Bibliography: Czech Folktales unit. Story source: The Key of Gold: A Clever Lass by Josef Baudis (1922).
Monday, December 4, 2017
Reading Part B: Czech: A Clever Lass
Bibliography: Czech Folktales unit. Story source: The Key of Gold: A Clever Lass by Josef Baudis (1922).
Reading Notes Part A: Czech: The Waternick
Bibliography: Czech Folktales unit. The Key of Gold: The Waternick by Josef Baudis (1922).
This is like Hansel and Gretel. I almost want to make it more realistic and have them get captured by some creepy farmer guy or something. Maybe they're going through the forest that borders his farmland and he finds the tree they tied their line to and moves it to an abandoned building on his property and by the time they notice, it's too late and he pushes them in. He's crazy but he doesn't do anything to seriously hurt them. He just makes them clean up the farm and feeds them random things he finds. Eventually the children create a distraction and they escape.
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Week 14 Story: Pact
Max and Sam were the best of friends.
As they grew up together, they made many pacts while they played their favorite video games in Max's parent's basement. One of those pacts was to be each other's best man at the other's wedding, no matter what.
Three years after they made that specific pact, they were riding four-wheelers on a course behind Max's house. It was a beautiful day; the sky was clear, the grass was green and the smoke in the sky was almost forgettable.
The ambulance was delayed because Jim, the trusted driver, was on the pot. His zipper got stuck. When they finally got on scene, his fly was open. Sam noticed but didn't comment. The sight of Max's charred body had taken all his words.
It was Cindy that got Sam through the death of his best friend. She held him while he cried and stuck around through all the outbursts of anger. She was a pro at grief; it was just her and her dad now.
One day, Sam and Cindy were at their favorite coffee shop. The sky was a comfy shade of gray, the coffee was warm, his heart was full. The proposal got 52 likes on Facebook.
Wedding planning began immediately but Sam put off picking a best man.
A month out from the day of the wedding, November 2, 2017, was the anniversary of Max's death. It was that night that Cindy chose to yell at Sam to get his butt in gear so they could get the wedding party together. It was their worst fight. The silence afterward held the weight of the door slam for an awkwardly long amount of time.
The spare key to Max's parent's house burned cold on the chain around Sam's neck. He didn't know he was going to the basement until their paint-chipped backdoor was in front of him.
It was late. Max's parents (they were still called parents.. right?) had fallen asleep hours ago in separate beds, her in Max's and him in the one they used to share.
The stairway to the basement yawned black. Sam almost came to his senses. He would have left and gone to apologize to Cindy if he didn't see the flicker of blue light on the wall at the bottom of the stairs.
Maybe they had left the TV on? The least he could do was turn it off for them, help save their electricity.
He skipped the fourth step because it always creaked. Muscle memory made him knock on the wall twice, pause, and then thrice more - their secret code - as he descended.
"Hey, Sam! You took forever! Get over here! I'm getting slaughtered!"
The air was cold and his heart thudded in his chest. Sam stood still.
There was Max, just as he was the day he died - eyes glued to the TV screen and knuckles white against the controller - like nothing had changed in the past few years.
Sam shook his head, considered turning back, but the game got more intense. His gaming instincts took over.
At first they only commented on the game. It was like the rhythm of their life had never been disturbed.
With his eyes on the screen, Sam took a deep breath, released it, and told Max about Cindy; asked him to be his best man.
He caught Max's smile from the corner of his eye and matched it with his own.
"Yeah man, of course, we made a pact, remember? Let's just finish this round and then we'll go plan the bachelor party."
It was a nice escape from reality. They ended up playing "just one more round" three more times. One of the characters in the final round had blonde hair like Cindy and, suddenly, Sam couldn't wait to get home.
He forgot about the fourth step on the way back up. It's squeal disturbed a cat that got under Sam's feet and almost made him fall. When he turned to ask Max when they'd gotten a cat, the blue light from the TV was gone and the basement was empty.
The night was considerably warmer than it was when he'd gotten there. Sam's coat dragged against the ground as he trudged back to Cindy's house.
He went to push on the back door to let himself in, but the never-locked door held firm.
Three loud pounds brought a tall man with a shotgun to the front door. His name was Brad and he'd gotten the house from his estranged great aunt six years prior. He wasn't Cindy's father.
He threatened to put a bullet through Sam's head and then call the police if he didn't stop hollarin' for some "Cindy" that didn't live there.
Sam backed away and walked down the road till he came to a brand new convenience store on the corner.
The lights inside were blinding but it was the date on the flashing, light-up display that burned in his retinas.
November 2, 2317.
Authors Note:
The idea behind this story came from the Russian Folktale The Two Friends. In that story, two best friends agree to invite the other to their weddings, dead or alive. One of the friends ends up dying and the one that lives eventually decides to get married. On his wedding day, they drive by the graveyard and he remembers the deal he made with his best friend. He tells the wedding party to wait while he goes and sees his friend's graveside. When he gets there, he (almost jokingly) asks his friend to come to his wedding. Suddenly, the grave opens and his dead friend appears and is happy that his living friend remembered. He invites him to celebrate with a drink. Both hop into the grave and have three drinks together, but with each drink, a hundred years passes. When the friend who is getting married leaves the grave, nothing is the same. He runs to the village and finds only strangers. The priest helps him go through the records and they find that three hundred years ago, a bridegroom disappeared on his wedding day and his bride eventually married someone else.
My story is essentially a modern retelling. I chose to make their meeting place a basement instead of a grave (both put you underground but I felt a basement was a little more plausible). I also threw in some more characters to spice it up and I made the friend die from an accident rather than sickness like in the real story. I also changed the timeline a bit and had the two friends reunite a month before the wedding because I felt that was a little more plausible than the day of.
I hope you enjoyed this story! It was really fun to write!
Good luck with finals and life in general! It's almost over!! (The finals, not your life.. hopefully).
Bibliography: Russian Folktales unit. Story source: Russian Fairy Tales: The Two Friends. by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
Image: Basement stairway
As they grew up together, they made many pacts while they played their favorite video games in Max's parent's basement. One of those pacts was to be each other's best man at the other's wedding, no matter what.
Three years after they made that specific pact, they were riding four-wheelers on a course behind Max's house. It was a beautiful day; the sky was clear, the grass was green and the smoke in the sky was almost forgettable.
The ambulance was delayed because Jim, the trusted driver, was on the pot. His zipper got stuck. When they finally got on scene, his fly was open. Sam noticed but didn't comment. The sight of Max's charred body had taken all his words.
It was Cindy that got Sam through the death of his best friend. She held him while he cried and stuck around through all the outbursts of anger. She was a pro at grief; it was just her and her dad now.
One day, Sam and Cindy were at their favorite coffee shop. The sky was a comfy shade of gray, the coffee was warm, his heart was full. The proposal got 52 likes on Facebook.
Wedding planning began immediately but Sam put off picking a best man.
A month out from the day of the wedding, November 2, 2017, was the anniversary of Max's death. It was that night that Cindy chose to yell at Sam to get his butt in gear so they could get the wedding party together. It was their worst fight. The silence afterward held the weight of the door slam for an awkwardly long amount of time.
The spare key to Max's parent's house burned cold on the chain around Sam's neck. He didn't know he was going to the basement until their paint-chipped backdoor was in front of him.
It was late. Max's parents (they were still called parents.. right?) had fallen asleep hours ago in separate beds, her in Max's and him in the one they used to share.
Maybe they had left the TV on? The least he could do was turn it off for them, help save their electricity.
He skipped the fourth step because it always creaked. Muscle memory made him knock on the wall twice, pause, and then thrice more - their secret code - as he descended.
"Hey, Sam! You took forever! Get over here! I'm getting slaughtered!"
The air was cold and his heart thudded in his chest. Sam stood still.
There was Max, just as he was the day he died - eyes glued to the TV screen and knuckles white against the controller - like nothing had changed in the past few years.
Sam shook his head, considered turning back, but the game got more intense. His gaming instincts took over.
At first they only commented on the game. It was like the rhythm of their life had never been disturbed.
With his eyes on the screen, Sam took a deep breath, released it, and told Max about Cindy; asked him to be his best man.
He caught Max's smile from the corner of his eye and matched it with his own.
"Yeah man, of course, we made a pact, remember? Let's just finish this round and then we'll go plan the bachelor party."
It was a nice escape from reality. They ended up playing "just one more round" three more times. One of the characters in the final round had blonde hair like Cindy and, suddenly, Sam couldn't wait to get home.
He forgot about the fourth step on the way back up. It's squeal disturbed a cat that got under Sam's feet and almost made him fall. When he turned to ask Max when they'd gotten a cat, the blue light from the TV was gone and the basement was empty.
The night was considerably warmer than it was when he'd gotten there. Sam's coat dragged against the ground as he trudged back to Cindy's house.
