Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite story themes in the world. There are so many variations and all of them always get me. I was thinking about retelling the classic but is it too played out? I was thinking about the greek tale of Cupid and Psyche. Do you think I could write their tale without it being too cliched and boring? Do you guys have any ideas or tips to how to avoid it feeling old?

Characters!

If you make the characters fresh and original (and well thought-out) then the chances of your story becoming cliche are lessened dramatically.

That's about my only tip when it comes to cliches. Cliches are cliches because they work. Just make the story believable (all the logic put in place as to why Beauty would be with the Beast, why she falls in love with him, ect) and the characters real, fleshed-out and generally wonderful, and you'll have probably gotten rid of the old and tired feel.

Wow, Talulah, this is actually an idea I’ve attempted to write before so I’ll just let you know how I attempted it, mostly because it wasn’t my idea that failed but my inner procrastinator killed it instead.

You see, I set it up in modern times. I mean, if you tell it in the original setting, it just wouldn’t be as original I didn’t think. Psyche, in the original, was really nothing more than a very curious pretty girl, so I gave her a darker side. And she wasn’t really so much beautiful as plain and average, but with a charmingly dark inside. And Cupid was less of a cupid and more of a villain looking for someone who he could manipulate into loving him and aiding him in destroying others love. Yet I kept the original stories time line very similar.

So I mean, there are plenty of ways to see it told. Just be careful that it doesn’t turn into too much of a harlequin story. Take the original, and twist it.

I mean, if you wanted to, set it in a Victorian setting, or in a small, pagan village in Tudor England. There is actually a lot you can do with this story. I for one think this is a lovely idea.

Good luck!