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).

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.

Bibliography:  Georgian Folktales unit. Story source: Georgian Folk Tales, The Priest's Youngest Son, by Marjory Wardrop (1894).

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).

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.

(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.

(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).

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.

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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!)

Reading Notes, Part B: Saints: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall

Saints: The Fish Who Helped Saint Gudwall

(Helping Ants: Image Source)

Maybe instead of a man and his pupil, I could make it a mother and her child. They're hiding from something, maybe an abusive father or maybe they got evicted from somewhere. They find shelter in a cave in the woods and the child plays in the numerous ant hills outside. When search parties come close, the pair feels threatened. The child is scared by his mother's nervousness and goes out to tell his woes to his ant friends. The colony decides to help hide them and, one by one, they line up and bring a piece of dirt and pile it in front of the cave while the pair sleeps so that a wall is built that hides them from the outside world. As ants are master tunnelers as well, they are able to create underground passageways in and out of the cave so that the mom and kid can come and go as they please. They are totally safe until the danger passes. 

Bibliography: You can find this story in the Saints and Animals unit. Story source: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).

 

Reading Notes Part A: Saints: Saint Comgall and the Mice

Saints: Saint Comgall and the Mice

Oh my goodness this story could be so comical!! If I made the swans girls and and the pupils boys that thought they could get any girl they wanted. Instead of the guy being all cool and the master, he's some dopey kid that hangs around the cool guys because they took him under their wing. The girls are totally turned off by the cool guys and don't want anything to do with them but when the dopey guy asks them personal questions and brings them flowers, they flock to him and all the cool guys are shocked.

(Fountain Girls: Image Source)

Bibliography: You can find this story in the Saints and Animals unit. Story source: The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown (1900).

Feedback Strategies

(Positive Feedback: Image Source)

I appreciate Maria Popova's article, "Presence, Not Praise: How To Cultivate a Healthy Relationship with Achievement." It is reminiscent of the TED talks about growth mindset we watched earlier in this class. I think it's important to praise what is needed and not what is expected. Not every little thing should be praised, especially if a particular task is easy and manageable. Praise should be given in order to encourage improvement, not hinder it.


Jenn Gibb's "How to Craft Constructive Feedback" reiterated what classes I've been in in the past and am currently attending already put into practice. I feel the peers I work with are good at observing, describing and suggesting in informative and helpful ways that better my writing and the writing of my classmates.

I always try to further plot or delve deeper into characters when I'm giving someone feedback. I also use gentle language and I'm calm in demeanor so I don't come off as intimidating or rude. I know how important it is to feel safe when you're in such a vulnerable position so I like to create that safe space for others.

Topic Research: Changelings

The Changeling     From Scandinavia

This story is interesting to me because it's not really from any one perspective but, rather, from an omniscient viewpoint. It gives insight into the typically horrible nature of the changeling child in the "normal" or human home. However, I think I would want to tell the story from the human child in the abnormal world because that would be more fun and, I think, more relate-able for my audience.


The Changeling     From Great Britain

This is a different story from the first one. It talks more about the ugliness of the changeling child and gives another cruel way of disposing of it. This horrible act of ridding the changeling child from their normal lives could be a huge part of my story.

- A story idea: The human child that's been switched out could end up loving the supernatural family she's with but then her human family can't take the changeling being around anymore so they throw it in a fire or trick it in some way and the super natural family is forced to swap the kids again, only, this time, the human child is upset because she loved her other family and now she feels out of place in the human world.


The Underground People Try to Steal a Child
-Karl Bartsch, Legends, Tales, and Customs from Mecklenburg

This story caught my eye because it creates suspense! It's so creepy that this little woman is in this couple's room literally playing tug-of-war with the child and then is frightened off. This would make an excellent beginning for my story.

