You may have noticed when you walk into a bookshop or shop online that there have been a substantial uptake in modern retellings over the recent years. The market is in a boom and there is no indication of that slowing down anytime soon.
The definition of a modern retelling is telling an old story from a new perspective. ‘Stone Blind’ by Natalie Hayes, depicts the tale of Medusa from a feminist perspective, making us question the myth as we know it. ‘Cinder’ by Marissa Meyer subverts the classic fairytale by setting the novel in New Beijing, and making the main character part cyborg. Contemporary retellings such as Kevin Kwan’s ‘Sex & Vanity’ and Curtis Sittenfeld’s ‘Eligible’ take well known classics such as ‘A Room With A View’ and ‘Pride And Prejudice’ and give them a refreshing update.
With this in mind how do you write a story that’s already been told and how do you keep it interesting?
Fully Formed Characters
In traditional fairytales we’re used to being told who is good and who is bad. The villain is usually a terrible person beyond redemption and the hero someone who is intrinsically good. Real life isn’t that simple. Good people do bad things, and bad people do good things. The key is finding the motivation behind their actions. Unlocking the reasoning for their decisions helps the audience to understand the character on a deeper level, forging a connection.
In TV show ‘Once Upon A Time’ we learn that the reason The Evil Queen wishes to dispose of Snow White, isn’t due to vanity as depicted in the fairytale but instead because Snow is partially responsible for the death of the only man she ever loved. This casts the character in a more sympathetic light whilst showcasing Snow in a less empathetic one. The Evil Queen quickly became a fan favourite throughout the series as did her journey for redemption. By giving the audience a different perspective, the writers developed layers to her a character that they thought they already knew.
When writing a retelling question if the main character is truly the best point of view to write from. Would the story be more interesting told from another character such as Cogsworth? What does he think of Belle’s sudden appearance in his master’s life? Does he view her as a threat or an ally? If it’s a threat then what is he willing to do to protect his master?
Experimenting With Genre
Experimenting with genre can be a great way of finding the thing that makes your version of the story unique. This can be as simple as changing the settling e.g. putting Red Riding Hood in the concrete jungle instead of rural woodland or something much more overt such as writing ‘The Little Mermaid’ as a horror story. Already these two alterations generate a whole host of ideas that you can springboard from.
You could write a enemies to lovers trope with Red and The Wolf as the heads of rival crime families, with Grandma getting caught in the crossfire. The Prince from ‘The Little Mermaid’ could be hunting the monster that’s been killing his men at sea only to find it’s the woman he’s so madly in love with.
These are just some of the possibilities that arise from playing with genre or toying with setting.
Challenges
I would love to say the only challenge is your imagination but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out potential issues that can arise when writing a modern retelling.
One of the most important things is to keep the concept recognisable so when your readers pick up your book, they know immediately what it is. You can do this by keeping the names intact or maintaining key details that occur within the plot e.g. Sleeping Beauty in a modern setting could be in a coma after a vicious poisoning, the detective solving her case Harry Prince must race against the clock to find an rare antidote called True Love’s Kiss.
Contemporary retellings come with their own set of problems. Immersing the story in the modern era means you have to consider issues like the implications of social media. You can’t have a monster running through town without the possibility someone recording it on their phone or it being spotted on CCTV.
On a final note take into account that not everyone will love your book. Sandra Newman experienced this with her novel ‘Julia’ which retells the events of 1984 from the perspective of the character Julia. Despite the fact she had the backing of Orwell’s estate, she still experienced backlash from audiences who considered her novel ‘too feminist’ when compared to the original. Newman was writing a story she felt needed to be told and moving forward with your own work, that is a powerful idea to keep close to your heart.
You have a story to tell and it’s up to you how you tell it.
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