How To Write A Fairy Tale

HOW TO WRITE BETTER FAIRYTALESWRITING FAIRY TALES INDEX 1. ABOUT NARRATIVES 2. THREE FACTORS 3. THE FUNCTION OF FAIRY TALES 4. WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY AND NARRATIVE? 5. FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS 6. HOW TO WRITE A FAIRY TALE 7. LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF FAIRY TALES 8. TEN INFALLIBLE INGREDIENTS OF SUGGESTIVE COMMUNICATION 9. FAIRY TALE TEMPLATES 10. THE FAIRY TALE PLOT 11. THE HERO’S JOURNEY 12. STORY TELLING TECHNIQUES (for people who work with people in organisations) 13. FAIRY TALE OPENINGS 14. FAIRY TALE CLOSINGS 15. THE FAIRY TALE LANGUAGE OF JIM HENSON 16. THE HISTORY OF FAIRY TALES ABOUT NARRATIVES Types of Narrative There are many types of narrative. They can be imaginary, factual or a combination of both. They may include fairy stories, mysteries, science fiction, romances, horror stories, adventure stories, fables, myths and legends, historical narratives, ballads, slice of life, personal experience. Features  Characters with defined personalities/identities.  Dialogue often included - tense may change to the present or the future.  Descriptive language to create images in the reader's mind and enhance the story. Structure In a Traditional Narrative the focus of the text is on a series of actions: Orientation: (introduction) in which the characters, setting and time of the story are established. Usually answers who? when? where? eg. Mr Wolf went out hunting in the forest one dark gloomy night. Complication or problem: The complication usually involves the main character(s) (often mirroring the complications in real life). Resolution: There needs to be a resolution of the complication. The complication may be resolved for better or worse/happily or unhappily. Sometimes there are a number of complications that have to be resolved. These add and sustain interest and suspense for the reader. THE THREE FAIRY TALE FACTORS Fairy tales can be distinguished from other mythologies by three outstanding factors. 1. Fairy tales embody the values of the common people, not the upper or ruling classes. 2. Religion takes a distinct sideline to the main story, if it is indeed mentioned at all. 3. No single person can be called responsible for a fairy tale. Someone may be credited by virtue of being the first to write a story down, but the chances are they did not create it from scratch. Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and the Grimm Brothers are examples of this phenomenon. Common Themes Fairy tales contain similar themes across so many cultures that they embody some hidden part of the human psyche{ HYPERLINK "http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A429978" \l "footnote1#footnote1" \o "Or else they are evidence of a massive conspiracy." }. In more languages than we can count, female servants marry the prince, starving children find new homes, and young low-class boys discover they are actually the heirs to a large kingdom. In fact, the most popular theme is that of the low-class or common person rising above his or her station. No doubt this is a form of escapism and wishful thinking. Also popular is the theme of the trickster. Some wily character, often overlooked by his peers, is followed through his victories and follies. Some cultures embody the trickster as a single figure, such as the Fox or Wolf in Native American tales or Brer Rabbit in the Southern US. Other cultures simply designate a different trickster for each story. Trickster stories provide good-natured humour, and are sometimes used to explain natural phenomenon such as why the sky is blue, why the leopard is spotted, and why mother feels cranky a few days out of each month. Another very common theme is that of the cautionary tale. Such stories serve as a warning to each new generation, often exaggerating the consequences of social or other faux pas. Some cautionary tales espouse the values of hospitality or good manners. Others are blatant attempts to convince wives to obey their husbands or children to obey their parents. Beauty and the Beast can be seen as a cautionary tale to women who would judge potential husbands on their looks alone. Written vs Spoken Tales Fairy tales that have been written down generally differ from their oral counterparts. Scribes are usually pressured to remove graphic descriptions from within the stories. Ironically, much of this censorship takes place because the upper-class editors viewed the prurient interests of the common people's fairy tales to be, well, distastefully common. The Arabian tales originally contained many graphic depictions of sexual acts, but these escaped translation. The