In this episode, I . . .

Talk about one very popular type of story. The retelling. This is when you take the plot structure from a well-known story and use that to tell your own tale, like the movie Clueless did with Jane Austen’s Emma. Or you tell a different version of the same one, like Marissa Meyer did with Cinder. Or you use well-known characters to tell a new story, like Wicked did with the characters from the Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz books.

The biggest examples of this type of story are fairy tales, but there are lots of retellings of classics, ancient myths, and superhero stories as well.

 

Why do it?

Because readers love them. They’re familiar tales. They bring about nostalgia. Some authors find it fun and challenging to tell them from a different angle. To use a familiar plot with a new point of view character, or to write a familiar point of view character in a new plot.

 

How do you do it?

* Make sure it’s legal. Do this before you get too far writing so you won’t waste time on something that you can’t use. More on this in a bit.

* Read the original. If you’re reading one of the Grimm stories, you may be surprised how dark they are and how short.

* Make sure you understand the original story. Most classic fairy tales were cautionary tales that made a lot more sense to people during the time than they do to us today. If you’re writing a retelling or a more contemporary story, you still want to know the story well so that you don’t upset die-hard fans.

* Read, read, read as many retellings of the story as you can. It’s important to know what’s been done so that you can do something unique. You can’t know that just from reading descriptions on Amazon.com. Dive in and see what’s out there already.

* Take notes. As you study the original and the retellings, be thinking. Is there a character or plot point that intrigues you? Was there a question left unexplored? Write down notes as you read so you won’t forget the ideas that come to you.

* Write a history of life before the original story and a future telling of life after it. Does this exercise spark any ideas or where you could take your story?

* Make a plan. Your retelling must be a solid story on its own. How do you want to come at the story? Which characters will stay? Which will be cut? Do you want people to know it’s a retelling or not? Will you tell a parallel of the original? Or take a minor character and branch off? Which elements of the original story must remain in order to please fans?

 

What you can and cannot do, legally.

Now for the boring part. You can only rewrite books that are in the public domain. You can’t write your own Superman story or Diary of a Wimpy Kid novel because that material is protected under copyrights. You can write fan fiction for fandoms like Harry Potter and Doctor Who all you want and post it for free online, but if you want to publish a story and sell it for money, you can only use material that’s in the public domain.

I’m no lawyer, but here is what I’ve learned over time and from Googling things. If you’re serious about writing a retelling, you need to do your homework and make sure you’re legal.

Here is what I found:

Works Published before 1923: No copyright protection. Part of the Public Domain.

Works Published between 1923-1963 without a copyright notice: No copyright protection. Part of the Public Domain.

Works Published between 1923-1963 that had a copyright notice but did not renew the copyright: No copyright protection. Part of the Public Domain.

Works Published between 1923-1963 that had a copyright notice and DID renew the copyright: Copyright lasts 95 years after the publication date.

Works published between 1964-1977 that had a copy...