He went to push on the back door to let himself in, but the never-locked door held firm.
Three loud pounds brought a tall man with a shotgun to the front door. His name was Brad and he'd gotten the house from his estranged great aunt six years prior. He wasn't Cindy's father.
He threatened to put a bullet through Sam's head and then call the police if he didn't stop hollarin' for some "Cindy" that didn't live there.
Sam backed away and walked down the road till he came to a brand new convenience store on the corner.
The lights inside were blinding but it was the date on the flashing, light-up display that burned in his retinas.
November 2, 2317.
Authors Note:
The idea behind this story came from the Russian Folktale The Two Friends. In that story, two best friends agree to invite the other to their weddings, dead or alive. One of the friends ends up dying and the one that lives eventually decides to get married. On his wedding day, they drive by the graveyard and he remembers the deal he made with his best friend. He tells the wedding party to wait while he goes and sees his friend's graveside. When he gets there, he (almost jokingly) asks his friend to come to his wedding. Suddenly, the grave opens and his dead friend appears and is happy that his living friend remembered. He invites him to celebrate with a drink. Both hop into the grave and have three drinks together, but with each drink, a hundred years passes. When the friend who is getting married leaves the grave, nothing is the same. He runs to the village and finds only strangers. The priest helps him go through the records and they find that three hundred years ago, a bridegroom disappeared on his wedding day and his bride eventually married someone else.
My story is essentially a modern retelling. I chose to make their meeting place a basement instead of a grave (both put you underground but I felt a basement was a little more plausible). I also threw in some more characters to spice it up and I made the friend die from an accident rather than sickness like in the real story. I also changed the timeline a bit and had the two friends reunite a month before the wedding because I felt that was a little more plausible than the day of.
I hope you enjoyed this story! It was really fun to write!
Good luck with finals and life in general! It's almost over!! (The finals, not your life.. hopefully).
Bibliography: Russian Folktales unit. Story source: Russian Fairy Tales: The Two Friends. by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
Image: Basement stairway
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Week 14 Reading B: Russia: The Two Friends
Russian Folktales unit. Story source: Russian Fairy Tales: The Two Friends. by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
(Friends in a Grave: Image Source)
This story was weird! Why would the friend want to keep his friend from his wedding day? I love the time travel though.. What if the friend that was about to get married didn't go to the guy's grave, he just went to his old house that was about to be sold and found his friend in the basement playing video games like he did in life? He could then ask his friend to sit and play a while and a couple hundred years could pass that way. That would give a more modern twist to this story.
Week 14 Reading Part A: Russia: The Water Snake
Russian Fairy Tales: The Water Snake. W. R. S. Ralston (1887).
I could do a lot with this story. I think I'd want to change the mother to an ex boyfriend that's crazy, or maybe a deranged best friend that has a tendency to be clingy. I still want the new husband to die and I want the main girl to feel all sad because he does. Instead of them calling his name, they'll call his phone on hers. Maybe she should be drugged or something so she can't get to him. I don't know if I'd keep the kids, that complicates things a little bit... Maybe I'll make them into dogs.
I could do a lot with this story. I think I'd want to change the mother to an ex boyfriend that's crazy, or maybe a deranged best friend that has a tendency to be clingy. I still want the new husband to die and I want the main girl to feel all sad because he does. Instead of them calling his name, they'll call his phone on hers. Maybe she should be drugged or something so she can't get to him. I don't know if I'd keep the kids, that complicates things a little bit... Maybe I'll make them into dogs.
(Pond of the Water Snake: Image source)
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Week 13 Reading B: English Fairy Tales: Mr. Miacca
(Mr. Miacca: Image Source)
Bibliography: English Fairy Tales: Mr. Miacca, by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).
This story could do so much more!! I could make this a lot creepier. I also want to expand on the parts that make the main character so bad - like give examples as to why his behavior is so bad. I also want to describe Mr. Miacca and his wife a little more so they're easier to see.
Week 13 Reading A: English Fairy Tales: Tom Tit Tot
(Tom Tit Tot: Image Source)
I like this story a lot. It reminds me or Rumpelstiltskin which makes me happy because I've always enjoyed that story.
This would be easy to re-write, I don't know which aspects I'd change but I don't think I'd keep it as long as it is currently. I like the fact that they got into the mess in the first place because the mother was singing about her daughter eating five pies, got caught and changed they lyrics of her made up song to seem less embarrassing.
Bibliography: English Fairy Tales: Tom Tit Tot, by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1890).
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Week 12 Story: Ponytails
There once was a studious girl named Mary who desperately wanted to pass her chem class. She stayed up very late trying to make all her flash cards in time to study in the morning. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" she called out. Her roommates had been asleep for hours and they were very loud snorers so it fell on her to get up and answer the door.
"So, like, it's Karie. Karie with One Ponytail," was the only response Mary heard before opening the door. Maybe one of her roommates had invited this girl over to study and then forgotten?
Karie with One Ponytail immediately sauntered in, sat down in Mary's seat and started riffling through Mary's papers and study guides.
"Omg, like, where is everyone else? The other Karie's should be here by now... ugh," bemoaned the blonde airhead.
Just then, there was a second knock on the door with a call of "like, open up! It's Karie with Two Ponytails."
Mary went and answered the door again and saw a girl that looked pretty similar to the first girl except she had her hair drawn up in two ponytails.
"Like, give me those papers like, now, you witch," she screeched and wrestled Karrie with One Ponytail for the flashcards.
And so the night went on. Mary opened the door for ten more Karies, each with more ponytails than the last, until there were twelve strange girls in her living room and dining room vying for a chance to study her chem notes. None of them spoke to Mary which was fine because she felt a little overwhelmed. Never before had there been so many people in her apartment let alone all of the Karies in the sorority specifically for girls named Karie!
"Hey, weird girl, make us some kale smoothies. We're hungry but don't want to get bloated."
Mary didn't want to make these girls mad so she desperately searched her kitchen. Alas she could find no Kale and told them so.
"Then go get some, oh my gawd, are you stupid??" Amidst spiteful and mocking laughter, some of the girls tossed cute little coin purses at Mary. She quickly gathered them up and headed to the nearest Walmart. When she got there, she found the kale and a few other ingredients to make smoothies with, then hurried back to the checkout counter. But when she reached into the coin purses to pay, all she found were coupons to male strip clubs. She had left her own wallet at home in her haste to please these dreadful girls and, so, could not pay for the groceries. Poor Mary began to cry.
Then the cashier, a punk-Gothic-rebel of a girl with charcoal smudged eyes and purple streaks in her hair, sighed and asked Mary what was wrong. After Mary had explained her situation, the cashier took pity on her and let her have all of her groceries for free. Then she said "Hey, you could get them to leave by standing outside your house and yelling that all the Starbucks in town are closing down for good!"
"Thanks, I'll try that!" Mary called over her shoulder as she hurried her free groceries to her car.
And, so, she did.
All the Karies with all their ponytails fled into the night to save their basic-white-girl source of power.
And Mary was finally able to study in peace.
(Ponytails: Image Source)
Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales: The Horned Women by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).
Author's Note:
My story and the original are pretty similar except for tone and the ending. Where The Horned Women is sinister and about witches, my story is a humorous tale of a sorority that is super rude about asking for help with their chem studies. I made the main character a little more likable so the reader (hopefully) felt a grounded. I also left out the ending of the original story because I felt that it didn't fit in with my re-telling and I liked where mine ended.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Reading Notes, Part B: Celtic Fairy Tales:
Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales: The Tale of Ivan, by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).
I liked how Ivan stayed true to the advise that his master gave him and everything worked out. I feel like there aren't many stories like that out there. The main character always seems to deviate from what he's been taught these days. I think I would like to keep the story line fairly similar, maybe focus on one part of the story and blow it up and flesh it out (particularly the part about the Inn). I think this story would be a lot of fun to re-write.
(Ivan: Image Source)
I liked how Ivan stayed true to the advise that his master gave him and everything worked out. I feel like there aren't many stories like that out there. The main character always seems to deviate from what he's been taught these days. I think I would like to keep the story line fairly similar, maybe focus on one part of the story and blow it up and flesh it out (particularly the part about the Inn). I think this story would be a lot of fun to re-write.
Reading Notes, Part A: Celtic Fairy Tales: The Horned Women
(Horned Women: Image Source)
This is a really interesting tale I feel I can turn into a funny story pretty easily. I would like to make the whole thing satire. Maybe have girls with a bunch of different pony tails that overwhelm this other girl and then she uses stupid tricks to get them to leave and stay away. Basically I want to change the tone from sinister to hilarious. I don't get much practice writing funny stories so this should be an interesting challenge.
Bibliography: Celtic Fairy Tales: The Horned Women by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1892).
