Coming Soon: A Virtual Fairy Tale Salon with Timeless Tales Editor Tahlia Kirk

Written by Tahlia Kirk

Spend an evening chatting about your favorite fairy tale at the Storied Imaginarium's virtual fairy tale salon on November 6 (Nov 7 for Australia).

We're evoking the elegant Parisian salon of 17th century France, when wealthy women hosted gatherings in their living rooms to discuss literature and write stories. One of the most popular parlor games played at these salons was to retell classic folktales. Storytellers would use fanciful language of fairy tales to slyly slip rebellious commentary on aristocratic culture past the court's censors. I hope to share some of my favorite counter-culture tales with you and talk about what makes a retelling resonate. While this is more of a meeting-of-minds than a formal writing workshop, I think all fans of the magical and whimsical will enjoy our time together. 

Seats are limited, so sign up now to save your spot!

(Pic is my envisioning of the type of outfit one might wear to a modern literary salon 😅)

First Impressions of 1001 Tales of Arabian Nights

(Written by Tahlia Merrill Kirk, editor of Timeless Tales Magazine)

A few years ago, my husband Ron delighted me with the news that he had started reading Tales of 1,001 Nights (aka Arabian Nights) on his Kindle.

“This is great!” I squeed. “I’ve never read it, so you can tell me all about it as you go!”

I suppose I should be at least a tad embarrassed that I have zero desire to read the entirety of Arabian Nights, but have you seen the SIZE of it?! There are three volumes. All combined, they add up to a staggering 2600 pages. There isn’t even a Sparknotes available for it, that’s how big it is. So I ignore the mournful wails of my English degree--secondhand reading is good enough for me on this one.


It took him almost 5 years to get through it all (taking breaks to read other books, of course), but this week, he finally finished. Since I immediately knew that I wanted to turn this experience into a blog post, I made sure that Ron filled me in about all the interesting parts of the stories. I even had him send me relevant/funny quotes as he went.


I started writing this as one post, but there is too much to say, so we’re going to make a whole series out of it! Here are a few topics I want to cover (Let me know if there's something you really want me to discuss):

1. Which Translation Did Ron Read? (I promise it won't be as boring as it sounds)

2. Is Arabian Nights Sexist? 

3. Is Arabian Nights Sexy? 

4. How Does Aladdin Fit Into Arabian Nights?

5. Djinn and Their Kind (or not-so-kind...hehe)

6. Religion in Arabian Nights

7. The Arabian Nights Board Game

8. Doughnuts (Nope, won’t explain. Saving the best for last)


In the meantime, here’s a funny mini-tale to give you a taste of how great these stories are:

My master the sultan, here is my most remarkable experience during my time in office. I had ten thieves hanged, each on a gibbet of his own, and I told the guards to watch to see that nobody removed any of the corpses. The next day, when I came to look at them, I found two corpses hanging from the same gibbet.

‘Who has done this,’ I asked the guards, ‘and where is the gibbet belonging to this second corpse?’

They disclaimed any knowledge of the affair, but when I was about to have them flogged, they said: ‘We fell asleep last night, emir, and when we woke up we found that one of the corpses, together with its gibbet, had been stolen. We were afraid, and when we saw a passing peasant coming up towards us with his donkey, we seized him, killed him and hanged him on this gibbet in place of the corpse that had been removed.’

I was taken by surprise and asked them what the peasant had had with him. They told me that he had had a saddlebag on his donkey, and when I asked what was in it they said that they didn’t know.

‘Bring it to me,’ I told them, and when they did, I ordered them to open it. There inside it was the body of a murdered man cut into pieces. I was astonished at this sight and said to myself: ‘Glory be to God. The reason that this peasant was hanged was that he was guilty of murder, and God does not treat His servants unjustly.’

Malcolm C. Lyons. The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 2 (The Arabian Nights or Tales from 1001 Nights) (pp. 107-108). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.

Editor Rejects Her Own Story (Timeless Tales Magazine)

Written by Tahlia Merrill Kirk (Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine)


A couple weeks ago, I wrote a guest blog post over at JL Writers about all the challenges writers face when retelling Snow White. It basically summarized the biggest problems I've run into while reading submissions for our upcoming issue. But let's be honest: It's easy to spot weaknesses in a story--it's a whole different ball game having to actually write a retelling that avoids these pitfalls.

