Finding the Right Container: How a 10-Year Research Rabbit Hole Finally Took Flight by Todd Burleson

Every historical fiction writer knows the danger of the research rabbit hole. You go into the archives looking for a simple background detail to flesh out a scene, and you stumble across a footnote so staggering it derails your entire project.

For me, that footnote was a date: April 26, 1944.

I was working as an elementary school librarian, researching the Wright brothers, when I learned that on this day, Orville Wright stepped onto the tarmac at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio, to take his final flight. He climbed aboard a Lockheed Constellation, a sleek, futuristic aircraft whose 123-foot wingspan was actually longer than the entire distance of his historic first flight at Kitty Hawk forty years earlier. During the 50-minute flight, Orville even took the controls, later joking, "I guess I ran the whole plane for a minute, but I let the machine take care of itself. I always said airplanes would fly themselves if you left them alone".

As a writer, my brain lit up. The poetic contrast between that fragile 1903 flyer and the massive 1944 wartime transport was irresistible. I was determined to tell this story.

My research journey hit a gold mine when I connected with George Hatcher Jr., the son of Colonel George Hatcher, the pilot who flew Orville that day. George Jr. generously shared his father's firsthand accounts, including articles, personal reflections, and even audio recordings from a local radio station. Having those primary sources, hearing the actual voices and reading the immediate reflections of the people in the cockpit, infused the history with an authenticity I could never have invented.

Armed with this incredible research, I sat down and wrote the story. Because of my background in the school library, I envisioned it as a 1,000-word picture book. I polished it, sent it out on submission, and waited.

It was rejected across the board.

For years, the manuscript sat dormant. I couldn't understand why a story with such incredible, primary-source-backed history wasn't landing.

It took a conversation with a brilliant publishing innovator to help me realize my mistake: the history was solid, but I had put it in the wrong container. That single historical moment was too heavy, too complex to be confined to a 1,000-word picture book. It didn't want to be the entire story; it wanted to be the symbolic anchor for something much larger.

I took the story down to the studs and rebuilt it a dozen times, but it now lives as a middle-grade historical fiction novel, The Secret War.

In the expanded canvas of a novel, Orville’s brief appearance on the tarmac took on a much deeper meaning. To my 12-year-old protagonists, the Lockheed Constellation represents the thrilling dawn of modern aviation, but it also casts the dark shadow of wartime progress. By 1944, the pure dream of flight born in a bicycle shop had evolved into terrifying machinery, while their own hometown of Dayton was secretly processing radioactive "spark plugs" for the atomic bomb. The history finally had room to breathe, perfectly encapsulated by a realization in the book: "The plane was the dream. The cloud was the cost".

It took me more than ten years to realize that a rejected manuscript doesn't always mean a bad idea. Sometimes, our meticulous historical research just needs a bigger canvas.

To my fellow writers: do you have a "failed" prototype or a rejected manuscript sitting in a drawer? If you look at the research you gathered for it, is it possible the story isn't dead, but just waiting for you to build a different container?

---

The Secret War officially launches on April 1st. To learn more about the book, download the free Educator's Guide, or explore more of the history behind the story, please visit my website at toddburlesonwonders.com.

Changing Your Creative Routine and THE ARTIST'S WAY by Kathy Halsey

 

Changing Your Routine and The Artist's Way

We are blowing through March in a hurry.  My wintering season is waning, a season where I intentionally slowed down to nurture myself and in my 13th yearsof writing, changed up my routine. Maybe you feel you need something new to light you up also.

 It began with the decision to take the seminal writing book The Artist Way and really commit to the craft of it and the 12-week course. I am now on week 9. I have finished 60+ Morning Pages (3 notebook pages written long-hand, every morning.) You may have picked up this book or done morning pages, even taken an artistic date. or two. But the power of it is the consistency of devoting time to yourself to spill what's in your reptilian brain and retrain yourself to put your creativity and yourself above all else.

 Here's what I know I must do for this practice, your way of using the book may be different.

1. There is no wrong way to do it, except not to do it. Knowing there are no mistakes is freeing. I cross things out, use stream-of-conscious style, review my previous day, and my gleanings on what was helpful. I mope, give myself room to dream, and hold a mirror up to observing myself as a creative person.

