Week 11: Review

Favorite Thing From Today's Announcement:

(Image from: Laura Gibbs)

Why It's My Favorite:
I've never heard this word, and I am in love with it! I absolutely have scrpturient. This ties in wonderfully with NaNoWriMo! (I know NaNoWriMo is all I've written about, but it's so consuming of my time.)

Inspriration for Week 12:

(Image from: Becca Peterson)

Some Final Thoughts:

This week was wonderful, I'm looking forward to what Week 12 has for me!

Week 11: Famous Last Words

(Image by: Rosa Blue)

My Reading This Week:
In mythology, I read part of Alice in Wonderland. I meant to read the whole thing, but I didn't get around to it. So, I'll read the second half in Week 12. (Can you believe we're already in Week 12?)

In my free time I've finished reading A Shade of Vampire by: Bella Forrest. It's a Young Adult vampire book series.

If you like vampire books, give A Shade of Vampire a try! It's part of a large series of books!
I've started reading The Black Dagger Brotherhood, by J.R. Ward, which is another vampire book (and also part of a large series of books.  This is an Adult vampire book series, so if you prefer reading Adult over Young Adult, this is the vampire book series for you.
If you've read my Storybook, then you shouldn't be surprised that most of what I read are vampire books!

I've been reading more for inspiration. But, as per usual, the more reading I'm doing, the more it's helping with my writing.

My Best Writing This WeeK:
As I mentioned in my Growth Mindset post, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (or the National Novel Writing Month) for the first time. I started a book in my capstone course, and I am trying to complete it by the end of November. I've been able to meet my word count which is 1,500. If I do that everyday, I will finish this novel by the end of November.


Seriously people, reading and writing go hand in hand. Reading will help you write better! It gives you inspiration and also helps with grammer, paragraph structure, sentence structure, and dialogue.


And no one can find time, you have to MAKE time. So if you want to be a better writer, read at least an hour a day!

Tech Tip # 6

This week I did the Tech Tip of editing Pinterest Pins. I didn't even know that was possible! I always so quickly press the Pin button, and don't always go back.

This week in my Curation Spaces post, I put three writing quotes that I found on Pinterest and added my commentary. So, I decided to edit those posts with that commentary!

I edited this pin, this pin, and this pin!

A screenshot of my edited pins in my Writing Quotes and Tips Pinterest Board:

(My Image)

Week 11: Curation Spaces

With NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and Storytelling in our class, some people are surely running low on writing steam. So, this week I wanted to share some writing tips and tricks that I found on Pinterest.

1. Write first, edit later!

(Image from Pinterest)

Some of the most helpful advice that I have ever heard is to write first and edit later. It isn't like brain surgery. You don't have one shot to get it write. So, the best thing to do when writing a story is to simply write. Write everything that comes to mind, which as I like to call it is 'word vommiting'. When you have the story down, go back later and edit it!

2. Words of Wisdom from: Stephen King!

(Image from Pinterest)

I know it sounds so simple, but it isn't. I hear people so many times say they cannot find 'time' to read or write. Well, you will never find time, so you will never be a writer. In order to be a writer you must MAKE time to read or write. Read and write once a day, setting either times for each or goals. (I try to write 1,500 words a day for my novel, and read for at least an hour.

3. Write what you want to read!

(Image from Pinterest) 

Don't know what to write? Whether it is for a short story or a novel, write what YOU would read. Read in your genre, something that you're interested in. Find what you wish existed (whether it be more like what you have written, or what has not yet been written.) Love what you write, and be your biggest fan.

Week 11: Growth Mindset

(Image from: Growth Mindset Memes)

This year is the first year that I have participated in NaNoWriMo. 

I started a novel for one of my classes, and decided to work hard to finish it. With November rolling around I thought, "What better time to try to finish my novel than now?"

With NaNoWriMo, and working on that everydy, I am constantly challenging myself. Each time I challenge myself I am reminded of Growth Mindset.

I am challenging myself daily to write 1,500 words of my novel, which is more of a challenge than that may side.

Additionally, this weekened I amped up the challenge. I challenged myself to write double the word count, and to get to 20,000 words by the end of the weekend!

I am proud to say that I reached a little over 20,000 words, and am now up to 100 words of my novel!

If I keep this up, I will finish my novel by the end of the month! 

Thank you, Growth Mindset! Without you, I don't know if I'd get here. 

Week 11 Storytelling: Alix in Wonderland

(The Cheshire Cat by: thethreesisters)

Alix in Wonderland 

I live in an asscrack of a town, where the most exciting thing was the installment of a traffic light at a four way intersection.

"Alix!" My best friend Robby screamed as he drove the car. His voice was muffled by the sound of the wind whirring by me.

I had crawled out of the passenger side window, and lay on the hood of his hail-dented Honda Civic.

In a town like this, you have to stupid shit to have any fun.

The car went to a halt as we were next to a nature preserve. I hopped off of the hood of the car and stretched out my arms. The wind was chilly despite my light blue hoodie and white beanie. "That was awesome!"

He shook his head. "No, that was horrifying!"

We both held up our cell phones. Our flashlight apps were the only lights in the darkness. The woods seemed neverending as we walked along a dirt path. In some parts the path were too worn down.

"We should go home," he said. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Good," I said and laughed. "Maybe there's finally something fun to do here."

He stopped suddenly and checked his phone, " Oh no! I'm late, I'm late. I got to get home!"