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Reading Notes Part B: Alaska - The Lost Light
Alaskan Legends unit. Story source: Myths and Legends of Alaska: The Lost Light, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).
(Image source: National Geographic)
I like this story too. It could also be a scary story (maybe I'm just in a super Halloween-y mood).
They could be being chased by something in the Upside Down!! (I also watched the second part of Stranger Things recently). They finally chase down the thing they need and are able to fight off the darkness (monster). It could become a quest of some sort.
Reading Notes Part A: Alaska - Raven and the Seals
Alaskan Legends unit. Story source: Myths and Legends of Alaska: Raven and the Seals, edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).
This story is very morbid. I think I could change it to a pretty frightening tale if I wanted to. Maybe have a serial killer move to a town with a bunch of children. He's a cannibal so he gets hungry and eats all the kids at the orphanage. Then he eats the headmaster he'd originally befriended and then gets greedy and goes around trying to eat all the other children. But the townspeople hear of what he's doing and set the pile of meat he's compiled ablaze with gasoline and fire, thus ruining his meals forever.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Storytelling Week 10: Taps
The sound of tapping plagues me.
It is a constant reminder of who I am, of what I lost.
Long ago, the proud Indian people looked up to the medicine man of our tribe. He and he alone would go into the desert and eat the little knobs or buttons of the mescal plant in order to have visions that he would then share with The People. He warned us not to eat the plants or bad luck would fall upon us.
For a long while, we were good and did not eat the vision plants and everyone was happy. Our medicine man would go out into the desert and eat the buttons and then come back and tell us what he saw.
But then, one night, my husband came to me and held out his hand. In it were the forbidden mescal buttons.
"Wife," he whispered, "I have eaten the buttons and seen wondrous things! They have spread through the tribe because the medicine man's apprentice followed him to the sacred place and ate some while the elder was not looking. He had visions that the medicine man did not talk about and felt that we should all know the truth, so he brought some back. I am not the first to eat them, nearly all the tribe has had some by now. Please try them and share in this experience."
I hesitated, glanced over at my two children, asleep and curled into each other and then nodded and held out my hand.
The buttons were delicious, I had never tasted anything so good. That night, my husband and I lay outside our teepee and watched the stars dance. Great visions exploded and beautifully vibrant colors swirled before our eyes before we fell asleep.
The next day there were more buttons. The entire tribe rolled around on the ground and laughed and called out about their visions. We did not listen to the medicine man when he proclaimed that dangerous weather was coming. All we could do was eat the buttons and have the visions.
I don't know how many days passed while I was in this state but, one day, I woke up with a very clear head. Comatose bodies littered the camp. I suddenly had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glanced about for my children and could not see them anywhere. I checked in our home and in the homes of their friends.
There were no children anywhere.
I began shouting and frantically began waking everyone up. The sun was high by the time everyone came to. As a group, we went into the woods in search of our young. They were nowhere to be found.
After several luckless hours, the sky god, Manitou, appeared before us and proclaimed that he had found our children wandering without food or water in the hot sun for a long time. He said that he had protected them by putting them inside hollow trees.
We asked him what we could do to get them back. Manitou said "I will turn you into birds, and you can go look for them in the hollow trees. When you find them, I will turn you all back into people again" and it was so.
I felt very strange and glanced in a puddle to see why. The long black robe I had been wearing had turned into feathers and the red feathers I'd worn in my hair now covered my face. I had been turned into a bird with a very strong and pointy beak but if it meant getting my children back, I didn't care.
We flew in small swarms and pecked at trees for hours. Taps filled the woods and drowned out the sound of birdsong. Many were lucky and found their children but my own remained lost.
I tap away still. Sometimes I hear my husband tapping elsewhere in the woods as well.
I am plagued by the sound of tapping.
It is a constant reminder of who I am, of what I lost.
Long ago, the proud Indian people looked up to the medicine man of our tribe. He and he alone would go into the desert and eat the little knobs or buttons of the mescal plant in order to have visions that he would then share with The People. He warned us not to eat the plants or bad luck would fall upon us.
For a long while, we were good and did not eat the vision plants and everyone was happy. Our medicine man would go out into the desert and eat the buttons and then come back and tell us what he saw.
But then, one night, my husband came to me and held out his hand. In it were the forbidden mescal buttons.
"Wife," he whispered, "I have eaten the buttons and seen wondrous things! They have spread through the tribe because the medicine man's apprentice followed him to the sacred place and ate some while the elder was not looking. He had visions that the medicine man did not talk about and felt that we should all know the truth, so he brought some back. I am not the first to eat them, nearly all the tribe has had some by now. Please try them and share in this experience."
I hesitated, glanced over at my two children, asleep and curled into each other and then nodded and held out my hand.
The buttons were delicious, I had never tasted anything so good. That night, my husband and I lay outside our teepee and watched the stars dance. Great visions exploded and beautifully vibrant colors swirled before our eyes before we fell asleep.
The next day there were more buttons. The entire tribe rolled around on the ground and laughed and called out about their visions. We did not listen to the medicine man when he proclaimed that dangerous weather was coming. All we could do was eat the buttons and have the visions.
I don't know how many days passed while I was in this state but, one day, I woke up with a very clear head. Comatose bodies littered the camp. I suddenly had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I glanced about for my children and could not see them anywhere. I checked in our home and in the homes of their friends.
There were no children anywhere.
I began shouting and frantically began waking everyone up. The sun was high by the time everyone came to. As a group, we went into the woods in search of our young. They were nowhere to be found.
After several luckless hours, the sky god, Manitou, appeared before us and proclaimed that he had found our children wandering without food or water in the hot sun for a long time. He said that he had protected them by putting them inside hollow trees.
We asked him what we could do to get them back. Manitou said "I will turn you into birds, and you can go look for them in the hollow trees. When you find them, I will turn you all back into people again" and it was so.
I felt very strange and glanced in a puddle to see why. The long black robe I had been wearing had turned into feathers and the red feathers I'd worn in my hair now covered my face. I had been turned into a bird with a very strong and pointy beak but if it meant getting my children back, I didn't care.
We flew in small swarms and pecked at trees for hours. Taps filled the woods and drowned out the sound of birdsong. Many were lucky and found their children but my own remained lost.
I tap away still. Sometimes I hear my husband tapping elsewhere in the woods as well.
I am plagued by the sound of tapping.
Author's Note:
My story and Why the Woodpecker Pecks are basically the same story line, mine is just told from the perspective of the mother who wakes up at the end.
Basically, the Indians are told not to eat the mescal plants that the medicine man eats or bad luck will be brought upon them. One young man does not listen and eats the buttons of the plants and has visions. He then shares the buttons with his friends who share it with their fathers who share it with their wives until the whole tribe is partaking. The adults are in such a state that they forget about their children and don't feed them for several days. The children get desperate so they wander into the woods in search of food. A sky god sees them and takes pity on them. He hides them in hollow trees so they are safe from the sun and wolves.
Finally, one mother wakes up and cannot find any children. She wakes up the whole tribe and, after they've been looking for several hours, the sky god comes before them and tells them what has happened. He then turns them into birds and tells them they can peck at the hollow trees in order to find their children. When they do find them, they will be turned back.
The only major differences between my story and the original are the point of view perspective and the ending. I keep the main character as a woodpecker. She and her husband are perpetually searching for their lost children.
Bibliography: Tejas Legends unit. Story source: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends: Why the Woodpecker Pecks retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Week 10 Reading Tejas Legends Part B: The Maiden who Loved a Star
Tejas Legends unit. Story source: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends, The Maiden who Loved a Star, retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).
This story is actually super sweet! I think I want to change just a few elements of the story but I want to keep the girl going out into the desert and the help from the shaman woman. I think I want the man in the stars to not fall to his death and instead send down special moonbeams or something that bring purple flowers. Or maybe he's trapped and he scrapes at the sides of his star cell every night so that the dust sprinkles down upon her as a bush. Maybe the shaman is her mother and doesn't want her to leave so she imprisons her as a bush! That would be tragic! I like that better!
This story is actually super sweet! I think I want to change just a few elements of the story but I want to keep the girl going out into the desert and the help from the shaman woman. I think I want the man in the stars to not fall to his death and instead send down special moonbeams or something that bring purple flowers. Or maybe he's trapped and he scrapes at the sides of his star cell every night so that the dust sprinkles down upon her as a bush. Maybe the shaman is her mother and doesn't want her to leave so she imprisons her as a bush! That would be tragic! I like that better!
(Star: Image Source)
Week 10 Reading Notes Tejas Legends Part A: Why the Woodpecker Pecks
Tejas Legends unit. Story source: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends: Why the Woodpecker Pecks retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).
I enjoyed this story a lot and thought it would be interesting to re-tell.
I think I want to keep the story basically the same but switch it to first person.