In the interest of keeping myself humble, I dusted off an old Snow White retelling that I wrote 10 years ago when I was a freshman in college. My initial thought before re-reading it was that I would insert it into our 5-year Anniversary issue as a bonus story, but now I'm not so sure. It's a perfectly nice story--a Snow White/Psyche & Cupid crossover, in fact. But it has enough problems that I can't just pop it into the magazine without revising it first.

So I thought I'd pretend that this is a story I received in my submissions inbox and use it as an example of how I analyze a retelling. Feel free to play along and leave comments with your own feedback or suggestions on how I should revise it! 

Note: I apologize that the resolution on these images isn't crystal clear. I spent two days fighting with my computer and this was the best I could manage. If you'd rather read it as a high res PDF, here's a link.

 

 

Alright, still with us? So if I received this story in my inbox, I would probably give it a 7 out of 10 rating, which means it would be guaranteed a second read later down the line. 8's and 9's are my "Almost Definitely Yes" pile and 6's and 7's are my "Right on the Edge" pile. When I circle back to it, I'd spend a lot of time agonizing over whether the pros outweigh the cons. Do I have a clear idea about how to explain the changes I would want made to the writer? Are those changes likely to be welcomed by the writer or will it take their story in a direction they might be unhappy about? How does this story fit with the others I want to accept? Does it have a similar tone/setting/perspective from what I've already accepted or does it fill an obvious gap? Let's imagine that my conclusion is to reject this story. Despite all the notes I've made, this is all that makes it into my rejection letter:

Dear Tahlia,

Thank you for submitting your ​Snow White ​retelling to Timeless Tales. After reading it and carefully considering, we will not be publishing it. However, I really enjoyed your unique premise (Psyche is my favorite Greek myth!). Although your writing style is strong, I felt like your protagonist Vanessa was underdeveloped and the romance was mostly told from Eros' perspective. I wanted to see more of her personality and agency come through.

Best of luck to you finding a home for it elsewhere and thank you so much for sending it our way. We certainly encourage you to submit for our next issue.

Our next theme is still TBD, but we often decide themes by letting our readers vote. To be notified when polls open for our next theme, subscribe to our newsletter via our homepage.​The newsletter will also send you occasional Timeless Tales updates and information about submission window​s​.

Thank you so much!

          ​Tahlia Merrill Kirk
         Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine
         www.timelesstalesmagazine.com


And that's how it's done, folks. Now you know why it takes me fricken' forever to go through my submission pile every issue. The time I'll spend jotting down notes on each submission varies, but this level of detail isn't unheard of when I'm feeling conflicted about a story.

Do you agree with my assessment? Am I being too hard on myself? Not hard enough? Did I miss something? Only time will tell if I end up finding a way to revise this story (I have a few ideas rattling around). Be sure to check the Table of Contents when you read our Snow White issue (coming soon!). Even if I don't, though, I promise the ten pieces we're publishing are all AMAZING and will blow your mind with their twists on this fairy tale. 

Timeless Tales Opening Soon for Snow White Submissions

Written by Tahlia Kirk, Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine

Writers, sharpen those pencils and polish those keyboards! In just a few short days, Timeless Tales will be open for retellings of Snow White...

Guys, can I be honest for a sec? I've already written around a dozen versions of this announcement, and I'm getting kinda bored with repeating the same info over and over again. So buckle up, because I'm launching into sassy know-it-all editor mode.

https://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/submissions

Normally, we don't have a slogan for our themes, but Snow White is so famous that I felt the need to remind writers that we do NOT want submissions that are in any way traditional. Even more than a glass slipper is a mascot for Cinderella or a dying rose for Beauty & the Beast, the bright red apple is the symbol that represents Snow White. I didn't even have to use the word "apple" in my google search and this graphic still only took me 5 minutes to throw together.

A selection of the ubiquitous Red Apple cover (Twilight not included)

And even though it embodies the story's delicious tension of innocence, jealousy, and temptation, we want to devour those themes in a completely new package. Don't serve us another apple pie. Instead, ask yourself what would happen if you put apples and parsnips together...in a soup!* Or I guess if we're talking fairy tales, apples and pumpkins would be more appropriate, heheh.

More so than ever, I'll have my eyes open for experimental settings and plot twists. Just the other day on Twitter, Gypsy was discussing the idea of a Snow White/Mary Poppins mashup. That's the sort of brilliance I'm looking for (and yes, feel free to steal that idea for your retelling).

Poets, don't think this excludes you! I will be one cranky editor if I have to read a pile of flowery ABAB rhymes about pale skin, ruby lips, and magic mirrors. So much of Snow White's imagery has become cliche that I'm going to really hold the bar extra high this time.

