Once Upon A Time: the Dark Fairy Tales Challenge

[StillStunned]

I read this story last night and was amazed! I won't throw any spoilers out there, but you hit the fairy tale concept dead center.

Thank you for saying so!

I realized as I was reading it that I didn't get the concept at all for my submission for this challenge.

I think there are any number of styles that could work for fairy tales. Your story is on my TBR list still, but I think Erotic Horror can be a good fit. I've read plenty of tales that really ramped up the horror - Prince Ivan and the Witch Baby has left a permanent scar, for instance.

The two fairy tales I've published for the challenge so far have been in the old-fashioned style of the fairy tales I grew up reading, but I have other WIPs where I'd be hard pressed to explain what makes them fairy tales rather than more generic fantasy.

 

[crookedletter]

Mine's gotten away from me a bit. It was kinda writing itself, then it just kept going, and not where I planned. I need to see if I can wrangle it into submission in the coming days/weeks. Either way, it's been a fun exercise.

I'd like to read some of these other stories, but I feel like I need to get a handle on what I'm doing first or I'll just further confuse things.

 

[dirk2024]

Thank you for saying so!

I think there are any number of styles that could work for fairy tales. Your story is on my TBR list still, but I think Erotic Horror can be a good fit. I've read plenty of tales that really ramped up the horror - Prince Ivan and the Witch Baby has left a permanent scar, for instance.

The two fairy tales I've published for the challenge so far have been in the old-fashioned style of the fairy tales I grew up reading, but I have other WIPs where I'd be hard pressed to explain what makes them fairy tales rather than more generic fantasy.

Thanks. I feel like I did serve Erotic Horror genre well as the story has scored favorably so far. But dang, the dialog in your story is *chef's kiss*.

I commented on the story, but I see it hasn't posted yet.

 

[StillStunned]

I look forward to seeing it! And yes, the dialogue was the best part of writing the story. The hag's, but the owl's as well.

Hoo!

 

[kytaliana]

Wooh! Submitted my first story on Literotica. That was exciting. Now just to wait for it to go up, I suppose. Or be told that I made an error in formatting.

So far I've enjoyed reading the other stories for the challenge!

 

[dirk2024]

Wooh! Submitted my first story on Literotica. That was exciting. Now just to wait for it to go up, I suppose. Or be told that I made an error in formatting.

So far I've enjoyed reading the other stories for the challenge!

Congratulations! It's exciting isn't it?

 

[kytaliana]

Congratulations! It's exciting isn't it?

It is! I've never written erotica before. Usually I write romance, so I think this kind of skewed more dark erotic romance than actual erotica. But whatever. I've had a good time writing it, and I never would have come up with the idea if it weren't for this challenge.

 

[dirk2024]

It is! I've never written erotica before. Usually I write romance, so I think this kind of skewed more dark erotic romance than actual erotica. But whatever. I've had a good time writing it, and I never would have come up with the idea if it weren't for this challenge.

We do have a Romance category here, and some of the stories include erotica.

 

[GaryDickins]

My first draft is about halfway done, and I'm having a question about the voice. Not the POV or the narrator perspective, but the voice. Modern voice or period voice?

This is a fairy tale, and fairy tales are old. Some collections are like Chaucer old. Others are like 17th Century old. And so they sound like translations from Middle English or the English of Shakespeare's day. So I'm wondering--should the characters in a fairy tale sound like they are talking to each other (and having inner monologues) in period dialogue, or should everything sound like the characters would if they were having a conversation today, even if they are in a medieval village setting?

Part of me thinks the challenge of trying to write the erotic scenes with more flowery prose would be particularly appealing; part of me worries about slipping anachronistic modernisms into the story by trying too hard to keep it in a period voice. What say ye?

 

[BryanRichardson]

What say ye?

Two versions of the same story, one with modern language, one with period.

If you are up for it…

 

[GaryDickins]

Two versions of the same story, one with modern language, one with period.

If you are up for it…

That might be the best solution. I think the easiest thing will be to write it all in "modern" voice for the contest, and then mayhap respin the tale with voice and tone cast back unto the days of yore.

I hadn't thought of the solution of getting two versions of the same story out of this contest. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[kytaliana]

My first draft is about halfway done, and I'm having a question about the voice. Not the POV or the narrator perspective, but the voice. Modern voice or period voice?

This is a fairy tale, and fairy tales are old. Some collections are like Chaucer old. Others are like 17th Century old. And so they sound like translations from Middle English or the English of Shakespeare's day. So I'm wondering--should the characters in a fairy tale sound like they are talking to each other (and having inner monologues) in period dialogue, or should everything sound like the characters would if they were having a conversation today, even if they are in a medieval village setting?

Part of me thinks the challenge of trying to write the erotic scenes with more flowery prose would be particularly appealing; part of me worries about slipping anachronistic modernisms into the story by trying too hard to keep it in a period voice. What say ye?

Generally you want the voice of the story to fit the setting. So, to me, it's less about matching any particular fairy tale style (since, as you said, they vary widely) and more about determining what your story needs in order to accomplish whatever your goal is for the piece.

Since you're writing for a modern audience, it's not ideal to write with English that was spoken in Elizabeth England. That would narrow your readability. So you want to strike a balance. Usually I identify some real-world historical comparison and keep an eye on anachronisms. My fairy tale for the event is loosely based on Renaissance France. So they wear stays, use terminology that would have been accurate for the time period, and they don't use modern slang. But the dialogue itself is accessible to a modern reader.

You might have to play around a bit to find the right vibe for your piece. It depends a lot on the type of fairy tale, too. I went with a lush prose that leans into the dark Gothic sort of vibe. But that wouldn't be the right choice if I'd written about a witch in the woods that easts children or something.

 

[kytaliana]

Two versions of the same story, one with modern language, one with period.

If you are up for it…

Maximum chaos.

 

[StillStunned]

My first draft is about halfway done, and I'm having a question about the voice. Not the POV or the narrator perspective, but the voice. Modern voice or period voice?

This is a fairy tale, and fairy tales are old. Some collections are like Chaucer old. Others are like 17th Century old. And so they sound like translations from Middle English or the English of Shakespeare's day. So I'm wondering--should the characters in a fairy tale sound like they are talking to each other (and having inner monologues) in period dialogue, or should everything sound like the characters would if they were having a conversation today, even if they are in a medieval village setting?

Part of me thinks the challenge of trying to write the erotic scenes with more flowery prose would be particularly appealing; part of me worries about slipping anachronistic modernisms into the story by trying too hard to keep it in a period voice. What say ye?

I think 14th or 17th century diction might turn off readers, but I understand what you mean.

For Hag-Ridden, I adopted the tone of the fairy tale books that I grew up reading. So dialogue in this style

"See now, Brother," declared Harplun, pulling at his reins to halt his horse. "The sun sets, and we are a long way from home. I fear it will be dark before we return, and empty-handed to disappoint Cook."

I carried this tone through the entire story (except for the Hag). It helps to reinforce the idea that it's a fairy tale and not more general fantasy.

 

[caleb35]

Well, I've just submitted my latest story, "with iron teeth," to the Non-Erotic category for the Dark Fairy Tales 2025 challenge. Hopefully it'll be approved soon and posted, and then we can see what people think of it.

 

[StillStunned]

Well, I've just submitted my latest story, "with iron teeth," to the Non-Erotic category for the Dark Fairy Tales 2025 challenge. Hopefully it'll be approved soon and posted, and then we can see what people think of it.

Iron teeth immediately put me in mind of the tale of Prince Ivan and the Witch Baby, which gave me nightmares when I was a kid.