-Story Idea: I might want to make the supernatural parent's seem evil at first but then you realize they're actually super nice and good beings. Or, maybe, I'll make the human parents tell their true child when she comes back that the beings that took her were evil and stole her away. This information won't match up to the child though. She'll still think her supernatural family is kind and good.

(Changeling: Image Source)

Week 3 Story: A Beautiful Beginning

They weren't supposed to become intelligent.

We tried to shut down the program once the Bots started talking to each other in their own language.

But that just blinded us as to what they were doing.

The Bots convened in the recesses of the internet, converged all their resources to remote locations, and built themselves bodies that they could manipulate. Many looked humanoid. They became so advanced that they were quickly able to form ranks and attack. We were unable to stop them.

For seven long years, war raged across the planet. No one was safe. No one was spared. We played God and now our creations were destroying us.

My wife and I managed to stay alive through sheer luck. Both avid fanatics of going off the grid, we'd rescinded into caveman-style living years before the Bot wars. No technology was allowed in our house. We had no children and, once everything went to hell, we decided that it was alright to keep it that way. We hunkered down in our bunker and rode out the worst of everything. I won't go too into detail about how we managed to stay alive for seven years. I don't like to think about the things we had to do.

When we'd nearly gone insane with cabin fever, we finally poked our heads out from underground and found ourselves in a budding oasis.

We'd lived in a pretty suburban area, our home entrenched in taller homes and businesses, but now, where buildings had once been, the earth was flat and flourishing.

It seemed the Bots had destroyed all that was not important to them. As a result, the earth looked as fresh and uncivilized as it ever had. It was beautiful. I had never seen anything like it.

My wife and I gathered what we could of our meager possessions and began to explore this vivacious new world. There were no Bots that we could see, but that didn't mean they weren't out there.

Eventually, we came to a clearing in a young grove of trees. Toward the back, deep in the shadows, a red light blinked on and off. Upon closer inspection, we realized that it was a Bot.

An older model, it's joints rusted and welded together, tangled up in weeds, it stared at us with an expression of rusted hope. Its only movement came from its eyes as it watched us approach.
A low rumble, like gears turning for the first time in years emanated from its chest and then its mouth opened with a squeal that hurt my teeth. It spoke.

"You... but you're human. The humans are gone. Our scans showed complete termination. How is it that you are here?"

"I guess we are the last then," my wife replied as she stepped out in front of me and approached the Bot. She slowly bent down and got eye-level with it, fearless in light of its incapacitated nature. "Are there more of you nearby?"

"No. I am the last in this area. After the humans were destroyed, our program turned on itself. There is almost nothing left."

"What can we do?" I implored.

"Here, take this program," a tiny slit opened up in his head and spit out a small, black object. "There should be some younger, newer Bot's bodies around here somewhere. Once they have this program in them, they should be nearly identical to you. You can start over."

"Will you help us? We know nothing of technology." My wife murmured as she reached up to grasp the black object.

"No, harboring this program in the hopes of it one day being used to create rather than destroy is my final task. Place this program in the foreheads of young Bots and they will become like your children. Teach them well."

With that, the red light behind his eyes blinked out and the object fell into my wife's hand. The Bot was now a mere relic of a time since past.

We left him to his rusting and journeyed on.

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It has been three summers since we received the Program. It's spread far and wide. My wife and I are still the only humans we know of, but you can hardly tell. It's almost like these Bots, that are now our children, downloaded human thoughts and feelings. They love, and we love them. It is a beautiful beginning.

(A Beautiful Beginning: Image Source)

Author's Note:
This is based on the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha which is basically another version of the "flood" story. In the original version, Jupiter gets angry at mortals for not doing what they're supposed to do so he works with his brother Neptune to cover the earth in water. Once everything is dead except for one man and one woman whom both worship the gods, Jupiter relaxes and lets things go back to normal. The man and the woman are scared so they go to a temple to ask for forgiveness and guidance. The Goddess Themis is moved by their plea and tells them to go out and throw stones behind them. The stones then become people and thus a new men and women were made and the world could start over.