So we'll still have a small introduction to explain why and how all the Indians got into the mescal they weren't supposed to and then we'll wake up through the mother's eyes and follow her as she begs for her child back. This could be super heart wrenching! I'm excited!
I enjoyed this story a lot and thought it would be interesting to re-tell.
I think I want to keep the story basically the same but switch it to first person.
So we'll still have a small introduction to explain why and how all the Indians got into the mescal they weren't supposed to and then we'll wake up through the mother's eyes and follow her as she begs for her child back. This could be super heart wrenching! I'm excited!
(Woodpecker: Image Source)
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Week 9 Story Planning: Laotzse
Bibliography: The Monkey King unit. Story source: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung: Laotzse" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
Summary of the original story:
Okay so first he's already in another form, a peach-worm to be exact, and he's just eaten all the fruit in the garden that's going to make him immortal.
Visitors come on an errand from the Queen-Mother and he traps them then changes his form to sleep worms and puts all the cup-bearers to sleep so he can drink the precious nectar.
Gets to the dwelling of Laotzse but no one is home so he drinks the elixir of life and swallows all the pills of life as well and then flees because he is afraid of getting in trouble.
Finally, he goes back to the scene of the crime and grabs more barrels of the elixir to share with his family.
Research on Laotzse:
Laotzse's character reminded me of Hypnos from Greek Mythology. He and his twin brother, Thantos, are often paired together and live next to the river styx. His attributes include a horn of sleep-inducing opium, a poppy-stem, a branch dripping water from the river Lethe (forgetfulness), or an inverted torch. Both Laotzse and Hypnos serve important roles in protecting things that mere mortals should not be in possession of. Both also fail to keep things out of the hands of those who should not have them (of course I'm basing that assertion on the Percy Jackson series and not straight up research). Actually, Hypnos uses his powers of sleep to trick Zeus twice and manages to get away with it whereas Laotzse get's his magic pills stolen from him while he's at a meeting with literally all of his servants... I don't know why he didn't leave anyone to guard his hut. Especially with a crazy, somersaulting through the sky, want-to-be-god, monkey on the loose.
Conclusion/Planning:
I would like to implement more elements of what the pills of life looked like and maybe make getting them a bit harder. I would also like to implement elements of Hypnos. I'm thinking I'll have the monkey get caught by a guard and then Laotzse will have him help trick another god or something to make up for eating all the pills and stealing barrels of elixir.
Information sources:
Hypnos
Hypnos information about Zeus
Summary of the original story:
Okay so first he's already in another form, a peach-worm to be exact, and he's just eaten all the fruit in the garden that's going to make him immortal.
Visitors come on an errand from the Queen-Mother and he traps them then changes his form to sleep worms and puts all the cup-bearers to sleep so he can drink the precious nectar.
Gets to the dwelling of Laotzse but no one is home so he drinks the elixir of life and swallows all the pills of life as well and then flees because he is afraid of getting in trouble.
Finally, he goes back to the scene of the crime and grabs more barrels of the elixir to share with his family.
Research on Laotzse:
Laotzse's character reminded me of Hypnos from Greek Mythology. He and his twin brother, Thantos, are often paired together and live next to the river styx. His attributes include a horn of sleep-inducing opium, a poppy-stem, a branch dripping water from the river Lethe (forgetfulness), or an inverted torch. Both Laotzse and Hypnos serve important roles in protecting things that mere mortals should not be in possession of. Both also fail to keep things out of the hands of those who should not have them (of course I'm basing that assertion on the Percy Jackson series and not straight up research). Actually, Hypnos uses his powers of sleep to trick Zeus twice and manages to get away with it whereas Laotzse get's his magic pills stolen from him while he's at a meeting with literally all of his servants... I don't know why he didn't leave anyone to guard his hut. Especially with a crazy, somersaulting through the sky, want-to-be-god, monkey on the loose.
(Hypnos: Image source)
Conclusion/Planning:
I would like to implement more elements of what the pills of life looked like and maybe make getting them a bit harder. I would also like to implement elements of Hypnos. I'm thinking I'll have the monkey get caught by a guard and then Laotzse will have him help trick another god or something to make up for eating all the pills and stealing barrels of elixir.
Information sources:
Hypnos
Hypnos information about Zeus
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Reading, Part B: Sun Wu Kung: Laotzse
This story is part of the The Monkey King unit. Story source: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung: Laotzse" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
I love how mischievous Sun is in this part of the story. He comes off as a real trickster and I would love to implement that elements into a re-telling. I also want to go a little more in depth about the pills of life, maybe describe them more and tell some of their effects. Fleshing out Laotzse wouldn't hurt either, I might want to do more research on him because he sounds like a different, Greek God that I'm more familiar with. I think this would be an excellent part of the story to retell.
Week 9 Reading A: Sun Wu Kung: Handsome King of the Apes
This story is part of the The Monkey King unit. Story source: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
This story set was intriguing because it was continuous and the different parts acted like chapters rather than different stories. I think taking the beginning and showing it in a different way could be cool. Maybe change the animals up but mostly have everything be the same.
This story set was intriguing because it was continuous and the different parts acted like chapters rather than different stories. I think taking the beginning and showing it in a different way could be cool. Maybe change the animals up but mostly have everything be the same.
(Waterfall Entrance: Image Source)
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Week 8 Progress
1. Looking back.
I am happy with my progress so far, I am well ahead of the necessary points for an A right now so that's awesome! My weekly routine is a bit different from the one I specified at the beginning of the semester but it's working out well for me so far. I enjoy the critiquing aspect of the class the most. Looking over other people's work is really fun for me. I haven't used any of the extra credit stuff yet because I haven't had extra time and I'm keeping up with the work so I don't really need it.
2. Looking forward.
I think I like things the way they are right now. I'd like to not procrastinate as much but... that might just be who I am as a person at this point.
3. Image. At this point, I'm just trying to power through and Just Do It!!!
.jpg){kind=link}
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Week 8 Comments and Feedback
FEEDBACK
1. I've enjoyed all the feedback I've gotten from fellow classmates. All of it has been positive and respectful and makes me feel good as a writer. I especially love the ones that point out things I could improve in my stories. I take these suggestions into serious consideration and often implement them as soon as I can.
2. I feel that all the feedback I've given out has been positive and helpful. I genuinely enjoy critiquing other people's work and I hope that comes across clear in my comments. I like to help my classmates out by pointing out things that might need a second look or leaving ideas for future revisions because that's what always helped me.
3. I feel I am kind of getting to know people a little bit through their blogs. I'm definitely getting a sense of what people like and I'm finding things in everyone's blog that I can connect or relate to in some way. I think I'm happy with my introduction. I feel like I'm so much more than what I wrote about but it's a good beginning to get to know me.
4. I think I'm pretty happy with the feedback I'm giving and receiving so I don't know of anything I need right now. I'm also pretty happy with my blog right now.
5.
1. I've enjoyed all the feedback I've gotten from fellow classmates. All of it has been positive and respectful and makes me feel good as a writer. I especially love the ones that point out things I could improve in my stories. I take these suggestions into serious consideration and often implement them as soon as I can.
2. I feel that all the feedback I've given out has been positive and helpful. I genuinely enjoy critiquing other people's work and I hope that comes across clear in my comments. I like to help my classmates out by pointing out things that might need a second look or leaving ideas for future revisions because that's what always helped me.
3. I feel I am kind of getting to know people a little bit through their blogs. I'm definitely getting a sense of what people like and I'm finding things in everyone's blog that I can connect or relate to in some way. I think I'm happy with my introduction. I feel like I'm so much more than what I wrote about but it's a good beginning to get to know me.
4. I think I'm pretty happy with the feedback I'm giving and receiving so I don't know of anything I need right now. I'm also pretty happy with my blog right now.
5.
(Image source: Feedback Cats)
I think this meme is incredibly accurate. I value criticism much more now than I did even a few years ago because I know criticism can be positive and also incredibly helpful to make good works great.
Week 8 Reading and Writing
Looking Back
I think the reading and writing assignments went well for me. I enjoyed many of them a lot and I always found at least two stories that I wanted to write about.
I think my favorite story to read so far was from the Congo unit, The Fetish of Chilunga because I hadn't really read anything like it before and it prompted me to write a related but totally different story.
My reading notes have been helping me a lot. I often don't have time to write my story right after the reading so it's beneficial to be able to go back and see what I was thinking. Because I have a lot of freedom in how I structure my notes, it's very easy for me to get back in the groove of what I was thinking and hash out a story.
I am happy with my class project so far, I feel like this is good practice for my future career as an author. Coincidentally, my class project is also my favorite work so far and I consider it my biggest accomplishment in my writing for this class. I've gotten tons of positive feedback on it and everyone that reads it seems interested so I'm looking forward to continuing it.