"I don't want to go home!" I shouted. "C'mon, lets look around some more!

But Robby was already running back through the path shouting, "I can't be late!"

I followed after him, but at some point I lost track of him and the trail.

Maybe I should have been scared, but I wasn’t. I was excited. I guess I was just so damned bored in this town.

“I wish something interesting would happen,” I whispered.

I doubled back and continued down the path Robby and I had followed. The path was too worn, and I was just following the bends of the trees. Eventually my phone died, and I was stuck with nothing but the moon, half full and the stars twinkling ahead.

That’s when a little panic rose up within me. The trees seemed to move, shadows looked like monsters, and when I looked down I realized I had gotten off of the path. I didn’t know where to go.

I cursed as I turned around, trying to find the way back home.

Suddenly I saw the outline of a wide and wicked grin from the darkness. It had blue lips and sharp white teeth.

I stepped back. “Who’s there?”

“Who indeed,” the mouth said. It had a girl’s voice. “Who are any of us, really?”

The mouth was in front of me and then materialized into a girl.

(Cheshire Cat by: Ana Gremard) 

She had messy, light blue hair and a pair of blue cat ears. Her mouth looked normal, so I guessed I had seen things. She wore a blue and black striped shirt, blue skirt, and knee-high black boots.

“Some call me the Cheshire Cat,” she said. “What do some call you?”

“Alix,” I told her. “So, what are you doing out here?”

“What is anyone doing out here or there or everywhere?” She asked and she disapeared. She appeared again on a tree branch, squating. Hanging down from the tree branch, I could see a fluffy blue tail. “I mean anyone really doing anything, or are we all just doing nonsensical nothingness?”

I shook my head. “You’re giving me a headache.”

I continued on through the forest, walking away from her—but then she suddenly appeared in front of me. This time she was on all fours. Her face looked more cat-like. She had sharp teeth and claws. She looked like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, except much more dangerous.

I stepped backwards, but tripped on a tree branch. I fell onto my back.

She was nothing but a disembodied grin floating above me. “Do I frighten you?”

“No,” I lied and I sat up. I clenched by fists. I wasn’t even convinced what I was seeing was real. “You don’t scare me.”

“Well, you should be,” the mouth said, following me as I stood up.“I’m not the only thing frightening here.”

When I stood up she was back as a girl with cat ears, standing in front of me. “In fact, I may be the nicest thing in these woods.”

“Whatever,” I said and I walked through the woods.

The further I walked in the woods, I heard something snarling with snapping teeth.

There was a horrible creature in front of me. It looked like a dragon with large wings and a tail, but it had a small round head.

“Are you frightened now?” the Cheshire Cat whispered in my ear. I felt a chill down my spine.

The creature crept closer, snapping it’s jaws at me and growling. My heart beat so hard I thought it would break through my ribs. I wanted something interesting to happen, but this wasn’t what I meant.

“Be careful what you wish for,” the Cat said. “The Jabberwocky is certaintly interesting isn’t it?”

“I did not wish for this!” I shouted as the creature crept closer.

“Do you wish to live?”

“Yes!”

“Then look to the Tumtum tree.”

I looked around, but she had disapeared again. “The what?”

I started to run from the creature, but then I saw the Cheshire Cat grinning from another tree’s branch. Leaning against the tree was a shining metal sword.

I ran to it and grasped it. It felt awkward in my hands. I’d only held a sword in video games, but there was no “A” button in real life.

The creature roared and spread its wings.

“Make the vorpal sword go snicker-snack!” Cheshire Cat shouted.

“Stop…” I swung the blade. “speaking…” I swung it again, and it hit the creature. “in riddles!”

I thrust the sword forward and into the creature’s chest. It was dead.

“You have slain the Jabberwock!” Cheshire Cat shouted, suddenly standing in front of me. “Oh frabjous day! Callooh, callay!”

I felt weak, tired, and my head was spinning. I leaned against a tree and fell asleep.

When I woke up the sword was gone and so was the Cheshire Cat.

I wandered back through the woods.

Dawn came, and I found my way. I didn’t know if I had dreamed it all, but I never did go back to those woods, and I never wished for something interesting to happen ever again.

Author's Note:
If you didn't guess it, I read Alice in Wonderland this week!

There are so many renditions of Alice in Wonderland, and they are all mostly just different variations of a teenage Alice. So, I thought why not gender bend it and have a male Alice (or Alix?) So this is a Young Adult version of Alice in Wondrerland with a teen boy as Alice--or here as known as Alix! Hence, Alix in Wonderland.

I was most amused by the Cheshire Cat in my reading, so I wanted him in here--also gender bent as a girl! I don't know if it the cat is male in the book or the movie, but it seems that way to me. I designed the Cheshire Cat off of the Cheshire Cat from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

Also, if you didn't pick up on it Robby was supposed to to be like the White Rabbit (Robby...Rabbit, get it?) That's why he's all, "I'm late! I'm late!"

I had not reached the part with the Jaberwocky yet, but I am familiar with the poem. So, I made a lot of references to that. If you want to read the actual poem click here. It's an interesting read, to say the least.

Anyways, this was different than my usual stories. It was my first story on here that had a male point of view, and was without romance (my usual thing is YA Romance with supernatural elements, in the point of view of a girl.)

I hope you guys like my story! I had a lot of fun writing it.

