“While I wait beneath the old oak tree
A single drop of Autumn rain falls
Alighting like a kiss upon my cheek.

And so I laugh with startled glee
Until it falls once more.

Please don’t leave.”
—Sarah Edmonds

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Hi everyone!

Before I dive into the heart of my (very first!) blog post, I want to take a second to appreciate crushed stone paper. I was sitting at my desk, at a total loss of what to write, when I noticed the weather outside was looking particularly ominous. I couldn’t resist going to sit under the tree in my yard (that I, only somewhat jokingly, named the Elder One) to brainstorm ideas.

Of course, it started raining—that cool steady rain that makes you want to linger—and, thanks to the miracles of pencil and stone paper, I was able to continue brainstorming in the middle of an actual storm. I was still inspired to write the poem above; it really was the most magical thing!

The topic of magic is, actually, pretty close to what I want to talk to you about: fantasy writing!

For those of you who don’t know me (which is pretty much everyone), I come from a background in horror and documentary filmmaking with amateur experience in writing graphic novels. Most of my independent film work is based in social commentary and, while I hadn’t read much fantasy in high school and college, I alway thought of it as a genre that didn’t have to adhere to the deep-rooted social issues of our reality (I was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, for context).

Now, when I finally got around to reading The Lord of the Rings, it was a bit of a slap in the face.

I still whole-heartedly believe that fantasy can be the perfect genre to counteract social stigmas and prejudice. However, The Lord of the Rings made me reevaluate how Eurocentric a lot of main stream fantasy is today. It was this realization that led me to start writing prose for the first time since my sophomore year of high school.

I want to—and I believe you should, too—write the stories that you believe the world needs to hear.

For me, that meant writing a high fantasy trilogy with mostly non-white, LGBTQ+, disabled, and/or non-neurotypical characters. For you, it may be something else entirely! Finding your voice as a writer, finding your passion for the work, all depends on realizing what kinds of stories you believe need to be heard.

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Thank you all so much for sticking through my first post! As we move forward I want to really dig into the heart of storytelling and what it means to be a writer in both prose and film. I hope you’ll all join me!

May all be well,
Sarah E.