Classic stories re-told?

I don't think so... how many people have made movie variations of Cinderella in the last five years? Romeo and Juliet? A Christmas Carol?

Yours would be different than the other person's story, right? Things in the public domain are rewritten all the time. So go for it.

Have you got a new, fun twist on it?

Is your story better than the one of 2002?

Is it aiming more at a modern market of kids?

Is it different in any way that might make it stand out or be received better?

These are some of the questions that occur to me that would make the story stand out to an editor. Can anyone else think of any more?

There are plenty of stories (or skeletons of them) that are repeated. Look at Harry Potter then look at Star Wars (Hermione = Leia, Ron = Solo, Hagrid = Obi Wan, Dumbledore = Yoda, Voldemort = Vader. Voldemort and Harry have a connection like Luke and Vader. Harry lives with his aunt and uncle where he feels stiffled. Enters a world he didn't know exists. Naturally talented but also headstrong. Friends are more important than anything else. He's the best flyer around, etc...)


The same stories are re-told over and over and over and over. There's at least a dozen Cinderella stories each year in books and movies. The Bridget Jones movie coming out in 2000, which is just a remake of Pride and Prejudice, didn't stop a remake of Pride and Prejudice from coming out this year.

People will always respond to good stories, even if they've heard them before. A new twist or angle goes a long way though.

And I'd imagine that Arabian Nights is public domain. Even if someone else re-published it recently, it's still public domain.

I've read several retold fairy tales in the past year, especially in the YA section and their popularity seems to be up. I'd go for it.

I really agree with Watcher. I also think you should pitch it to your publisher before you embark on anything. It would be heartbreaking if you put a lot of work into it only to have them say, "yeah! this is great, but we're looking for more of a Rumplestiltskin story. Can you do one of those?"

I believe the best way to do a take off on a classic (using a "skeleton of an original", also known as an archetype) is not to point it out at all. That way, the discovery is part of the fun. IMHO, if you have to come out and say something on the order of "This is a re-write of Arabian Nights" you're already behind the 8-ball. For example, until the post above, frankly I never even noticed the parallels between HP and Star Wars, but they are so true they make HP resonate for me even more.

The more closely you follow the skeleton while resembling the original as little as possible, paradoxical as that may sound, seems like the key to re-make success.

Zeprosnepsid is talking about classic mythic structure. You can find it anywhere from Shrek to LOTR to The Wizard of OZ, even action or romance have the same elements. Have any of you read "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell? There is a shorter, easier to chew version called "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler which breaks down the same structure and archetypes. I find it's really useful when there's something wrong with my story but I don't know what it is (rather than to start a story with the mythic structure in mind, which would be a bit stifling).