Over the next couple of monthly entries, I am going to assemble a story for you. Yes, just for you, faithful readers.

For my Fairy Tale of the Month in June, I presented The Fish Knights and thought I could develop that into a longer, more reflective piece. I have never rewritten a fairy tale before, but I want to explore the notion.

I also want to explore the notion of using ChatGPT as a writing tool and aid. (Did I just hear a gasp of dismay?) Please notice, I said “tool” and “aid.”

But first, why rewrite a perfectly good fairy tale? I don’t intend to change the tale; rather, I intend to probe the story. What about the relationship between the twins? Are they ordinary boys? Have they been assigned a destiny?

Fairy tales are, by some, considered to be a subcategory of folktales. The distinction between the two is that fairy tales have the element of magic. It hurts me to say “sub-category.” In my mind, fairy tales are equal to folktales and perhaps the origins of myth.

Yes, there is an argument among folklorists about whether fairy tales come out of myths or if myths come out of fairy tales. I suggest the answer is “yes.”

Literary fairy tales are, of course, fairy tales written down by a known author with an eye on the literate reader, one used to literary conventions. His name is Hans Christian Andersen.

Ok, maybe that is not fair, but he does exemplify the literary treatment of fairy tales.

Traditional fairy tales have their own unique structure.

•             Few characters have names. Typically, they are identified by their position: king, queen, youngest son, or old soldier.

•             Descriptions are sparse. We are told little of how things look.

•             Tales are in the third-person objective. We never get inside the characters’ heads.

•             Tales are not dialogue-driven. Dialog is used to highlight parts of the story.

•             There is more telling than showing. Showing is a wordier process than telling. Telling is succinct, as are the tales.

Outside of the fairy tale genré, the above is considered bad writing.

Moving beyond structure:

•             There is a propensity for the number three. For example, in The Goose Girl, we see three drops of blood. Later on in the story, there are three streams to cross and three passages through the dark gateway.

•             Royalty has magical powers. This is always assumed, perhaps a reflection of the times.

•             Animals can talk, and not simply animals talk to animals, but also animals talk to humans.

•             Evil must be punished and good rewarded. Typically, evil is destroyed in rather graphic terms.

•             The story usually ends happily. You can have a fairy tale without fairies, but happy endings are the rule. However, there are cautionary tales that do not end so happily.

The Fish Knights embraces almost all of the points made above and, I think, a good subject for my attempt to “translate” a fairy tale into a short story.

Next month, I will evoke the demon AI and see if I can get it to do my bidding.