When Retelling Old Stories...

    I recently read an article about retelling old stories, such as fairytales, legends, and even historical events. This is one of my personal favorite kinds of storytelling, so I found their suggestions interesting. If you are like me, you are likely already aware of much of their advice.
    First of all, stay true to the original. This does not mean that you cannot change things, but you must respect the source material. Remember the roots of the story, the heart of it, even if you change everything else about it.
    Consider such examples (for better or worse):

• Sleeping Beauty (fairytale)/Sleeping Beauty (animated movie)/Maleficent (live-action movie)
• Swan Lake (legend)/Swan Lake (ballet)/Swan Princess (movie)
• Harry Potter (books)/Harry Potter (movies)

    While it is expected that you stay true to the story that you have decided to tell, one cannot be afraid to come at the story from a new angle and make some changes. No one wants to hear the same old story the same old way.
    At the same time, that doesn’t mean that you have to make radical changes. Never make changes just for the sake of changes. It betrays the heart of the story. Think about it, and make informed decisions about the story you intend to tell

    If you want to retell a story without changing much, that is perfectly acceptable! Consider fleshing out certain aspects of it, for depth. Consider telling from an interesting point of view, emphasizing something new, or connecting it with a new theme (such as Frozen's theme of being yourself and not being afraid). 

    Old stories have lasted for dozens, sometimes hundreds of years. This means that there is some value and worth in them already. When retelling one, it is all too easy to destroy what made the story good to begin with.

    It is said that you get down to it, all stories have been told before. Good vs. Evil, Truth vs. Lies... These themes come back over and over, mixed and matched with different events. No idea is original. This is something to bear in mind when retelling an old story that has probably been retold countless times before. This stories are immortal, and bear retelling.

    Minimizing discrimination of old stories is also encouraged, as their social portrayal is often out of date, even archaic. Great old stories can be made horrid and disgusting by dated ideology. Sometimes, it is impossible to remove this from a story, and sometimes it is best not to try, but as a modern writer for modern readers, you must address it and show it for what it is.

    Good luck! I hope this helped you, as it did me.

Zoë

Quitter

    It takes a pretty inspiring idea to get someone to start writing. But as Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” In other words, it takes more than an exciting idea to finish a story.
    An important rule to finishing a project, for me, is knowing that once you are finished, it will be over. There will be no more intense writing. It is a projects, and all projects come to an end.
    Currently, I am having second thoughts about a novel I started. Aren’t there better things, even literarily, that could demand my time, like working on revisions for a novel I want to publish?
    Well, I want to encourage people to finish their ideas.
    But at the same time, it is okay to quit. If something happens in your life, it is OKAY to do postpone working on a project for a while. Some things are more important then seeing a story through to the end.
    But you have to realize that the likelihood of your finishing a project drops substantially once you set it aside for a while.
    If you need to stop something or a while, though, you should feel no shame!
    May I never say it again, but some things are more important than writing.
    Even so, I wish you luck and stamina.

Zoë 

And What of Publishing?

    Now, the truth must be known right off that I am not an expert in the publishing process. I do not fully know what constitutes a good book, to the publishers who read the thousands of excerpts sent to them from anxious writers everywhere.
    I have, however, a little experience from the author’s point of view.
    I am NOT published. (My poetry has been published a few times, but never yet a novel.)
    However, I hope to give you some ideas of what to keep in mind while pursuing the publishing process. I am currently reopening the publishing portion of my life after my first, unsuccessful phase.
    The process of submitting your work for publishers (and agents) is a rollercoaster ride of emotion. First, you feel confident, assured that no one could reject your book. Then the first rejection comes in and you are crushed, you wish you had never submitted at all. Then you build up your confidence again and keep going, caught in the rollercoaster that is publishing.

    Although I cannot speak from experience, I would say that the best way to get published is to be persistent. But keep writing and reading while you're working at it. Write you next book while you're waiting to hear back from publishers.
    If you are not able to find someone willing to publish your books, there are many options available to you.
    First of all, you may want to reedit and reevaluate your novel, just to make sure that it is the best it can be. No one wants to be published only to realize that they could have done much better. Take another look at your novel and consider if you should change anything, if it needs more polishing. After this, you may want to try submitting it again.
    Another popular option is self-publishing. You can do this many ways. I have known people to write novels chapter by chapter on blogs. Amazon allows you to sell online through them (see the link on the sidebar) with minimal cost and maximum royalties. Createspace is another option.
    NaNoWriMo winners receive discounts, or coupons, to many editing and publishing websites, so if you are looking into this option, I recommend participating in a year of NaNoWriMo.
    Some of the largest disadvantages to self-publishing are as follows: you are in charge of publicity, you will probably never see your book in a bookstore (every writer's dream!), you must find or make your own cover art, and you are fully in charge of editing the novel yourself.
    Now, all these obstacles can be overcome, but it is best to know what you are getting into before taking the plunge.
    In the second phase of my publishing efforts, I have already received one refusal. (Sigh...) But life goes on.

Good luck! and I will keep you posted.

