TCWT August 2012 Blog Chain

I’m glad to see we had yet another awesome blog chain this month! We’re on a roll here–a roll I will probably crush. Yes, I know, I’m going to choose a weird prompt that will probably backfirethis month. But that’s okay. We have these blog chains mostly discuss topics about writing, publishing, etc. but since we’re also encouraging teens to become invested in creative writing, I thought it would be interesting to have a topic of, well, creative writing. So here it is:

“Write a retelling of your favorite fairytale, myth, or legend.”

Lately there have been tons of retellings in YA–like Cinder, Starcrossed, etc.–and I think they’ve been really interesting. You can choose a fairytale, like a remake of Cinderella, or maybe a myth/legend/whatever, like retelling the story of Helen of Troy, etc. You’re welcome to give it a horror twist, a fun one, a romantic one–whatever. But please keep it PG, and don’t add any gore or major swearing in case anyone is squeamish about that. Also, I’m going to be a little more strict about the wordcount this time around, so:

- 1.5k: This will be your loose maximum. Try to keep it below this wordcount, but if you go over, we won’t murder you. 

- 1.75k: This is pushing it, but we still won’t murder you for it.

- 2k: This is too much. Cut it down a bit.

Please note that the wordcount is only the story itself, not the links and everything else surrounding them.

If you don’t know how to write a retelling, Allegra made a great post on how to write one after I decided on the topic, actually (but she didn’t know the topic at the time. Odd coincidence, maybe? Fate?). I hope this idea isn’t too different to work. I think it’ll be fun, but we’ll see! 

As always, all you have to do to sign up is leave a comment below. If you’re new here, be sure to visit our “Blog Chain” page for more information, and feel free to ask questions! We only bite a little.

P.S. Try to keep comments of other’s stories positive. You can certainly make a critique, but don’t say “the story is horrible.” It’s best to point out what works. But if you personally find nothing positive about the story, don’t comment. I think this can be a fun topic, but I don’t want anyone getting upset over it. By the same token, only join the chain if you can handle other people reading your work. So if someone points out a minor problem, please don’t freak out at them; they’re just trying to help. Also, make sure you have basic grammar, punctuation, and spelling down if you join. Please. I think that’s it.