Oh, and don't forget about the Prince! As much as we adore female-centric stories, the one thing about our Rumpelstiltskin issue that I was bummed about was how few stories gave the King any sort of backstory, so I'm hoping to see a few submissions who make the Prince a well-rounded character. I expect many people will merge him with the Huntsman, but be aware that you won't be the only writer to think of this twist, so he still needs to have a personality versus being a cookie cutter romantic lead.

Alright, time to rein in the snark and remind writers that I'm not a big scary ogre over here. My goal here isn't to make anyone afraid to submit because they're worried their story isn't good enough. One of my greatest joys is when a writer tells me that Timeless Tales is their first time submitting to be published. Your publication credits are not always an indication of your writing talent. I understand that your writing is a little piece of yourself, so if you pluck up your courage to send it to us, I promise to treat it as an honored guest until it's either published with us or sent back home to you.


Information on how to submit to Timeless Tales Magazine's Snow White issue can be found at https://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/submissions




*Err, thanks internet for that bizarre idea

Making Timeless Tales More Writer-Friendly

(Written by Tahlia Merrill Kirk, Editor of Timeless Tales Magazine)

Contracts are probably the most tedious parts of the publishing process to discuss. If you're a freelance writer, you'll know all too well how verbose contracts are-- often to the point of being indecipherable. When I started Timeless Tales, I didn't really understand what most of the legalize meant, so played it safe by using lots of standard boilerplate language. Most of that has surprisingly stood the test of time, but other sections have needed reevaluation. 

As we've been ramping up for our Snow White submission window (coming up March 12-22), I've been researching ways to tweak it. Specifically, I'm looking into the possibility of providing Kindle versions of TT directly on Amazon...but that's still a work in progress, so don't get too excited. As I was re-examining our contract, I started thinking about this phrase:

"Exclusive Worldwide Rights"

I think it's assumed within the publishing industry that preventing writers from sending their story elsewhere will keep the supply/demand curve in the publisher's favor. This is certainly true when it comes to books. You'd never want to publish an author's novel if there was a chance another company would publish it too--that would be a disaster! Following this logic, we've always requested exclusive rights for 6-12 months after publication...

But now we're trying something new.

The more I considered it, the more I concluded that the impact of loosening our rules would be minimal to us. I seriously doubt our site will lose readers just because a story/poem can be found in two locations. In fact, I actually think it's a perfect opportunity for us to indulge in some mutually beneficial cross-promotion on social media as we celebrate the author's good fortune.

So we're changing the "exclusive" to "non-exclusive". 

Plus, let's be honest: We're a pretty niche market. And while our flat $20 per piece rate is excellent for poetry, it isn't exactly full market rate* for the fiction we receive. It seems only fair that, until we can raise our rates, we should allow our writers to sell their pieces to other markets without restriction. After all, what is a small impact on us might be a significant financial impact for a writer.

So that's a summary of the changes upcoming writers will see in our new contract. If you have questions or would like to see our template for yourself, you can always email me at timelesstalesmagazine@gmail.com .





*Not yet, at least! If you want to help us raise our rates, becoming a Patreon supporter will get us closer to making that possible.

Timeless Tales Modernizes Rumpelstiltskin

Hi, fairy tale fans! This is Tahlia from Timeless Tales Magazine. In case you haven't heard yet, we have just released our Rumpelstiltskin issue. It's full of foolish choices, unforeseen consequences, and battles of wits. 

Here are a few highlights showcasing how our authors transformed a goofy little trickster tale into modern narratives:

• "Tears Seal the Deal" is a retelling set in the Syrian Refugee Crisis

• "Void" draws a connection between Rumpel's desire for a child and the frustrations of  infertility.

• "The Early Years" explores how Rumpel learned to spin straw into gold.

• "The Deal" allows the Miller's Daughter to find some loopholes in Rumpelstiltskin's bargain and shows what happens when she attempts to outwit him.

Here's a look at some of the covers:

These are just a few of the adventures awaiting you inside our latest issue. Enjoy the read at https://www.timelesstalesmagazine.com/rumpelstiltskin

 

How to Write a Killer Fairy Tale Retelling

Hi, Fairy Folk! This is Tahlia, editor of Timeless Tales Magazine. One of the most common questions I get from writers is what I look for in a retelling. So I thought I’d provide my top tips for how to nail your short story or poem, whether it’s a fairy tale, myth, or legend. Hopefully this will spark some ideas for our upcoming issue (Arthurian Legend theme, in case you hadn’t heard yet)...

