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Home » #FFRODEO » Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales

Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales

A Flash Fiction contest by Norah Colvin
Co Judges: Anne Goodwin and Robbie Cheadle

Do you love fairy tales? Chances are, unless you are a parent or grandparent of young children or an early childhood educator as I am, you may not have encountered a fairy tale for a while. Well, I am about to change that by asking you to fracture a fairy tale for the fourth Carrot Ranch rodeo contest. [READ MORE…]

For insights and tips from the contest creator, read Norah’s Post, “Once Upon a Rodeo Time.” For word count, use Microsoft Word or wordcount.net. Be aware that punctuation and word-hyphens can change your word count so run it through one of those two counters.

Norah Colvin is an Australian educator, passionate about learning and early childhood education especially. She has many years’ experience in a variety of educational roles. She currently blogs about education and learning in general at NorahColvin.com and shares teaching ideas and resources more specific to early education and the first three years of school on her website readilearn.com.au.

Connect with Norah on social media

Twitter: @NorahColvin @readilearn
Facebook: Norah Colvin @readilearnteachingresources
Instagram: readilearnteachingresources

JUDGES (read full bios at SPONSORS)

Norah’s esteemed and talented judges are Anne Goodwin and Robbie Cheadle.

Anne Goodwin’s debut novel, Sugar and Snails, about a woman who has kept her past identity a secret for thirty years, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. Her second novel, Underneath, about a man who keeps a woman captive in his cellar, was published in May 2017. Anne is also a book blogger and author of over 80 published short stories. Her short story anthology, Becoming Someone, is due in November 2018. Catch up on her website or on Twitter @Annecdotist.

Robbie Cheadle has published five books so far in her Sir Chocolate series of picture books. Her books are unique with their wonderful fondant illustrations. She also recently co-wrote While the Bombs Fell with her mother Elsie Hancy Eaton, a memoir of her mother’s wartime experiences. Catch up with Robbie on her blogs Bake and Write and Robbie’s inspiration or connect with her on                                          Facebook @SirChocolateBooks and Twitter @bakeandwrite.

THE CONTEST

This contest exhibits a writer’s ability to entertain by taking a traditional story and adding a twist, a surprise, or a new point of view while maintaining its recognizability.

The prompt word is “food”. Why? Because food features in many traditional fairy tales; including:

  • Little Red Riding Hood — the basket of goodies for Grandma
  • Snow White — the poisoned apple
  • Hansel and Gretel — the breadcrumb trail and the witch’s edible house
  • The Gingerbread Man —I need tell you?
  • Stone Soup — ditto
  • The Three Billy Goats Gruff —greener pasture
  • The Three Bears —porridge for breakfast
  • Jack and the Beanstalk — “Fee Fi Fo Fum. I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”
  • The Little Red Hen —bread
  • The Three Little Pigs —the wolf’s dinner, of course!

You do not need to start with a story that already features food, but your story must feature food in some way.

Since Anne and Robbie, as judges, are ineligible to enter the contest, I invited them to write a fractured fairy tale for this post and was delighted when they accepted the challenge.

A single bite by Anne Goodwin

“Just a bite,” she croons. “One bite won’t hurt.”

Won’t it? Drenched in chocolate and sugar-icing, there’ll be five hundred calories a forkful, at least.

“Skin and bone, you are.” She cuffs my wrist between her little finger and thumb. “Don’t upset your brother. He spent hours crafting that cake.”

Where is the boy who preferred woods to kitchens? Where is the girl who ate without fear?

“Starving yourself won’t bring back your parents. Please, Gretel, eat!”

The gingerbread house looks lovely, but smells like a trap. “Let’s not cut it, Grandma. There’s a cake competition at the church.”

###

The Elvin Hill by Robbie Cheadle

Throughout the feast the Goblin King watched the Elf King’s daughters. He and his two sons were to choose a wife from among them.

A delicious meal was served. He noticed that one daughter did not partake of the food. She only ate fruit and drank water. When she danced with her sisters to entertain the visitors, tiny flowers sprang up where she stepped. He could see that her magic was white and not the usual black of elves.

He selected her, and a new generation of good elves resulted from their union. It changed the course of history.

