Reshaping & Retelling
with Lish McBride
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult/Children's Lit, Novel, Short Story
Online
Open to all levels
6 Sessions
“I love dissecting and rebuilding fairytales and myths to bring out new or different things to say to the reader…I also love the aspect of play that this involves, and I think sometimes writers forget that the act of creation is first and foremost play." – Lish McBride, Hugo House instructor & author of Curses (Beauty & the Beast retelling)
Lover of fables, myths, fairy tales, or classic books? Using our favorite stories as containers for our writing, we’ll deconstruct classic tales—looking at character, plot, point of view, setting, genre, themes, and more—reimagine their elements, and weave them into fresh, fun retellings of our own. Through craft discussion and generative writing exercises, students will leave with several story starts and a toolkit to take their project from idea to finished product.
This class includes:
- Craft Discussion: teachers and students explore essential elements of the craft.
- Generative Writing: students create new work during class or from assignments.
Some famous stories you may (or may not) know were retellings:
- 10 Things I Hate About You (film; retelling of Taming of the Shrew)
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (film; retelling of Pinocchio)
- Black Swan (film; retelling of Swan Lake)
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (novel; retelling of Beauty & The Beast)
- Dragon Ball Z (manga/anime; retelling of Journey to the West)
- The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White (novel; retelling of Arthurian Legends)
- Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong (novel; retelling of Antony and Cleopatra)
- How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann (novel; retelling of Bluebeard, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel & Gretel)
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn (novel; retelling of Arthurian Legends)
- The Matrix (film; retelling of Alice in Wonderland)
- Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (novel; retelling of Pride & Prejudice)
- Pretty Woman (film; retelling of Cinderella)
- Pride by Ibi Zoboi (novel; retelling of Pride & Prejudice)
- Suspiria (film; retelling of Bluebeard, Pinocchio, and Alice in Wonderland)
- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (novel; retelling of Romeo and Juliet)
- The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (novel; retelling of One Thousand and One Nights)
Students say…
“Lish knows her shit and had lots of examples and references at hand. I also appreciated how much she checked in with us to make sure our needs were being met and what lecture subjects would better support us. She went above and beyond in several ways.”
“Lish is an incredible instructor. She's really great about bringing writers in, creating a safe community, and helping writers to explore in and out of their comfort zone. I haven't always felt that way in workshops, so I really appreciated having this in this class. Lectures were helpful, and I really appreciated Lish's insight into publishing.”
Registration Dates:
- June 25: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- July 2: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT
- July 9: Last day of early bird registration
Lish McBride
Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy young adult books such as Hold Me Closer, Necromancer; Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; Pyromantic; and the upcoming Curses. She has a BFA in creative writing from Seattle University and an MFA from the University of New Orleans.
FAQ
Complete FAQEach class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any).
Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.
Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers.
Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft.
Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.
Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at.
Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.
Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.
Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.
All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.
You’ll get your class information, including Zoom link if applicable, three days before the first day of class.
Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program, operated in partnership with the Seattle Public Library. Two take place onsite at SPL locations, one takes place online.
Sliding-scale classes are offered every quarter. Find them in our Class Catalog.
We announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page.
At this time, we offer payment plans on classes 8 sessions and up. Email education@hugohouse.org with the name of the class you’re interested in to set up a payment plan.
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We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
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Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
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We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
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If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
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If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.
Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!
During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!
While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.
Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.
You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.
Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!
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