How to write a fairy tale

You need a character your audience can relate with. It can be human being, animal, plant or object. It really doesn't matter, but in practice humans and animals were best for the main role.

If you want a tea pot to play main character in your fairy tale, be my guest. Hans Christian Andersen and Oscar Wilde wrote several pretty good ones with starring objects but even in their best works main characters are humans or animals.

The most important thing is set of characteristics. Your hero must have some characteristics the reader of fairy tale can relate to. Is he funny? Smart? Brave? Nice? Good-looking? And even more important: what are his shortcomings? Is he too small? Too weak? Too shy? Too lazy?

Good example is main character in Valiant little tailor. Every child can totally relate with him, because every kid has to deal with mean spirited giants (adults who simply have too much power) on daily basis.

We can debate about equal rights, living in 21st century and so on, but let's face it: lady in trouble always sounds great as synopsis for a story.

Most famous (or may I say popular or even profitable) fairy tales of all times use that idea. Kids of both genders can easily sympathize with girl in some sort of trouble, because...

Well, kids are in all sorts of troubles most of the time too.

O.k., we have a hero or heroine, but we certainly need something else!

What is a setting? Well, think about place and time of your fairy tale. Does it start once upon a time when young girl must leave her home because of poverty, or is it a modern story about divorced parents who fight for their only kid?

What is the range of your fairy tale? Will everything happen in couple of minutes, or will it last for decades?

How important will your setting be? Will determine heroes actions or will just add some touch of credibility?

Don't forget the possible symbolic meaning of setting! Fairy tales are stories about growing up. So in most cases you should start a story with a kid or youngster in front of great challenge. Challenge should be bigger than him, it should be so big, the reader could feel the possibility of being lost in situation.

And what is better place to be lost in than dark dark woods?

Don't be too easy on your hero or the audience. Especially don't be too easy on yourself!

We all know how fairy tale should end. But if you want to write great story add something special, some surprise, maybe humor, unexpected twist, just something to remember.

Note: harder the battle, more glorious the win!