###

So, the ingredients your story must include (otherwise known as rules):

  1. Your entry must be 99 words, no more, no less. You can have a title outside that limit.
  2. It must involve a recognizable fairy tale, character or setting. Note: the term ‘fairy tale’ is used loosely for any traditional tale. You are wisest to choose a story with which the judges will be familiar.
  3. Your story must feature food.
  4. Your story must entertain or surprise us with a twist or a new point of view. Humour is good, but so is dark. Go where the prompt leads.
  5. You have a week to write, so edit your manuscript to ensure it’s free of typos, spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors.
  6. Use the form provided below to enter (open this post if you are reading it in an email). If you do not receive a confirmation email, notify wordsforpeople@gmail.com.
  7. Entries must be received by October 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Contest winner, second and third place entries announced here December 7, 2018.
  8. You may post a “challenge” in the comments if you don’t want to enter the contest, but don’t use the form. Only contest entries will be published.
  9. Enjoy!

Thank you for entering! The contest is now closed. Winners announced December 7, 2018, at Carrot Ranch

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186 Comments

  1. D. Avery @shiftnshake says:
    October 24, 2018 at 2:06 am

    Fear and Loathing in Las Ranchos

    “Yer lookin’ queasy, Kid.”
    “Feelin’ a might Ken Kesey, Pal. Been on a long strange trip over the river and through the woods ta deliver corn ta ol’ Ornery. The river was high but the pack mule swum it an’ I hung onta his tail ta git across.”
    “A ferry tail.”
    “I spread the corn out on the rocks ta dry but it popped. Gathered it up and went on through the woods. Met a strange little man who had the munchies. Traded the popcorn for a bag of magic seeds. Ornery said he’d turn them seeds inta gold.”
    ***
    “Then what, Kid?”
    “Then I was headed back when I saw a Colorado River toad in the woods.”
    “Did ya kiss it?”
    “Ruther not say. Jist don’t believe ever’thin’ ya read, Pal, I’ll say that much. After that I was trippin’ along when I saw a wolf.”
    “What was it doin’?”
    “Smokin’.”
    “That’s a bad wolf!”
    “Not really Pal. This wolf had set up a smoker from some bricks she had and was smokin’ bacon over a fire made of sticks. Seems she had three little pigs ta cure.”
    “This is unbelievable, Kid.”
    “Least I got bacon after all.”

    Liked by 10 people

  2. Annecdotist says:
    October 24, 2018 at 2:25 am

    Looking forward to helping judge this with Norah and Robbie. Fascinating that both Robbie and I wrote about food.

    Liked by 4 people

  3. D. Avery @shiftnshake says:
    October 24, 2018 at 2:59 am

    Reblogged this on ShiftnShake and commented:
    Norah Colvin is leading an enchanting rodeo event at Carrot Ranch. Try your hand at a fractured fairy tale. No entry fees, a chance at winning and guaranteed fun.

    Liked by 4 people

  4. Ritu says:
    October 24, 2018 at 3:31 am

    All entered!!!

    Liked by 5 people

  5. calmkate says:
    October 24, 2018 at 3:51 am

    lol our judges set the bar high … hmm got to cook, I’m hungry!

    Liked by 3 people

  6. f 10.24 Ranch Dressing with Bacon! / CR Rodeo #4 Fractured Fairy Tale ad | Jules in Flashy Fiction says:
    October 24, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    […] #4 CR Rodeo Fractured Fairy Tales […]

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Jules says:
    October 24, 2018 at 3:58 pm

    Here’s my ad (title is the link to my blog) for Norah:

    Ranch Dressing with Bacon! CR Rodeo #4 Fractured Fairy Tale ad

    They’re doing it again at Carrot Ranch. This time Norah is
    leaving you carrot crumbs. (OK really just some simple rules
    to follow…) for the Rodeo feature of Fractured Fairy Tales.

    Let ‘em eat Gingerbread. Really any foodstuff bound by the
    loose restraints of a recognizable story in the named theme,
    in ninety nine little words.

    Serve us up some Stone Soup with some magic beans at the
    kitchen of Gingerbread House feeding all manner of Giants
    and knaves. Mix the bears up with the Billy goats or piggies.
    That might lead the lucky winner to some real bacon!

    ©JP/dh

    Liked by 7 people

  8. dgkaye says:
    October 24, 2018 at 8:11 pm

    Hmm, that’s quite a challenge. I’ll try my best. 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  9. D. Avery @shiftnshake says:
    October 24, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    Happily?

    He approached his princess warily despite her peace offering of fresh baked apple pie. He remained confused about their argument.
    He’d reminded her that he’d rescued her from a life of drudgery, keeping house for those dwarves. Then she’d exploded.