Reading Diary B: Alice in Wonderland

Myth-Folklore Reading Unit: Alice in Wonderland

(Image from Pixabay)

Reading A:
1. Down the Rabbit-Hole

• Chasing the white rabbit.
• Falling down a seemingly never ending tunnel.

2. Down the Rabbit-Hole (cont.)

• The "Drink Me" Bottle that makes her smaller.
• I never realized how much internal dialogue is in this.

3. Down the Rabbit-Hole (end)

• The "Eat Me" Cake that makes her bigger.
• Crying so much that it makes a sea of tears. (Talk about "cry me a river.")
• I never realized how nonsensical her thoughts can be.
• There was no story of the Walrus and the Oysters, was that something purely concieved for the Disney movie?

4. Advice from a Caterpillar

• This conversation was quite circular. Reminds me of Absurdist literature like Samuel Beckett's play, "Waiting For Godot". It has a lot of circular sort of dialogue that is seen in, for example, this scene with Alice and the Caterpillar.

5. Advice from a Caterpillar (cont.)

• A story within a story. The story has stanzas and is sort of poetic.
• Eating mushrooms. Reminds me of the first story of Italo Calvino, "Marcovaldo" which has a lot of mushrooms. Marcovaldo is  set of short stories that are Neo-Realist, Modernist, and Fantasy. I don't think there really is a direct correlation, but since I just read Calvino's story, I can see a parallel. 

6. Advice from a Caterpillar (end)

• The pidgeon thinks that she is a serpent.
• I remember this being a small part of the Disney rendition of this.

7. Pig and Pepper

• An invitation to the queen to play croquet.
• More nonsensical, circular, absurdist dialogue.
• I do like how no one ever gives straight answers in this book. It's a nice inspiration to add into my novel or in future stories for this class.
• "Why does your cat smile like that?" "Because it's a Cheshire Cat, of course!" Yay, I'm so glad to finally see the Cheshire cat.

8. Pig and Pepper (cont)

• The Duchess says, "Off with her head!" The famous line.
• Another song.
• A baby pig? This was not in the movie at all. I could see why, it is a very strange story.

9. Pig and Pepper (end)

• The Cheshire Cat!
• More circular dialogue.
• All that is visible is the cat's grin.
• The Mad Hatter and the Marsh Hare! I do hope that a tea party will ensue!

Extra Reading Diary: Ovid's Metamorphosis (Books 8-10)

Myth-Folklore Ovid III Reading Unit:

(Adonis, boy in beauty)

Reading B:
1. Orpheus and Eurydice

• Traveling to Hell to find your deceased love one. She had a "swift" and wrongful death.
• Singing as communicating. Reminds me of bards from games like Dungeons and Dragons.
• Spirits in the Underworld still bare their killing wounds.
• He turned to see his wife, and because of that he could never see her again.
• He could never love again.

2. Ganymede and Hyacinthus

• The second person tense is awkward. That really cannot be used very often.
• I guess this story was sung by Orpheus?
• This story was really confusing!

3. Pygmalion

• The Propoetides are condemned to prostitution for worshipping Venus incorrectly.
• Pygmalion fell in love with a statue he made.
• Sometimes he thinks that it "kisses him back."
• He asked Venus to make her real, and she did.
• What an interesting concept. Story idea: a girl falls in love with a drawing she makes, asks for him to be real, and he becomes real!

4. Myrrha and Cinyras

• I had to look this myth up, because the one here was confusing. Apparently Myrrha fell in love with her father and trick him into *ahem*. She is also the mother of Adonis.

5. Myrrha and the Nurse

• This was super creepy to read! Not enjoyable at all.
• A hasty suicide, saved by someone, but not wanting to be saved. 
• Having a sinful thought that cannot be rid of.

6. Myrrha's Punishment

• This was so incredibly CREEPY! This was hard to read.
• But okay, she is now pregnant with Adonis.
• Her punishment was to become a tree. Very interesting. Reminds me Dante's Inferno and the forest of suicide, the people who were to become trees and then be pecked by harpies for eternity.

7. Venus and Adonis

• Naids are water nymphs.
• "Even Envy would praise his beauty..." (Ovid)
• Venus is accidently hit by cupid's arrow. She falls in love with Adonis.
• “Be bold when they run, but bravery is unsafe when faced with the brave." (Ovid) This myth has a lot of great quotes! 

8. Atalanta and Hippomenes

• A break from Adonis? This was a confusing read.
• Atalanta can run the fastest.
• Marriage will be Atalanta's doom, according to the oracle.
• The only man she can marry must beat her in a foot-race.
• Many came to race her. Hippomenes prayed to Venus, who tossed him three goldren apples. 
• During the race he threw these, causing Atalanta to slow down.

9. The Foot-Race

• "Lest your courage ruin us both!"

10. The Death of Adonis

• His dead body is transformed into a flower, anemone. This is a very delicate flower. Winds can blow away the petals.
• He was killed by a boar, sent by Artemis.
• Adonis was taken in by Venus, and then by Persephone.

Quoth The Raven, Evermore (Week 10 Storytelling)

(Image from: Pixabay)

Quoth The Raven, Evermore

I was depressed. It wasn’t like there was any reason. But did I really need to have a reason? I was so sick of people asking me, “What’s wrong?” As if it could be pinpointed to a single thing.

Sometimes you’re just depressed. Life is “what’s wrong” and there’s nothing more to it.

