Wildling Press
  • Get Published
    • Emerging Authors
    • Submit Your Manuscript
  • Literary Services
    • Get a Quote
    • Complete Self-Publishing Package
    • Developmental Editing
    • Copy Editing
    • Design
    • Audiobook Production
    • Podcast Services
    • Website Design
    • Marketing Support
    • Marketing Graphic Design
  • Books
  • Author Resources
    • How Do I Book? Podcast
    • How Do I Book? Blog
    • Life in 10 Minutes writing workshops
  • About Wildling
    • Contact
    • Support
    • FAQ

How Do I Book?
​the blog

We've Seen This Before: Myth & Fairytale Retellings

7/5/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Circe by Madeleine Miller
The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

You probably recognize these books, may have even read a few! And so I ask, what do they have in common? Yep, you got it—they’re all retellings of myths. And true! Look at you, smarty-pants—they were all published within the last ten years. So, why is this particular genre of fiction, myth and fairytale retellings, so hot right now?
Well, if you ask us, it all comes down to accessibility and inclusion. These retellings are an opportunity to include those voices and perspectives that were sidelined in the original mythos. They’re often written in a way that’s digestible, certainly more so than the original tales they’re based upon. In fact, you really don’t even need prior knowledge of the original myth to read these books! These retellings are actively filling a major gap in the book world, and that’s why they’re important.
​
Maybe you’d like to have a go at writing your own retelling. From a publisher’s perspective, here’s our advice to you:

Research, research, research!

​Perhaps the source material isn’t totally crucial when reading a mythological retelling, but if you’re writing one, you better brush up! You’ll have to know all the characters and the parts they play to check off the next items on our list.  

Find a voice you want to amplify.

We recommend looking for a lesser-known character in the original myth to give you some wiggle room when creating the plot of your retelling, and here’s why. We listed Ariadne at the top of this post, and while the character of Ariadne may not be at the very forefront of classic Greek mythology, she is a relatively well-known character, and therefore, Saint’s retelling ends up staying pretty close to Ariadne’s original tale. If you pick a lesser-known character, though, you’ll have more opportunity to get creative with how that character’s story comes together. To us, that just sounds like a better time for you and for your readers!

​Figure out what you want to contribute to the overall narrative.

This is so, so important. After all, if you’re not adding something new and fresh to the conversation, why retell the story? It’s great that you’re exploring the perspective of a character the world hasn’t read much about, but how does that perspective impact the larger narrative of this myth and beyond? How does the perspective you’re highlighting relate to our world now? Answering these questions before you put pen to paper will focus your story and help you find your purpose.

Myths have always appealed to us, and why wouldn’t they? They’re epic tales that touch on questions and issues humans have been dealing with for thousands of years. It’s hard to believe that we’re just now, finally, getting the stories of those human characters—women and people of color—that were glossed over by the “classics.” But here we are. It’s incredibly exciting and long overdue.


And, hey, if you decide to try your hand at writing your own mythological retelling, send it our way. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with.

by Grace Ball ​
1 Comment
Jamie Zaccaria link
7/6/2022 12:45:34 pm

This is great thank you! Super excited that my short story collection Wildling Press is so graciously publishing next year includes a few myth and fairytale retellings!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    How Do I Book?

    We'll try to find the answer to that question in our blog.

    Archives

    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021

    Categories

    All
    About Wildling
    Author Feature
    Book Talk
    Community
    Design
    Digital Marketing
    Editing
    Facebook
    Grammar
    Interview
    Language
    Marketing
    News
    Opinion
    Social Media
    Writing
    Written By Christina
    Written By Grace
    Written By Mary Peyton
    Written By Mary-Peyton
    Written By Michael

    RSS Feed

  • Get Published
    • Emerging Authors
    • Submit Your Manuscript
  • Literary Services
    • Get a Quote
    • Complete Self-Publishing Package
    • Developmental Editing
    • Copy Editing
    • Design
    • Audiobook Production
    • Podcast Services
    • Website Design
    • Marketing Support
    • Marketing Graphic Design
  • Books
  • Author Resources
    • How Do I Book? Podcast
    • How Do I Book? Blog
    • Life in 10 Minutes writing workshops
  • About Wildling
    • Contact
    • Support
    • FAQ