How to Write a Successful Retelling in Fiction
Adaptations of classic stories are some of my favorite kinds of books to read and write. They lend a sense of familiarity to the reader while also allowing for space to examine the story and characters in a new way.
(5 Retellings Worth the Read.)
But a retelling can’t rely on familiarity alone—the writer has to craft a story that can answer the questions “Why does this story need to be told? And why does it need to be told this way?” In order to have a successful retelling, the writer needs to both create an original story that stands on its own and enhance that reader’s experience of a classic book, such as deepening themes, connecting with different aspects of contemporary life, or reexamining expectations from the original text.
My latest novel, Red, is a contemporary young adult adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, centered around abortion and grooming in a small Virginia town. When I started to draft Red, I knew that I wanted to examine the same kind of social shaming that Hester Prynne experienced in The Scarlet Letter and to dig in deeper to the religious hypocrisy in Prynne’s Puritanical society. But I also wanted to give Tess, the main character of Red, the chance to find her voice and speak out against the cycle of abuse in her church community and town.
Here are some helpful things to keep in mind when writing your own retelling:
Find aspects of the original story that call to you.
This could be thematic elements, characters, the overall plot. What do you connect with from the original story that you’d want to move forward? One of the things I wanted to carry over to Red from The Scarlet Letter was Hester Prynne’s internal strength. Tess is a quiet character, but she has a good deal of fortitude and a strong sense of empathy that helps her through her journey. These aspects can be touchstones for you as you develop your story.
Ignore the rest.
Even though you’re working on a retelling, you don’t need to feel tied to every aspect of the original story. It may feel difficult to unravel your adaptation from the source but remember that this is a whole new novel. If a plotline or character aren’t working for you, get rid of it. Red focuses on Tess’s point of view, so I left out most of the storyline from The Scarlet Letter that dealt with Arthur Dimmesdale’s unconfessed guilt.
Emphasize what makes your story unique.
One of the most important aspects of a successful retelling is making sure that your story feels necessary. We already have the original Pride and Prejudice. Why do we need another? Are you changing the setting to draw out different themes? Shifting the POV onto a minor character to explore a different emotional experience? Find the reasons that make your reimagining of the story relevant and immediate for contemporary readers. In Red, shifting to a contemporary setting meant examining reproductive rights, the strengths and failures of faith communities, and social stigma for teen readers.
Check out Annie Cardi’s Red here:
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Make sure the book can stand on its own.
Your story should be accessible to both readers familiar with the original text and those who haven’t encountered it before. A good retelling will deepen the reader’s relationship to the original story, but it should also stand on its own merits in terms of character, setting, and plot. I hope that Red will make readers reflect on The Scarlet Letter in a new way, but it’s also a book that anyone can read even without having picked up Hawthorne’s classic.
Whether it’s shifting the focus onto a minor character, switching the genre, or digging deeper into backstory, there are so many ways to make old stories new again for readers. Have fun, explore, and make classic stories your own.
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