My mom was one of these nameless people asking me “what’s wrong?” So I screamed nothing and I ran away. As if I had the balls to actually run away.

I only made it to a pond across the street. It was more puddle than pond, and the trees were already deadened by winter—these black barren things.  What was wrong was how damned depressing everything was.

I was sitting on a park bench hating the tears that slid down my cheeks, when I heard a deep squawk. A big black raven landed on the barren tree in front of me. The tree branch bowed under the weight of the massive bird.

I loved Edgar Allen Poe’s Poem "The Raven", but that was all I knew about the bird. I’d never seen one in person, and was surprised by how big it was. It was almost as big as a cat.

It cocked its head at me, tilting to the side, its beautiful blue black feathers catching moonlight and shining like the dark waters of the pond. The raven seemed to look right into my eyes with its black-pearl eyes.

“Nevermore,” I whispered to myself and grinned. I realized the tears on my cheeks were dried.

The raven stayed with me through the night, sitting on the tree branch, watching over me like a gargoyle.

I told the raven about my mom,  and how the boys at school were stupid, and how my best friend was a jerk, and blahblahblah--which I supposed all the raven heard was the blahblahblah.

***

The next night, I ran to the pond, and to my surprise the raven was sitting on the same tree branch.

I lay on the park bench, told the raven about my day, and fell asleep talking to the raven.

“Hey, you okay?” Someone asked, stirring me from my sleep.

I opened by eyes and saw a guy kneeling in front of me, he had blue black hair that hung in front of his black eyes. He had two shiny black lip rings across his thick lips, and another in his septum.

“Yeah,” I whispered and sat up. "I guess I fell asleep."

He wore a tight black shirt, tight black pants, with black combat boots. He looked like he was probably sixteen, like me.

“A strange place to sleep,” he said.

“I suppose.” I noticed that the raven was gone and grimaced. I didn’t really want to be around anyone, no matter how attractive they might be.

I stood up and started to walk away.

“Going already?” He asked.

I turned to him and snapped, “Yeah, so what?”

“Sorry I—” He scratched the back of his head.

“No, I’m sorry.”

I felt an odd tug, like I didn’t want to leave. I looked at the waters of the pond, and he turned to the pond, watching the moonlight reflect onto it with me.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Kyra. You?”

“Raven,” he said.

“Cool name,” I said, and when I looked into his eyes, I couldn’t help but see the similarity to the black pearl eyes of the raven. But surely not. I mean, it was impossible for boys to turn into birds, right?

We talked about nothing really, but it was nice. I did like talking to the raven, but having someone respond was nice for a change.

I smiled as I walked back to my house.

***

I walked to the pond, hoping to see the raven and Raven. When I reached the pond, I saw Raven sitting on the park bench. I smiled as I approached him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He was twisting a black raven feather in his hand. He held it out to me and said, “Here.”

I took it from him and whispered, “Nevermore.”

“Evermore,” he said.

“It’s ‘nevermore’, you know—Poe’s poem?”

“I know, but why not ‘evermore’ instead?” He cocked his head to the side, and it reminded me of how the raven had looked at me. “Kyra, I’d rather see you evermore.”

I opened my mouth to ask him something, something insane, but I shook my head. I mean was I really going to ask this (very attractive) boy “Hey, can you turn into a bird?” That’s how you get boys to run away from you. Well, or or fly if I was right…

It was clear that Raven wasn’t like the boys at my school.

“Do you think there are things like…shape-shifters?” I asked him. “People that can turn into animals?”

He laughed.

“Don’t laugh! I’m serious.”

His smile fell into a straight line. “Do you think they exist?”

“I don’t know. I mean, kind of.”

“I kind of do too,” he said.

“I’d like to hope magic like that exists.”

“Me too.”

We didn’t say anything after that.

I had placed my hand on my lap, palm facing up, and he held my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine. I fell asleep like that, and when I woke up, Raven was gone, but the raven was sitting on the tree branch.

I smiled and said, “Hello again.”

The raven squawked.

***

Weeks passed by, and I either saw Raven or the raven when I visited the pond. I was no longer running away. After all, there wasn’t anything wrong anymore.

“I want to show you something,” Raven told me. “Do you promise that you won’t run away?”

I laughed. “What are you a serial killer or something?”

“Or something.”

I felt a chill dance across my body. I didn’t really know Raven, and that realization sunk in. I wondered if I had been too trusting. But something, maybe stupidity, made me stay.

Maybe I should have ran, but I said, “Yeah, okay. What is it?”

He flashed a wicked grin and then he titled his head back. I stepped away from him as his body convulsed. His skin rippled over cracking bones. Suddenly it was no longer Raven, but the raven sitting in front of me.

I should have been more shocked, but I wasn’t. I smiled and I bent down to pet his soft feathers. He cocked his head at me, and then as soon as he was a bird, he was back as a boy.

“Wow,” I whispered.

“I understand if you want to run away, forget about me,” he said. “I know I’m a freak.”

“No!” I quickly said. “I…I like you as Raven and the raven.”

“Really?”

“Really,” I told him. “I like you for evermore.”

(Raven by: Nebraska Oddfish) 

Author’s Note:
This week I read the Alaskan Legends, which had the myths of the trickster-hero, Raven. The actual Raven in those myths is a bird that can turn into a man. I thought this was such a cool concept!

