Fairy tale within a story?

[Crystaline Spade]

I was thinking about adding mini stories into my game because one of the characters is a story teller.
Do you think it's alright or would it subtract from the main story?

What I was thinking of using were fairy tales but, not ones that have already been written.
I was thinking of my own original stories.
But you see I've never written a fairy tale before...
Any suggestions?
Should I try to recruit someone to do it?

[SimonLayton]

I say go for it, as long as the fairy tales have something to do with the main story. :)

Your fairy tales can be inspired by other existing ones, but you can add lighter or darker touches if you want. Fairy tales, in some way, are simple stories. Maybe you'll think of one, eventually.

[Caveat Lector]

I think fairy tales can add to the story--they give the universe its own mythology and culture, and, in some cases, can serve as a handy plot device or foreshadowing. If you want to write your own original fairy tales, go for it! I would recommend reading some of the more common ones and finding a link between all of them, and see what makes them work across their own culture and generation.

[Fungii]

It could be cool if you frame the storyteller as some kind of massive foreshadowing at the start. Like, the kind of thing where it happens at the start, and it seems really minor. Then when you complete the game and go to replay you're like "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH"

[fleet]

Go for it.

[Juneberry]

A fairy tale can mean different things in different places, too. You might find it helpful to build where your story takes place using them and using things about the area- it's interesting if you read fairy tales from other cultures. I've read and heard a lot of fairy tales in my own country of course, but I really like Japanese ones too. You might find mixing them works too! Basically, write stories that would make sense for the land your story takes place in. But the idea is really neat. I bet it'll also help you learn more about the world you're making, too

[Crystaline Spade]

Wow!
Thanks so much for the advice!
But, I'm still a little worried about if I'll be able to write it well enough so that when people read it they don't think cheesy...

[fleet]

Wow!
Thanks so much for the advice!
But, I'm still a little worried about if I'll be able to write it well enough so that when people read it they don't think cheesy...

Stop worrying and get busy writing. Remember, you can't please everybody.

[ameliori]

This is a great idea! I'm happy if you decide to place it inside the story. Just remember that you can pretty much do whatever you want because this is your project of course! As long as the story and characters are well-fleshed out and entertaining, your audience will let you do whatever you want haha! Looking forward to hearing about it!

[RheaZeamoll]

Fairy tales are great! I love how simple they are in the story telling. From what I've seen, here's something to get you started on.

1. Where do the listeners live? In a farming town? Village-in-a-jungle? Alien spacecraft? The fairy tales tend to be similar to the surroundings of the listeners (children) so that they can relate easily.

2. Many times, fairy tales are used to give a simple advice to the listeners. Little Red Riding Hood: "don't talk to the strangers"; Boy Who Cried Wolf: "don't lie." It's sugar coated medicine - what is yours?

3. You have only a few characters to go around, and their motives are simple. Take Red Riding Hood. The girl: bring the food to grandma. The wolf: Eat the girl. The hunter: Save the girl and the grandma. Break down the story to really simple steps, and put them back together with lots of imagination.

4. You can start with the traditional "once upon a time," it'll never be cliche. Fairy tales are timeless - the Beauty and the Beast will always be the Beauty and the Beast, not Supermodel and Godzilla. (Although that would make an interesting story. xD)

In short, keep it short, sweet and simple, unless you're planning to go Scheherazade on your storyteller's listeners.

[Flowers from Nowhere]

I was thinking about adding mini stories into my game because one of the characters is a story teller.
Do you think it's alright or would it subtract from the main story?

It's absolutely alright. That's a tried and true device which has been used to great effect many times. The 1001 Nights, for instance, is a story where one character tells stories about other characters who frequently sit down and tell stories of their own. Seriously, it's hilariously recursive.

But, I'm still a little worried about if I'll be able to write it well enough so that when people read it they don't think cheesy...

The only way to improve is practice. There were some glaring problems with my first game and I'm still here. Make your game. Learn from it. Bring what you learned for your next project. Don't worry about making something perfect. If you like it, odds are good that someone else will too!