So last week, for our brainstorming session, we talked about the essential elements of Sleeping Beauty...you know, the things that make you say "it just wouldn't be Sleeping Beauty without ___."
I had 4 people comment, and here is the results of our brainstorming:
Today, we are going to talk about things that we could change. Some of the broadest changes would be in setting, time period, and type of story. So let's start there.
Remember the point is just to throw some crazy ideas out there and see if any of them stick. It will also help all of us to see what types of stories appeal to our blogging friends.
So what kind of settings could we put Sleeping Beauty in? If we look at previous anthologies, we see the typical "kingdom" setting. We also see spaceships, circus tents, ships, jungles, and who knows what else. What would happen if we put Sleeping Beauty in those settings? What are some other settings she could find herself in?
How about the time period? This is similar to setting, but what if we placed Sleeping Beauty at a particular time in history...anywhere from 1000 BC to the Civil War to now? Or if we put her far into the future?
And what sort of flavor can we give a Sleeping Beauty story? Can we make it funny? Fill it with lively wit? Can we give it a classic feel? Can we make our readers cry? What other ways can we flavor the story? What would you like most to read?
Pop into my comment section down below and tell me what you think. I would also love to know how many of you have already started your retelling. I was going to let my ideas stew for a month before embarking on this journey, but I admit I have already started writing. :) How about you?
I had 4 people comment, and here is the results of our brainstorming:
Spindle (3 out of 4 votes)
Sleep/Long sleep (3 votes)
Curse (2 votes)
Princess (2 vote)
Little fairies/two fairies (2 votes)
Kiss (1 vote)
Gift (counteracting the curse) (1 vote)
Prince (1 vote)
Remember the point is just to throw some crazy ideas out there and see if any of them stick. It will also help all of us to see what types of stories appeal to our blogging friends.
So what kind of settings could we put Sleeping Beauty in? If we look at previous anthologies, we see the typical "kingdom" setting. We also see spaceships, circus tents, ships, jungles, and who knows what else. What would happen if we put Sleeping Beauty in those settings? What are some other settings she could find herself in?
How about the time period? This is similar to setting, but what if we placed Sleeping Beauty at a particular time in history...anywhere from 1000 BC to the Civil War to now? Or if we put her far into the future?
And what sort of flavor can we give a Sleeping Beauty story? Can we make it funny? Fill it with lively wit? Can we give it a classic feel? Can we make our readers cry? What other ways can we flavor the story? What would you like most to read?
Pop into my comment section down below and tell me what you think. I would also love to know how many of you have already started your retelling. I was going to let my ideas stew for a month before embarking on this journey, but I admit I have already started writing. :) How about you?
Oh dear, this is my biggest problem right now. I know how I want my characters to act, I just can't get the setting right.
ReplyDeleteThe kingdom setting seems so, usual, I guess, but then every other setting I've tried seems distracting instead of unique...so, yes that's my current quandary. :)
I started, only just a little bit. I jump around, so I did a few parts I knew I wanted no matter the setting, but now I'm back to thinking.
Good luck to you with your re-telling!
I think plot is the most fascinating part for me. I have to intentionally make myself get excited about the other parts of a story.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to see what setting you eventually land in. Keep working at it -- it will smooth out and all the pieces will fall into place. :D
I'm so excited to see what everyone does with this story! Since I love reading historical fiction, I'm thinking of setting mine during a historical time period. I'm not sure if I'll enter yet, but I'm working on an idea ... I just haven't had a lot of time to write it all down. =)
ReplyDeleteMary, I personally like the kingdom setting, even if it is the obvious choice. So if that is what works best for your story, go for it!
ReplyDeleteEmily, you have several months before the entry deadline. So hopefully you'll find time. Also, I love the idea of a historical setting for these stories.
ReplyDeleteI haven't started writing my entry yet, but I'm really leaning towards a classic setting and feel to the story. Of course, it's a little bit boring, but I'm making a huge change to the actual plot of the story due to one very important plot twist, and I wanted to balance out that change by maintaining the classical feel of the story.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I really love the classic setting and "feel". So I vote for that! Plus, I like your reasoning of mixing your new plot twists with the old familiar pieces. So curious to see what you are creating over there! Makes me eager for next year's book. There are so many exciting tales that could come from this one!!!!
ReplyDelete