Flash Fiction Challenge: Fairy Tales, Remixed
Last week’s challenge: The Who, The Where, The Uh-Oh
Pick a fairy tale.
Go on, do it.
I’ll wait.
If you don’t know your fairy tales — Google is your friend, of course.
Hell, here’s a pretty good list of the Grimm’s tales.
I want you to pick one — I’ll let you do that — and rewrite it.
Except, wait now, hold on.
I want you to also roll to choose a random subgenre. You will then apply said random subgenre to the fairy tale you have picked for maximum awesome. Get it? Got it? Rad.
You have 1000 words.
You have one week — due Friday, January 31st, noon, EST.
Write it at your online space. Link back here.
Do tell us which fairy tale you’re using by making it the title of your story.
Subgenre
(roll a d20 or go to a random number generator)
- Cyberpunk
- Dystopian
- Erotica
- Spy Thriller
- Southern Gothic
- Satire
- Urban Fantasy
- Space Horror
- Space Opera
- Young Adult Contemporary
- “Grimdark” Fantasy
- Psychological Horror
- Hard Sci-Fi
- Slasher Film
- Ecothriller
- Sword & Sorcery
- Lovecraftian
- Zombie Apocalypse
- Superhero
- Detective
January 26, 2014 @ 8:52 PM
I decided on Sleeping Beauty and rolled Space Horror. Lovely! I have to admit that I haven’t read much (or really any) Space Horror, but I figured it was pretty self explanatory. I tried, and boy was it fun!
http://www.jenniferralbert.com/short-stories/sleeping-beauty-the-space-horror/
January 31, 2014 @ 11:02 AM
It’s horror, alright! Ugh. Well done.
January 26, 2014 @ 10:45 PM
Hansel and Gretel as an urban fantasy?
…huh. Okay, let’s see what happens.
January 26, 2014 @ 11:49 PM
Goldilocks as a grimdark fantasy. Well, here goes nothing.
The Writer’s Life – Day 9: More Lies Told to Writers, Plus Feminist Nonsense | Shawn S. Lealos
January 27, 2014 @ 1:50 AM
[…] the challenge was to take a classical fairy tale (which are mostly in the public domain) and then re-write it in a specific subgenre, which was […]
January 27, 2014 @ 3:47 AM
Fantastic challenge! Was inspired and had fun with it. 🙂
Fairy tale: Little Red
Sub-genre: Dystopian
http://raceagainstthelaze.weebly.com/1/post/2014/01/flash-fiction-challenge-fairy-tale-remixed.html
» Flash Fiction: Rapunzel in Orbit Blue Ink Alchemy
January 27, 2014 @ 8:28 AM
[…] Terribleminds Fairy Tales Remixed challenge is right up my alley, and when the d20 rolled up “hard sci-fi”, it felt like […]
January 27, 2014 @ 8:30 AM
Remixing fairy tales is so up my alley, it’s not even funny. When the d20 of Destiny gave me ‘hard sci-fi’ it felt like Christmas all over again. Hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!
http://www.blueinkalchemy.com/2014/01/27/flash-fiction-rapunzel-in-orbit/
January 27, 2014 @ 12:20 PM
Definitely sci-fi, definitely brilliant. I did enjoy reading it!
Path of the Hunter - 10th Day Publishing
January 27, 2014 @ 11:08 AM
[…] bringing a great book to your attention. It is Monday, the day I post a story written based on the Chuck Wendig’s TerribleMinds writing prompt of the week. This week is a mash up, fairy tale with a randomly rolled theme. Simple […]
January 27, 2014 @ 11:14 AM
Mixed in some southern gothic (maybe) in my retelling.
http://www.10thdaypublishing.com/path-hunter/
2014: Mission Productivity | LC Hu
January 27, 2014 @ 3:31 PM
[…] thoroughly tempted to do Chuck Wendig’s latest Flash Friday Challenge; only time is in my way. I rolled a twelve, which made me laugh, because that’s my favorite […]
Quality Food, Home Delivery | Adam Hughes
January 27, 2014 @ 8:12 PM
[…] (Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s “Fairy Tales, Remixed” Flash Fiction Challenge) […]
January 27, 2014 @ 8:21 PM
I rolled a “20,” so …
“The Ugly Duckling” with a tiny bit of gumshoe mixed in:
http://adamhughes.in/quality-food-home-delivery/
Hansel and Gretel: The Aftermath | Jeremy Podolski
January 28, 2014 @ 9:48 AM
[…] this is a little off the beaten path. This brief fiction story was written in response to a writing challenge to retell a classic fairy tale while applying a random storytelling subgenre. These approaches […]
January 28, 2014 @ 9:50 AM
Hansel and Gretel: The Aftermath
A satirical remix
http://jeremypodolski.com/2014/01/28/hansel-and-gretel-the-aftermath/
Had a blast with this challenge.