Zoë 

Endings

    Sorry I’m behind! NaNoWriMo starts in less than a month, and I have a story that I want to write… but I don’t know the end!
    They say that you should never start writing a book until you have the ending planned. This is hard for me because I’m a beginning/ middle writer.
    There is a fantastic novel called the Book of Story Beginnings. It is about all those ideas and fragments of stories that people come up with but never finish. I recommend it, just for fun, though it isn’t too deep.
    But, as we saw in the Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling a few weeks ago, endings are hard. After all, they are one of the most important parts of the story told. If there was no ending, why bother telling it at all?
    Often (though not as often as I would like), good stories write themselves, if you let them. If you let your characters meld with their setting and their conflict, it may become clear what they must do, what will happen, and what has ‘got to give’, as they say.
    But then, isn’t it better to write the beginning of a story and wait for the end to come to you than not to write it at all? I am inclined to think that it is.
    Still, I feel restless while I don’t know.

Zoë 

On the Subject of Mythology...

    On the subject of mythology… I could talk for hours. Be it Greek, Norse, Celtic (those of which my heritage and cultural experience are closest to), Egyptian, Hindu, Native American groups (which I love, though I am far from an expert), to Australian and Chinese (neither of which I know much about, though I would like to).
    Ancient religious texts (stories, etc.) share certain parallels with each other that are most fascinating. Take wolves, for instance: in many cultures, wolves (or another canine hunter) share a key role in mythology

• Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf
• Fenrir of the Norse tales
• Anubis of Egypt
• Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs both have a ‘Big Bad Wolf’ in them
• Numerous Native American stories from various groups feature wolves
• Dingoes of Australia too hold a place in myths

    True, different cultures portray wolves (dingoes, jackals, etc.) in different lights, some positive, others negative, but it seems that ancient cultures agreed that these canines were important, so much so as to make them immortal in their mythos.
    Similarly, there are other character roles that are reflected across the geographical distances, similar in all places, such as the maverick, the bad brother: Loki, Mordred, Set…
    I cannot claim to be an expert on mythology, but their methods of storytelling are worth noting. As with fairytales, all is concise and exaggerated. There is more than one version of nearly every story, as they were originally oral telling.
    Mythology’s purpose was to explain the world, and explain the culture of a civilization. An interesting example is Hera and Zeus from Greek myths. Hera is often seen as the nagging jealous wife, but perhaps she was merely striving to protect her realm: the family.
    While Zeus is king of the gods, very powerful, masculine and all that, Hera was the woman of the house, the keeper of the family and the protector of women, the role of a woman in Greco-Roman times.
    Myths are extended metaphors and parables. Interesting stories to look at individually, but often, there is far more depth than one originally sees. People (including myself) like to retell these myths, fairytales, and legends, but when we do that, it is all too easy to lose this depth.
    Consider depth and deeper meaning when righting this week.

Zoë 

Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

    This week, I happened across Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling. I think that there is a lot of truth in these rules, not just fortune-cookie wisdom written by someone who knows nothing about good writing… or ‘storytelling’.
    Pixar is known for its fantastic computer-animated movies. (Fantastic is a word of opinion. If you disagree, do not be offended: they are well-constructed stories, generally.) They have (as of today) released 14 full-length films, not including many more shorts.
    You could say that Pixar is known for their stories having heart. Some are heartbreaking, but all are beautiful, to me, and their advice is simple and heartfelt. Here is their list, copied from their site.

1. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
2. You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
3. Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.
4. Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
5. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
6. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
7. Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
8. Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
9. When you're stuck, make a list of what WOULDN'T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
10. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.
11. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.
12. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
13. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.
14. Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.
15. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
16. What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.
17. No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.
18. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
19. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
20. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?
21. You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?
22. What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Let’s take some advice from Pixar. After all, they have many successes.

Zoë 

The Fellowship of the Ring, by J. R. R. Tolkien

    I recently finished J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, his first volume in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. As many know, this is his three-part epic inspired by ancient Norse culture, the seed of all modern fantasy, and a very popular movie series, now.
    A few years ago, I had started this book, but never finished. About three days ago, however, I finally did, and this is my conclusion: wonderful.
    Tolkien writes very well. His balance between dialogue and description is very good, and the story is phenomenal. At some points, I was a bit confused about what was happening, but I blame that on watching the movies first.
    Reading the book really helped me to appreciate the characters better. Some say that Merry and Pippin are hard to tell apart in the books, at least until later on, but partly from seeing the movie first, their differences seemed evident far earlier.
    I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and good writing. The Lord of the Rings, I think, is the seed from which modern fantasy has sprung.
    Before Tolkien, elves were thought of generally as being tricksy thieves with pointed ears, small in size and not particularly ‘cool’. Now, elves, tall woodland folk, often skilled in archery, have become a staple to the fantasy world.
    I still have two more books to read, but generally, I really like them, and encourage you to try them, if you have not already.

My Favorites:

• Character:
• Aragorn, “Strider” (and other aliases)
• Passage:
• “‘And it is not our part here to take though only for a season, for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world. We should seek a final end of this menace, even if we do not hope to make one.’”
   -J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf

(Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, I just had by wisdom teeth removed.)