If you want to experiment with folk tales, fairy tales, fables, or parables this week, **after browsing some of the [[mentor texts for folklore]] for inspiration,** consider one of these assignments. *Check back from time to time, as I plan to keep adding to these. Suggestions welcome!* <br> 1. Choose one of the types (or “tropes” if you will) from [Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts](https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html) (for example, stories about [becoming rich by way of a dream](https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type1645.html), or perhaps something really bizarre like [folktales of type 720](https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/type0720.html)). Read one or more of the examples. Then write your own version. Emulate the structure, theme, or moral of the overall “type” of story, but change all the details and make it your own. In your reflection, let us know your thoughts about whichever story or stories you chose as your starting point. What are some other examples of that type or archetype of story you can think of (not necessarily in folk literature, but in popular culture, literature in general, etc)? <br> 2. Make an illustrated children’s book of your own retelling of [one of the Aesop fables](https://www.read.gov/aesop/001.html). <br> 3. Recall one of your own family’s treasured stories that you retell each other all the time (could be memories of adventures or mishaps experienced together, or lore you’ve been told about your grandparents, great-grandparents (etc), or some kind of personally meaningful autobiographical memory) and write it out in the form of a fairy tale, myth, or parable. Hmmm, what kind of animal would each of the members of your family be?? <br> 4. Write a story that’s not a fairy tale or folk tale at all, but that is thematically based on one. Here are some [movie examples](https://screenrant.com/movies-fairy-tales-inspiration/) to get you thinking. <br> 5. Try the writing exercise described in the video “[What All Writers Can Learn from Folktales](https://youtu.be/idNUTRHvkgY?si=wy9lc3KlnYSVvXMv)” <small>(Here’s a [backup copy](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yuogQmOf0DEdEvdAYRZT6h_uR-XrDyRX/view?usp=drive_link) in case that YouTube link doesn’t work.)</small> > [!example] From the description: > Folktales ignite our imaginations and reveal facets of human nature. In any story, writers design challenges that force their characters to confront their worst fears and insecurities. Here, you’ll find a folktale-inspired writing exercise wherein you can craft a story around a character’s flaws and an event or mystical being that challenges that flaw. 6. Invert, deconstruct, or subvert a familiar (or not so familiar) fairy tale or parable. You know, like the three little pigs but from the point of view of the wolf, or red riding hood but from the point of view of the wolf (what is it with wolves getting such a bad rap!?) — but try to think of something that’s not already been done to death. Commercially, the [Fractured Fairy Tales: Classic Stories with Subversive Twists](https://www.peachtreebooks.com/blog/fractured-fairy-tales-classic-stories-with-subversive-twists/) series provides some examples. On a more epic scale, there’s John Gardner’s retelling of *Beowulf* (which happens to fall under the “[dragon slayer](https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/dragonslayers.html)” subcategory of folk texts) from the monster’s point of view ([here’s a nice discussion of it](http://fiddlrts.blogspot.com/2025/09/grendel-by-john-gardner.html); or see [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel_(novel))). > [!example] These resources could be helpful: > - “[Fairy Tale Retellings for Indie Authors: A Creative Guide](https://indieauthormagazine.com/fairy-tale-retellings-breathe-new-life-into-childhood-classics/)” is an approachable overview. > - The article “[Postmodern Retellings 102: Deconstruction in Fairy Tales](https://www.byarcadia.org/post/postmodern-retellings-102-deconstruction-in-fairy-tales)” by Ana Isabel Bugeda, Díaz is a more academic treatment of this topic, for those who really want to get into it!