    “Those guys respected me! I wasn’t a kept woman, I earned my keep!”

    He knew she hadn’t been happy. But perhaps baking this pie for him fulfilled her needs.
    “What a lovely surprise. Where did you get the apples?” he inquired encouragingly, mouth full.

    “So glad you like the pie. I got the apples from my step mother.”

    “Oh.”

    Liked by 7 people

  10. Norah says:
    October 24, 2018 at 9:12 pm

    Reblogged this on Norah Colvin and commented:
    I’m excited. It’s now time for the fourth Carrot Ranch Rodeo Flash Fiction Contest, and it’s mine! Are you up for writing a fractured fairy tale? Head on over to the Ranch for contest details. I can’t wait to read your stories.

    Liked by 4 people

  11. robbiesinspiration says:
    October 25, 2018 at 12:18 am

    This is such a great idea, Norah. I was thinking of a book of fractured fairly tales a few months ago and then you came up with this. Amazing! I loved Anne’s take too. I have written a post for it here: https://bakeandwrite.co.za/flashfiction-my-piece-for-rodeo-3/. It includes my pieces for #3 and #4 (ours) and a link to this post.

    Liked by 4 people

  12. Annecdotist says:
    October 25, 2018 at 3:05 am

    As I’m not on WordPress, I can’t do a direct read blog, but have posted about it with this introduction:

    It’s rutting season out on the moors again. The first time I heard a bolving deer (no, that’s not a mistype), I thought it was a motorbike. On Sunday, it made me think of the troll who hides under the bridge to scare the billy goats gruff. Or maybe not, if it’s the poor misunderstood creature in Norah Colvin’s fractured fairy tale. Now she’s inviting you to write one too. But beware, you have only 99-words to play with and I’ll be helping Norah, along with children’s author Robbie Cheadle, to select the best.

    Can you write a fractured fairy tale? https://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/2018/10/can-you-write-a-fractured-fairy-tale.html

    Liked by 4 people

  13. Marje @ Kyrosmagica says:
    October 25, 2018 at 5:53 am

    I’ve just entered mine. there’s a typo in the title, sorry it should read: Goldilocks Hates Chocolate.

    Liked by 3 people

  14. Marje @ Kyrosmagica says:
    October 25, 2018 at 5:57 am

    Have re-sent it as I’ve spelt her name wrong!

    Liked by 3 people

  15. Jules says:
    October 25, 2018 at 11:50 am

    Norah,

    Methinks, you are going to be bombarded with entries 🙂

    Good luck everyone. I can’t wait to read all the entries.

    ~Jules

    Liked by 4 people

  16. Sherri Matthews says:
    October 25, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    Food…of course! What a great prompt, Norah, and you’ve educated me on the prevalence of food in fairy tales, I took it for granted and hadn’t realised! I am going to have to go away and have a good think about this one. Love Anne and Robbie’s flashes, great examples. You’ll get a fantastic response to this one, Norah…here goes! 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  17. Sherri Matthews says:
    October 25, 2018 at 1:14 pm

    Reblogged this on A View From My Summerhouse and commented:
    Halloween is almost here, so what better time to rustle up those fun treats and cook up a twisted fairy tale, or two? Hello again, dear friends, it’s week four at the Rodeo and time for Norah Colvin’s contest: Fractured Fairy Tales. Food, naturally, is the prompt. As before all details below, all entries are free with a $25 prize for the winner. The contest runs until 11:59pm EST October 31. So you’ve got plenty of time to don your aprons and mix a fine brew for Norah and her esteemed judges. Just watch out for the big bad wolf, especially if he’s called Fred.

    And a huge thank you, dear readers, for keeping the Summerhouse ticking over while I write up a storm on my memoir. I’ve got a date with an editor in just over two weeks…It’s really happening this time…yikes!

    See you back here next week with the last, but not the least of the Rodeo contests. Good luck all!

    Liked by 4 people

  18. reading journeys says:
    October 25, 2018 at 6:10 pm

    Hi Norah,
    My entry is in!

    Thank you, and thanks also to Anne and Robbie for the great examples.

    Also found the “How to fracture fairy tales” by Tara Lazar very useful for ideas on how to re-imagine the stories.

    And thanks to the writers who’ve posted their FF here– gave me food for thought, and I’m still grinning after reading the stories & comments!