Grimm Brothers were pressured to remove many gory descriptions of murder, maiming, and torture. Even today, a series of books about campfire myths called Scary Stories is on many censored book lists for its honest account of tales like 'The Ghost with the Bloody Fingers'. Uncensored tales are frequently as eerie as nursery rhymes are. For instance, Little Red Riding Hood was originally tricked into eating her dead grandmother's flesh. The original Sleeping Beauty (Talia) was raped and gave birth to twins while she continued sleeping. And it was Snow White's own biological mother who tried to kill her out of jealousy in the original story. Since fairy tales and nursery rhymes are passed down orally, they both have a tendency towards addictive singsong phrases. Nursery rhymes have cadences such as 'Ashes, ashes, we all fall down' and 'Please put a penny in the old man's hat'. Fairy tales have their own charm in phrases such as 'Once upon a time, a long, long time ago', 'Fee Fie Fo Fum', 'Open Sesame', and 'happily ever after'. THE FUNCTION OF FAIRY TALES The basic purpose of narrative is to entertain, to gain and hold a readers' interest. However narratives can also be written to teach or inform, to change attitudes or to raise topical issues. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place but differ from recounts in that through the sequencing, the stories set up one or more problems, which must eventually find a way to be resolved. Another function of fairy tales is to induce WONDER & HOPE for change (distinct from legend, fable, etc) WONDER  astonishment (oft regarded as supernatural omen or portent)  admiration, fear, awe, reverence = universe in which anything can happen any time (fortune misfortune both inexplicable) Regardless of its specific, purpose, the “wonder tale” or “fairy tail” is “a celebration of miraculous or fabulous transformation in the name of hope that accounts for its major appeal” (849, Zipes); a metaphor to mark the persistent human quest for utopia (existence without restraint) “awaken our regard for the miraculous condition of life & to evoke profound feelings of awe and respect for life as a miraculous process, which can be altered and changed to compensate for the lack of power, wealth, and pleasure that most people experience” (pp. 848-9, Zipes) Fairy tales may stabilize, conserve or challenge common beliefs, laws, values and norms. The moods and the message evoked by the narrator may be conservative, radical, sexist, progressive, etc. Fairy Tales symbolize material conditions, wishes, relations that exist in society TALE TELLING crosses all boundaries: All traditions / cultures have magic, fantastic tales (tale telling is fundamentally human). People are eager for any story / tale (new or ritual). To the present day, everyone is exposed to some kind of storytelling. What makes a good short story and narrative? - You should sort out your ideas using brainstorm!.. then give good points in each! - It should be an interesting topic that catch people attention! - It should have a good character that we can relate to them! - Make believable characters. Make them have a personality, way of speaking, age, b-day, etc... The best way to do that is to make character profiles. And make them speak as how the way they speak. So the dialogue isn't weak. - Make your first sentence grabbing. The first sentence is always very important because you catch your audience with that. - DO NOT USE PASSIVE VOICE. Use Active Voice. - Get right to the action and don't stop for descriptions. You'll know the right time to describe. - Description is important to make a vivid scene, but instead of describing a forest with every tree. Just say: The forest where the smiling sun always shined above. You can imagine that. Right? - Always follow the structure of a narrative: Orientation, Complication, Resolution & Conclusion. (Or: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution, Conclusion) - It is good to have more then one complication so it keeps the reader engaged. - Also remember to use language techniques, such as: poetic devices (Alliteration, Rhyme. (Both infrequently) Irony, hyperboles, similies, mood, and metaphors, rhetorical questions, the Three 'R's, etc.. This will also keep the readers engaged. - If you end the story, make the reader something that he/she would think about all day ! 1. just have a sorta outline about what you're gonna write,even a basic idea will do. 2. Then,description: vivid description of setting,scene/whatever. 3. characters must not be too many as readers could get confused and irritated. 