2. The silly things and odd exercises the book asks you to do daily DO matter. These include writing, an affirmation each day, reading/reciting the BASIC PRINCIPLES every morning, (I don't do them again at night, but it's suggested.), create a "safety circle graphic" showing your creative boundaries. Inside your circle you write what you need to protect and name people who support you. Outside the circle boundary name things and people you must be self-protective around. (I find these change--some people go on the edges of the boundary.)  Make up your own mantra and affirmations. 

3. Keep your artistic date with yourself every week, even if it is small. I began my Artist Dates in a big way, signing up for a 2-hour watercolor class at The Franklin Park Conservatory. It was easy as all the materials were given to us. The instructor gave us notes and lists for supplies afterwards. She circulated among the students to demonstrate techniques, too.

Other dates have included repotting my Christmas cactus along with buying it a proper mister, going on a rock walk, using cartoon panels to frame my # #haikusaturday posts, going to a "sketch-in" at the Columbus Art Museum, buying watercolor pens, redecorating my office with my own art and hanging a painting I never mounted. 

4. Don't share your Morning Pages, but further in Week 9, you will begin reading your pages to highlight new insights and actions needed. I found recurring issues over time, procrastination, and fear of not knowing how to do something "right". I noticed giving myself advice and a way to counteract a block. I became more protective of my own time. I listened to my heart and gut first. I feel more confident, calmer and more accepting of who I am. 

5. Trust the process for reclaiming your artistic self. Yes, you will find more abundance in your life, more time, more gifts that seem to drop in your lap. At first, I didn't believe this. But the more I open myself up, the more opportunity I find magically appears in my life. This is synchronicity, the Creator, God, the universe opening. By now I have learned that, "As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle, but powerful changes are to be expected." - Julia Cameron

Borrow From Nonfiction to Enhance your Fiction

 by Sue Heavenrich

If you’re a nonfiction writer, then you’ve read plenty of articles suggesting that you use fiction techniques to spiff up your writing. But have you ever heard anyone suggest that fiction writers borrow from nonfiction to enrich their novels?

Picture book authors do this frequently, especially when their story includes elements that connect with curriculum topics like nature, gardening, science, space exploration. But for novels – excepting historical fiction – I haven’t heard many folks saying, "hey, try this approach used in nonfiction."

There are a few cases where I have seen novelists and picture book writers use nonfiction techniques to great effect. Most of them include…

Notes

Sure, lots of novels have author’s notes, but the ones I fall in love with tend to read like back matter in children’s nonfiction books. Take The Inquisitor’s Tale, by Adam Gidwitz. He begins, “My interest in the Middle Ages is entirely my wife’s fault…” and then goes on for 14 pages dissecting what is true in his novel and how much is made up. He also talks about the Bayeux Tapestry which, he says, isn’t a tapestry at all but rather, an embroidery of a 230-foot long graphic novel (or the Middle Ages equivalent thereof).

In his author’s notes for Heroes, Alan Gratz tells more about Pearl Harbor, where he got his inspiration, and explains a few things in the book that are outside of the historical timeline. He also talks about Asian Americans in comics and the legacy of Pearl Harbor.

In her notes to Boy Bites Bug, Rebecca Petruck provides a guide to eating bugs and includes a couple recipes. Author notes and recipes aren’t so unusual, so I really love it when fiction authors …

Map Out the World

Fantasy and fiction authors put a great deal of energy and imagination into world building. So I love it when they include a map on the end pages or first pages of their books. Whether it’s Avalon or Redwall, or the map drawn by The Last Mapmaker, seeing their world on paper makes it more real. Visual maps allow us to orient in space: which direction are the mountains? Where be there dragons?

Historical fiction feels richer when accompanied by a map. Alan Gratz includes a map of Pearl Harbor in Heroes, and Laurie Halse Anderson includes a great map of Boston in her novel, Rebellion 1776. Maps are a lot like illustrations, so they feel like a natural part of any story. That’s why I appreciate it when they include a…

Bibliography

This is where we find the gold – the truth behind the fiction. Gidwitz includes nine pages of annotated bibliography. Laurie Halse Anderson includes detailed “Notes on Sources” at the end of her book and Carol Baldwin – who I interviewed back in August – includes both endnotes and resources (a selected bibliography) in her historical fiction, Half-Truths. While I love end notes and chapter notes, I fall head over heels when I see a piece of fiction incorporating…

Footnotes, Appendices, and More

There is something about a footnote that just imbues a piece of writing with authority.  Even if – no, especially if – it is a work of fantasy. Take Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand. 