So, I brought the idea of a boy that can turn into a bird into a Young Adult story. As usual, it has some romance. I am now aware that nearly every story that I write is a YA Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy with romance. But I write what I like to read, and I always hope that other people like to read it too!

Also, if you’ve never read Edgar Allen Poe’s poem "The Raven", I suggest you do that now, like right now! It is a spectacular poem, and reading it will make their little inside joke make more sense!

Anyways, this story was fun to write! I was happy that I was able to fit both a romance and a character transformation into 1,000 words! That is hard to do. If you didn’t notice, Kyra is quite a dynamic character! She overcame her depression and was able to trust and depend on something. That sort of character transformation is usually hard to fit into a short story, so I’m pretty happy about that element.

Reading Diary A: Alaskan Legends

Mythology and Folklore Native American Reading Unit: Alaskan Legends

(Image from: Pixabay)

Reading A:
1. The Raven Myth: Raven's Creation

• A raven turning into a man: a were-raven!
• People and animals created from clay.

2. The Raven Myth: Raven Creates the People

• I've noticed four come up a few times, atypical of the usual three's that are in myths.
• Way to go "man" for making mosquitoes pests! (Sarcasm.)
• Bears created out of fear of Man killing all the animals was an interesting idea.
• The pod that humans come from is strange.

3. The Raven Myth: The Skyland and the Sea

• Sky land. I thought it was going to be heaven. It is beautiful, but filled with small humanoid creatures, who are later referred to as dwarves.
• The birth of polar bears!
• Turning over while one sleeps is how many years they sleep. (He slept for four years--see, fours again!)

4. The Raven Myth: Raven-Boy and the Sun

• Like God in the bible, Raven the creater is becoming vengeful and violent.
• Creating darkness so that Man won't kill all the animals.
• Giving offerings makes it day again.
• Why ravens fly low.

5. The Flood

• Exchange of words as a ritual. Story idea: What if you didn't know you were part of a ritual!

6. The Origin of the Tides

• A house under a rock. (A house made for a sea fairy?)

7. Raven's Feast

• A burial feast. A special hat/crown for a funeral.

8. Raven's Marriage

• The repetition is interesting. ("Who will marry me? I'm a nice man.") Story idea: a repetitive statement like that, denied many times, and then accepted at the end.

9. Raven and the Seals

• A hunger that cannot be satisfied. (Remind you of a certain supernatural creature? Vampires!)

10. Raven and Pitch

• The colorings of half black half white of a fish. There could be other interesting creatures that are half black and white.
• A creature melting. Now imagine the half black and half white creature melting. Story idea maybe?

11. Raven and Marmo

• Carrion. A new very morbid word. It is the decaying flesh of a dead animal.
• The raven is told he only eats carrion, that is why he says he will eat Marmot.
• Marmot tells Raven, "Dance, Sing, then eat me, but first dance for me."An interesting ordeal.

12. The Bringing of the Light by Raven

• The sun and the moon in the sky at the same time.
• A despised orphan.
• A hill half lit up, and half dark.

13. The Naming of the Birds

• One will never starve so long as one has four pebbles. (Four again!)

14. How Raven Stole The Lake

Week 9: Curation Spaces

We spend most of our time online. I think this can be said about most people. We're on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest Youtube, Tumblr, (insert your favorite social media here) almost all of our day.

But I have a different way for you to use these websites, and incorporate it into Curation Spaces.

Since we're all in Mythology, make the most of it, and learn as much as we can!

Also, are you running out of creative steam for your Storytelling Posts or your Final Project? This will additionally help to fuel your creativity!

Want to learn more? Was there a week with Mythology that truly interested you? OR if there a Mythology that we haven't looked at that interests you, such as Norse Mythology?

Start by going to your favorite social media place. My favorite places to find Mythology-related posts is on Pinterest of Tumblr!

Search for any Mythology that interested you. Example: Greek Mythology. You might start to see Gods or Goddesses that interest you, so search for them next!

On Pinterest you can make a board for that Mythology, or a board for each deity. If you're on Tumblr, why not make a Mythology side blog?

Need to spark your creativity? Use Social Media and Curation Spaces to find interest for your Stories for Storytelling or for your Final Project (Storybook/Portfolio.)

For example, I wrote a story last week for my Storytelling post about werewolves. So, I hopped on Pinterest and found pictures of werewolves to insprire me.

Additionally, my Storybook is about Vampires. So, I often go to Pinterest and search around for images of Vampires there! I even made a Vampire Pinterest board to inspire me!

Here are my three favorite finds from this week:

1. Valkyries

(Image from: Pinterest)

(Image from: Pinterest) 

This week I found several beautiful images of Valkyries. 

If you did not know, Valkyries are beautiful winged maidens that carry Viking warriors that died in glory in battle to Valhalla. Valhalla is a giant mead hall with Odin. They stay there until Ragnarok. (Read about Ragnarok next!)

2. Ragnarok

(Image from: Pinterest) 

Ragnarok is the end of the world according to Norse Mythology.

3. This week's underappreciated Norse Goddess is...

(Image from: Pinterest) 

Skadi! She is the Norse Goddess of Winter. 

Week 9: Growth Mindset

I've been thinking a lot about Growth Mindset this week. In particular, beyond class, when I'm writing my novel.

I've written 10,000 words, which is about 50 pages. 

The problem? I had no idea what goes next! I felt like I was caught in quicksands, and all of my motivations were being sucked down.  