Unsurprisingly, even before I created Timeless Tales, I read a lot of retellings. Not just fairy tales and myths either—Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Jane Austen...you name it, I’ve devoured it. I’ve even had a few of my own published, back when I was writing more short stories than reading.*

So I thought I’d share some of the wisdom I’ve picked up along the way about how to produce a killer twist on a familiar tale.

1. Re-read the source material:

Never assume you already know the tale. Do a little research to dig up lesser-known facets that might inspire you. Better yet, read multiple versions of the story because, especially with the older tales, you'll find different details and even endings.

I admit I failed to do this with the first retelling I ever wrote, Two Knights in One Day. It was a take on Sleeping Beauty, but I only discovered after it was published, that the original contains a rather horrific plotline involving rape. Would reading this have changed my story? Hmmm...hard to be sure, but I probably would have put more of a conscious emphasis on consent in romantic relationships.

Another example is a TT submission I read a while back. It used the names “Anastasia” and “Drusilla” for Cinderella’s stepsisters. As an editor, my eyebrows immediately raised because those are the names the Disney movie gives them. It made the author appear a little amateurish because it felt like that was probably the only version they’d ever encountered! Even if the original doesn’t change your own story, you owe it to yourself to know what your version will be compared against.

#NotAllStepsisters

2. Question the Original. Especially ask "how" and "why":

Exactly how does Rumpelstiltskin spin straw into gold? Why didn’t Puss start helping the Miller’s son until after the Miller died? What makes the wolf's disguise so convincing to Red Riding Hood? Let’s be honest: most fairy tales don't waste time on explanations. Part of the fun is all the nonsensical happenings and illogical behavior, but you can add complexity and depth by tackling these issues head on. Don't’ feel like you need to address every oddity or answer every question, either. Pick one or two and stay focused on those.

Surprisingly, your biggest handicap in writing a retelling might be your love of the original. Being a huge fan of the original can actually blind you to its flaws and prevent you from taking risks.

I made this mistake with a Little Mermaid retelling I wrote. I absolutely adore Andersen’s lyrical prose. His descriptions of pain are just unbelievably exquisite. So my first three drafts spent waaaaaay too much time meandering through descriptive paragraphs in an attempt to emulate his style. It completely got in the way of the plot. Thank goodness the magazine’s rules forced me to cut my word count down. I realized that 3-4 pages could be deleted because they had just rehashed scenes from the original tale. Once they were gone, the pacing was dramatically improved.

On the other side, don’t be afraid to ask yourself what bothers you most about this tale? My Sleeping Beauty retelling I mentioned earlier emerged because I didn't like the idea of a guy kissing a girl without ever knowing her. So I wrote a version where the two could communicate while she's asleep.

3. Ask "what-if":

This is your classic elevator-pitch twist. It’s taking a key

building block in the original and replacing it with something new. This is a great time to play with setting, swap genders, and question innocence or guilt. What if Cinderella happened in Ancient Greece? What if the Little Mermaid was male? What if the witch wasn't evil?

In my experience, the strongest What-If retellings are the ones that fully develop the concept they’re presenting.  Don’t get lazy and treat your Ancient Greek setting like it’s a themed party. Slapping on some descriptions of marble columns and renaming Cinderella to Penelope isn’t going to make your story stand out. You’ve gotta dig deep, maybe do some (gasp!) research even. Ask yourself how your new setting changes the motivations of your characters and the outcome of the plot.  

4. Consider the Minor Characters:

I told my Sleeping Beauty story from the prince's perspective, but you can think even more outside the box than that! Give a voice to someone who is usually glossed over. What are Hansel and Gretel's parents' motivations? Don't stop at people, examine animals and objects too! What does the spindle think about for a hundred years? Don’t be afraid to even invent a character!

5. Do NOT Keep the Plot the Same:

It doesn't matter if you set it on the moon, from the perspective of the glass slipper, and make Cinderella annoying rather than sweet, if you keep the basic plot the same (orphan girl abused by stepmother, girl defies odds to go to party, girl wins prince), it will be predictable and probably boring. Take risks! Surprise your reader!

6. Mesh Two Tales Together:

This is probably my favorite technique to use. Find parallels between two stories and weave them into something new. I've done King Midas/Rumpelstiltskin and Hamlet/The Little Mermaid. Don't ask me why, but I get such satisfaction from bringing two very different worlds into harmony with one another. It turns the story into a puzzle for the writer and I get a big kick out of that element.

