I’ve noticed a few YA novels around that are contemporary retellings of fairy tales, like the one I’m just about to read: Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon.  On the cover it’s described as a twist on the classic tale.  It seemed that some of you might enjoy this as a writing exercise.  Take a fairy tale and make it your own.

What’s great about using a story that’s already written is that the structure is in place already.  You just need to rethink the characters and the setting.  How about Snow White set in Saskatoon, or Little Red Riding Hood as a transgender teen?

I’ve put these two images together in this post to inspire you to think about how two disparate things might go together in a poem or story.  Take two things that might not seem to have a link and find those links.  Make connections.   Use these two images and try to bring a single idea from them.  If you normally write prose, try a poem.

This photograph of a crane tearing out the remains of a store that burned down gives lots of potential for a story.  Which moment in the narrative is interesting to you?  Is it the life of the driver of the crane?  Or perhaps the idea of the person who owned the store watching the remains being grappled with makes you want to write.  How about the day the store burned down, or the day before it burned down?  When, who and what are key questions to ask yourself as you begin to type…