Retelling Your Favorite Stories: How to Write Fanfiction, Adaptations & Reimaginings

Contemporary re-visioning of classic stories has never been more exciting than it is now, when fanfiction, adaptation, and reimaginings offer a way to bring new life to familiar tales. We can reinvent classics, bringing in voices and lives excluded from the originals. 

Instructor Addie Tsai says, “Have you ever wondered what happened after Mulan saved China? Or what would happen if Romeo and Juliet was set in historical Shanghai? For me, retelling classic stories began as a way to broaden the audience for these stories, and imagine what they might say to people like me–queer, non-binary, Asian.”  

In this five-week class, we’ll do exercises that break down the work of writing a retelling, step by step, by starting with how to choose a story to focus on, and then considering what tropes to challenge, moving on through to scene-writing and character development. We’ll read story examples by Anna-Marie McLemore, Emily X.R. Pan, Kelly Ann Jacobson, and Anne Carson. These readings will model how writers have connected to beloved classic tales in new and powerful ways. 

“Retelling old stories has been a way for me to connect more deeply with the stories I love,” says Addie. “This class is perfect for those who already have ideas for retelling the stories they love, whether contemporary or classic, and for those who’d like to play with inventing new stories.” 

Students will come away with a fresh draft of their own story retelling, as well as new skills and ideas for continuing to work on that story and others going forward.

About The Writing Salon's Online Zoom Classes

You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.