4. of course build the story,use appropriate language.If you're writing a short story,give vivid accounts of feelings undergone by characters.if narrative,identify your emotions and present them. 5. as you build story,have 2-3 dialogues,just at few places,to make it interesting. 6. Dont use lot of references to what happened in your area while making generalisations.Say for ex,my skl has 4 teams 'anbu','aram,'arivu' and 'arul'.If im talking abt sports,i cant keep referring to the teams i know,if i say,"Match had so few viewers,wonder if ppl had thought anbu was playing,blah blah.."it'ld make no sense. 7. build momentum gradually and have a nice climax. 8. successful short story writers like O.Henry have the twist at the end,a punch line to sign off,its called the "O.Henry twist". FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS Easily identifiable characters associated with particular social classes, desires, professions, assignments. Easy to vary characters, settings, motifs, according to specific functions Characters demand no explanation (opportunistic, hopeful) Must seize opportunity to benefit in relationships with others  Fairy-tale heroines and heroes are human and mortal. They meet supernatural or magical creatures, and use magical objects, but the hero(in)es themselves do not have innate supernatural or magical powers.  Characters are nameless or have simple, generic names. Human characters are often referred to in terms of their profession, social position, or familial relation to other characters: prince, princess, king, queen, husband, wife, son, daughter, brother, sister, youth, old man, old woman, merchant, peasant, priest, blacksmith, etc. Animals or other anthropomorphic characters usually do not have names (Burenushka the cow being an exception).  Characters' inner lives (emotions, psychology) are unimportant. In other words, we don't care how Ivan feels after the gray wolf eats his horse. We only care about what Ivan does next.  Characters' life histories before and after the tale are unimportant. This feature and the previous one are part of what Lüthi (13-17) calls "depthlessness."  Every character in the tale has a specific function or functions, and is present in the tale only to perform that function (i.e., to act). See Propp for a detailed list of typical character functions in tales.  Except for some "bad wife" tales, fairy tales typically have some representation of Magic (creatures, objects, events). Remember, however, that in fairy tales, magical or supernatural occurrences are unremarkable, that is, the hero(ine) does not react any differently to such occurrences from how s/he would react to everyday events. (Lüthi [4-10] refers to this quality as "one-dimensionality".) HOW TO WRITE A FAIRY TALE To help students plan for writing of narratives, model, focusing on:  Plot: What is going to happen?  Setting: Where will the story take place? When will the story take place?  Characterisation: Who are the main characters? What do they look like?  Structure: How will the story begin? What will be the problem? How is the problem going to be resolved?  Theme: What is the theme / message the writer is attempting to communicate? Step1: THE MORAL LESSON Decide what lesson your fairytale is going to teach before you write it. At their core fairy tales are morality tales from the horror of stepmothers to not talking to strangers. They are generally teaching something and yours should do the same. Step2: THE GOOD CHARACTER Create a good character. A fairytale needs someone to root for. They don't have to be perfect. Just think Jack in "Jack and the Beanstalk" or Red in "Little Red Riding Hood" but your readers should like them and want them to succeed. Beause of the universal character of fairy tales, characters are often nameless: "the youngest son"… You can also use self-explanatory names like Cinderella, or frequent ones: Hans, Ivan) The typical hero/heroine is young; in the beginning often poor, all alone, unhappy, humble, simple, naïve, untainted (can recognize wonder signs), believes in the miraculous & reveres nature. (S)he wants to keep the process of natural change flowing & reach happiness. At the end: respected, powerful, has found happiness Step3: THE BADDIES Devise one or more enemies: evil characters, like witches or dragons. A fairytale must have an evil character that works as an antagonist to the good character. The evil characters usually have special powers of some sort and they must use those powers in a way to cause the good character pain.  use words & power to exploit, control, transfix, incarcerate, and destroy, intentionally for personal benefit  No respect or consideration for nature & other humans  Seek to abuse magic (for personal gain) Step4: THE SUPPORTING