This is a tale of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion. Stroud wastes no time, introducing footnotes as a feature beginning on the second page of the story. Most of them are asides – comments by the narrator such as when talking about architecture and noting that those folks in Pisa clearly hadn’t paid attention to his engineering expertise when they built that tower.

My favorite use of footnotes is in Cindy Derby’s picture book, How to Walk an Ant. On one page she warns not to stab an ant, and in the footnote refers the reader to “How to Conduct a Funeral” in appendix 1. Swoon! Not only does she have footnotes, but she includes an appendix and a glossary! 

Baldwin doesn’t have any footnotes, but she does include photos and a family tree at the end of her book. Other authors, both fantasy and historical fiction, have included pronunciation guides and timelines. 

Next time you create a story, what will you borrow from the nonfiction writing toolbox?

Interview of Honee Jang, Illustrator of THE PRINCESS & THE GRAIN OF RICE by Tina Cho

I want to welcome my fabulous illustrator to the Grog Blog, Honee Jang! I'm blown away by all the research and places she traveled to for illustrating our picture book, THE PRINCESS & THE GRAIN OF RICE.

Honee Jang

1. Tell us a little about yourself. (and how to pronounce your name for readers)

Hello! It's a delight to share my story with you. My name is Honee Jang, pronounced "Han-ee", with Han as in the "Han Dynasty" and E like the letter. I'm a Korean American illustrator and a book designer.

I started out as a picture book designer at HarperCollins in New York. After moving to London in 2020, I expanded my practice to illustration as well. Through bookmaking, I wish to be true to the message of each story and to create work that feels genuine, thoughtful, and sincere.

2. What or who inspired you to become an illustrator? What steps did you take for your career?

Shaun Tan's The Red Tree was my first true introduction to the world of illustration. I devoured picture books as a child, but his work was the first to make me realize that "illustrator" could be a profession. When I first moved from Korea to the U.S. in 2003, art became my primary form of expression. I used it wherever I could–to make friends, to take on big school projects, and to shape a sense of identity for myself, as someone who does art. I was shy and not yet fluent in English, and the way Tan captured feelings of displacement and self-discovery through metaphor resonated deeply with me.

His rich colors and emotional depth kept pulling me back to his other work, and learning much later that his family were immigrants made that connection feel even more meaningful.

Shaun Tan's The Red Tree - YouTube flip through

Through pure luck and the encouragement of my middle school music teacher, I auditioned for A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, a public free arts high school which happens to be one of the rarest programs in the country. Students could audition for two majors, so I applied for flute performance first and fine art second. My parents thought this would improve my chances for admission since I didn't have proper art training, but I remember secretly wishing not to get in for music, so I can study art. And that's exactly what happened.

My path to art still wasn't a straight path. After a few turbulent years and many difficult conversations with my parents, I transferred from a pharmacy program to Pratt Institute, filled with a lot of hope and even bigger fear. After graduating with a degree in illustration, I took on any creative-ish work I could find–mostly graphic design for event stationery and social media. It took another two years to join HarperCollins as a book designer. I hadn't even known that role existed, but I loved it instantly. It felt like going to work to play.

As I immersed myself in the publishing world, my love for picture books quietly deepened. In 2020, I moved to the UK to join my husband, and a six-month period without a work permit gave me the unexpected space to pursue illustration myself. What began as a pause became a new chapter.

3. What made you want to take on this book project?

While working in publishing, I was in awe of the growing number of Asian immigrant voices creating picture books, and I felt a strong need for more Asian stories. Like many Asian Americans growing up in the US, I remember scanning through library shelves for familiar surnames, hoping to find a story that reflected how I felt– looking for all the Parks, Kims, and Lees (hello, Harper Lee–you're wonderful, but not quite who I was searching for).

Around the time I joined HarperCollins, Black voices were gaining long-overdue visibility in the industry, and that gave me hope that Asian voices would soon follow. Then books like Joanna Ho's Eyes that Kiss in the Corners and Robin Ha's Almost American Girl appeared, which affirmed to me that this shift was already happening, and that we didn't need to wait quietly for our turn. I knew that if given the opportunity, I could bring something honest and deeply rooted in my culture to the world of picture books.

Joanna Ho's Eyes that Kiss in the Corners and Robin Ha's Almost American Girl

I was already familiar with Tina's wonderful book, The Ocean Calls, a story about a haenyeo (Jeju island's freediving fisherwoman) and her granddaughter. With my desire to do my part, I was thrilled to receive the manuscript for The Princess and the Grain of Rice. The visuals came alive immediately–the yellow jeogori, and orange-red chima, and a curious, sincere girl who genuinely wants the best for her people. I was excited to highlight Korean values such as jeong–a deep, innate sense of care and connection– respect for elders and all living beings, and modesty.