January 28, 2014 @ 6:42 PM
Hilarious! I loved it!
That was a cool take, going with aftermath angle.
January 28, 2014 @ 8:45 PM
Thanks Kait – this challenge is turning out some crazy stories.
January 28, 2014 @ 1:20 PM
Ha. Take One on Rapunzel as Space Opera is about 1600 words. I’ll be working on it and post later in the week, but I don’t know if it will lend itself to being told at 2/3 the length.
January 31, 2014 @ 12:28 AM
I forgot and posted below, but here it is: http://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2014/01/flash-fiction-friday-trapped-aboard.html
Flash Fiction The White Snake (well, Adder) » The Zombie Chimp
January 28, 2014 @ 1:51 PM
[…] Fiction The White Snake (well, Adder) This week’s flash fiction challenge ably hosted by Terribleminds.com is a bit of a mash-up thing. First we needed to go to a page of […]
January 28, 2014 @ 1:54 PM
I’ve chosen The White Snake, and I got Super-hero as the genre, and wrote a curious tale of super-hero, super-crime and auditable government policies.
Here we go with… The White Snake (well, Adder)
http://www.thezombiechimp.com/2014/01/28/flash-fiction-white-snake-well-adder/
Flash Fiction Challenge – Fairy Tales Remix | Write about now
January 28, 2014 @ 2:42 PM
[…] as always courtesy of Chuck Wendig and can be found here. I rolled a natural 20 and got Detective as my genre and in my head Detective always translate to […]
January 28, 2014 @ 2:44 PM
Don’t remember the title of the fairy tale, that I mixed up with the Detective genre. Yay for lousy memory! http://evathereseebert.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/flash-fiction-challenge-fairy-tales-remix/
January 31, 2014 @ 7:32 AM
Beauty and the Beast, perhaps? I really enjoyed it… I ike noir too.
January 31, 2014 @ 4:55 PM
Actually I think it was called ‘Hans, my hedgehog’. At least that was the title of the Jim Henson adaptation.
January 31, 2014 @ 7:45 AM
Oh I enjoyed reading this! You’ve captured the genre very well. Great first paragraph!
January 31, 2014 @ 4:56 PM
Thanks!
January 28, 2014 @ 2:57 PM
I’ve been obsessed with a revised version of The Princess and the Pea ever since I invented the Narrathon – a story telling event and trade – in my books. Here at last is a chance for Willoughby to do his stuff. Maybe I included satire, maybe I didnt. It’ll be live around midnight UK time Friday, 7pm New York Thursday. If the server doesnt go down again…
http://jemimapett.com/blog/2014/01/31/flash-fiction-friday-willoughby-does-the-princess-and-the-pea/
January 31, 2014 @ 12:32 AM
I’m not sure it’s satire, but it’s a good story, and an improvement on the original.
January 31, 2014 @ 7:33 AM
Thanks!
#Free Short Story: A Grimm’s Fairy Tale + #Cyberpunk | Court Can Write
January 28, 2014 @ 3:39 PM
[…] #Free Short Story: A Grimm’s Fairy Tale + #Cyberpunkby Courtney Cantrell on January 28, 2014 • 0 CommentsSo. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been doing Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenges of late. This week, Wendig decreed we should take a classic fairy tale and remix it with a random genre from his list. […]
January 28, 2014 @ 3:51 PM
I chose Grimms’ fairy tale “Brother and Sister,” one of my faves as a kid. Can’t resist a yarn that includes someone getting boiled alive in the bath. #morbid #therapy
The random number generator gave me CYBERPUNK, which dismayed me at first. I’ve never even read that — how by all of Wendig’s beard hairs am I supposed to write it?!?