ROLES You will need a number of other fairytale characters:  task-setter, e.g. a king  talking animals or other accomplices  adversaries like evil stepsisters, elder brothers  the character that the hero has to save and release from a spell Step5: THE MAGIC Design a magical character or object to write into the fairy tale. The magical character can be the evil character but many fairy tales have both good and evil magical characters that work to off-set the other's influence. The true essence of a fairy tale comes in the pixie dust and magic wands. Clever songs about magical words are optional, but some sort of magic should be present. The magic can be good or bad, or maybe even both. The main character can have magical abilities or perhaps be the victim of some sort of bad spell. It’s up to you. Don’t forget your numbers: Use the special numbers Three or Seven : Like magic, fairy tales wouldn’t be the same without special numbers. There were seven dwarves, three fairy godmothers, seven mermaid sisters and three little pigs. Three wishes or tests are very common, too. Find a way to work in three or seven of something and you’ll be set. Step6: THE OBSTACLES OR TASKS Identify what obstacles your good character is going to have to face. Whatever the obstacle it should seem insurmountable and genuinely require a bit of creativity by your good character and a little magical assistance. The basic structure of a fairy tale: A hero or heroine performs one or more tasks and is rewarded as a result. Which tasks? adventures, the overcoming of dangers, "impossible" tasks, battle against the baddy/against powerful creatures; rescue, release of a spellbound character means to overcome obstacles:  own qualities: courage, cunning, goodness  timely intervention of an accomplice with magical powers,  a magic object which helps. Step7: THE HAPPY ENDING Write a happy ending. A fairytale isn't a fairytale unless it has a happy ending. Your good character must succeed and your evil character must lose and lose in a big way so you can write your "happily ever after." - triumph of the goody and defeat of the baddy - typical rewards: gets married to the prince / princess About 99.9% of fairy tales start with “Once upon a time,” and end with, “And they lived happily ever after.” The exact origins of these phrases are unknown, but if your story wants to look the part, it should probably include these phrases or very close approximations of them. Step8: THE SETTING Decide on the setting of your story. The setting is important. The majority of fairy tales are timeless. They are set “long ago” or “once upon a time” among royalty or in a palace. There really is something magical about castles and royals; otherwise little girls wouldn’t all grow up wanting to be the princess! Often there is “a wood” in them. Step9: IMPORTANT ELEMENTS - clear contrast between good and evil - often good and bad behaviour immediately after each other - often repitition: twice wrongly, once differently dealt with - so often groups of two or three: good and evil sisters - first, second, third son - also set phrases / sayings are often repeated Step10: Mind your Language - Action verbs : Action verbs provide interest to the writing. For example, instead of The old woman was in his way try The old woman barred his path. Instead of She laughed try She cackled. - Written in the first person (I, we) or the third person (he, she, they). - Usually past tense. - Connectives,linking words to do with time. - Specific : Strong nouns have more specific meanings, eg. oak as opposed to tree. - Active nouns: Make nouns actually do something, eg. It was raining could become Rain splashed down or There was a large cabinet in the lounge could become A large cabinet seemed to fill the lounge. - Careful use of adjectives and adverbs: Writing needs judicious use of adjectives and adverbs to bring it alive, qualify the action and provide description and information for the reader. - Use of the senses: Where appropriate, the senses can be used to describe and develop the experiences, setting and character: What does it smell like? What can be heard? What can be seen - details? What does it taste like? What does it feel like? - Use Imagery - A direct comparison, using like or as or as though, eg. The sea looked as rumpled as a blue quilted dressing gown. Or The wind wrapped me up like a cloak. - An indirect or hidden comparison, eg. She has a heart of stone or He is a stubborn mule or The man barked out the instructions. - A suggestion of sound through words, eg. crackle, splat, ooze, squish, boom, eg. The tyres whir on the road. The pitter-patter of soft rain. The mud oozed and squished through my toes.