The Power of "Once Upon a Time"

Guess what this month is? It's February and that means . . . Fantasy Month! Jenelle Schmidt started this lovely link-up where bloggers come together to talk and rave about fantasy for all of February! Because fantasy is an amazing, magical genre and deserves an entire month to itself. ;)

So you know what month it is now. But let's go a bit deeper - can you tell what day it is? Today, according to my calendar, is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. And so, in honor of this month and this most esteemed holiday, I want to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was an ordinary little girl who lived in an ordinary house with an (extra)ordinary family. This girl loved to read and always had a book in her hand. She read many books, and some of the stories that she read the most were fairy tales. The Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and Andrew Lang. She had read them all, and reread them again and again.

Her reading was useful - she knew how to battle dragons and trick bridge trolls and had followed so many princes to save the princess that she knew how to save herself. And one day, this little girl decided that she was going create her own story.

"Once upon a time," she wrote (because she knew the best stories start that way) "there was an ordinary girl who went on an adventure."

And so she became a writer. And (big surprise) this girl was me. It was fairy tales that brought me into writing, that ensnared me in reading. Simple fairy tales have played a large role in my life, and I know many of these stories like the back of my hand. Or - at least one version of the story. 

When they hear "fairy tale," some people first think of dancing candlesticks singing about French cuisine. But let's be clear - as enchanting and sweet as they may be, we're not talking about Disney stories. In fact, did you know that the original fairy tales weren't made for children? They were originally written for adults, and when they were watered down to be told to children, they were still the "be-good-or-else-you'll-die-a-horrible-death" kind.

Why did these silly, plot-holed filled stories survive the test of time? What was it about them that captured the hearts of so many people?

We hear fairy tales and associate them with possibility. No one says "Little Red Riding Hood should have been dead you idiots, not pulled out of the wolf's stomach and ready to conquer the world." Or, if they do, they're quickly silenced.

These stories give us hope. It's comforting when the wicked stepmother is foiled because it shows that when it comes to good vs. evil, good will triumph in the end. We see the hero (or heroine) fight for their destiny, no matter what opposes them.

As readers, "Once upon a time" teaches us that anything is possible. And when we come out of fairy tales and back to real life, we can look at our own future knowing that we can fight our own evils. We can can conquer our destiny. (*Cough*Or we'll be like the little mermaid and turn into sea foam.*Cough*)

And as writers, "Once upon a time" teaches us that words are powerful. Fairy tales taught me that I could make magic - and "Once upon a time" was my magic spell. I saw that after those words, anything could happen, and realized that also meant I could make anything happen.

And so, today I leave you with a reminder about the power of words. Fairy tales are beloved stories that have weathered ages of telling and retelling, but they do more than just entertain us. They teach us to dream - and remind us that anything is possible when we do cross this gate of "Once upon a time." 

Happy Tell a Fairy Tale Day! What are your favorite fairy tales? Or tell me a story - I would love to hear your stories and your thoughts.