Fairy Tale Facts: The Wild Swans

The Wild Swans is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, first published in 1838.  I’ve recently discovered this story and I love it!

Swans

What’s it About?

The story follows a young princess with eleven older brothers. (Has anyone else noticed that in fairy tales, 12 seems to be a common number of children to have? I can’t imagine having that many siblings.) The king is sadly widowed and decides to remarry. He unfortunately chooses a witch as his second wife. The new queen dislikes the king’s children and casts a spell over his sons, turning them into swans. They become human again at night, but are driven out of the castle. When the wicked queen tries and fails to curse the princess, Elisa, she instead banishes her. Elisa finds the fairy queen, who tells her that she can break the spell on her brothers by knitting each of them a shirt of nettles. She must not say a word during her task, no matter what. Some time passes by and a king finds Elisa. As usually happens in fairy tales, he falls in love with her because she’s pretty. He invites her back to his castle, where she lives and continues to knit. The king wants to marry her, but the Archbishop is convinced she is a witch. She is put on trial and because she can’t speak to defend herself, she is found guilty of witchcraft. As they are preparing to burn her at the stake, her brothers arrive in bird form. Elisa, who has never stopped knitting, hurriedly throws the shirts over the birds and breaks the curse. She can speak again, the king apologizes and proposes again, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Fun Fact #1

Nettles are not happy plants. They are covered with tiny hairs that break off when touched, getting buried into skin. They also contain a chemical mix, which is not pleasant. So knitting eleven shirts out of nettles was no easy task. It was a true sacrifice on Elisa’s part.

Fun Fact #2

In some versions I’ve heard, the last shirt was incomplete, causing one prince to have a permanent wing. Rotten luck on his part.

Fun Fact #3

I’ve heard a rumor (and please don’t quote me on this, because it’s a RUMOR, not a FACT) that Disney might be planning on making Elisa the newest Disney Princess with a movie of her own.

If You’re Interested…

I’d highly recommend The Wild Swans by K.M. Shea. It’s wonderfully written.

Now, I have to ask. What would you find more difficult: a seemingly-impossible task (painful, yes, but I’d imagine you’d soon get used to the pain), or staying silent, even in the face of death? I personally think the silence bit would be harder for me.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

I Want to Hear from You!

Over the course of this semester in school, I’ve been taking a class that covers the use of social media to create a platform for writers. Part of that has been the creation (or in my case, adjusting) of a blog. I’ve tried some new things, like series, and changed the look a few times.

I really just want to hear from you. You, my wonderful readers, are kind of the reason I do this. I want to make sure you are seeing what you want. So I would absolutely love some feedback. Do you like the things I’ve been doing? Is there a topic you’d like to see me cover? Would you rather I do something else? How would you feel about video posts?

Suggestion Box

Basically, I just want to make sure I’m writing the sort of thing you want to read. So comment below and make me feel good about myself! Or, you know, tell me all the things I should be doing instead.

Until next time fellow wonderers!

Fairy Tale Facts: 12 Dancing Princesses

I’ve decided to start a new series! As I was working on my Evolution of Fairy Tales series, I realized that there are a lot of fairy tales that aren’t well known or haven’t changed too much since their appearance. So I’m going to use this new series to highlight these stories, as well as recommend adaptations I really like. I’ll start with ones I know, but if you have any you’d like me to highlight, let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new stories to enjoy.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Pointe

What’s it About?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a German fairy tale, written by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. The story tells of twelve sisters, daughters of a king, who have a secret. They sleep in the same room and every morning their dancing slippers are worn through. The king, tired of paying for new shoes constantly, offers a reward to any man who can find out how the shoes get destroyed within three days and three nights. Many men, including princes, try, but all fail. A soldier, returning from war, decides to try his luck. On his way to the castle, he meets an old woman who gives him a cloak of invisibility (like in Harry Potter!) and some advice; he should not eat or drink anything the princesses offer. He arrives and settles in. When the princess offer the soldier wine before bed, he pretends to drink it and convinces the princesses he’s fallen asleep. He follows them, having donned the invisibility cloak, through a secret door to an enchanted forest. The princesses dance the night away while the soldier collects evidence. The same thing happens the next two nights and on his last day, the soldier presents the evidence to the King. The king happily offers the soldier the chance to marry any of his daughters and become his heir.

