As you all probably know (since I’ve been screaming about it endlessly now) Fairy Tale Central went live last week! And we’ve had such an abundance of enthusiasm. We are DELIGHTED at the overwhelming response we’ve received. It’s been the most amaaaazing week interacting with you guys and sharing our first posts. GAH. I’M SO EXCITED.

Each month over there we’re focusing on one specific fairy tale. If you’ve visited the site, then you know for our first month we chose Rumpelstiltskin. Yes, that story of a strange little man who can unexplainably spin straw into gold has been such an endless well of fun topics.

SO.

As part of the FTC fun, I wanted to explore the story a little bit more over here and use it to show you guys why writing fairy tale retellings provides a never-ending source of inspiration. And is just FUN.

Pretty much any time I read a fairy tale, I get this inexplicable urge to retell it. (I may die before I write all the retellings I want to…) Fairy tale worlds and stories utterly awaken my imagination with their magic and bizarre twists. But, also? They just BEG to be explained. Fairy tales can be a little, erm, skimpy on the logic department, let’s be real. But I like that. Because it makes me want to explore them with my own writing, like a writing prompt, or a snippet of a story urging you to finish it. Seriously, if you’re ever feeling dry on story ideas, go read some fairy tales. Even if you don’t want to retell that particular story, you still may find some creative story strands to thread into your own writing.

Today I’m going to use the story of Rumpelstiltskin as an example of the types of ideas you can get from fairy tales. It’s a great one to ask What if? with. (It’s got quiiite a few plot holes…) And hey, maybe some of these ideas will make you want to retell it. *grins*

(NOTE: If you haven’t read the story, you can read a version of it HERE if you want. Orrrr, just Saturday over on Fairy Tale Central, Arielle, Faith, and I took the story and did a super fun commentary on it. So if you want to read the story with a whole lotta snarky comments from a few fairy godmothers (*grins*) in between, you can find that HERE. We had way too much fun!)

For me, there’s 5 particular plot holes that have always bugged me. (There’s honestly even more, but these 5 stand out to me the most.) So let’s look at those and see just how much story inspiration you can get from a simple fairy tale. Dis gonne be fun!

THE PLOT HOLES OF RUMPETLSTILTSKIN
(And ideas to fix them)

1.) Rumpelstiltskin Can Spin Straw Into Gold

This is an awfully strange and specific talent to have. You don’t even use straw in a spinning wheel, that I’m aware of. The story would make more sense as a whole if it was spinning yarn into gold. But hey, who are we to question fairy tale logic? (Wait, that’s the whole point of this post.) How did the miller even come up with the fabrication that his daughter could do this? And, more importantly, why can Rumpelstiltskin actually do it? I mean…that was pretty convenient.

STORY IDEAS:

Rumpel is often known as a “little man”, but the story usually refers to him as a goblin-type character. And that makes  a lot more sense to me. Obviously he’s not a regular human being. He’s developed magic from somewhere. Besides, this is a fairy tale story, there’s got to be magic.

A couple of retellings I’ve read had him be from magical descent and was able to learn how to spin straw into gold via his magic abilities on the spot, it wasn’t just a random talent he happened to have. I like that possibility. Maybe he could turn anything into gold, and that was his magical ability. And while we’re asking questions, how did Rumpel even know about the miller’s daughter’s predicament in the first place? Maybe it’s a fairy godmother(father?) deal and he’s a magical being tasked (or cursed?) into helping her. Ah, the possibilities are endless!

I think that’s what makes this story so intriguing—Rumpelstiltskin himself. He’s such an enigmatic soul. Is he good? bad? somewhere in between? An actual man? A magical being? Ancient and wise? Young and mischievous? The story fodder here, guys!

2.) The Gold Necklace and Ring

The first night when Rumpel found the miller’s daughter, he asked her what she’d give him if he spun the straw into gold for her. She offered a gold necklace, and the next night a gold ring. Ummm??? He can SPIN STRAW INTO GOLD. He literally has the ability to have infinite gold. Why did he agree to do this task for what would be mere trinkets to him?

STORY IDEAS:

Here’s where the fun creative part comes in! Maybe, in order for his magic to work, he had to have an offering of something important (the necklace and ring were probably prized possessions for the miller’s daughter). Maybe he was tasked to help her (as we discussed above), but he’s grumpy about it and took her things as an act of rebellion. Maybe he had at first hoped to get something extremely valuable, but when he saw that’s all she had to her name, he took pity on her and decided to just go with it.

Or maybe he was simply a little imp and liked taking people’s stuff.

(NOTE: If you want to play around with this one yourself, Arielle has a writing prompt based on it on her writing blog HERE. At the beginning of each month she’ll post a prompt that matches FTC’s featured fairy tale. IT’S GONNA BE FUN. I just had to share! I’d looove to see what all you guys can come up with!)

3.) Rumpel Wants a Child

This is the one I think everyone questions, and has been questioning for years. Basically all the retellings I’ve ever read put a lot of focus into explaining this. And with good reason! I mean, who on earth bargains for a CHILD??? Especially a mischievous little goblin? It’s, erm, disconcerting. Buuut also fun to play with!