    Looking forward to reading the entries!
    Saifun

    Liked by 2 people

  19. Liz H says:
    October 25, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    All righty, then. Have submitted my response & hope it fits! 🙂
    Happy writing, all—this opportunity has so many rich possibilities for fun and beauty.

    Liked by 3 people

  20. Jennie says:
    October 25, 2018 at 9:44 pm

    I’m so excited that you’re doing the judging, Norah. Congratulations!

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Jules says:
    October 26, 2018 at 7:05 am

    Writing just one fracture fairy tale is like trying to eat a single potato chip (crisp) – nearly impossible…

    Good luck to everyone. Cheers, Jules

    Liked by 2 people

  22. H.R.R. Gorman says:
    October 27, 2018 at 11:27 am

    I had a lot of fun with this one! After submitting, I realized that it’s better if the moral I wrote for it is clearly known, but I’d rather wait and see what happens!

    Liked by 2 people

  23. dgkaye says:
    October 27, 2018 at 2:18 pm

    I’m in! Just sent via the form! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Chelsea Owens says:
    October 27, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    May I submit more than one? For one thing, I just realized my entry didn’t actually mention food -at least, not something most humans consider edible.

    Liked by 2 people

  25. loristory says:
    October 28, 2018 at 6:25 pm

    Done and entered! I think we should publish a book of all the entries!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Norah says:
      October 30, 2018 at 7:58 am

      Thanks Lori. Received. 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Charli Mills says:
      October 31, 2018 at 11:52 pm

      Last year I thought the same thing, Lori, but we had higher word counts and more contests which led to an overwhelming number of words — far more than the average novel! This year we cut back and stuck to 99 words and I’ll post each collection on a page under the Rodeo tab. In the future, maybe we can publish Rodeo collections. The entries are fun to read!

      Liked by 2 people

  26. Chelsea Owens says:
    October 29, 2018 at 9:09 am

    Reblogged this on Chelsea Ann Owens and commented:
    One of the most fun contests I’ve entered! Write a 99-word Fractured Fairy Tale and submit it before Tuesday night.

    Liked by 2 people

  27. floatinggold says:
    October 29, 2018 at 11:50 am

    Just sent in an entry. Four for four. I’m proud of myself.
    I’ve been deprived of reading other people’s entries. Can’t wait.

    Liked by 3 people

  28. Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales | The Showers of Blessings says:
    October 30, 2018 at 2:43 am

    […] Carrot Ranch Rodeo #4 Fractured Fairy Tales […]

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Miriam Hurdle says:
    October 30, 2018 at 2:53 am

    I just submitted, Norah. I made a comment this afternoon and I don’t see it hear. Let me know if you got my submission. Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

  30. Miriam Hurdle says:
    October 30, 2018 at 2:57 am

    That’s strange, this one comment shows. I might have not hit the comment button earlier. I was saying Norah’s instruction was clear. I read your PDF file last week. Anne and Robbie have excellent examples of the fractured fairy tales! Thank you!

    Liked by 2 people

  31. Whatever Happened to The Three Li’l Pigs? | the moon is rising... says:
    October 30, 2018 at 6:04 am

    […] Inspired by the Carrot Ranch Literary Community – Fractured Fairy Tales […]

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Sherri Matthews says:
    October 31, 2018 at 7:12 am

    Hi Norah! I’m in…just by the hairs on my chinny, chin chin! 😀

    Liked by 2 people

  33. You know who you are: Becoming Someone | Norah Colvin says:
    November 21, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    […] challenges set by Charli Mills. Anne was also kind enough to support me in judging the recent fractured fairy tale contest held as part of the Carrot Ranch Flash  Fiction Rodeo. (Note: The results of that contest will be […]

    Like

  34. Rodeo #4: Fractured Fairy Tales Winners « Carrot Ranch Literary Community says:
    December 7, 2018 at 9:06 am

    […] Thank you, contestants. We judges, Anne Goodwin, Robbie Cheadle and I, had a wonderful time reading your stories and thank you for submitting them to the Fractured Fairy Tale Contest. […]

    Like

  35. CW: Not another fairy tale – One day at a time… says:
    December 13, 2018 at 10:47 am

    […] “In 99 words, no more, no less, fracture a fairy tale.” – a prompt for this week’s CW piece. [Source: @CarrotRanch] […]

    Like

  36. The Boy Who Cried Wolf – Cracked Fairy Tale – Let Me Tell You the Story of… says:
    December 27, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    […] was written for a Carrot Ranch prompt a long time ago, but I still like the story I made for it.  Hope you […]

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