I was beyond discouraged until I spoke with one of my teachers, and he informed me that  this is the part where most author's get stuck at! 

I had another teacher call the middle of the story the "muddy middle." I never understood what that meant until now.

Apart from figuring the "muddy middle" out, I also have to edit all of those 50 pages that I wrote. 

Editing is a painstaking process. You have to cut out parts that don't work but cutting those parts outs hurts. It's as if you are cutting off a part of you.

Sometimes I want to give up and zone out to Netflix.

But then I remember Growth Mindset.

I remember my present and most basic goal in my writing career: to publish a novel! 

I remind myself that without struggle, there is no progress. 

I remind myself that it isn't about the end of the journey, it is about learning along the way.

Sometimes learning feels so difficult, it feels like struggling. But nothing truly worth anything in life is easy to obtain, is it?

And then I remember my motivations, and I write one word at a time, like one step at a time, and I am moving forward out of that so-called "muddy middle!"

(Image from: Growth Mindset Memes)

(Image from: Growth Mindset Memes)

Revenge: Best Served Under The Full Moon (Week 9 Storytelling)

(White Werewolf by: katmary)

(Warning: This story contains violence and difficult themes such as death and murder. If that is not your cup of tea, Laura said it's okay for you to choose another of my other stories. You can find my other stories in my Storytelling label.)

Revenge: Best Served Under The Full Moon

It’s a funny thing. Dying, I mean.

First there’s the shock, the whole: “Oh no! I’m dead”. (Insert explicative after explicative.)

The next part is when you realize that you’re not in Heaven, or Hell. No, you’re just a spirit, looking down at your dead body that's lying in the middle of the woods.

That’s when you find out how you died.

How did I die? Oh. I was murdered. You know, a big tragedy. My ex-boyfriend, that asshole Trent, his weird brother, and his best friend, stabbed me to death. So many times, in fact, that I looked like Swiss cheese in that ugly white sweater that I wanted to throw away, but mom insisted I kept it.

And then I died in that ugly sweater.

I remember it clearly. My death, I mean.

Trent did the stabbing. His weird brother had smashed my skull in, and Trent’s best friend? He watched the entire thing. Sure he said “stop” a few times--wide-eyed and mouth agape--but he never stopped them. He never called the cops.

What did I do to deserve this death? Not a thing. Nothing.

The only thing I was guilty of was a terrible taste in men, clearly.

But that’s not the end of my story. No, just the beginning for me.

I looked down at my body, and that’s when I saw something glow. I looked up and saw that the Full Moon--big and yellow--was shining down onto my body.

The next part is kind of a blur, but I was back in my body again. My wounds healed, and I was back to life.

But as soon as I started to get up, I doubled over. I felt like I was dying all over again.

Bones cracking and crunching. I wanted to claw my skin away, it felt like it was rippling over thin and moving muscles. That’s when I looked down and saw paws, claws, and white fur.

I had turned into a wolf.

I felt alive in whole new way. I ran through the woods, wild and free. Eventually I tired out, and fell asleep on the forest floor.

When I woke up I was human again.

At first I wanted to tell someone. I wanted to tell the cops, after all, I was murdered. I did die. But by some miracle under that moon, I came back, stronger and more alive.

How do you explain that anyway? Go to the cops and say, “Yeah, so, um, Trent, his weird brother, and his best friend killed me, but I came back, and now I’m a werewolf.”

“Yeah, okay, crazy person!” They would say--and then shove me into a mental ward for life.

So that was out of the question. But then I thought of a deliciously devious idea. But was it really devious to plot to kill your murderers?

I found the clothes I was murdered in, dressed in them and found my way home, and I acted like nothing happened. Not a thing at all.

“Mara, what happened to your sweater?” My mom asked me as I walked through the front door. Not even a, “Mara, where have you been all night?” or “Mara, are you okay?”
 
She wasn’t worried about me--she was worried about the sweater.

I pulled the sweater up and over my head. I looked her straight in the eyes as I tossed it into the trash.

A side effect of dying and becoming a werewolf? You grow a pair.

***

I went to school, walked by The Murderous Trio, and flashed the biggest grin at them.

Trent screamed various explicative after explicative, his brother probably peed himself, and his best friend? Cried.

“What’s wrong?” I said. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I went home after that. Another side effect of dying and becoming a werewolf? Apathy for school.

I waited until nightfall, waiting to turn into a wolf, but I never did. I guessed that it was true then what they say, that werewolves turn under the Full Moon.

I guess that’s also how I turned into one in the first place. There may not have been a God or a Heaven, but there sure as Hell was that moon shining over me.

I went to school everyday, just to walk by The Murderous Trio, and everyday I scared them. But they only knew half of my plan.

***

(Image from: Pixabay) 

 Finally after a month, it was the next Full Moon.

“I know what you did to Mara,” I wrote on a note, and left it in each of their lockers. I also said, “Tonight, go to where IT happened, or I’ll tell the Police.”
 
So, I went to the the woods. The Moon, full and shining, rose up to the sky. My bones cracked, and skin rippled, and I turned into a wolf again.
 
I howled in the distance and ran to the spot that I had died at. Sure enough Trent, his weird brother, and his best friend stood, shaking in their shoes.

I will spare you the gruesome details, but I chased them, and then I attacked them as brutally as they attacked me, and I didn’t stop until they were dead. I pulled them out of the light of the Full Moon, so that they wouldn’t come back from the dead.

