The Untold Stories of Classic Fairy Tales: A Writing Journey
The Untold Stories of Classic Fairy Tales
The inspiration for my two books, Snow White: A Fable of Modern Tales and Hansel and Gretel: The Lost Children of the Steppe, came from my fascination with history and the untold stories lurking beneath the surface of classic fairy tales.
In Snow White: A Fable of Modern Tales, I wanted Snow White not just to run from the queen, but to confront her like a resistance fighter, which I took from multiple books on World War II resistance groups.
I always wanted to give Disney princesses more of a voice, so it was just the right moment for Snow White.
With Hansel and Gretel, as the oldest of six children, I was interested in exploring the theme of sibling loyalty in the face of famine.
The original Hansel and Gretel referenced a German famine, during which kids were really left in the forest because their parents had no food to give them.
So, I took the same story but set it in Kazakhstan, where up to 40% of the Kazakh population was wiped out of our world due to a man-made famine. We still haven’t recovered those population numbers.
My writing process was quite immersive and intense. It took me a year to write both books. The most enjoyable part was also the most difficult: getting stuck after writing furiously and running out of ideas.
At those moments, all I could do was take a break and stand up.
Even though there were many difficult moments, those set me up for the most enjoyable part, which was the magic of finding unexpected connections and character moments that really illuminated each character’s personality.
I tried to make my characters as real as possible by giving them bits of flavor and showing their moral ambiguity. I’m proud of the emotional authenticity I tried to infuse them with.
Over the summer, I also taught a course on storytelling based on my experience writing these books. I was, of course, nervous. Sharing a creative process is more intimate than sharing a finished product, but I enjoyed it.
We discussed different types of themes, I helped them write their initial drafts and gave them suggestions for showing different emotions, personalities, and dialogues.
The most memorable part was the end of the workshop, when all the students read their stories.
It was quite heartwarming to help students who might become bestselling authors someday with their first steps on their writing journeys.
All proceeds from the books go to Korgau Crisis Center.
While researching an article on domestic abuse, I had the opportunity to interview members of the organisation, who spoke about the challenges they face due to a lack of funding.
Their work provides vital support to women and children affected by domestic abuse, making every contribution incredibly meaningful.
Alima (SFC2)
- For Fearless
- Futures
- Thinking
- Innovation
- Enterprise
- Creativity
- Women
- Questions
- Ideas
- Friendships
- Minds
- Learning