STORY IDEAS:

A couple of retellings I’ve come across explained that Rumpel merely wanted a child, and finally found a way of acquiring one. I like this explanation. It paints what we first perceive as a malicious, deranged little man into something softer, more human. Yes, bargaining for a woman’s child is still pretty deranged and messed up, but it at least gives some reasoning to his strange request. Or maybe it’s for a darker reason. He doesn’t want a child to raise as his own, but a child to raise as his minion. Or perhaps he’s cursed by an evil sorceress and the only way to be set free is to bring her a human sacrifice. (Whew! That got really dark. AHEM.) Maybe we should just go back to Rumpel wanting to be a daddy? Yeah…

4.) The Miller’s Daughter Never Gets Discovered

After the three nights of spinning straw into gold, the miller’s daughter has to marry the king (who imprisoned her and then threatened her life is she couldn’t make the gold, a real charmer…). Okay, fine. But, erm, does he never ask her to spin straw into gold ever again? I would think that’s the very reason he decided to marry her in the first place, greedy man that he is.

STORY IDEAS:

The tale describes her as “shrewd and clever” (though some of her actions say otherwise, but I digress), maybe she talked her way out of it. She could have told him all her magic ran out after using so much of it (and thus blaming him on a subtle way mwahahaha). Or perhaps she tells him the truth but he knows it’ll disgrace him as a king if he gets rid of her, so he just stays married to her to save face. Maybe since “she” made so much gold those three nights, he decides himself to just let it rest for a while until that gold has run out. (Unlikely. The greedy just get greedier after all, but you never know.) Maybe it’s an economy thing. If the kingdom has infinite gold, there would be no need for jobs, and then no need for anyone to keep the kingdom running, so he has to keep the gold usage down for a bit. Maybe the king really did fall in love with her, and she softened his heart and he lost his greedy ways. The king is a total jerk at the beginning of the story, but the miller’s daughter seems pretty happy after marrying him, so who knows. Perhaps he did turn his life around. This is a fairy tale after all. And what fairy tale would be complete without the couple living happily ever after?

5.) Rumpelstiltskin’s Name

This is the aspect of the story I especially like to think about. As we all know, when the queen started crying about Rumpel taking her baby, he took pity on her and said if she guessed his name in three days, the bargain was off. That’s a bit of a strange deal to make. I guess if we look at the story in a simple way, it sort of makes sense. Rumpel knew he had a crazy name, and knew there’d be no way this woman would ever guess it. But, probably to make himself feel less guilty (because there seemed to be some form of a heart in his impish chest), he gave her hope, while also knowing he’d still get the child. But HA! I’m a writer. Looking at stories in simple terms is not my style.

What really intrigues me is Rumpel’s violent reaction to his name being discovered. When the queen said his name, he stomped so hard his foot went straight through the floor. And in one version he literally rips himself IN HALF. Like…DUDE. Temper tantrum x100000. So the question is, was he angry he lost because he wanted a baby that bad? OR was it twofold—he lost and she discovered his name? So why would he be so angry over that?

WELL.

STORY IDEAS:

Names are powerful things. And this is a fairy tale world, after all, where sometimes something as simple as calling someone by name three times can summon them. Perhaps Rumpel was cursed and anyone who knew his name had control over him. I find it interesting that NO ONE in the kingdom knew his name. The queen sent out messengers all across the land to seek out names. Not a single one of them got wind of a man named Rumpelstiltskin? That makes me think all the more that he kept his name secret for a specific purpose. In the story, when she says his name, he cries out, “Some witch told you that!” Does that mean he is under the command of some evil witch, and thought the queen is now in cahoots with her? Maybe he’s just an outlaw in a faraway kingdom, and if he’s found out he’ll be put to death, so he panicked when the queen discovered who he was.

Or perhaps he’s merely a total impish drama queen and was angry he didn’t get his way. You just never know.

If you can’t tell, sometimes I waaaay overthink fairy tales. But that’s the fun in them! As writers, it’s our job to ask what if, and fairy tales are an endless source of what ifs. Even if you’re not a fantasy writer, there’s still so much story fodder from fairy tales. You can take the plot threads and twist them into historical events. Or do like Marissa Meyer and turn them into a sci-fi series like she did with her Lunar Chronicles. And you don’t even have to retell a story. There are so many fun aspects within each fairy tale. (I’ve literally started making a list of fun fairy tale aspects that I want to use in future stories. Like a person cursed as a tree, a kiss that makes you forget your true love, and magical birds. There are sooo many magical birds in fairy tales.)

All the ideas I mentioned here don’t necessarily have to be used in a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. You can take them and twist them into an original work. Like creating a mysterious, magical character similar to Rumpel, or someone who bargains for a baby for some complex reason, or a person who does have powers to turn things into gold. There are just so many ideas within fairy tales!  If you’re ever feeling creatively dry, try taking a fairy tale (or three) and brain dump “what ifs” like I just did with Rumpelstiltskin. You never know what fun you’ll come up with. (Half of these ideas didn’t even come until I was writing this post. #truestory) It’s a great creative exercise, and a wonderful way to find interesting, imaginative story ideas.

Annnd if you want more Rumpelstiltskin story ideas, don’t forget to check out the commentary on FTC. Arielle, Faith, and I asked what if a lot throughout it. XD

Never stop asking “what if?” That’s the key to great storytelling.

LET’S TALK!

Am I the only one who gets utterly inspired with like a bazillion story ideas while reading fairy tales (‘cause I feel like I’m not)??? Have you thought about all the hilarious plot holes in Rumpelstiltskin? What are some fun ways you can explain them away? I’d love to hear them!

And don’t forget about the writing prompt Arielle is doing on her blog! You can find the prompt there, write a scene based off it on your own blog, and then link back to it in the comments of her post so we can all see it!