Image
This is my favorite image I've used so far. It accompanies the first part of my story on my class project. I like it so much because it's not a conventional picture. It's very whimsical and almost haunting. Since it depicts a traumatic part of my story, it's fitting that it's in black and white and not crisp and clear. It really fits the tone I was going for and looks cool.
(Image Source:
Looking Forward
I think the only think I could use to get more out of this class is more time! I barely have time to complete the requirements, let alone the extra credit. There's so much interesting material I'd love to go through and read but I just don't have the time in my schedule to get to all of it! Otherwise, I think I'm doing pretty well and getting a lot out of the class despite the time thing.
I think the reading and writing assignments went well for me. I enjoyed many of them a lot and I always found at least two stories that I wanted to write about.
I think my favorite story to read so far was from the Congo unit, The Fetish of Chilunga because I hadn't really read anything like it before and it prompted me to write a related but totally different story.
My reading notes have been helping me a lot. I often don't have time to write my story right after the reading so it's beneficial to be able to go back and see what I was thinking. Because I have a lot of freedom in how I structure my notes, it's very easy for me to get back in the groove of what I was thinking and hash out a story.
I am happy with my class project so far, I feel like this is good practice for my future career as an author. Coincidentally, my class project is also my favorite work so far and I consider it my biggest accomplishment in my writing for this class. I've gotten tons of positive feedback on it and everyone that reads it seems interested so I'm looking forward to continuing it.
Image
This is my favorite image I've used so far. It accompanies the first part of my story on my class project. I like it so much because it's not a conventional picture. It's very whimsical and almost haunting. Since it depicts a traumatic part of my story, it's fitting that it's in black and white and not crisp and clear. It really fits the tone I was going for and looks cool.
(Image Source:
Looking Forward
I think the only think I could use to get more out of this class is more time! I barely have time to complete the requirements, let alone the extra credit. There's so much interesting material I'd love to go through and read but I just don't have the time in my schedule to get to all of it! Otherwise, I think I'm doing pretty well and getting a lot out of the class despite the time thing.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Week 7 Story: Ties that Bind and Don't Come Loose
There once was a girl with beautiful golden hair, the fairest girl in the place of Chilunga and all the boys desired her. Matilda knew she was beautiful and wore her haughty nature like a coveted fur stole.
When she finally became of age, her father began the search for her husband. Her father had a best friend who had a son the same age as Matilda. They were decently rich and good people so he figured it would be a fair marriage and all involved would be happy.
The only person more disappointed than Matilda with the match was Nathaniel, the husband to be.
He hated her arrogance and vanity and she lamented that he was so ugly not even beasts would eat him with his beak-ish nose, oily hair and splattering of face pimples.
Their fathers would hear none of their complaints. Finally, Nathaniel decided he would agree to the marriage to appease his father and stopped complaining... out loud.
The fathers and Nathaniel agreed to take long walks in the woods of Chilunga so they all might get to know each other better. They dragged Matilda along too though she didn't talk much and pouted the entire time.
On one of their walks, the men began to discuss marriage in general and then Nathaniel's marriage to Matilda.
Matilda couldn't take it anymore. She stopped walking, stamped her food and whined, "I am not going to marry this man! He is much too ugly for me and I will not have him as my husband!"
"Matilda," her father growled at her, " you will do as I say."
"No."
"Very well." He scooped her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. The men continued their walk through the forest and ignored her screams and demands to be put down.
The group finally reached the holy ground where the fetish, Boio, reigned.
Matilda's father dropped her unceremoniously on the ground and backed away from her while yelling "this, Boio, is my daughter, Matilda, and she refuses to accept Nathaniel's hand in marriage because she believes he is too ugly for her."
Nothing happened for a moment so Matilda scrambled to her feet and began brushing twigs out of her golden hair. Just as she was about to open her mouth and complain some more, a dark, ominous voice that seemed to come from all around them hissed "are you then so beautiful that you can afford to despise this good man on account of his ugliness?"
Matilda tried to run but could not. She found herself magically frozen in place with her hands tied behind her back.
"Help!" she cried to her father, "untie me!"
"Matilda, though you are my daughter and you are beautiful, you are very vain indeed. Boio has spoken, I can do nothing for you. You shall remain here until you agree to marry Nathaniel." With that, he turned on his heel and led his friend back into town.
Nathaniel started to follow his father but felt bad about leaving Matilda behind in such a state. He decided to hang back and try to talk to her. She really is quite beautiful, he thought to himself, maybe if I just explain that I'll be a good husband to her and make her happy, she'll agree to marry me and we can all go home.
He walked up to her and made his case clear. He spun a yarn about their life together so beautiful that all the animals in the forest were ready to go home with him and live happily ever after.
But, alas, Matilda was unmoved. Nathaniel was so hurt by her rejection that he stormed off and never visited her again.
She stood there, resolutely, like a statue and eventually became one. To this day, Boio uses her as an example of what happens when you are too vain.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone, I hope y'all enjoyed! This story is very loosely based on The Fetish of Chilunga. In that story, a Fetish named Boio rules Chilunga and whenever people in the story would anger or offend him, they found themselves stuck with their hands tied behind their backs until someone they knew apologized or paid off their debt for them. A part of the story mentioned that girls that refused to marry boys based on their looks were taken to the holy spot and asked the same question Matilda is asked in my story and then they are tied up until they agree to marry. The main story ends by describing a man who didn't believe in the Fetish until he brought it gifts and the gifts disappeared before his eyes. Only two earthly men can see the Fetish and they are the ones that bring him food.
My story varies greatly from the original because I just took that one small section and expanded upon it. I made Matilda really whiny and annoying and Nathaniel a good but not good-looking guy and set them on their way. It doesn't mention anything in The Fetish of Chilunga about what happens to the girls that continue to refuse to marry so I made the part about her becoming a statue up! I thought it was fitting because she was such a brat!
Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort: Congo: The Fetish of Chilunga by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).
Photo: hands tied behind back: Image Source
When she finally became of age, her father began the search for her husband. Her father had a best friend who had a son the same age as Matilda. They were decently rich and good people so he figured it would be a fair marriage and all involved would be happy.
The only person more disappointed than Matilda with the match was Nathaniel, the husband to be.
He hated her arrogance and vanity and she lamented that he was so ugly not even beasts would eat him with his beak-ish nose, oily hair and splattering of face pimples.
Their fathers would hear none of their complaints. Finally, Nathaniel decided he would agree to the marriage to appease his father and stopped complaining... out loud.
The fathers and Nathaniel agreed to take long walks in the woods of Chilunga so they all might get to know each other better. They dragged Matilda along too though she didn't talk much and pouted the entire time.
On one of their walks, the men began to discuss marriage in general and then Nathaniel's marriage to Matilda.
Matilda couldn't take it anymore. She stopped walking, stamped her food and whined, "I am not going to marry this man! He is much too ugly for me and I will not have him as my husband!"
"Matilda," her father growled at her, " you will do as I say."
"No."
"Very well." He scooped her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. The men continued their walk through the forest and ignored her screams and demands to be put down.
The group finally reached the holy ground where the fetish, Boio, reigned.
Matilda's father dropped her unceremoniously on the ground and backed away from her while yelling "this, Boio, is my daughter, Matilda, and she refuses to accept Nathaniel's hand in marriage because she believes he is too ugly for her."
Nothing happened for a moment so Matilda scrambled to her feet and began brushing twigs out of her golden hair. Just as she was about to open her mouth and complain some more, a dark, ominous voice that seemed to come from all around them hissed "are you then so beautiful that you can afford to despise this good man on account of his ugliness?"
Matilda tried to run but could not. She found herself magically frozen in place with her hands tied behind her back.
"Help!" she cried to her father, "untie me!"
"Matilda, though you are my daughter and you are beautiful, you are very vain indeed. Boio has spoken, I can do nothing for you. You shall remain here until you agree to marry Nathaniel." With that, he turned on his heel and led his friend back into town.
Nathaniel started to follow his father but felt bad about leaving Matilda behind in such a state. He decided to hang back and try to talk to her. She really is quite beautiful, he thought to himself, maybe if I just explain that I'll be a good husband to her and make her happy, she'll agree to marry me and we can all go home.
He walked up to her and made his case clear. He spun a yarn about their life together so beautiful that all the animals in the forest were ready to go home with him and live happily ever after.
But, alas, Matilda was unmoved. Nathaniel was so hurt by her rejection that he stormed off and never visited her again.
She stood there, resolutely, like a statue and eventually became one. To this day, Boio uses her as an example of what happens when you are too vain.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone, I hope y'all enjoyed! This story is very loosely based on The Fetish of Chilunga. In that story, a Fetish named Boio rules Chilunga and whenever people in the story would anger or offend him, they found themselves stuck with their hands tied behind their backs until someone they knew apologized or paid off their debt for them. A part of the story mentioned that girls that refused to marry boys based on their looks were taken to the holy spot and asked the same question Matilda is asked in my story and then they are tied up until they agree to marry. The main story ends by describing a man who didn't believe in the Fetish until he brought it gifts and the gifts disappeared before his eyes. Only two earthly men can see the Fetish and they are the ones that bring him food.