You can even mesh pop culture and folklore. Wouldn't Ocean's 11 and 12 Dancing Princesses make a fantastic combo??? You bet they would!

*”Two Knights in One Day”, my Sleeping Beauty retelling and “M’Lady”, my Dracula-inspired Cinderella retelling

This post was updated from a post on Diamonds and Toads from 9/28/2011

Timeless Tales Arthurian Legend Submissions Opening Soon

From Tahlia, Editor at Timeless Tales Magazine...

Writers! Dust off your Monmouth, your Malory, and maybe even your Monty Python, because Timeless Tales will soon be accepting retellings of Arthurian Legends!

The submission window will run from March 27 - May 5. Please see our SUBMISSIONS page for full details.

Special Note: Since this theme encompasses many stories, if you submit a retelling that heavily references a specific tale (ie, "Gawain & the Green Knight"), please include the name of the tale in your cover letter. We have a solid familiarity with this genre, but it is vast. So do us a favor and don't assume we're Medieval scholars.  

Also, just for our blog readers, here's a list of hopes and fears I have for this issue:

Fear: Pieces written in Old English. Maybe this is a long shot, but I know how passionate some professors are about the original text of these stories. I'm already having flashbacks to the Chaucer unit in my Sophomore English Lit class with all the crazy spelling...and I'm not just talking "Ye Olde Taverne" like you see at the Renaissance festival. True old English is like another language! I really want to retellings that are accessible to a non-academic audience.

Hope: Smart humor that isn't a total ripoff of Monty Python. One of my favorite takes on Arthurian Legend is Gerald Morris' Squire's Tale series. It mercilessly mocks the irrational plots and outlandish characters of the original tales, but you can tell the author researched his butt off for these books. There's a genuine affection behind the jests, too. I'd love to read some short stories or poems like that.

Fear: Too many love triangles. So many filmmakers and playwrights have reduced Arthurian legend to the Lancelot/Guinevere affair. Simply changing the setting to the wild west or modern day won't save this trope from being overdone. There's more to King Arthur than a tragic romance. 

Hope: Fairy tale crossovers. I especially hope someone sends me a tasty 12 Dancing Princesses/Knights of the Round Table mashup, but this genre is ripe for other combinations. 

So what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Timeless Tales' Snow Queen Issue is Now LIVE!

From TT's Editor, Tahlia Merrill Kirk:

The long wait is finally over. Your patience has paid off and our new collection of short stories and poems has arrived at last.  

Perhaps the oddest thing about the original Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, is the name. Considering it's called, "The Snow Queen", our titular character has a surprisingly small role amongst the many adventures that occur to Gerda and Kay.  

In our latest issue, our writers ask plenty of questions about the Snow Queen herself. Andersen portrays her as the villain, but is there more to it? Could she be a victim, or even the heroine?  

But these retellings also explore the wide variety of other characters--from the Robber Girl, to the crows, to the strange imp who started the whole story. Some of these pieces are cold and wintery, like you'd expect, but others will take you back to summer vacation.  

Read them all HERE. 

 

 

 

            

A special note about our audio version: It isn't quite ready yet, but will be sent out later this week, so if you are a patron (or become one--hint hint--) you will be receiving the audio files a tiny bit late, but trust us, it's so worth the wait!

Timeless Tales Snow Queen Issue Delayed, But Coming Soon!

Snow Queen by Christian Birmingham

Hi, friends! Tahlia from Timeless Tales Magazine jumping in for a quick update on our Snow Queen issue. 

We were planning on having it released by the end of November, but got slowed down by...well, what can I say--reading so many stories about frost and ice leads to taking lots of breaks for hot cocoa. 

But in all seriousness, it's just been a rough Oct/Nov for this part-time editor. I've been working as hard as I can, but it's time to face the truth: We're looking at early or mid-December. All the stories are selected, but we're still working with our writers to put the final polish on them. Then they're off to our audio narrators and the designer who formats the stories for the page. 

Our fans picked this theme and they will not be disappointed. Believe it or not, Snow Queen isn't one of my favorite fairy tales (Shhhh, don't tell anyone!), but our writers' twists really heighten the color palette of the original. Plus, it's the perfect season for this theme. 

Alright, back to the trenches! Will let you know when we finally launch it. So excited to finally be in the home stretch.

'Warm' regards, ;)

Tahlia Merrill

Editor, Timeless Tales Magazine

Snow Queen by Christian Birmingham