Journaling to Celebrate “Tell a Fairy Tale Day”

No matter how old you are, the magical words, “Once upon a time…,” have the power to transport you to a world of faraway kingdoms, hair-raising adventures and enchanting love stories. Fairy tales have sparked the imaginations of generation after generation of children, and you probably remember your favorite stories clearly from when you were young – from Hansel and Gretel discovering the witch’s candy cottage to Rapunzel letting her long hair down from the tower for the prince to climb up.

February 26 is “Tell a Fairy Tale Day,”  so collect your personal journal, a pen and a bunch of wild ideas to write your own story.

Journaling Your Fairy Tale

1.    Start by making yourself the hero or heroine of your fairy tale, of course. Now is your chance to be a stowaway on a ship sailing to discover new lands or a prince or princess with unexpected magical powers. Develop your character by writing a description of your personality traits – real or imagined, positive or negative – in your personal journal. Write about your bravery, stubbornness, loyalty and quick temper, and create a character the audience will identify with and want to root for.

2.    Decide what kind of lesson you want to communicate with your story (fairy tales often taught a moral while providing entertainment). Perhaps you want to make your theme “love conquers all” or “never stop believing in yourself.” Write it down to help shape your story.

3.    Create a dramatic and seemingly impossible challenge or conflict for the hero of your fairy tale to overcome. This could be a terrible storm at sea that threatens to destroy the ship and all of the people on it, or an evil wizard who wants to steal the prince’s magic spells. Describe your antagonist in vivid color – make him, her or it seem powerful, terrifying and larger than life.

4.    Write the pivotal scene where your hero and your antagonist go head to head for their final showdown. What happens? How do the forces of good and evil stand up to one another? How does the hero finally get the upper hand? Make this climactic scene suspenseful, with lots of twists and turns, until your hero ultimately emerges victorious.

So....What is the title of your own personal fairy tale? Share in the comments!