as well, and so there is an aspect of familiarity in reading a fairy tale adaptation or spotting a fairy tale device in a modern-day story.
If am reading or watching a fairy tale adaptation, or even writing one, I know if I stay on the path through the dark wood then I will be safe, that at the end of the journey all will be well. Many fairy tales grant us the promise of a happily ever after, regardless of the monsters that lurk in the world.
And so, I’ve taken great joy at adapting fairy tales, from “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” in Children of Chicago, to celebrating Aesop’s Fables in The Shoemaker’s Magician, and now with Forgotten Sisters, a retelling, in ways, of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid.” My fairy tales are not direct adaptations, but weave in the elements of the original story with a modern-day narrative, making connections throughout, in order to tell a wholly new story, while recognizing the spirit of the original.
This is the fun of an adaptation. An adaptation provides us with a life vest to navigate new waters, because we know, in a sense, where we are going; we just need to remain focused on the course to get there.
Following are three things that I learned while writing adaptations.
1. Go back to the original source material
For example, for Forgotten Sisters, I didn’t rely on the Walt Disney version of “The Little Mermaid” so many of us are familiar with. I went back to the beautiful, yet tragic, Hans Christian Andersen’s version of “The Little Mermaid.” From there, I researched even further back discovering that his version too was an adaptation of much earlier versions of the story. Knowing the story being adapted and its history is important.
2. Honor the spirit of the original work
By honoring the spirit of the original work I mean looking to the themes and concepts of the piece you are adapting to see if there are similar themes that can be layered into your modern-day adaptation. Additionally, I believe in recognizing within my narratives the creators of the works I am adapting. For example, I will name the authors and I will also summarize the fairy tale I am adapting throughout my novel.
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3. Incorporate keys of familiarization
Throughout my novels I like to incorporate what I consider keys of familiarization. These can be visual cues, quotes, or summaries of the fairy tale I am adapting. It’s not so much as to say within the work, “This is an adaptation of ‘The Little Mermaid.'” I need to show the reader how this is an adaption of “The Little Mermaid.” I do this continually throughout the narrative, showcasing elements to remind the reader that we are in a fairy tale and to highlight specifically the fairy tale I am adapting.
Additionally, I will make connections between these cues, quotes, and summaries to the modern-day story that is unfolding, because ultimately there needs to be a connection between the tale that is being adapted to what is being written today.
And so finally, when adapting a story, ask yourself why it is that you want to adapt a particular tale. Then work through the connections between that original piece and your present-day story so that readers can easily spot how each are connected.
Check out Cynthia Pelayo’s Forgotten Sisters here:
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