Setting the story in the Joseon dynasty allowed me to explore a culture I deeply love. I was especially drawn to retelling Queen Jeongsoon's princess test through the lens of a familiar Western folktale, and to share her wisdom in a way that felt both fresh and relatable for readers.

4. Please share w/readers how you created the illustrations. (tools, medium)

For some years, I felt drawn back to traditional media, and this project felt like the perfect opportunity. I wanted a hand-drawn, folky quality that feels carefully made and gently worn by time.

I aimed for a flat, calligraphic style that nods to ancient art while remaining modern and child-friendly. I used rough black outlines that mimic calligraphic brushes, and charcoal/crayon like textures to flatten the color shapes. This approach helped evoke the feeling of traditional painting.

To emulate the texture of traditional rice paper–the "canvas" during Joseon period made from mulberry pulp and used since Korea's Three Kingdoms era–I experimented with various surfaces. Surprisingly, photograph of a white concrete wall worked beautifully to achieve that effect.

Early sketches of Jeongsoon

Jeongsoon before she was aged up later in the process (she looks too young to get married here!)

5. What research did you have to do for this book?

The timing I received the book offer was incredibly lucky because I had plans to travel to Korea when I received the book offer. During that trip, I gathered books, photos, and revisited historic sites in person, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Changdeokgung Palace, and the Royal Museum.

One interesting discovery was that Gyeongbokgung, what we often think of as the main palace, was destroyed by fire during the Imjin War in 1592 and left in ruins for nearly three centuries. During that long period, Changdeokgung became the primary residence for royalty before Gyeongbokgung was eventually restored in the 19th century. As a result, the palace depicted in our book is actually Changdeokgung. It was beloved by so many royals, especially for their beautiful secret garden, and it seems they were quite content residing there. A scene from the secret garden appears in the moment when Jeongsoon and the mouse encounter the Queen and the Prince at night. I had also hoped to include the palace study hall in the opening scene, where the prince studies with two other royal boys, but we ultimately removed it because the angle didn't allow us to feature both the prince's face and the setting effectively.

The jeonja by the lake where the Queen and the prince had their late night snack

The bridge Jeongsoon crosses over to see the queen and the prince.

The fan shaped jeonja in the background of the scene

The illustration inspired by the Secret Garden

I was also able to spend time at one of Korea's best art libraries, Uijeongbu Music Art Library, where I researched hanbok, minhwa (traditional folk paintings), royal and folk art, embroidery, and furniture. I spent two full weeks immersed in books, taking notes and photos. Access to these primary sources was invaluable, particularly in correcting historical inaccuracies often seen in older K-dramas I was referencing (for example, hair and accessories that were not present at the time. Historical research today leaves very little room for error, but just 20 years ago, the standards were far less rigorous.)

Uijeongbu Music Art Library

Bojagi pattern books

Golden foil on the royal skirt

Royal interior furniture

Pillow designs

The prince's robe on coronation day

Back in London, I watched historical documentaries and K-dramas (Shroop, E-san, Moon Embracing the Sun, Mr. Sunshine, Queen: Love and War, Knight Flower, Love in the Moonlight) –often with the sound off– to focus on posture, hierarchy, clothing folds, and prop usage. I collected countless screenshots, organized by page number in the book. For lingering questions, I relied on scholarly and government resources such as Encyclopedia of Korean Culture and Korea Heritage Service.

K-drama scenes featuring the line ups of princess candidates and positioning of the royals and the court maidens

K-drama scenes featuring the line ups of princess candidates and positioning of the royals and the court maidens

The food storage in a wealthy noble's house

6. What is your favorite illustration/spread in this book?

I love the scene where the Queen and Jeongsoon face each other in profile. Their relationship is echoed in Sin Saimdang's painting of two birds making eye contact in the background wall. The subtle cherry blossoms in the room hint at the positive news the Queen is about to share.

The scene where the Queen and Jeongsoon face each other in profile

7. What was most challenging for this book?

Despite the research, some details remained ambiguous. The most challenging scene was the coronation toward the end of the book. Queens traditionally wear red for coronation ceremonies, while princesses wore dark navy robes. However, confirming this distinction, along with the embroidery details on the sleeves, took days of careful research before I was sure that this was the most accurate choice.