Fun Fact #1

In the early version of this story, it seems that the princesses enjoy their nightly escapades. Many of the adaptations I’ve read attribute their visits to the enchanted forest to a curse. It makes a little more sense to me. Some writers even go so far as to use magic to prevent the princesses from telling anyone.

Fun Fact #2

The twelve princesses meet twelve princes in the forest. In some versions, the princes are also cursed or enchanted. In other, the princes are…not quite human.

Fun Fact #3

In my research, I found a similar Scottish tale called Kate Crackernuts. It takes the reverse view; Kate, a princess, is trying to discover how to break a curse placed on her sister when she meets a prince, cursed to dance all night. She breaks both curses and marries the prince.

If You’re Interested…

I’ve come across two fantastic books that use The Twelve Dancing Princesses as inspiration; Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George and Entwined by Heather Dixon.

What other fairy tales should I cover here?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Recommendation: Beauty and the Beast

Today’s recommendation is not a direct adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. It’s an adaptation of a similar tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, a Norwegian fairy tale. It’s called East, by Edith Pattou.

DumpBear

The story follows Rose, a young girl from a poor family. A White Bear appears at her family’s door one day, promising to give her family riches if Rose will leave with him. She agrees, scared but determined. Rose soon loses her heart to the mystery man who lives in the castle the White Bear brings her to, but loses him just as quickly. She is determined to save him, even if it means going to the mythical land east of the sun and west of the moon.

I discovered this book years ago and it’s one I often come back to. A fun, sweet story, East is a timeless tale of love overcoming all odds.

What are some versions of Beauty and the Beast you enjoy?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Evolution of Fairy Tales: Beauty and the Beast

Alright! Today we get back to the Evolution of Fairy Tales series with Beauty and the Beast. I’ll compare the traditional 1756 French tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (shortened to Beaumont for time-saving purposes) to the 1991 Disney film.

Roses

The Story Begins

Beaumont: Belle is one of three sisters, daughters of a wealthy merchant. Her two older sisters are as beautiful as she is, but they are vain and wicked (sound like anyone we’ve talked about before?). Belle’s father tragically loses his wealth when his ships sink in a storm. He is forced to relocate his family to a cottage in the country to earn a living. No background is given about the Beast, though later versions say he was a prince who was left in the care of a fairy (who turned out to be evil). The fairy tried to seduce him when he became an adult. When he refused her, she turned him into a beast.

Disney: The narrator opens by telling about a selfish prince. A beggar woman comes to the castle, asking for shelter. She offers him a rose in exchange, but the young prince makes fun of her ugliness and turns her away. The woman reveals herself to be an enchantress and curses the prince by transforming him into a beast. She gives him the rose, telling him that if he can find love by the time the last petal falls, the spell will be broken. If he can’t, he will remain a beast forever. Ten years go by, and the focus shifts to Belle, a young girl living with her father in a small French village. Belle is tired of the slow pace of life, longing for adventure. She is alienated by most of the people in town, except for an unwanted suitor who won’t leave her alone.

A Rose for Belle

Beaumont: Belle’s father receives word that one of his ships has arrived in harbor. He hurries to see what wealth he can salvage. Before he leaves, he asks his daughters what to bring them, in case he has money again. The older two ask for jewels and fine clothes. Belle asks for a rose, a flower she hasn’t seen since moving to the country. The merchant arrives to find that only enough cargo has been saved to pay off his existing debt; there is nothing else.