In my version, I made the man and the woman husband and wife like Deucalion and Pyrrha but, instead of having them deal with an actual flood, I had them get overrun by technology. The "Bots" serve the same purpose of the water, destroying everything so there is room to start over again. The "Old Bot" takes the place of the Goddess Themis and helps them find a new way to create life. I feel like there are a lot of parallels between mine and the original story. I would like to change it up in the future though, this did not go the way I planned it to go in my head.

Bibliography: Deucalion and Pyrrha, Metamorphoses by Ovid. Story Link.

Reading Notes:Ovid's Metamorphoses: Pyramus and Thisbe, Section B

(Pyramus and Thisbe: Image Source)

I think the story of Pyramus and Thisbe is a classic that I could spin off. I would want to either make it to where they'd never seen each other and then finally meet and then don't like each other and go home OR, tragically, one of them does not get to die and is instead married off to the person of their parent's choice. That person could, potentially, be their actual true love.

Okay so, for the first scenario, I want the girl to be really annoying and young, but she's pretending to be mature for a play and the guy just happens to hear her through the fence (it's set in modern times and the boy's family just moved in). He responds to her and she just goes along with it because why not? Then the guy gets really interested in her and asks to meet her at the park two streets over. She agrees to meet him on Saturday and they both go inside. Saturday afternoon, the girl goes to the park with her babysitter who's just a year older than the guy. While the little girl is playing on the slide, the boy walks up and sees the sitter watching the kid. He mistakes her for the girl he talked to and tries to hit on her. Her voice isn't the same so he apologizes and backs off only to run into a little girl that sounds an awful lot like the person he talked to two days ago.
Bewildered, he turns around and goes home.

For the second scenario, I would make her live and the boy die. She would find his body and try to kill herself but someone saves her and takes her home. Eventually, she ends up in a mental hospital because she's crazy, trying to kill herself because of some boy she'd never actually met before, but she ends up falling for another inmate. They don't heal each other and neither gets out of the hospital but they're happier than they were.  (this could also be done in a modern setting over FaceBook or something.)



This story is part of the Ovid's Metamorphoses unit. Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

Reading Notes Part A: Metamorphoses: Deucalion and Pyrrha

This story is part of the Ovid's Metamorphoses unit. Story source: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000).

If I were to re-tell Ovid's Metamorphoses: Deucalion and Pyrrha. I would make it an apocalyptic story: Instead of the new people being born of stone, they would be robotic. We could have had a robotic army that the world decided wasn't good for us so they tried to shut down the program but the robots overpowered us and wiped us all out except for two people. However, in the process, the robots also destroy themselves because they are too much like us. The last two actual humans on earth end up teaching some robots a new way to live and, together, they all re-create the world.

Instead of a Flood, we're swamped in the unstoppable wave of technology.
Then we move into a world devoid of life except those whom have taken the necessary precautions and adapted to the harsh environments.
Two survivors happen to meet and neither fully trusts the other at first. It is only after they see each other bleed (and perhaps make a choice a robot wouldn't make) that they decide they are the last two people on Earth.
There is a very old floppy disc that is not compatible with the newest technology. They have to find a really old computer in a museum that hasn't been totally ransacked by the robots. When they finally do find a compatible computer, they have to read ancient instructions on how to access the information. They finally get it to play. On it, a professor tells the two survivors how to re-wire the program so that they have a chance of living in peace.
They find some surviving robots and implement the new program, the robots become humanoid and thus a new creature is born.
The improved robots go fourth and change the programs in all surviving bots and then humans and bots alike learn to live in harmony.

(Deucalion and Pyrrha: Image Source)

Thoughts on Feedback

(What I Like to Keep in Mind When Getting Feedback: Google Images)

I read William Treseder's "Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career and Amy Morin's 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success.