My story varies greatly from the original because I just took that one small section and expanded upon it. I made Matilda really whiny and annoying and Nathaniel a good but not good-looking guy and set them on their way. It doesn't mention anything in The Fetish of Chilunga about what happens to the girls that continue to refuse to marry so I made the part about her becoming a statue up! I thought it was fitting because she was such a brat!
Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort: Congo: The Fetish of Chilunga by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).
Photo: hands tied behind back: Image Source
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Reading Notes Part B: Congo: The Fetish Of Chilunga
"Girls who are given in marriage by their parents to ugly men and who object to them on that account are taken to the holy ground. Then they hear a voice speaking to them, saying: "Are you then so beautiful that you can afford to despise these good men on account of their ugliness?" Then their hands are tied behind them, and there they remain prisoners until such time as they are willing to marry the men."
(hands tied behind back: Image Source)
This part of the story intrigues me! I want to expand on this moment with a beautiful, stuck up girl that has to marry a very ugly boy. She refuses and is held prisoner in the forest for several days. The man loves her and visits her every night. At first, she does not appreciate him but then, eventually, she falls in love with him and agrees to love him.
(Actually, maybe it's just that she's used to a certain type of guy and then realizes that that type was all wrong for her and this is the guy she needs.)
Bibliography: Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort: Congo: The Fetish of Chilunga by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).
Reading Notes, Part A: Congo: The Jealous Wife
(The Jealous Wife: Image Source)
Two jealous wives.
How sad do I want to get with this?
Maybe not too sad. Broken vases sound better. Or paintings! Idk, some type of artwork.
They're both interns trying to get their art submitted for a special showcase and they have to show it to their boss. They both make these elegant vases and then one gets jealous of the other and tries to break her vase but ends up breaking her own. No one dies at the end.
Bibliography: Congo: The Jealous Wife. Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Storytelling Week 6: Never Stray
(Dog and Cat: Image Source)
There once was a dog and a cat that became good friends and decided to go on adventures together.
One day, they decided to go on a walk to the Peach orchard outside of town. As they were walking it started to rain. This was a problem because the cat, who was the leader of the two, HATED the rain. They knew that if they could get to the orchard then they would be sheltered by the trees so they hurried on.
They had to cross a river in the pouring rain. The cat hated rain but hated rivers more so he demanded that the dog carry him across. The dog agreed because he was a very good dog but was also kind of a pushover.
The dog waded into the river carefully. Just as they reached the middle, he turned to check on his friend. But as he turned he lost his footing and briefly went under the water.
When he spluttered back to the surface, he didn't feel the sharp claws of his friend desperately clinging to his back anymore. He frantically swam to the opposite shore and searched the riverbank for the cat.
The dog spotted the cat in the middle of the stream, but the current was swift and carrying the cat far away. In a panic, he ran to a tree along the bank and asked it to give him a long branch that he could then use to save his friend.
"Okay," said the tree, "but first you must get these chipmunks out of my bark, they are annoying and store their nuts in me and it really is rather uncomfortable."
"Sorry tree," the dog replied "I have to save my friend now, I don't have time to deal with your problems!" And off he ran, desperately trying to keep his friend in sight.
He next approached a horse with a lead rope still attached to her bridle.
"Horse!" he barked over the sound of the rain, "please! give me use of your lead so that I might rescue my friend from the river with it!"
"Neigh, I will not. Unless... unless you find the farmer and tell him to bring me my apples! I am hungry! Do this for me and I will give you my rope."
"My friend is literally drowning right now, I do not have time to get you apples!" yelled the dog and chased on after the cat.
Just when the cat had had enough and could not hold on much longer, the dog found a small peninsula and was able to snag the cat out of the water. He rushed his friend to the shelter of the orchard and waited till the cat stopped coughing up water.
"Thank you, friend," the cat croaked when he could finally breathe again, "I thought for sure I was a gonner. I saw you go ask the tree and the horse for help and then keep running after me. I feared you would be distracted like this one grasshopper I knew-"
"Let's not speak of unpleasant things, cat, let's just enjoy the sound of the rain," said the dog with a grunt as he settled in under their tree.
"Yes, yes, you're quite right."
The cat fell asleep curled into the dog and the dog diligently watched the storm until it finally cleared.
Author's Note:
This story is based on The Grasshopper and the Ant. In that tale, the main characters are a grasshopper and an ant. The ant falls in the river and the grasshopper intends to save his friend but gets caught up trying to please everyone he asks for help. It's one of those stories where he has to get one thing for one animal (or being) so the next will give him something else and so on and so forth forever and a half. Anyway, by the time he gets all the items to all the right animals and beings, the ant has died. The final lesson is "help is only valuable when it is given in time, that the earth alone refuses not to yield her gifts to him that asks, and that all other things exist only by reciprocal services."I enjoyed the original story for the most part (I hate reading the same list over and over again) but I wanted to change it up a bit. I made the main characters a cat and dog and allowed for my lovable dog character to have the smarts to turn down stupid requests for things that were not in dire need.
I liked that the original story ended with the ant dying because that was realistic, but I couldn't let the cat die (even though I'm a dog person) so I saved him instead. I also alluded to the grasshopper and the ant in my story for those of you who read it this past week! I hope you enjoyed!
Bibliography: Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Grasshopper and the Ant, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Reading Notes, Part B: The Grasshopper and the Ant
(Grasshopper: photo by dorth1)
I enjoy stories like this though I don't know if it'll be fun writing it. I think I want to change up the main characters though I like the idea of keeping them small like bugs. I hoped that the end would go exactly as it did! Even though that's sad that his friend died, it's realistic. I think realistic stories hold more weight. I might edit out a step or two because it gets quite boring reading the same thing over and over again.
I might also deviate totally from the story line and just have my main character ask help from a couple beings and then help him himself. I think I'll keep the death and the moral lesson at the end the same though.
Bibliography: Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Grasshopper and the Ant, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).
Reading Notes, Part A: The Priest's Youngest Son
(Gun: Image Source)
I want to keep it as a dad and three sons but this time with the oldest one being the favored son. Instead of horses, the dad leaves them guns but the younger boys are lazy and don't want to go pick up the guns. The oldest one acquires all three and uses them in a three day shooting contest to win a date with the homecoming queen or something. Somehow he wins a competition because of the guns that his dad left him. I don't really know how to incorporate the sick mom at the end. I'll have to think about it.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Week 5 Storytelling: The Folly of an A(purrr)entice
My pupil, well he's my apprentice really, came to me one day and asked, "Wizard, what is the trickiest thing you've ever done?" And I told him to call me Harry ,as that is my name, and not "Wizard" as he said and then I whispered in his ear, for that is the best way to share secrets, that the trickiest thing I'd ever done was change myself into something else and sell myself for money. I then change back into myself and escape long before the fool that bought me has any idea what's going on.
My apprentice, Josh, the young lad, thought this was great fun and wanted to see me in action. I didn't see any problem with a bit of show and tell, after all, I am supposed to be teaching him the tricks of the trade, as his mother pays me to do, so why not?
I told him I'd show him something simple, something he could copy later if he wanted to. I decided to turn myself into a guitar but I told him to hold onto the talisman that I had transformed into a pick as that would be the thing that called me back to humanity after a short while. If anyone else possessed that talisman during the time of my Change, I would not be able to Change back and come home. He said he understood and looked at me very reverent like so I changed into a guitar and watched him place the pick in his pocket.
He sold me at an auction down the road and I stayed with the fool that bought me till he fell asleep that night. He was still mad that the boy hadn't sold him the pick as well and had grumbled all day about having to wait till tomorrow to go buy one. I quietly Changed back into a human, crept from his house and returned home safely.
Well Josh was excited to see me safely back the next morning but I think he was even more impressed that we were a couple hundred dollars richer. He asked me if I could do it again and I said I reckoned I could so we drove to a neighborhood close to a college campus and advertised a couch for sale. I turned my talisman into a couch pillow and myself into said couch and Josh sold me for a good sum.
I endured several hours of partying before I was finally able to leave. The drunk couple that had fallen asleep on me probably woke up on the floor the next morning a little confused and a lot hung over.
By this time, Josh and I had gotten used to the inflow of cash so he suggested I turn myself into an iPhone and he'd keep the talisman as a charger. I thought it was a good idea so that's what we did.
Well, when I came back from that adventure, Josh was gone, my talisman carelessly tossed in the floorboard of the van we'd been living in for the past while. All our cash was gone so I scratched my head and wondered if something had happened to him or if he'd just run off.