Disney: Belle’s father, an eccentric inventor, is on his way to a fair when he loses his way in the woods. Lost and without a horse, he stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned castle. Animated furniture (and by animated, I mean alive, not just cartoon) serves him, making him comfortable.

Captive in a Castle

Beaumont: On his way home, Belle’s father finds a palace. He stays there for the night, and as he leaves, he sees a beautiful rose garden. He remembers Belle’s request and takes a rose. The Beast confronts him, telling him that because he stole the Beast’s most precious possession, the man must pay a high price. He agrees to let Belle’s father return home to give the rose to Belle if he will return to be the Beast’s prisoner. The merchant returns home with wealth from the Beast, trying not to let his daughters know of his plight. Belle pushes for information and insists on taking his place.

Disney: Belle grows worried when her father’s horse returns without him and she sets out to find him. She arrives at the Beast’s castle and discovers him in a cell, dying of a cold. She frantically offers to take his place and the Beast sends her father away. He has Belle shown to a room and tells her she will be his guest and demands she join him for dinner. They argue, leading Belle to attempt to defy and escape him.

Friendship

Beaumont: The Beast is polite to Belle from the start, giving her everything she wants. Every night at dinner, he asks Belle to marry him. She always replies no, because she only sees him as a friend. Every night, she dreams of a handsome prince who begs for her to save him.

Disney: Belle slowly comes to realize the Beast is kind, despite his fierce appearance and gruff nature. They spend time together and grow to be friends.

Returning Home

Beaumont: Belle grows homesick and asks to visit home. He agrees, as longs as she returns in one week. She leaves with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror will show her what is happening at the castle and the ring, when turned three times around her finger, would transport her back instantly. Belle’s sisters are surprised to see Belle not only alive but better off than they are. After hearing about the ‘savage’ Beast, they decide to delay Belle. They reason that if Belle stays, she can serve them again. If she returns late, the Beast will kill her in a rage.

Disney: Belle grows homesick and the Beast offers to let her use his magic mirror to see how her father is. She sees that he is sick, possibly dying. The Beast urges her to return to him, even though it means losing his only chance at breaking the curse, as the rose has bloomed for the last time. Belle returns to her father, who is being threatened by Belle’s old suitor. She tells the townspeople about the Beast and they decide to hunt him down. Seems reasonable, right?

The Broken Curse

Beaumont: Belle grows guilty, realizing she has stayed away longer than she promised and uses the mirror to check on the Beast. She sees him dying and rushes to his side, using the magic ring. She admits her love for him. As she cries over him, her tears transform him back into the prince he truly is, the prince from Belle’s dreams. They marry and live happily ever after.

Disney: Belle rushes to save the Beast from the crazed mob of Frenchmen, but he is badly injured in the fight. Belle tells him she loves him, breaking the spell. The Beast returns to his human form, along with his staff. He and Belle marry and live happily ever after, the end.

What’s your favorite part of Beauty and the Beast? Mine was always the library that Beast gave Belle in the Disney version.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

How to Survive a Writer’s Conference (Or an Introvert’s Guide to Being Social)

As I mentioned earlier this week, I attended a writer’s conference recently. This is the second one I’ve been to this year, and I like to think I’ve learned a few things about doing conferences well. Some of these things I’ve been told to do, others I’ve had to discover through trial and error. Hopefully they’ll help you in the event you go to one.

Don’t be scared. I know it sounds obvious, but I was still incredibly nervous going to my first conference. Knowing that all those editors and agents would be there, as well as writers who were more experienced and successful than I was, was intimidating. But I learned something crazy: they want me to succeed. Not only that, they want to help me succeed. The people at writer’s conferences aren’t competing, they are encouraging each other. So don’t be worried.

Rest. Conferences are packed full of activities. Don’t feel guilty if you need to skip a session in favor of a break. You need to be at your best, so take time to recharge your social battery.

