How to Write a Fairy tale!
By Niamh Walker, 8B
Have you been wanting to write a fairy
tale but are unsure of how to do it?
Are you confused by which
conventions your story should have?
Just follow these simple steps and
worry no more!
Step 1- The Setting
Settings are very important in fairy tales as they help to
set the mood. For example, if the fairy tale is set in a
dark and gloomy cave, we can infer that the mood will
be rather dark and gloomy too.
Use descriptive
techniques such as
similes/ metaphors,
adjectives and
personification to create
imagery for the reader…
making your story a lot
more interesting!
Step 2- Characters
In fairy tales, there are different types of characters that
appear frequently in multiple storylines. Some of the most
common include:
o A damsel in distress ( e.g. Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty etc.)
o An influential parental figure who is normally responsible
for the damsel’s terrible situation
o A dashing hero ( usually a prince) who go to rescue the
damsel and instantly fall in love (e.g. Prince Charming)
o A wicked villain (usually a witch) who terrorises the damsel
(e.g. the Wicked Stepmother)
Step 4- Opening
Openings of fairy tales normally begin with the famous line of ‘once upon a
time’, but this is a bit of a cliché so we tend to use different ways of
starting. You could use the time of day, an introduction to the character by
using a flashback to show how they are in their current situation or plunge
straight into the story with a sentence such as ‘Cinderella wept… harder
than she ever had done before.’ and then explain the situation further- it’s
totally up to you.
You also need to determine whether you want your story to be past tense
or present, first person or third- you choose!
Step 5- Development & Complication
Once you’ve introduced the main characters, you need
to begin on building up the story. This may include
mentioning possible threats to the main character and
plots that may put them in danger (note: a good thing
to do is starting to drop a few subtle hints to the reader
about future problems that may occur to keep them
engaged).
Step 6- Crisis
The crisis part of the story is when the main character is
finally hit with a problem. To create tension or suspense
at this point, be sure to use short sentences and plenty
of description to portray the characters’ true emotions
and if you want to use speech, don’t use too much as it
may become boring. Speech is like chocolate: a little bit
is nice, but if you have too much you’ll become sick of it!
Step 7- Resolution
How is the crisis going to be resolved? It is usually at this
point in the fairy tale that we introduce the hero to
rescue the damsel and sweep her off her feet!
Step 8- Ending
By now, any loose ends to your story should be tied up
and the previous problem now a distant memory to
your characters. Normally, fairy tales end with the
damsel marrying the hero and they all live ‘happily ever
after’…
But not always!!!!
I hope you’ve found these tips
helpful and have made your fairy
tale
A SUCCESS!