I decided I needed to at least check around for him so I hopped in the van and headed into town. Almost immediately, I had to stop because a line of people blocked the road. It didn't seem to be moving very quickly so I left the van and walked to the front of the line to see what all the fuss was about.
Well you wouldn't believe it but there was a huge, brand-spankin-new Coffee Houz filled to capacity occupying a corner that had been a vacant lot only yesterday when I'd passed through town as an iPhone.
There was a girl sitting at a table all by herself, crakin' pink bubble gum and smiling to beat the band, an empty Coffee Houz cup with the name TIFFANY in front of her. She was twirling a set of keys around her fingers and seemed to be counting customers as they came in. I could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes.
Well I thought I'd heard Josh mention something about a girl, something about a Tiffany a long while ago. It didn't take me long to put two and two together. This coffee shop was none other than my young apprentice and those keys were his talisman.
I didn't think that was right, taking all the money I'd Changed myself for and then thinking he could go on and make more money without me, so I Changed myself into an attractive surfer dude and made my way over to Tiffany. Well she all but threw those keys at me when I asked to buy the place for more money than she'd ever seen and take her to my "condo in Miami" where she would never have to lift a finger in her life.
Josh felt his talisman change hands (it wasn't the smartest decision to give it to Tiffany, he should have seen this coming, really) and I guess he began to panic because, suddenly, the Coffee Houz disappeared and a bright little sparrow practically rocketed across the sky. Well he wasn't getting away from me that easily so I Changed into a hawk and quickly caught up with him.
I had just about closed my talons around his small body when he Changed into a donut and fell into a business man's lap. The man seemed to be on a diet based on the empty salad bowl, apple core and water beside him on the bench and was very pleased to receive a donut from the sky.
I quickly landed and Changed myself into a homeless man and shuffled over.
He seemed to be a pretty agreeable fellow with a good heart so I told him I hadn't had food in days and could sure use something to eat if he had something to spare. He didn't really want to give me the donut (Josh did make an incredibly good looking donut, I'll give him that) but he finally relented and tossed it over to me.
I nearly dropped him (the business man wasn't the most coordinated fellow) but I finally got a firm grasp on him and held him close. I moseyed on over to my van, the donut still in a death grip, and hopped in. I pulled his talisman out of my pocket and said a spell over it.
Josh changed into a grey and white cat (I'd always wanted a cat) and his talisman became his leash and collar. This would be a permanent spell, one he could not escape from. His mother would not be able to pay me enough to make up for his foolishness so now I had a life companion.
I allowed for him to talk because every Wizard needs a magical talking pet (it's probably in the job description somewhere). I reckon for the rest of our days, I've got me cat that'll warn my future apprentices about the dangers of defying me. What a future I've got ahead of me!
(Angry Apprentice Cat: Image Source)
Author's Note:
I had a great time writing this (it's a lot more fun if you read it in an old man's rambling and vaguely southern voice). The original story deals with a wizard and his apprentice who cheat several people out of money by changing into things that are sold. I kept the element of something being left behind to come back to because I felt that fit into my story well. The apprentice eventually thinks he can outsmart his teacher and turns himself into a bathing house and leaves the keys with his mother. His mother doesn't realize the importance of the keys so when the wizard finds out what's going on, he is able to convince the woman to sell him the bathhouse and give him the keys. In a panic, the apprentice flees and seeks refuge with the Padishah by turning himself into a rose. The wizard comes in as a minnesinger and eventually convinces the Padishah to give him the rose. Before he can grab it, however, the apprentice changes again into a millet pulp so the wizard changes into a rooster and eats him up but misses a piece so the apprentice changes back into himself and wrings his teacher's neck and kills him. He then goes back home and him and his mother live happily ever after and make all the money they want.
I didn't think the ending was very fair, neither the wizard or the apprentice seem to be the best guys but the apprentice was shadier and a brat so I thought he should be punished. I made the things the wizard changed himself into a little more modern to relate to the current time period and, like I said, changed the ending. I also changed it from a story telling style to a first person stream of consciousness narrative from the wizard's point of view. I feel like this helps the reader get even more into the story. I hope you enjoyed!!
Bibliography:
This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
My apprentice, Josh, the young lad, thought this was great fun and wanted to see me in action. I didn't see any problem with a bit of show and tell, after all, I am supposed to be teaching him the tricks of the trade, as his mother pays me to do, so why not?
I told him I'd show him something simple, something he could copy later if he wanted to. I decided to turn myself into a guitar but I told him to hold onto the talisman that I had transformed into a pick as that would be the thing that called me back to humanity after a short while. If anyone else possessed that talisman during the time of my Change, I would not be able to Change back and come home. He said he understood and looked at me very reverent like so I changed into a guitar and watched him place the pick in his pocket.
He sold me at an auction down the road and I stayed with the fool that bought me till he fell asleep that night. He was still mad that the boy hadn't sold him the pick as well and had grumbled all day about having to wait till tomorrow to go buy one. I quietly Changed back into a human, crept from his house and returned home safely.
Well Josh was excited to see me safely back the next morning but I think he was even more impressed that we were a couple hundred dollars richer. He asked me if I could do it again and I said I reckoned I could so we drove to a neighborhood close to a college campus and advertised a couch for sale. I turned my talisman into a couch pillow and myself into said couch and Josh sold me for a good sum.
I endured several hours of partying before I was finally able to leave. The drunk couple that had fallen asleep on me probably woke up on the floor the next morning a little confused and a lot hung over.
By this time, Josh and I had gotten used to the inflow of cash so he suggested I turn myself into an iPhone and he'd keep the talisman as a charger. I thought it was a good idea so that's what we did.
Well, when I came back from that adventure, Josh was gone, my talisman carelessly tossed in the floorboard of the van we'd been living in for the past while. All our cash was gone so I scratched my head and wondered if something had happened to him or if he'd just run off.
I decided I needed to at least check around for him so I hopped in the van and headed into town. Almost immediately, I had to stop because a line of people blocked the road. It didn't seem to be moving very quickly so I left the van and walked to the front of the line to see what all the fuss was about.
Well you wouldn't believe it but there was a huge, brand-spankin-new Coffee Houz filled to capacity occupying a corner that had been a vacant lot only yesterday when I'd passed through town as an iPhone.
There was a girl sitting at a table all by herself, crakin' pink bubble gum and smiling to beat the band, an empty Coffee Houz cup with the name TIFFANY in front of her. She was twirling a set of keys around her fingers and seemed to be counting customers as they came in. I could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes.
Well I thought I'd heard Josh mention something about a girl, something about a Tiffany a long while ago. It didn't take me long to put two and two together. This coffee shop was none other than my young apprentice and those keys were his talisman.
I didn't think that was right, taking all the money I'd Changed myself for and then thinking he could go on and make more money without me, so I Changed myself into an attractive surfer dude and made my way over to Tiffany. Well she all but threw those keys at me when I asked to buy the place for more money than she'd ever seen and take her to my "condo in Miami" where she would never have to lift a finger in her life.
Josh felt his talisman change hands (it wasn't the smartest decision to give it to Tiffany, he should have seen this coming, really) and I guess he began to panic because, suddenly, the Coffee Houz disappeared and a bright little sparrow practically rocketed across the sky. Well he wasn't getting away from me that easily so I Changed into a hawk and quickly caught up with him.
I had just about closed my talons around his small body when he Changed into a donut and fell into a business man's lap. The man seemed to be on a diet based on the empty salad bowl, apple core and water beside him on the bench and was very pleased to receive a donut from the sky.
I quickly landed and Changed myself into a homeless man and shuffled over.
He seemed to be a pretty agreeable fellow with a good heart so I told him I hadn't had food in days and could sure use something to eat if he had something to spare. He didn't really want to give me the donut (Josh did make an incredibly good looking donut, I'll give him that) but he finally relented and tossed it over to me.
I nearly dropped him (the business man wasn't the most coordinated fellow) but I finally got a firm grasp on him and held him close. I moseyed on over to my van, the donut still in a death grip, and hopped in. I pulled his talisman out of my pocket and said a spell over it.
I allowed for him to talk because every Wizard needs a magical talking pet (it's probably in the job description somewhere). I reckon for the rest of our days, I've got me cat that'll warn my future apprentices about the dangers of defying me. What a future I've got ahead of me!