Make an effort to connect. Don’t just observe the conference; actively engage. Talk shop with the other conferees during breaks. Stay after the workshops to ask the teachers questions. Hand out business cards. Sign up for as many one on one meetings as you can. Even if you don’t pitch at every one of them, you can still ask questions and make connections. After the conference, follow up on with the people you met. Send thank you notes. People will remember you.

Smile. Chances are, the people at the conference are as nervous as you are. Even something as simple as putting on a smile makes you more approachable.

I hope this advice was helpful! For those of you who have been to conferences, what sort of things have you found to be useful?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

P.S. If you’re missing the Evolution of Fairy Tales series, I’ll be resuming that next week.

Happy November!

I don’t have a recommendation today, as there aren’t many Frog Prince adaptations out there. Instead, I thought I’d give you a short update on what’s been going on in my life.

I spent two days at the end of October at the Indiana Faith and Writing Conference held at Anderson University. I had a great time meeting and learning from different agents, editors, and writers. I also got some valuable advice about pursuing a career in editing.

As some of you in the writing community may know, November is National Novel Writing Month. The basic idea is to write a full novel in 30 days. I have decided to take part this year. It’s exciting, but a little daunting. Unfortunately, I have gotten off to a slow start. Hopefully I’ll be able to make up for lost time.

Aside from all that, my life continues as usual. School, work, and friends. It’s pretty great.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Evolution of Fairy Tales: The Frog Prince

This tale actually hasn’t changed a lot over the years, other than the Disney film. Then again, the story is a short one that wouldn’t lend itself to the silver screen very well without some added extras.

Frogs In The Pond 3

The stories always start the same way; a young princess is playing with her favorite gold ball when she drops it into a well. Distressed by the loss of her toy, the princess begins to cry. A frog offers to retrieve the ball if she will be his friend and take him back to her castle. The princess immediately agrees. Then, because she finds the frog ugly and unsettling, she leaves him there and returns home. The frog follows her and disrupts the family’s dinner. When the king learns of the princess’s promise, he insists she keep her word. The frog becomes a guest, following the princess everywhere. In some tellings, the princess learns to care for the frog and kisses him, breaking a witch’s spell and turning him back into a handsome prince. In other variations, the spell is broken after the frog sleeps on the princess’s pillow. So the moral of the story is to always keep your word and you’ll be rewarded.

Of course, in the original tale, the princess was a spoiled brat who somehow broke the spell by throwing the frog against a wall.

Did I surprise you? Or have you come to expect the more violent origins?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Cinderella Recommendation and an Interview with Kelly Oram

I have got a special post for you today! I have a recommendation for an adaptation of Cinderella that I really love. Not only that, but I have an interview with the book’s author. I hope you enjoy it!

It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.

…

Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Cinder-Ella-Kelly-Oram-ebook/dp/B00MRLYO7K/ref=la_B003UPV4RA_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408987820&sr=1-9

I got the chance to ask Kelly some questions about the book and her writing. My questions are in bold, her answers below them.

Traditionally, the Cinderella character is perfect. What was behind your decision to make Ella scarred, both emotionally and physically?

It’s a long complicated answer that had to do mostly with character motivation, but I’ll try to explain as best I can. I decided scars would be great reason for Ella to want to hide from Cinder. I couldn’t have them meet until the “ball.” Obviously, Brian being a celebrity had a reason to want to keep his identity secret, but I needed a reason for Ella not to simply demand they meet in person the minute she moved to Los Angeles too. Without them both hiding from each other an anonymous relationship wouldn’t have made sense. They were too good of friends to not want to meet in person.

It also had to do with their characters and the depth of their relationship. I liked the idea that Ella was insecure about her looks because she knew that Cinder was so confident and probably gorgeous. I loved that because she was scarred, she had something very personal in common with Brian that they could bond over. Both of them were always judged based on outward appearances, and no one ever treated either of them “normally.” That’s why their relationship with each other was both a breath of fresh air and healing for them. It’s why they became such close friends with one another.

