Reading Diary A: Adam and Eve

(The Fall, by Michelangelo)

Reading A of Adam and Eve:


The Fall of Satan - This story interests me because it's a view of Satan and Adam that I haven't seen in the Bible. I like the character of Satan because I think there's a little bit of him in every one of us. The part of us that doesn't want to submit. The part of us that longs to stand above the rest. However, he also represents the consequences of such aspirations and actions.  I could see myself writing a dynamic character like Satan who the reader knows is in the wrong, but they still kind of want to see him succeed.

The Fall of Man - I am once again struck and intrigued by the serpent (or Satan). I think that he is a very interesting character. I don't really like how the author portrays women. The story makes Eve seem very naive. I would be more interested in the story if she was more witty and clever.

The Punishment - I liked the line "for the serpent is a villain, and the wicked are good debaters." I have always liked the prediction in the Bible that serpents and women will have enmity between them. It just seems fitting.

I also liked how the author characterized the sun and the moon and the earth. In particular this passage about the moon: "The moon alone laughed, wherefore God grew wroth, and obscured her light. Instead of shining steadily like the sun, all the length of the day, she grows old quickly, and must be born and reborn, again and again." I find it very clever to find the naturally observable things around us and creating stories to explain them.

Week 1 Review

(Map of the Internet
Source: Jay Simons at DeviantArt)

I thought that the Map of the Internet was extremely interesting and creative! It was cool to see which social media platforms dominated the landscape.

Week 1 Curation

I use Safari to browse the internet and I find my bookmarks very useful. I have my email, D2L, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube bookmarked, because I use them daily.

I have an internship writing blogs for a website called HelloHappyness, so as I scroll through Facebook I save interesting articles and videos that I can write about later. I do the same on Tumblr.

I use Twitter to keep up to date with celebrity news. I have a Pinterest, but I don't really use it. I already have so many other places that I look for information. I definitely think that it's important to have a place where you can keep information in order on the internet, because if I see something and don't save it somewhere I typically end up losing or forgetting about it.

(Clean Your Messy Desk, Lest Ye Be Judged
Illustration by Andrew Joyner)

Growth Mindset

Before doing this exercise I had never heard of Carol Dweck or the growth mindset. I would say that I lean more towards a fixed mindset, in sports and in school. It is something that has frustrated me in the past. I hate to lose more than I like to win.

I think one of the main reasons that I've enjoyed my writing professor at OU is because he challenges us to grow. In high school I always got A's on my papers because I knew how to write sentences and keep my thoughts in order, but when it came to creative writing I was a mess. Personally I hate failure so when I got my first paper back in his class I was devastated, but it pushed me to work harder than I ever had at my writing.

Especially when it comes to writing, I've always thought that writers relied more on creativity and less on plot and structure. You can learn to write novels and it's not always a natural skill. I think that the Growth Mindset is a great mindset for me to have when I go into my Writing the Novel class.

( Creativity is the result of Hard Work
from the Growth Mindset memes blog)

Storybook Favorites

1. Murders in the Bible
• For me, this was the storybook that drew me in quickest. I was intrigued from the beginning and once I saw the bloody handprint I was sold. The author ended with a declaration that, "You might be next." I think this is a great tool because it immediately involves the reader in the story. The Bible is a bloody book and dissecting the murders that occur within it — from Cain and Able to David and Bathsheba's husband — is interesting to me. The layout of the page was very dark and it set up a horror story immediately. The front also played into that theme. I'm definitely interested to read the stories on this blog.



(Bloody Handprint; Source: Tumblr User Laladoll)

2. The Mermaid Diaries 
• The layout of the page made me feel like this was going to be a few lighthearted stories about mermaids. When I clicked on the page I was hoping for more of a grim depiction. However, I did like how the author set up the story. It made me feel like I was going to settle in for a nice story and read the diaries of a few mermaids. I like that in the sidebar you could see that each story would be about a different mermaid. The premise of the storybook is really good and I could see myself replicating it under a different topic. 
3. Tracking the Werewolf
• I'm already interested in werewolves so when I saw the title I was drawn in. The layout of the page was a little dull, but it's meant to be a journal of sorts so once I found that out it made more sense. The werewolves that I like are more human and less beast, but I think this storybook was a nice continuous progression of someone's account with a werewolf. 

UnTextbook Readings

1. Adam and Eve
• The creation story has always intrigued me and I'd like to read more about it.
• I think that the story of creation has also shaped a lot of the way that people look at women today. Eve was the first to sin, which is why women are now to be "led" by men. 

(The Fall of Satan, by William Blake)

• I choose the picture the Fall of Satan because I've always wanted to know more about his fall. The Bible only has a view passages that allude to Satan's fall so delving into that interests me. 
• What was the sin that caused Satan to fall? I've heard it was pride, but I don't know that for sure. 
1. American Indian Tales
• In my novel I'm modeling the werewolf culture off of Native American culture so I think this topic would be helpful. 
2. King Arthur
• I'm already taking an Arthurian Legend class so any information I can learn about him would be helpful. 
• One thing I'd like to learn about is how historically accurate is King Arthur? I know there are bits and pieces that are true, but it will be interesting to see how much of the tale is real. 
3. Welsh Fairy Tales (Emerson)
• My grandmother was born in Wales and I think it'd be interesting to find out more about her homeland. I also like fairy tales so that is a plus too. 