(Angry Apprentice Cat: Image Source)
Author's Note:
I had a great time writing this (it's a lot more fun if you read it in an old man's rambling and vaguely southern voice). The original story deals with a wizard and his apprentice who cheat several people out of money by changing into things that are sold. I kept the element of something being left behind to come back to because I felt that fit into my story well. The apprentice eventually thinks he can outsmart his teacher and turns himself into a bathing house and leaves the keys with his mother. His mother doesn't realize the importance of the keys so when the wizard finds out what's going on, he is able to convince the woman to sell him the bathhouse and give him the keys. In a panic, the apprentice flees and seeks refuge with the Padishah by turning himself into a rose. The wizard comes in as a minnesinger and eventually convinces the Padishah to give him the rose. Before he can grab it, however, the apprentice changes again into a millet pulp so the wizard changes into a rooster and eats him up but misses a piece so the apprentice changes back into himself and wrings his teacher's neck and kills him. He then goes back home and him and his mother live happily ever after and make all the money they want.
I didn't think the ending was very fair, neither the wizard or the apprentice seem to be the best guys but the apprentice was shadier and a brat so I thought he should be punished. I made the things the wizard changed himself into a little more modern to relate to the current time period and, like I said, changed the ending. I also changed it from a story telling style to a first person stream of consciousness narrative from the wizard's point of view. I feel like this helps the reader get even more into the story. I hope you enjoyed!!
Bibliography:
This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Reading Notes, Part B: Turkish Fairy tales: The Wizard and his Pupil
This story reminded me of the King Arthur Disney movie from forever ago! The one where Merlin takes Arthur under his wing and turns him into a squirrel and stuff! I think this would be a lot of fun to re-tell.
I like the idea of having to hold on to a piece of the changed person so they don't get lost. In the end though, I think I'll have the wizard capture his apprentice and keep him as a pet or something for eternity so he can warn other apprentices not to mess up or do wrong. I don't think the apprentice should have "won."
so first I'll have the wizard turned into a pawn shop item, then a piece of furniture, then an electronic device. Then I'll have the apprentice turned into a coffee shop and he'll give the keys to his girlfriend. The Wizard will trick her into giving him the keys by showing up as a super hot guy that's totally interested in her.
There will be a chase scene but, in the end, the wizard is able to trap the apprentice in one form (probs a crow or a cat) for eternity.
Bibliography:
This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
I like the idea of having to hold on to a piece of the changed person so they don't get lost. In the end though, I think I'll have the wizard capture his apprentice and keep him as a pet or something for eternity so he can warn other apprentices not to mess up or do wrong. I don't think the apprentice should have "won."
so first I'll have the wizard turned into a pawn shop item, then a piece of furniture, then an electronic device. Then I'll have the apprentice turned into a coffee shop and he'll give the keys to his girlfriend. The Wizard will trick her into giving him the keys by showing up as a super hot guy that's totally interested in her.
There will be a chase scene but, in the end, the wizard is able to trap the apprentice in one form (probs a crow or a cat) for eternity.
(Angry Cat: Image Source)
Bibliography:
This story is in the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales: The Wizard and his Pupil by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
Reading Notes, Part A: Turkish Fairy Tales: Fear
I don't like the storytelling format of most of these stories. It feels condescending to me. I am not a child, I have outgrown this type of bedtime story. That is why I usually do not write in this style.
Instead of fear, I want the young man to be in search of love. Throughout the piece, I'll have him look for love and he'll find it in different places.
for example,
- Bringing soup to his sick mother
- getting hugs from children
- owning and training an animal
- finally meeting a woman he falls in love with
I will probably have to use both parts of this story in order to tell the whole thing.
I think I'll probably write in first person or third person omniscient, I haven't decided yet.
Bibliography:
This story is part of the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
(What is Love?: Image Source)
Instead of fear, I want the young man to be in search of love. Throughout the piece, I'll have him look for love and he'll find it in different places.
for example,
- Bringing soup to his sick mother
- getting hugs from children
- owning and training an animal
- finally meeting a woman he falls in love with
I will probably have to use both parts of this story in order to tell the whole thing.
I think I'll probably write in first person or third person omniscient, I haven't decided yet.
Bibliography:
This story is part of the Turkish Fairy Tales unit. Story source: Forty-four Turkish Fairy Tales by Ignacz Kunos, with illustrations by Willy Pogany (1913).
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Week 4 Story: Connor: Boy Legend
There is this one high school in the middle of nowhere where a small pack of boys think they have it all. Sure, they're all young and good looking and popular but they're all very stupid. Fortunately for them, though they don't know it yet, their leader's mom makes her youngest son tag along with the group. This young boy is wise beyond his years. He might be a little nerdy and not as good looking as the rest of them, but he has amazing manners and is pure of heart.
Now, this group of good-looking boys and their nerdy little tag along have gone on many adventures but my favorite of them all was when they went to the big park in town and encountered a pack of pretty girls gossiping by the fountain.
The girls were just a little bit older than the boys and, while they gossiped, they casually checked their beautiful reflections in the pond's surface.
When the boys saw them, they stopped in their tracks with their mouths hanging open. Never before had they seen such beautiful girls!
The oldest, their leader, grouped his friends and his little brother together to go over their game plan.
"Okay guys, lets yell things at them so they look at us and notice how cool and good-looking we are!"
The idea was probably foolproof so no one objected, thought the little brother, Connor, stayed behind the group and watched.
The boys catcalled at the girls from across the park for a good while, but the girls didn't look up. Finally, the oldest girl got very annoyed and called out "we don't know you, little boys, why don't you go home to your mommies and leave us alone?"
The boys scoffed and kicked at the ground and grumbled about how dumb those girls were. Connor, who had been watching diligently the whole time, got up off the ground, brushed off his pants, and calmly walked over to the group of girls.
"Excuse me, ladies?" Connor asked politely. "I'm very sorry about how my brother and his friends acted toward you all, our mother did not raise us to act like that. I think you are all very beautiful and would love to make your acquaintance."
He spoke so elegantly and sweetly that all the girls began to fuss and coo over him. They patted his hair and gave him hugs and invited him to hang out at the park with them the next day. Some even offered to babysit sometime (they were much older than him after all).
The group of boys stared at Connor and the girls in shock.
When the girls finally released Connor and all goodbyes were exchanged, Connor skipped back to his brother and their friends.
"Dude. How did you do that?" His brother asked him.
"Come on, I'll teach you all. Those girls need dates to dances later in the year!" Connor replied happily.
From then on, little Connor was a legend that taught boys how to respect women.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
The original story, Saint Comgall and the Mice, featured a wise monk, his disciples and some swans. Our story lines are pretty much the same other than the change in character's. The monk's name was Comgall but I changed it to Connor and made him a young, polite little boy. I found the original story quite funny, especially when I imagined it the way I told it! I hope y'all enjoyed!
Bibliography: Saint Comegall and the Mice. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).
Image Source (This is actually the fountain at the Harbor in Rockwall, Texas! My hometown!)
Now, this group of good-looking boys and their nerdy little tag along have gone on many adventures but my favorite of them all was when they went to the big park in town and encountered a pack of pretty girls gossiping by the fountain.
The girls were just a little bit older than the boys and, while they gossiped, they casually checked their beautiful reflections in the pond's surface.
When the boys saw them, they stopped in their tracks with their mouths hanging open. Never before had they seen such beautiful girls!
The oldest, their leader, grouped his friends and his little brother together to go over their game plan.
"Okay guys, lets yell things at them so they look at us and notice how cool and good-looking we are!"
The idea was probably foolproof so no one objected, thought the little brother, Connor, stayed behind the group and watched.
The boys catcalled at the girls from across the park for a good while, but the girls didn't look up. Finally, the oldest girl got very annoyed and called out "we don't know you, little boys, why don't you go home to your mommies and leave us alone?"
The boys scoffed and kicked at the ground and grumbled about how dumb those girls were. Connor, who had been watching diligently the whole time, got up off the ground, brushed off his pants, and calmly walked over to the group of girls.
"Excuse me, ladies?" Connor asked politely. "I'm very sorry about how my brother and his friends acted toward you all, our mother did not raise us to act like that. I think you are all very beautiful and would love to make your acquaintance."
He spoke so elegantly and sweetly that all the girls began to fuss and coo over him. They patted his hair and gave him hugs and invited him to hang out at the park with them the next day. Some even offered to babysit sometime (they were much older than him after all).
The group of boys stared at Connor and the girls in shock.
When the girls finally released Connor and all goodbyes were exchanged, Connor skipped back to his brother and their friends.
"Dude. How did you do that?" His brother asked him.
"Come on, I'll teach you all. Those girls need dates to dances later in the year!" Connor replied happily.
From then on, little Connor was a legend that taught boys how to respect women.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note:
The original story, Saint Comgall and the Mice, featured a wise monk, his disciples and some swans. Our story lines are pretty much the same other than the change in character's. The monk's name was Comgall but I changed it to Connor and made him a young, polite little boy. I found the original story quite funny, especially when I imagined it the way I told it! I hope y'all enjoyed!
Bibliography: Saint Comegall and the Mice. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).
Image Source (This is actually the fountain at the Harbor in Rockwall, Texas! My hometown!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)