Writing with Fairy Tales: Inspiration for Any Genre
Fairy tales aren’t just for happily-ever-afters. Fairy tales have influenced every genre of literature, and they can influence your writing, too. By studying fairy tales, you can learn how to use them in your writing, whether you want to write a clear retelling or integrate fairy-tale motifs into any genre.
In this online workshop, hosted by fairy-tale author and scholar Tish Black, you will get an overview of what fairy tales are and how to understand them and use them in your writing. You will learn what you can do with fairy tales in retellings, with examples of the many ways fairy tales can be interpreted and retold. You will use what you learn in two short group storytelling exercises to spark fairy-tale inspiration. And finally, the main writing exercise will provide prompts to pair a fairy tale with a what-if and give time to write or plan your own fairy-tale-inspired piece.
Autumn dates: Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 21
Fairy Tale Reading Club
Join me on Patreon to find a community of fairy tale enthusiasts, writers, and scholars. Free membership includes the Fairy Tale Reading Club, and paid members get access to exclusive content like ebooks and lecture recordings.
The Fairy Tale Reading Club meets every month to discuss one fairy tale, its variations, retellings, and research.
Autumn Events
Eastern Ontario Writers’ Festival
September 19 in Casselman, ON
Writing with Fairy Tales: Inspiration for Any Genre
45-minute workshop
11:00 am
Free registration
EOWF Book Fair
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Open to the public
Writing with Fairy Tales: Online Workshops
Saturday, September 26, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Writing with Fairy Tales: Inspiration for Any Genre
Reserve your spot ($60 CAD)
Saturday, October 24, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Writing with Fairy Tales: Spooky Inspiration for Any Genre
Reserve your spot ($60 CAD)
Saturday, November 21, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST
Writing with Fairy Tales: Winter Inspiration for Any Genre
Reserve your spot ($60 CAD)
Fairy Tale Reading Club Meetings
The Fairy Tale Reading Club is free to join on Patreon. I share the reading list at the beginning of the month, and we meet online at the end of the month.
September 24: Bluebeard
October 22: Beauty and the Beast
November 28: Cinderella
Something witchy to be announced…
October 14, Ottawa
Tricks, Treats, and Turnips: The Origins of Halloween Traditions
Lecture with Tipsy Scholars in Ottawa
October 28
Take Back the Witch: An Evening of Witchy Fiction
Indigo Pinecrest, Ottawa
October 29
An evening of witches, women, and fiction with authors N.G. Avant and Tish Black
Samhain Salon
Online
November 1
Time to celebrate the best time of the year (my birthday!) with a salon for sharing spooky stories and folklore. Join the Wild Circle on Patreon to be invited.
Debut Short Story Collection
Ebony, Blood, and Snow
Inspired by familiar fairy tales, author Tish Black’s debut short story collection takes the tales in new directions and rewrites history: Little Red hunts wolves, Gretel helps the witch, and Bluebeard’s wife gets revenge.
These transgressive stories challenge readers’ ideas of what the tales could mean to them. There’s more to learn from fairy tale heroines than how to be eaten, rescued, or married. These unconventional heroines fight the patriarchy with no time for romance; instead, readers will find tales of revenge, sisterhood, political revolt, and independence.
Conveying the radical feminism of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and the defiance of Emma Donoghue’s Kissing the Witch, Black’s collection of thirteen tales redefines the fairy tale heroine.
Latest Substack
Editing Services
I am excited to help writers of short fiction finish their short stories, medium stories, novelettes, and novellas. I believe the short story as a storytelling format is underappreciated. Especially in speculative fiction (fantasy, horror, sci-fi), short stories are some of the most memorable and definitive of the genre.
I would love to read your weird and wonderful short fiction and polish it up with a copyedit so you feel confident submitting it to a publication or publishing it yourself.