Robin Hood and Arthur. A thief and a king. Two of the most memorable figures in the myth and legends belonging to the fair British Isles. They’re tales of hope and humanity, and as such, tales that have been told over and over, changing and evolving since the first time they were told. And so, of course, we’re carrying on the mantle. Retelling one or the other of these lovely tales – or possibly both.

My debut series, The Bookania Quests, is a mash-up of multiple fairy tales, myths, and legends, including Robin Hood and King Arthur, so I’m here to break down what goes into retelling these age-old stories.

(And, just a disclaimer – I’ve actually not read a lot of retellings of Robin Hood, just classic versions, and I’ve not read a lot of the originals of King Arthur, just retellings. Just … fun fact.)

First of all, know that there is no set-in-stone way to retell anything. The point of retelling is to take an old story and to make it yours. You can write a gentle retelling that follows the original version 100%, just with a few expansions here and there, or you can twist it in wild ways. You can add magic, or you can take it out. Gender-swaps, modernizations, historic treatises. Whatever you want. Make the story yours.

However, make sure you understand the heart of the story. The reason that these stories remain with us is because they resonate with us – and their truths are universal to this day. King Arthur is the seeming nobody who was chosen by destiny and ushered in a golden age until betrayal destroyed from within. Robin Hood is the tale of a man who was cut down by an unfair king, but turned around, thrived in spite of his exile, and created a haven of freedom for the oppressed people. If you write a book that opposes those morals, then you might upset the built-in target audience for your book. You can dig deeper and tell your own story – in fact, I encourage you to do this – but don’t abandon the tale entirely. Taking a core element of the story and twisting it completely is fine and fun (I’m totally down for a Robin Hood retelling where Robin is the worst archer in the history of England), but don’t change the core elements. (A retelling of Robin Hood where he’s not robbing the rich to give to the poor in some form or fashion is not a Robin Hood retelling.)

Remember that these tales had multiple “classic” authors, and were subject to a lot of changes over the years. English writing of Arthurian myth painted Gawain as the most noble knight, while the French made him more of a womanizer and gave the “noblest” badge to Lancelot. In Robin Hood, you might find one version where Will Scarlett is his nephew, and others where he’s Robin’s older cousin. So, you have a lot of options to choose from when you design your cast.

Know the characters. Both tales are filled with large casts of characters, some more developed and distinctive than others. Depending on the faithfulness of your retelling, you may decide to use more or fewer of the characters, and you can take liberties with the characters – make them their own – but I’m going to list here the characters that I feel are the most iconic to the tales. (There are tons more characters, but these are the ones that most people expect to see in one form or fashion.)

King Arthur: Arthur himself, the orphaned king who draws the sword from the stone and ushered in the golden age. Merlin, the wizard that guides him through the first few years of his reign. Guinevere, the queen, whose love affair is half the reason that Arthur’s kingdom fell. Sir Lancelot, the favored French knight that the queen had the affair with. Sir Gawain, the most faithful and popular (appearing in almost every tale of Arthur, even if he doesn’t play a large role), who happened to be the one who got caught up in the Green Knight incident. Sir Galahad, Lancelot’s son, who was the one who succeeded in finding the grail. Morgan le Fay, Arthur’s scary sorceress half-sister. Mordred, Arthur’s illegitimate son and nephew who was the other half of why Camelot fell. (Moral of the story: honor the seventh commandment, and you’ll get to keep your kingdom.)

Robin Hood: Robin Hood himself, the leader of the merry men, and the best archer in the land. Maid Marian, his lover, sometimes a helpless maiden, sometimes a capable tomboy. Little John, Robin Hood’s giant of a best friend and second-in-command. Allan-a-Dale, the lively minstrel who was the first married man in the Merry Men. Friar Tuck, the jolly and very round friar. Will Scarlett, Robin Hood’s nephew or cousin, who is sometimes the best swordsman in the band, and who sometimes marries a princess. The Sheriff of Nottingham, the man directly trying to take Robin Hood down. Prince John, the king taxing everyone and making the rules that the Sheriff is enforcing. King Richard, the long-lost and long-awaited king.

Again, that is a short-list of characters, for both tales. There are plenty more, all with interesting stories, but those are the ones that most people think of when they are thinking about Robin Hood and King Arthur.

Take note of the iconic scenes and events of the tales:

King Arthur: His birth and orphanhood. The sword in the stone. The gaining of Excalibur. The quest for the Holy Grail. Gawain and the Green Knight. Guinevere and Lancelot’s love affair. Mordred’s betrayal. Arthur’s death.

Robin Hood: Robin Hood’s banishment to Sherwood Forest. The quarterstaff contest with Little John. The river crossing with Friar Tuck. Tricking the Sheriff in whatever way possible. The Golden Arrow contest where Robin Hood splits an arrow. Duel with Guy of Gisborne. Richard’s return. Robin Hood’s death.

There’s a lot more that happens, especially in King Arthur, but those are the important parts, and I’m just doing a quick overview.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Both King Arthur and Robin Hood are expansive tales that cover a lot of time, and in King Arthur’s case, multiple volumes. Unless you’re writing a series, you’re probably not going to have space to include everything and do it justice. So, do yourself a favor and choose a focus for your tale.

Read the originals, and read the retellings that others have written. You have to familiarize yourself with the stories to do them justice. And reading what other people have done with them will help you understand what the tale is about. Also, if you can find articles and books that break down and explain the origins of the tales, read as many as you can, they’re terribly helpful. Devouring everything I can find about a fairytale, myth, or legend, is an essential part of my writing process whenever I plunge into a new retelling.

Respect copyrighted content. You are retelling Robin Hood and/or King Arthur. You are not retelling someone else’s retelling – and that includes most movies (there are some that are old enough to be in the public domain, I think, but it’s better to be safe than sorry). In fact, that especially includes movies such as Disney’s, as they reach a wider audience and more people will be able to call you out if you rip them out. It’s okay to be inspired by another retelling, put a new twist to their concept, or to readdress their themes, but remember that the original is the baseline.

I hope these guidelines are helpful to you as you venture into the realm of retellings. And I hope you’re not overwhelmed! It might seem like a daunting task to tell a tale anew, but the point is to have fun. There’s no right or wrong way to retell a fairy tale or legend. After all, the point is to make it your own. Really, the only set in stone “rule” I have on this list is the one on copyrights, and that’s because copying someone else’s work could land you in legal issues.

So go forth. Retell. I can’t wait to read what all you guys come up with!