Welcome to my blog for fairy tale enthusiasts! You might get the impression from its title that Snow White is my favorite fairy tale—which is actually untrue. But I’ll explain.
I do find the idea of a complimentary magic mirror incredibly alluring. And forcing your nemesis to dance herself to death in red-hot shoes? Morbidly fascinating. These are some of my favorite fairy tale images of all time. But choosing Snow White as my writing persona was inspired by something more personal . . .
Since I was a very little girl, I’ve heard constantly how much I look like Snow White. For years this genuinely annoyed me. Ivory-toned skin is not fashionable in my corner of the world. And Snow White? She’s not exactly the embodiment of a strong, independent heroine. But she is arguably a western symbol of goodness and beauty. Over time I grew to accept the compliment for what it was worth.
And to appreciate the humor my resemblance sometimes creates.
I spent a summer in college working at a book bindery, the perfect occupation for a 20-year-old wannabe author. One afternoon I sat in the break room to eat an aggressively red apple. Within the space of ten minutes, three different people walked in one after another and had the exact same conversation with me:
Them: “Whoa.”
Me: “You okay?”
Them: “Yeah . . . you look exactly like Snow White.”
Me: “Ha! Oh yeah?”
Them: “So much. Like I wanna knock that apple out of your hands. Don’t eat it!”
My hangry self was grateful they didn’t.
These days I actually encourage the Snow White comparisons. It helps people remember me. If someone apologizes for being bad at names, I point to my face and say “Sara looks like Snow White.” Just one singular comment and 99% of people recognize me later.
And you know what? There’s something to be said for being a walking, talking reminder of the universal reach of fairy tales. Not all of us love them, but we’ve all heard them. And to this day, every person I’ve met has a distinct reaction to the fairy tale genre. Some people roll their eyes at the cheesy clichés. Others smile softly with nostalgia. Or cringe over the violence and weirdness that is NOT for them. Or laugh at sly fairy tale references that weasel their way into pop culture.
And then there are those of us who glow. The ones who recognize the archetypes at every turn and feel our passion foam to the brim. Who spend hours, weeks, and years seeking out stories from every part of the world and basking in the rightness of their similarities. We’re the ones who will be rereading fairy tales for the rest of our lives.
If you haven’t guessed, I’m in that latter category.
So really this blog is a lure. An invitation for the fellow fairy tale passionate—or really anyone who wants to learn—to sit with me a while. To read my thoughts on one of the oldest forms of human creativity on earth. Whoever you are, I hope you’ll join me in the coming months as I dive into the mire of my enchantment-loving brain. As I share where my passion for fairy tales started. Stories that hook me. Themes that keep me awake (very) late into the night. My primary inspirations for becoming a writer. And even some insights into writing my own retold fairy tales.
Join me as we combine the fantastical and the real to explore what it means to be human—which is basically what fairy tales are all about. ❧
