Welcome to the Lost and Forgotten Fairy Tales Blog

Hi, I’m Alyssa, nice to meet you :)

This post first appeared on Substack in January 2024. Due to concerns about privacy and big platforms, my articles are now found here, on my website. I’ve made some minor changes from the original.

I first started blogging over 10 years ago now and never found my groove - it was mostly a chance to rant and try to put my vision of the world out there. I got a few articles in online platforms like Elephant Journal but mostly it just added to the noise and I felt it was a waste of time because nobody was listening anyway.

What it did do, however, was help me find my voice, and has led me to where I am today. The things I learned from those early blogging experiences helped me to learn the “backend” of the website platforms and it was a training ground for my writing habit. But more importantly, I can see now that I wasn’t confident in my ability to write to continue blogging. So, I studied - I enrolled in every course, finally starting my MA in 2021 and due to financial restrictions graduated with a Grad. Cert. in Creative Writing last year (so half a MA). I can’t say with certainty I’m finished with formal study, but I am - for now!

‘…would much rather have a conversation about something meaningful than waste time with a conversation that only scratches the surface of a person…’

When I was a child I loved escaping into worlds. Fantasy has always been my favourite genre - from Tolkien, to Enid Blyton and Raymond E. Feist with some side movement into Virginia Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic and Stephen King in my adolescence. But it’s fantasy I always return to. As discussed in previous blogs, fairy tales were my true escape. My fairy tale collections are well-read books and were a pathway out of deep depression.

I wasn’t a typical teenager, and I’m probably not a typical adult - I don’t understand other people and struggle with spending too much time with others. I’m much more comfortable on my own. As Daniel Radcliffe says:

“Being an introvert is wanting to be invited but not wanting to go anywhere. Being lonely at home but not wanting anyone in your space unless you really like them. And even if you really like them, you want them to go home soon.” ~ Daniel Radcliffe

I also like learning. In personality tests, it’s one of my highest values. At my high school reunion someone said, and I quote: “You were a real nerd at school,” to which I think I replied, “I still am.” I’m proud to be a nerd, valuing intellect over most other qualities. I am quiet and studious but "at 15, sport was my life. It was a way I felt valued…and it seemed to be a way for me to fit into the community.” I think perhaps I didn’t ever feel loved, but perhaps I was a flower that just wasn’t in a place that valued intellect, creativity, and introverts.

The origins and early versions of the fairy tale are where we find the heart of them - the motifs, the symbolism, the magical elements - this is where we find the heart of the story and as a result the heart of humanity.

As a result of my childhood experiences, I was scared of other people and of speaking in front of others. I never had a best friend and was betrayed often by other people. In many ways, these fears still drive my life when I’m in social situations. I guess I’m socially awkward. My ex-partner thought I was probably autistic. He may be right.

But why do I tell you all this? Because this is who I am. I am open, honest, and comfortable in vulnerability and would much rather have a conversation about something meaningful than waste time with a conversation that only scratches the surface of a person, such as the weather, gossip, or the latest in celebrity news.

Which brings me to fairy tales. My philosophy on my fairy tale research is that many of the modern fairy tale versions we have, that we tell to children and each other are superficial. We have lost the magic that the original tales held. We have lost the meaning that the tales were meant to impart and in that way, we have missed the point of fairy tales and probably why there is a push-back against them in the community. They have, in many ways, lost their soul - comparative to a conversation about the weather, when what we want to say is hidden in fear of breaking social convention instead of telling the truth. The origins and early versions of the fairy tale are where we find the heart of them - the motifs, the symbolism, the magical elements, the resilience of the characters - this is where we find the heart of the story and as a result the heart of humanity.

I may not be the most likeable, affable person in the world, but I am passionate about stories. I am passionate about the stories we tell and about creating stories for introverts like me to find their way and their voice in the world. It’s stories that help us with our sense of belonging, our identity, and our global culture as human beings sharing this one glorious blue dot at the edge of the Milky Way.

It’s taken me a long time to step into my body, my name, my who-I-am, but I feel confident moving into 2026 that I’m finally a flower in the right place to blossom.

~ Alyssa