Hairstyles were another challenge throughout the book, but particularly in this scene. I initially chose an older hairstyle for women, then reverted to period-accurate styles on each page. For the coronation, however, I returned to the older hairstyle again, because I found special occasions like this often retained earlier traditions.

In the end, it became one of the most rewarding scenes to illustrate. Beyond the costume details, I felt I was able to capture everything I wanted to emphasize in that moment.

The coronation scene

8. Was there anything surprising that came about during the creation of this book?

I was struck by both the subtlety and intricacy of details in clothing, architecture, and everyday objects. I was especially fascinated to learn that some women historically wore trousers, and that the curved sleeves of women's jeogori (now considered as a signature Korean silhouette) only appeared around the 1900s.

9. What are some of the Easter eggs in this book?

There are many minhwa references throughout, including works by Sinsaimdang and her daughter Shin Mae-hyang (the latter's life or work are sadly far less documented), as well as paintings by Kim Hong-do and Kim Deuk-shin (the couple chasing the cat). It would be interesting for the readers to spot how these artworks echo the story's themes.

And of course, there's the sneaky mouse appears in nearly every palace scene–a wonderful idea coined by my designer, Melisa Vuong.

10. What do you hope readers take away from reading and admiring this book?

I hope young readers feel proud of their heritage and see the deep cultural roots behind K-dramas, K-pop, and Korean stories. I also hope they notice how people from the past lived differently, but also shared the same core values such as kindness, authenticity, and empathy.

11. What advice do you have for illustrators?

When I am in doubt, I try to keep creating and stay with the process. Even when it feels like nothing is moving, or even enjoyable, I remind myself that I'm still learning, experimenting, and slowly refining my voice. Feeling stuck often becomes part of the process for me, as an opportunity to pause, reflect, and readjust my direction.

This has been a mantra I've returned to for years. I try to trust that forward motion doesn't always feel obvious, but it's there.

12. What's next for you?

I've been working on my own author-illustrated picture book for a while now. I can't wait to share it with the world when it's ready. :)

You can find Honee at:

Instagram: @honeej

Bluesky:@honeej.bsky.social

X: @HoneeJ_illo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Honee-Jang-Illustration-100077890917664/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/honeejang/

Website: honeejang.com

And look at the fabulous teacher's guide that Honee & I worked on!

Click to go to the page on my website.

THANK YOU, HONEE!!

How to Write a Reimagined Fairy Tale by TIna Cho

Like many of you, I grew up listening to fairy tales. And even more fun for me as a teacher is sharing my love of fairy tales with my kindergartners. In fact, one of our common core literacy standards is to compare and contrast stories. So, I especially like reading the original story to them and then sharing all the fun retellings. For example, we read The Three Little Pigs, and then I share my author friends’ spin on the story: The Three Ninja Pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat and It’s Not the Three Little Pigs by Josh Funk, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor.

Fairy tales with a twist are often referred to as fractured fairy tales. But I don’t like that description. Fractured means broken, something destroyed. These stories are far from that. Instead, I’m going to refer to them as reimagined. Using one’s imagination, how can you put a twist and make it fresh and new?

In my Storystorm 2022 idea notebook, I scribbled down idea #10 for one of my favorite fairy tales to teach, The Princess and the Pea. I wrote on the page: “The Princess and the Rice.” I ran the idea by my agent in June. She loved it and wanted a draft in the next month! Five months later and many revisions back and forth with my critique groups and agent, it went out on submission. The VERY next day we had a bite. Editor Grace Kendall of Farrar, Strauss, Giroux (FSG), an imprint of Macmillan really liked it because she loved watching Korean dramas. Who knew there would be an editor out there who loved all things Korea and even lived there for a summer?! (Note to writers: you never know what an editor’s interests and experiences are, so submit!!) Grace asked for an R&R (revise & resubmit). Three months later, we had an offer! And the lovely Honee Jang illustrated it. Look for her interview next time.

Here are some ideas to write your own reimagined fairy tale:

    1. Make a list of your favorite fairy tales as a kid.

To jog your memory:
Wikipedia has a running list
Popular fairy tales

   2. Change the setting.

Instead of a Western/European castle setting, I set my princess in olden-day Korea, during the Joseon period (1392-1910). Instead of a castle, it’s a real Korean palace. 