Storytelling Week 1: The Wolf And The Kid

There once was a kid whose mother was very sick. No one could be found to heal her, but finally a witch doctor visited and offered a solution.

"You must get the blood of a werewolf. It cures all sickness," he said.

Although the boy was terrified, he set off into the woods outside of town. The werewolf was rumored to roam the woods and only come out on full moon nights. Luckily for the boy, there was to be a full moon this very night.

After stumbling through the woods for hours the boy finally came upon a clearing. In the middle of the clearing sat a man, posed thoughtfully on a stump.

“Are you the werewolf?” the boy asked cautiously.

“I am. And you are?” asked the wolf.

“I’m just a boy from the village. I need some of your blood to heal my mother.”

The wolf looked intently at the boy. Slowly, a smile spread across his face.

"Why don't you let me turn you into a werewolf? You’ll be faster, stronger, and able to heal quicker. And besides, you’ll have all the werewolf blood you need,” said the wolf.

"You would do that for me?" asked the boy.

"Of course, anything for a friend in need," said the wolf with a smirk.

The wolf quickly bit the boy’s wrist and sent him on his way home. By this time it was dark out and the full moon began to rise.

The boy got home and rushed to his mother.

"I have the best news mother! I have a way to cure you."

The boy cut his wrist and filled a small vial with his blood. He took it over to his mother and told her to drink. Immediately, the color returned to her face and she sat up in bed.

The mother smiled at the boy and said, "Thank you so much, my son. You have truly saved me."

(Moonlit Night by Andréia Bohner on
Flickr) 

But the full moon finally reached its peak and the boy's body began convulsing. In a blur, he changed from human to wolf — completely driven by his new instincts.

When he woke in the morning he was sore and disoriented. Across the room his mother was lying on her bed, covered in blood. He rushed to her and saw that her throat had been slashed. The boy looked down at his hands and realized they were stained red.

The boy cried and cried, wishing he had never become a werewolf. He cursed the wolf that had given him new life, but caused him to take his mother's.

Author's Note:

I drew inspiration for my story from one of Aesop's fables. The title of the fable was "The Wolf and the Kid." The moral of the story was "Do not let anything turn you from your purpose." In the original story a kid (goat) runs away from the herd because he thinks he's invincible, but quickly gets lost and ends up in the hands of the wolf. He convinces the wolf to let him dance for him before the wolf kills him and because of this the herd's dogs have time to find the kid and save him.

I turned the kid into an actual kid and used the wolf character for a werewolf, but the same principle still applies: don't be tempted by other offers that turn you from your purpose.

"The Wolf And The Kid" by Aesop, from Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). Web Source: The Project Gutenberg. 

Introduction

This is going to be my last year at OU. I’ll be graduating (hopefully) in the Spring with a Professional Writing degree. This semester I have to take Writing the Novel. At the end of the semester we have to turn in a 50,000+ word novel. After that all I have is my capstone, Business of Professional writing, where we learn to format books for Kindle (and other boring business-y stuff). It seems impossible that I will have written a novel by the time Christmas comes around. I guess I know what everyone in my family will be getting from me!

Here is a look at my desk:

(personal photo of my desk: taken Aug. 2015)

All my novel planning is strewn about, but I swear there is order to it!  

I have decided to write a fantasy novel. It’s going to involve werewolves, vampires, fairies, and of course, humans. My main character is a human girl who is thrown into a werewolf pack and has to learn how to navigate through the different customs and behaviors.

I have to turn in at least 4,000 words a week, so most of my time is going to be spent on the computer this semester. I think that I’m most excited about creating my characters and the world that they live in. Science fiction and fantasy are closely related genres, but where SF utilizes technology, fantasy uses magic. In my fantasy world fairies and Sparks (humans with magical abilities) will be the main users of magic. 

In addition to my writing class I’m taking Arthurian Legend and Mythology and Folklore. From my class schedule I think it’s pretty apparent that I enjoy stories. For me, stories and books are chances to explore another world and live a different life. There are places I’ll never get to go and experiences I’ll never get to have, but I can read about them! I’ve found myself recently falling prey to the beast that is Netflix. And while I respect and good movie or TV series, I think reading books provides a superior experience.

I will keep you guys updated with the progress of my novel. Currently, it’s in the planning stages but I will start actually writing it within the next two weeks!

London, England: My Favorite Place

My favorite place in the world is London, England. I studied abroad there for 9 months in 2013/2014.

(personal photo of Big Ben & I at night;

 photo from Winter 2013) 

Comment Wall

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Bloodied Werewolf
Source: Wikipedia Commons

The Story Begins

There is a story about a boy who cried for (were)wolves.