Fairy Tales

JOURNAL ENTRY #7

With the crisp air blowing relentlessly from the South, I must do what I can to prepare this camp for winter. In its current state, it is quite small, yet I have plans to build upon its strong foundations with all manner of useful construction.

I will require a place to write of course, but I should also turn my mind to improving the publishing platform and finally constructing an author platform as well. Both of these buildings will be crucial to quality publishing and strong marketing. I might also construct a wall. From its ramparts, I wish to look out over the valleys of the wild lands. It is not enough to focus on the construction of my own camp and ignore the ever-changing landscape of literary intelligence.

As I set upon this work, allow me to elaborate on my past musings concerning fairy tales. It has come to my attention through the passing conversations of other travellers, that this style of writing may no longer be relevant for today. I’m not so sure.
The structure and style of classic fairy tales today may not be in vogue, yet they remain the benchmark for imaginative writing. What I think is so incredible about fairy tales is that they have a curious way of embedding themselves in our minds. We remember them, often fondly. They hold a strange magic over us, but at their root, they seem to go against what we would consider to be an appropriate story for children. The same, in fact, might be true for classic nursery rhymes.

Often fairy tales are filled with violence, horror or cruel punishment, yet most of us would not remember them this way. In addition, some of the morals contained within these stories may be considered ambiguous, outdated, or lacking any true value. So why do children and adults alike continue to hold such fascination with them? I think the reality is that storytellers of the past actually had more of an understanding about these things than we often give them credit for. Their world was a world of reality, harsh truth and deep thought. Today, we live in a world driven by entertainment, comfort and untested values. It’s only natural that writers today reflect this to some degree. However deep down I think everyone is still inspired by the possibility of entering into our own ‘Once upon a time’, and one day achieving that elusive ‘happily ever after’. This is why fairy tales continue to hold relevance today – as rare as they may have become.

I think there has also been definite interest in my debut fairy tale, The Grumpface, and I don’t think that its construct as a fairy tale has deterred any serious reader. In fact, I think that its classical treatment has been viewed as novel and exciting. How strange it is, when something old and traditional is suddenly viewed as new and refreshing. Perhaps there is wisdom in the past after all. But of course, this is why I write the books that I do. I want to reclaim the magic that books used to have, and I think a fairy tale is a good place to start.