But I pulled out my vorpal sword and went to slaying the beast. I like the carcass. I mean, the result. I’d be happy for y’all to let me know how I did. : ) Thanks!
http://courtcan.com/writing/free-short-story-a-grimms-fairy-tale-cyberpunk/
January 31, 2014 @ 12:37 AM
I think you did pretty well, though I don’t know the original story and wasn’t completely clear on exactly what happened at the end.
February 1, 2014 @ 11:31 PM
Well, the original story takes at least 2,000 words to recount. ; ) Lemme see if I can summarize:
Sister and brother are tormented by wicked-witch stepmother and stepsister. Sis & bro run away. Witch turns bro into deer. Sis meets king, gets married, lives with king & deer-bro in palace. Witch cooks sis to death in hot bath. Stepsis takes sis’s place. Sis returns as ghost to nurse her baby at night. King finds her, recognizes her, expresses undying love. Sis returns to life, stepsis is unmasked. Witch is burned at stake, stepsis gets torn to pieces by wild animals. Deer-bro becomes a real boy again. Happily ever after.
To simplify, I made witch and stepsister over into a single character, the “false Queen.” So at the end of my story, sis & bro & deer get to play the role of wild animal killing their nemesis. The hybrid threesome then escapes, with the hint that they’ve stolen the microchip containing the plans to “cure” them and return them back to normal.
January 31, 2014 @ 2:57 AM
This, right here, is why fiction is such a wonderful thing; it has the power to take you to crazy worlds where, even if you don’t entirely understand everything that’s going on, you’re THERE, right in the middle of it… and I was definitely there in your world. Being more than a little bit scared, but in a good way.
A gripping tale with some fantastic imagery going on – although next time I might try not to be eating my tea when I’m reading the end 😉
February 1, 2014 @ 11:34 PM
Thanks, Wendy! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, and I’m blushing at the compliments. I’m sorry about the problem with eating/drinking while reading…and yet, I’m not sorry. That makes me feel like I did my job! ; )
January 31, 2014 @ 7:47 AM
I really like your style! Great vorpal-work there 🙂
February 1, 2014 @ 11:36 PM
Ah, you’re speaking my language. ; ) Thanks so much, Jemima! Glad my writing connects with you.
The Singing Bone | Punk-ass Book Pusher
January 28, 2014 @ 4:59 PM
[…] is the latest flash fiction challenge from Chuck Wendig at Terrible Minds. The assignment was to pick a fairy tale and rewrite it in a […]
January 28, 2014 @ 5:03 PM
Okay, I finally got this done. This was the toughest challenge I’ve done to date. I’m not entirely sure it counts as “grimdark fantasy”, but it is a world where life is crap and nobody is happy for long, so I guess it counts. Also, I thought it would be fun to tell it not from the POV of or with the focus on the “heroes” but on the princess who is offered as a prize, and usually has no agency in the story. Anyway, I hope it doesn’t suck. 🙂
http://dangerdean.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/the-singing-bone/
Now I can read the other ones, as I’ve been avoiding them until I finished this.
January 29, 2014 @ 9:29 AM
That is definitely dark, and really wonderfully done!
January 29, 2014 @ 6:01 PM
Thank you!
February 1, 2014 @ 8:28 PM
I love the voice on this one, and think you did a fantastic job writing opposite gender.
January 28, 2014 @ 5:05 PM
This was my first flash fiction. So fun!
Snow White – Southern Gothic
http://blackcatdragon.blogspot.com/2014/01/snow-white-flash-fiction-remix.html
January 31, 2014 @ 8:05 AM
Fascinating! I haven’t a clue about Southern Gothic, so I was really interested in your take on it. Well done!
February 1, 2014 @ 8:33 PM
Thank you for reading my story and taking the time to comment on it. This was my first public post of anything I’ve written – so you were my first ever feedback from a stranger. 🙂
Rose Petals Spinning in Space [1,040 words] | Panning For Clouds
January 28, 2014 @ 8:11 PM
[…] It’s time for another of Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction challenges, and this week’s is pretty bizarre. Fairy Tales, Remixed. […]
January 28, 2014 @ 8:21 PM
The Rose – Space Opera becomes “Rose Petals Spinning in Space”
I was sad after writing it.
http://panningforclouds.com/2014/01/28/rose-petals-space/
January 28, 2014 @ 8:51 PM
Wow.
I need a moment to regroup.