A lot of the story revolves around a book series both the main characters love. I have to admit, I was so intrigued by The Druid Prince that I looked it up online. I was more than a little disappointed to find it wasn’t real. Did you draw inspiration for it from any specific sources?

You aren’t the only person who has admitted looking up The Druid Prince. Is it horrible of me to say that I LOVE that? Yes, it was a made up story because I haven’t written any fantasy myself and I wasn’t sure on the specific copyright laws if I wanted to use a real book. Creating a fictional book with a fictional author was easier. But like Brian and Ella both, I am a huge fan of fantasy. There are a lot of books I read that I sort of pulled inspiration from when creating The Druid Prince, but the two main ones were The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima (One of my favorites book series ever, and you should all go read it RIGHT NOW) and the Sorcerer’s Ring series by Morgan Rice. Also a fantastic fantasy series. If you read either of these series, you’ll definitely see hints of The Druid Prince in them. And before you ask, no, I don’t have any plans to actually write The Druid Prince for real. I don’t’ even have a specific plot line for it. But I would like to write a high fantasy some day. That would be so much fun.

The relationship between Ella and her family is very gray, when it’s generally black and white. In my opinion, it’s more real. Why did you decide to do that, rather than make Ella right and her stepfamily ‘evil’?

I think it was because Cinderella is naturally the epitome of cliché. There are so many retellings out there, and even though I wanted my version to be an obvious retelling, I still wanted it to feel different somehow. I knew my story would still be fluffy and cliché as Cinderella fairy tales always are, but I wanted to take some of the edge of the “cheese” of the story. Make it a little less “Disney.” I hope that makes sense. So since I had gone with a contemporary version, it was easier to make the characters a little more real. Gray is a great place for drama!

Which part of the story was your favorite part to write?

Oh, that’s easy. I loved writing Ella & Brian’s first in-person meeting. I had so much fun with that scene. The thing is, I knew that was the moment that everyone would be waiting for. I made it no secret that “Cinder” was the famous movie star Brian Oliver, so from page one, I knew the readers would be anticipating the moment that Ella finds out who Cinder really is. I wanted it to live up to expectations. In fact, the idea of the two Internet friends meeting at a fantasy convention was an idea I’d first thought of for a different novel. I’d had this scene in my mind for years and when I decided to write Cinder & Ella, it just fit so perfectly into the story line that I had to use it. I was really excited to let it finally play out.

Thanks so much for your willingness to answer these questions!

You are so welcome! Thanks for having me stop by! I hope everyone loves the book as much as I do. Cinderella is my all-time favorite story, so this book, especially, is very dear to my heart.

What are some other adaptations of Cinderella that you enjoy?

Until next time, fellow wonderers!

Recommendation: Sleeping Beauty

There have been many adaptations of Sleeping Beauty, many of which I’ve enjoyed. Some set it in a fantasy world, some in the future, and some even cast the villain as the hero. My favorite version, and today’s recommendation, is Melanie Dickerson’s The Healer’s Apprentice. 

Fairytailcas

The Healer’s Apprentice is set in Germany in 1386. The main character is a young woman named Rose. She is the daughter of a poor family faced with a choice; become the healer’s apprentice, or be subjected to an arranged marriage with the first man with money who comes along. Despite blood causing her extreme nausea, Rose becomes the apprentice of the healer who works at the castle of a local earl. While training, Rose meets and befriends the earl’s two oldest sons; Wilhelm and Rupert. Both develop feelings for Rose, who is caught in the middle. She prefers Wilhelm, but he is betrothed to a noble lady he has never met. She doesn’t trust Rupert, though.

Dickerson’s story incorporates pieces of the well-known and loved Sleeping Beauty tale in a new light. The story is a beautiful historical piece and weaves in themes of Christianity effortlessly. It’s also followed by more books, in the same setting with some of the same characters, that draw from other fairy tales.

I highly recommend this book; it’s one of my go-to reads.

Until next time, fellow wonderers!