They never woke up.

The next day it was all over the news: “Three teenagers attacked by a wild animal.” Along with their innocent faces from their school pictures, and…cue the crying parents! (Really tugs on your heartstrings doesn’t it?)

I laughed while they cried.

After all, would they have cried over them if they were actually convicted of my murder? If they were sentenced for life? If they were sentenced to death?

No one knew what really happened, and no one would ever know that that they had murdered me. No one even knew that I had died.

But that didn’t matter. I didn’t care.

“Such a tragedy,” they said on the news.

Hah. What a joke. It was my triumph. 

Author's Note:
This is what watching too many Law and Orders, reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (the author who also wrote Gone Girl,) and reading Young Adult Urban Fantasy (with vampires, shape-shifters and such) will do to you. (And Halloween is coming up soon, as well!)
   
The wolf idea specifically came from "The Wolf Man" in the Blackfoot Stories. In that story a man turned into part-wolf--with a wolf head and wolf hands. But my mind thought: werewolves! And thus, I set out to write a story about werewolves this week!

I knew I wanted to write a story about a teenage girl turning into a werewolf, so I looked up myths on how people turn into werewolves. I found two interesting myths on Werewolf.com that you can turn into a werewolf by having the Full Moon shine on you, and then another where you can turn into a werewolf from being brutally murdered under the Full Moon. I combined the two and ta-da!

Reading Diary B: Blackfoot Stories

Myth-Folklore Native American Reading Unit: Blackfoot Stories

(Blackfoot Stories)

Reading Diary B:
1. The Smart Woman Chief

• So, all that about women not being "made as well" as men was really cool... (Can you feel the sarcasm?)
• The vegan in the class is loving all of the hunting in these stories. (Yes, more sarcasm, and hint: I am the vegan.)
• A divided society. Makes me think of the world that I have created for my Storybook in which the vampires and the humans are divided. What if there were some humans, or some vampires that did not know about the other and were shocked to find the other species?
• Yeah, so, don't mess with the other tribe, they will turn you into a pine tree.

2. Bobcat and Birch Tree

• More talking animals, awesome! (Sorry, this is the most sarcastic Reading Diary that I have ever typed up. I just want to read about Kut-O-Yis, he sounds interesting. He is the reason I picked these Blackfoot Stories.)
• There are so many stories with Old Man!
• "Teach me your ways" trope.
• Reminds me that ravens are used as an omen.

3. The Red-Eyed Duck

• Awesome, more talking animals and more of Old Man. But, last story before The Blood Boy!
• Imagery of a face full of ashes.

4. Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy

• A clot of blood fell from a buffalo's wound, and that clot became Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy!

5. Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy (cont.)

• The bit about the baby growing up to be his wife was extremely creepy, and I didn't quite follow what was going on. And the fact that they would kill it if it was a male was horrible! I am not like this myth thus far. When does he become the Hero figure?
• This doesn't seem very heroic, he is fighting his son-in-law?
• Hiding precious objects
• Bears--what about were-bears? Yes, that is a thing! I know them from Dungeons and Dragons.
• Kut-O-Yis is not the hero I had imagined him to be. They compared him to Jack the Giant Killer, and he is nothing like that. All he does is hunt. He's not a hero, he's a hunter.

6. Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy (cont. again)

• I like the idea of the cliff in these myths. A cliff is an excellent setting for a story, as it is dangerous. A cliff could also translate into a Urban Fantasy setting as a rooftop!

7. Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy (cont. yet again)

• Snake person, a shape-shifter, skin-walker, or a lamia!
• I don't think slaughtering the snake family was far at all or heroic for that matter! The snake didn't attack him.
• "Don't go there, there is danger!" "Okay, I'm going to go there!"

8. Kut-O-Yis, The Blood Boy (end)

• A woman who wrestles with men and then kills them.
• I suppose Kut-O-Yis is acting more heroic, in that he dashes towards danger like a knight in Arthurian Legend and Lore.
• "Oki" means welcome.
• Kut-O-Yis killed the big bad guy.
• He also arose from bones.
• Someone arising from bones. What supernatural creature could this be? A banshee, a ghost, ghoul, something of that nature.

Reading Diary A: Blackfoot Stories

Myth-Foklore Native American Reading Unit: Blackfoot Stories

(Grey Wolf)

READING A:

1. Two Fast Runners

• I do not like talking animal myths. (You'll never see me write a story with them, unless it is a shape-shifter or the Cheshire Cat!)
• I learned what dew-claws are.

2. The Wolf Man

• Main character hates their home situation, thinks running away to be alone will be better
• Talking animals again... I'm just going to reimagine the wolves as werewolves!
• Story idea: someone gets trapped or lost, and werewolves come to save them. 
• An old blind wolf had powers, he had the ability to heal
• A man has a wolf head and hands. (Reimagine him as an actual werewolf, not this strange animal-human combination.)
• I'm just not sure that the wives deserved to die? Reminds me of those Chinese Fairy Tales that ended with harsh punishments.