January 29, 2014 @ 4:46 AM
I agree with Kait. Wow! I especially enjoyed the first six paragraphs. In very few words you painted a very comprehensive picture of the situation (and the genre). And yes, the ending was sad but a beautiful sad which is the best kind of sad 🙂
January 29, 2014 @ 9:03 AM
Great imagery. I also especially was drawn in by the opening paragraphs.
February 1, 2014 @ 3:53 PM
I was also sad after reading it – but in a good way (if that makes any sense..?) Beautifully, heartfeltly written (I know heartfeltly isn’t a proper word, but it’s the closest I could find to what I mean.)
Flash Fiction: Bearskin Space Opera | Fatma Alici
January 28, 2014 @ 9:48 PM
[…] week’s flash fiction is to take a fairy tale and smash it up with another genre. I went with Bearskin because […]
January 28, 2014 @ 9:50 PM
Okay, I picked Bearskin, because I love that particular fairy tale. And, I rolled space opera. Which, honestly is just mean. Anyway, it came out kind of weird. A good weird, I think.
http://wp.me/p2Oiy2-7d
January 29, 2014 @ 4:26 AM
I got satire, and chose (without considering word count) Faithful John. For what it’s worth: http://springloadedcats.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/faithful-john/
January 29, 2014 @ 4:35 AM
Late entry here. Its been awhile since I’ve done any flash fic challenge. Gotten ‘The Lambkin and the Little Fish’ in the “Grimdark” Fantasy genre.
Here we go:
Lamb & Fish, Revisited
Much Wednesday. Very Edit. Wow. | disregard the prologue
January 29, 2014 @ 7:44 AM
[…] middle is fuzzy. Start something completely different? I’m already taking Chuck Wendig up on this week’s flash fiction challenge. Fairy tales are kind of a thing around here, and I rolled a wicked combo (Cinderella + Urban […]
January 29, 2014 @ 8:43 AM
This is my first entry into a flash fiction challenge… eek! I had fun with this one. I chose Cinderella (my favourite when I was a kid), and Random.org gave me lucky seven- Urban Fantasy. I can’t say I envy my Cinderella…
http://disregardtheprologue.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/cinder-ella-flash-fiction-challenge/
January 29, 2014 @ 11:04 AM
That was awesome! I loved everything about it 🙂 Great job!
January 29, 2014 @ 11:07 AM
Thank you! And thanks for reading!
Cinder Ella (Flash Fiction Challenge) | disregard the prologue
January 29, 2014 @ 8:55 AM
[…] Kate Sparkes This story is my contribution to Chuck Wendig’s writing challenge this week: Fairy Tales, Remixed. I chose Cinderella and random.org gave me lucky 7, Urban Fantasy. This is flash fiction, so I only […]
January 29, 2014 @ 10:48 AM
3rd challenge I’ve done and I’m loving them more and more each week! Friday’s are more then just the start to the weekends and payday now 🙂
I picked Sleeping Beauty and rolled psychological horror. O.o I had a ton of fun with it!
http://www.miramichelleday.com/flash_fictions_and_short_stories/sleeping_beauty_the_remix/
January 29, 2014 @ 12:39 PM
Nice! 🙂
January 29, 2014 @ 10:51 PM
Well done!
January 30, 2014 @ 1:48 PM
Woah! Nicely done – and a brilliant twist on the original story. I was hooked right to the end.
January 31, 2014 @ 11:54 AM
Thanks everyone! ^.^
January 29, 2014 @ 11:06 AM
I think it had the intended effect, then. Thank you for reading!
January 29, 2014 @ 11:07 AM
Buh. This wasn’t supposed to go here.
Terrible Minds Flash Fiction Challenge: Remixed Fairy Tales | A Writer's Growth
January 29, 2014 @ 12:15 PM
[…] I picked Rapunzel, and rolled a 10: Young Adult Contemporary. This is the result. I think it’s a little rushed now but I think it’s pretty good for being compressed. 1000 words. […]
January 29, 2014 @ 12:19 PM
OMG I finished it, yay for me. Rapunzel, Young Adult Contemporary, called Hiding in the Tower with a Boy/
http://growingasawriter.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/terrible-minds-flash-fiction-challenge-remixed-fairy-tales/
Fairy Tale, Remixed: Drawn Out of Need | Untitled*United
January 29, 2014 @ 1:00 PM
[…] this most recent one: the challenge is to rewrite a fairy tale, no more than 1,000 words. Piece of cake for a parent; […]
January 29, 2014 @ 1:05 PM
OK, my first foray into erotica! I started with “The Boy Who Drew Cats,” changed the protagonist to a woman, and kinda ran from there. Lemme know what you think!