    3. Change an important object in the story.

Instead of a nasty pea (I very much dislike peas), I changed it to a grain of rice, more fitting for my setting. Also, I changed the mattresses the princess sleeps on to blankets because in olden Korea, they slept on the floor using thick blankets. 

    4.Change some characters. Swap some out for others that fit your setting.

In one of my earlier drafts, I had the usual king and queen looking for a princess for their prince. However, to make this story updated for our times, we (critique groups, agent, & editor) deleted the king, gave the princess and queen more agency, and made the prince mellow. I also inserted a mouse, not any mouse, a Korean field mouse which used to be revered in the culture of the day, go figure.

    5. Slightly change the plot to fit the setting.

After doing lots of background research of Joseon princesses, I discovered a princess Jeongson (I changed her spelling to Jeongsoon so Americans will pronounce it correctly). She actually went through a princess challenge to become the next queen for a very old monarch. (I won’t get into that tangent right now.) In olden-day Korea, there really was a competition in which noble girls would apply and flock to the palace. They would compete in etiquette, outward and inner beauty, and wisdom. BINGO! This fit nicely into the standard Princess and the Pea plot. I could just add a sleeping test on 100 blankets for another princess challenge! Do you see how I kept the main plot but changed some of the details? You still want the story to be recognizable.

    6. Add humor.

Everyone loves to laugh, from the child to the adult reading the story. Humor lightens a heavy message in a plot. And fairy tales can be heavy emotionally. Classic fairy tales have good versus evil—the wolf, the witch, an evil stepmother, etc… Children process these concepts and apply them to their own problems. So, adding in humor to lighten a scene adds to the loveable qualities of these stories! In my story, my characters fumble and tumble! Literally.

    7. Add layers to the story—emotional, cultural, thematic.

In my story, Jeongsoon, who has a heart as gentle as jade, wants to become a princess so she can help feed the hungry people in her village. But she’s a little clumsy. However, she stays true to herself to win the vote of the queen. Obviously, there are also cultural Korean details in the story. There’s also a theme of identity. The author’s note alludes to this. Growing up, I nor my daughter, had books or movies with Korean princesses. Disney princess movies had white princesses at the time. And to this day, there isn’t a Disney Korean princess. Maybe someday! So, I want readers, especially Asian kids, to see themselves in this story. There’s another theme—what does it take to become a princess? Certainly, it can’t be based on looks. What does inner beauty look like?

My daughter--Princess Anna 

    8. Add entry points or selling points for marketing.

I recently learned of this term “entry points” from my wonderful agent. This term refers to all the ways the marketing team could market your book. The more the merrier and hopefully more sales! For example, The Princess and the Grain of Rice could be marketed as a princess book. Just having “princess” in the title is high concept, IMO. It’s also marketed as a fairy tale, which teachers and librarians will love. It’s also a diverse story, especially in Asian books. It could be marketed as historical fiction because it shows the Joseon era of Korea. I just looked on Amazon. They even have it marked in the “children’s values” section. As I referred to earlier, what does inner beauty look like?

    9. Add an author’s note and backmatter if needed.

If you use a real setting and time in history like I did, you’ll want to write back matter on the real places and people mentioned in the story. Plus, to my surprise, my editor even added a photo of my family at the princess’s gravesite. *Note, when we lived in Korea, we would go to these huge cemeteries because of their beauty and serenity, the green GRASS that was hard to find in an overcrowded Korea, and the openness of nature. Little did I know I would someday be writing about the very princess-turned-queen on whose ground my children played on!

    10.Add a catchy title that alludes to the original.

The Princess and the Grain of Rice it is! And the title alone sold the idea to my agent.

 

And there you have it! My 10 ideas for writing a reimagined fairy tale. What are your favorite fairy tales? Share in the comments! And if you have more tips, add yours!

Author Tina Cho with her young kids at a Korean palace in Seoul 2012

Tina Cho is a kindergarten teacher and author of many books including Rice from Heaven, The Ocean Calls, (4 starred reviews JLG, Freeman Honor Award), God’s Little Oceanographer, the forthcoming The Princess & the Grain of Rice (Feb. 10th), and The Kimchi Fridge (Oct. 6th). Her graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow received five starred reviews, a JLG Gold Standard Selection, SLJ Best Graphic Novels List 2024, Kirkus Best Middle Grade 2024, Freeman Book Honor Award from NCTAsia, SCBWI Golden Kite Award, state lists, etc… 

You can visit her website at www.tinamcho.com 

The Princess & the Grain of Rice is available!