3. The Dog And The Root Digger

• Napi or "Old Man" is a creator figure and a trickster figure in one--interesting.
• A raven as a trickster figure

4. The Camp Of The Ghosts

• One's true love is dead and so they set out to find that loved one. Story idea: the loved one has gone to the Underworld or Hell, and so they have to find their loved one that has met an untimely end.
• Prophetic dreams
• When trying to find loved one, they may set them free, but the live one who is still looking will be stuck there in "Ghost Country" (or the Underworld or Hell.)
• He cannot open his eyes. Reminds me of the myth of Eurydice. 
• When he threatens his wife, she disappears. A sad ending, but it seemed to fit it.
• This was a very complex myth. I feel like there was too much. The 1700 Word Count should have been down to 1000. I think cleaning that myth up would help.

5. The Buffalo Stone

• A stone of great power
• Suddenly hearing beautiful singing--"teach others this song"
• A stone sticking out of a tree.
• A summoning stone!

6. How The Thunder Pipe Came

• Personifying thunder as a person. Obviously making me think of my favorite Norse God, Thor! I could imagine his roars as thunders, and the strike of his mighty hammer!
• The man's wife has disapeared
• Every enemy has an Achilles' heel!
• There are a lot of medicine pipes in these myths. I'm not exactly sure what those are, but they seem to be quite sought after as they are the reward at the end of these quests.

7. Cold Maker's Medicine

• A figure that makes it winter, makes everything cold. He wears all white, has white hair, and rides a white horse. Reminds me of the Norse Goddess of Winter, Skadi.
• The ground was covered in bones of those this person has trapped and killed--creepy!

8. The Rolling Rock

• The trickster asking for help, but when they help they get hurt or killed.

9. Bear and Bullberries

• Using a horn as a disguise to appear scarier looking than he actually is.
• Almost dying when trying to get something. In this case, it was almost drowning to get berries (for nourishment, or survival, the most basic needs of any character.)

10. The Theft From The Sun

• Leggings with magic power. Makes me think of modern leggings--what if those were imbued with magic in an Urban Fantasy setting!
• Punishment for stealing: the thing that is stolen gets destroyed. That is a just ending that is quite fair!
• This was a good and straightforward myth.

Week 8: Review

Favorite Thing From Today's Announcement:

(Image from: Laura Gibbs)

Why It's My Favorite:
Well, you put a cat on anything and it's going to be my favorite. But, aside from this--what a wonderful message. This is truly a Growth Mindset sort of well, mindset! I really needed this quote. I am constantly reminding myself that sometimes out best we do isn't a "roar", but that doesn't mean that it won't be tomorrow! You have to have that hope and drive to keep on doing it! We can't always be the lion, sometimes we've that little kitten mewing to silent ears.

My Quote of the Week:

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by." 

-Douglas Adams (The Salmon of Doubt)

I think we can all relate to that!

Some Final Thoughts:

This is a week that I've been doing reviewing in this class! It was a great chance for me to look back at the semester. I feel like I got a chance to look at the past and get ready for the future. Sometimes the semester can be daunting and you feel like you're kind of drowning in it. I've felt it myself, and I've read it in other student's "Looking Forward" posts. 

But stopping and taking an assessment of things can help you get out of the tidal wave of work that's drowning you, and let you set a steady path ahead of you. (Wow, my Professional Writing-ness is really showing isn't it?)

In all seriousness though, I am going to push forward with new intentions. I want to do the best work that I can do, and I want to try to work ahead, especially in this class, but also in my other classes.

I have made a schedule, and I intend to stick to it.

Here's to the rest of a great semester!

Tech Tip #5

This week, when I did my Blog Check-up, I revised my Introduction. I also took the Embed a Pinterest Board Tech Tip!

(Screenshot of my Introduction)

I also took the time to clean up my Blog theme. I changed the background and the fonts on my blog!

Week 8: Famous Last Words

My Reading This Week:

There was no reading for this class, but I read a lot this week!

I had a lot to read in my other classes and in my free time!

In my other classes, I was happy with everything that I read. I feel like I am not rushing as much, and I am reading closely. As a result I a, comprehending the content more, and it's impacting me more!

In European Modernism and Beyond, I read "No Exit" by: Jean-Paul Sartre and "The Myth of Sisyphus" by: Albert Camus. Both of these pieces were very eye opening. It was also my first time hearing the Greek myth of Sisyphus, which is pretty intense to read about! 

I highly recommend reading "No Exit," it has a really interesting story and it isn't very long. Also, take a look at the actual myth of Sisyphus before looking at Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus".

(Hell is other people by: Duncan C)

The best and most mind-blowing quote, in my opinion from No Exit is, "Hell is other people." (Sartre) If you've ever heard that quote, that's where it's from! I know it's kind of negative sounding, but just think about it. It really made me look at things a little differently.

In Mystery and Suspense, I read And Then There Were None by: Agatha Christie. This was my second time reading it, but it was still a joy to see the Queen of Mystery at her best!

Philosophy not your thing? Then I highly recommend reading And Then There Were None if you enjoy mysteries! It has such great twists and turns.

In my free time I've been reading A Shade of Vampire by: Bella Forrest. I have only started it but I am LOVING IT! 

If you like vampire books, give A Shade of Vampire a try! It's part of a large series of books!

My Best Writing this Week:

I wrote the next 4,000 words of my novel! I am up to 50 pages, and I'm really happy with how it's turning out. It's a Young Adult Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance with vampires! I'll be designing the cover of my book soon, so I'll post that when that's made. That will give you a good idea of what my book is about.

Other People's Writing:
I am learning more and more the importance of reading your work out loud! That's also been my most popular comment that I've given to people this week. It really does make GOOD stories, GREAT, you guys! So, read your stuff out loud!