i’ve narrowed it down to 4 fairy tales to rewrite for NANOWRIMO.
1) rapunzel. long-haired maiden is stuck in a tower until prince rescues her.
2) rumplestiltskin. little elf dude helps out damsel in distress in return for her first-born unless she guesses his name by the prescribed time.
3) 12 dancing princesses. i really like this one. a stranger is boarded at a king’s palace and solves the mystery of why the princess’ shoes are worn through each morning. go read a short version.
4) donkeyskin (rewritten by R.M. as deerskin). the original fairy tale is a lot different from what robin mckinley wrote, so it has a lot of leeway. a princess tries to get out of an arranged marriage and ends of disguising herself as a hag, and falling for the prince of the far-off land she escaped to.read.
of course, rewritten, i may have to get rid of the whole “damsel in distress” issue in whichever i choose, but that’s to be expected!
so, vote!