http://untitledunited.com/2014/01/29/fairy-tale-remixed-drawn-out-of-need/
January 30, 2014 @ 1:40 PM
…And now I’m going to take a cold shower! This was really well-written – not a single porn cliche in the whole thing, which takes A LOT of skill. Not that I’m any kind of expert in this field of course – I’m just GUESSING that this is how good erotica writing should be IF I’d ever read any in my life, which of course I HAVEN’T… *looks away, whistles innocently…*
January 30, 2014 @ 2:38 PM
This is by far the best compliment I’ve ever gotten, Thanks!
Time to Destroy Stuff – and another #FlashForFriday | The Path – J. S. Collyer's Writing Blog
January 29, 2014 @ 4:19 PM
[…] like last time, it is inspired by a challenge by the inimitable Chuck Wendig. This challenge was to be a rewrite of a fairy tale (always fun) in the style of a contemporary genre. It had to be […]
January 29, 2014 @ 5:39 PM
First challenge!
http://oondootwa.tumblr.com/post/74982180717/the-princess-and-the-pea-slasher-flash-fiction
February 1, 2014 @ 1:17 AM
Wow! Dark! Seriously though… Go Princess.
February 1, 2014 @ 4:01 PM
Woah…. Worst. Blind Date. Ever! But a really gripping slasher story with a fun, badass heroine. Great job 🙂
January 29, 2014 @ 7:19 PM
Thanks for inspiration! Lots of good ideas here:) Here’s my Cyberpunk take on Hansel and Gretel – http://katyabecerra.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/hansel-und-gretel-13.html
February 1, 2014 @ 1:22 AM
Good idea Katya. Nice execution of your idea.
February 1, 2014 @ 3:36 PM
Thank you! Thanks for reading:) btw I loved that you chose The Firebird fairy tale for your story – nice writing there!
January 29, 2014 @ 8:25 PM
I had started out the challenge trying to write satire, but I’m just not funny enough. Then whilst working my job, where I get paid, my co-worker and I devised a steampunk version of Briar Rose. I can’t promise it’s all that great, but it’s in at 999 words.
http://www.bastardgenres.net/briar-rose-steampunk/
Free-Range Fiction: Fairy Tale Redo, The Red Shoes, with a Southern Gothic bent | Casz's Fiction Farm
January 29, 2014 @ 8:36 PM
[…] Wendig once again got me pushing my craft further with his Friday Flash Fiction Challenge. This week’s challenge was to do a fairy tale redo. The randomization that Herr Wendig created […]
January 29, 2014 @ 8:40 PM
Southern Gothic. Woah. Made me stretch. My take on The Red Shoes. http://www.casondrabrewster.com/?p=1578
January 30, 2014 @ 1:26 PM
Holy moley, that was dark! But really well done – great job! I found myself reading it in a Scarlett O’Hara accent from the first paragraph, so you did a fine job on capturing the feel of the piece too.
The Writer’s Life – Day 12: Motley Crue and New Fiction Coming | Shawn S. Lealos
January 30, 2014 @ 1:56 AM
[…] s1);})();Well, I did it. I just wrote my first work of fiction in over six months. It’s for a Flash Fiction challenge by Chuck Wendig, where he challenged writers to take a classic fairy tale and re-write it in a random subgenre. I […]
Time to Destroy Stuff and another #FlashForFriday | The Path – J. S. Collyer's Writing Blog
January 30, 2014 @ 6:05 AM
[…] like last time, it is inspired by a challenge by the inimitable Chuck Wendig. This challenge was to be a rewrite of a fairy tale (always fun) in the style of a contemporary genre. It had to […]
January 30, 2014 @ 6:10 AM
This was great! Dystopian SciFi, all teh win! Here’s my response ‘Foam’. I’d be interested to know if people can tell which fairy tale I chose… http://wp.me/pail1-eV
January 30, 2014 @ 8:12 AM
Awesome. Here is my slasher take on a beloved fairy tale. I’d rather not say which one to preserve a little bit of mystery.
http://ssbasu.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/fairy-tales-remixed/
I went a bit over on the word limit, with more than 1350 words. It is also an amalgam of traditional slasher and straight-up horror. Hope you like it.