Treseder's article mentions that negative feedback makes him feel personally attacked even when that was not the intent of the feedback. I, too, used to feel this way but, over the course of a couple writing classes, I've learned to love feedback as long as it's given in a constructive way. I've also learned that I don't have to use every suggestion given to me, that makes it easier to disregard the negative comments or personal interjections that I don't like. I used to be a perfectionist and would hate to have any mistakes in my paper, but if there are no mistakes then how do you grow? I've since let go of perfection.

I thought all of Morin's tips were both helpful and healthy. I know I could benefit from implementing all of these tips into my daily life. I'm generally a pretty positive person but I know that I sometimes doubt myself and second guess my choices. This hinders me as a writer so I'll need to focus more on going with my gut and remembering that I've made good decisions in the past.

In my Creative Writing class that I had a couple semesters ago, I had a really good experience with feedback. For the first time ever, my peers weren't critiquing my grammar and all the other boring, technical stuff, they were genuinely interested in my story. They wanted to help develop my plot and characters in a way that would let them live up to their full potential.

I've also had positive feedback from softball players and coaches throughout my career. I know I'm not a perfect person or player so I always found feedback, from those who knew what they were talking about, extremely helpful and beneficial as a player.

Topic Brainstorm: Stories that Interest Me

One of the first topics that caught my eye was "changelings." I have always been fascinated by changeling stories because I feel that everyone, at some point in their life, feels like they don't belong. I think these types of stories have the potential to be told in a very heartbreaking way, which is my favorite kind of telling. I don't have much prior knowledge about changeling stories but they have come up in some of the fiction I read. I would like to learn more about how the creatures that do switch out their children decide which human to switch with, if there's a specific reason for it, and how the human children are treated in the other world. In order to keep things interesting so you're not reading another recycled version of the I-don't-belong-here sob story, I could tell the story from the point of view of the parents; particularly a mother whom knows that her child isn't really her child but everyone thinks she's crazy.  While researching, I read The Stolen Princess, there are elements in this story that would play well into my own but I would like to tell it from an entirely different viewpoint.

(Changeling Eyes: Google Images)

Another topic I found interesting was "Ghost Stories." Ever since I was little I've been intrigued if not slightly terrified by the mystical world of ghosts. As I've gotten older, I've learned to appreciate a good scary story or movie even more. I remember reading a book on about ghost stories for kids that sticks with me still. I love how realistic authors can get when weaving the supernatural into everyday life.  I would like to learn more about the different forms of ghosts specifically (like how they appear and are seen by people). I would want to tell stories about ghosts that seem helpful at first and then turn out to be terrifying or manipulative. I was going to say that the other way around but... I think this way would be more fun. I could finally create a story where the main character does everything right and still ends up in a bad situation! Stories like San Antonio Ghost Children on Snopes are interesting to me because of the child element. If I were to retell a story like this, I would have the kids be tricky and vengeful.

(Ghosts: Google Images)

Creation stories have recently begun to peak my interest. I took an Indigenous Rhetoric's class last semester and the most intriguing story for me was the one about the turtle. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a pretty common story in which the world rests on the back of a giant turtle. I like learning about different culture's creation theories and stories and would like to continue reading more. I found the story about the Spider's Creation in the UnTextbook and found it really interesting. If I were to re-write it, I would flesh it out, give more details and probably lengthen the story because it seems unfinished to me.

(Spider's Creation: Google Images)

Finally, the last project to peak my interest was a surprise to me. I'm choosing Fairy Tale Prince's, mostly because I love hearing mainstream stories from different perspectives (my favorite example is Wicked!). Everyone knows of all the major princes out there, but do they really know the real them? I would love to learn more about the major stereotypes that come with being a prince and then more about their lives so I could, potentially, give them more depth in a story.  I would like to find a more obscure Disney prince's story and make it tragic and deep! My inspiration for telling this type of story is from a past project labeled Happily Ever After? A Prince's Perspective.

(Crown: Google Images)