by Naomi L. | August 6, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Last week, I shared my thoughts on why I believe “What if?” should be every writer’s favorite question. In the interest of running with that idea, today I’m opening a new segment on my blog based on this fascinating “gateway” question: “What If?” Writing Prompts!
The purpose of this is to create a more interactive portion of my blog where anyone can contribute their ideas for collective creativity. With a hectic schedule coming up in my real life that will definitely keep me from writing as often as I like, outside contribution will be a big help to keeping my blog an active source of inspiration for readers in the near future. So please, don’t be shy about sharing your ideas; I would love to feature your prompts in future “What If?” posts, always with full credit and a link to your blog, of course! Thank you!
To start this segment off, here are five prompts I came up with based on the theme of reimagining classic fairy tales. See what you can do with these and how many more you can think up yourself! Have fun!
What if… certain fairy tales were set in a different time/place/culture?
(Source: various reimagined adaptations of my favorite fairy tales)
What if… that fire-breathing dragon the knight slew was really a divine guardian keeping an evil princess captive in order to protect the kingdom?
What if… the Fairy Godmother had actually sent Cinderella to the ball on a mission to kill the Prince?
(Source: music video for “Cendrillon“, a VOCALOID song by Signal-P featuring Hatsune Miku and KAITO)
What if… witches and wizards didn’t use magic to make amazing things happen, but real science instead?
What if… characters in fairy tales never fell in love at first sight?
Sure, these may not be outstanding, but at least they’re a start. Good luck reimagining your favorite fairy tales!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | May 21, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to another round of Writer’s Reveal! This month’s topic was sent to us by Rhianna of A Parenting Life, who suggested the prompt “a tale about siblings with a magical twist”. Here’s a short story I wrote based on that idea. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the topic, Rhianna!
Playing with Magic
“My turn, my turn!”
Amy reached her arms out for the toy in her elder sister’s hands, but she pulled it away.
“Wait! Just one more.”
“No, Brenda! You had him a long time! It’s my turn!”
“Fine…”
With a sigh, Brenda handed over the toy. It was an old plush rabbit, covered in gray fur that had once been white and sporting a blue ribbon around its neck. The younger girl laughed as she squeezed it with all the strength a five-year-old could muster.
“Careful, Amy!” Brenda frowned at her little sister. “Don’t hurt him! Remember what Grandma said.”
Amy seemed reluctant to loosen her hold, but she obeyed nonetheless. After rising to her feet, she closed her eyes, whispered into the rabbit’s ear, and spun around once on her toes. When she opened her eyes, she was draped in an opulent pink dress. Brenda rolled her eyes.
“A princess again?” the eight-year-old sighed. “Pick something else already!”
“But I like being a princess!” said the younger girl. “It’s my favorite!”
“Don’t you wanna try something different?”
“Like you?” Amy pointed at the fairy wings on her big sister’s back. Brenda nodded.
“Yeah! He can make you anything you want!”
“OK, show me something better than a princess!”
The five-year-old handed the toy back to her sibling and sat back in her seat at the tea party table. Brenda rose from her chair and followed the same procedure as her sister, closing her eyes and whispering in the rabbit’s ear before spinning on the spot while hugging it tight. When the older girl stopped and opened her eyes, Amy fell into a fit of giggles at the sight of the furry ears and tail that had appeared out of nowhere.
“Kitty!” she laughed. “That’s funny! I wanna try too!”
Brenda took a bow as her sister applauded. Before she could return the rabbit to Amy, however, there was a loud click and the front door started to open. The girls froze, knowing this could only mean one thing: their mother had come to pick them up early!
The sisters glanced at the door before turning to each other with panicked looks on their faces. What would she say when she saw them? There was no time to wish themselves back to normal; they would just have to face her and hope their grandmother could explain everything.
Brenda dropped the rabbit and stood up straight with Amy just as their mother appeared in the doorway. The woman immediately looked her daughters up and down as she walked in, but to their surprise, she didn’t seem to mind the dress or the cat ears at all.
“Hello, girls!” she said with a smile. “Did you have fun with Grandma today?”
The children nodded, maintaining innocent expressions while secretly trying to make sense of their mother’s indifference. Just then, their grandmother walked into the living room with a tray of cookies in her hands and a smile on her face.
“Oh, hello, Martha!” said the old woman brightly. “We weren’t expecting you yet.”
“Hi, Mom”, Martha replied, walking across the room to greet her mother with a kiss on the cheek. “Meeting finished early. Sorry to surprise you like this.”
“Don’t be silly; it’s always a pleasure to have you here! Right, girls?”
Both women turned to Brenda and Amy, who once again nodded without a word. They were still waiting for a reaction to their bizarre appearances.
“So what have you been up to?”
It took the girls a moment to register their mother’s question, but before they could reply, their grandmother spoke up.
“They were just playing with Cottontail. He was keeping them company while I was in the kitchen.”
“How nice!” said Martha as she glanced at the toy rabbit lying beside the tea set. “You know, your Aunt Sara and I used to play with him all the time when we were your age. I hope you’re having just as much fun with him as we did!”
While the children exchanged looks of surprise, their grandmother invited her daughter to stay for tea and cookies. Brenda and Amy enjoyed the rest of their tea party as casually as they could in cat ears and a princess dress, until at last their mother told them it was time to go home.
“Oh, I forgot the tablecloths in the car”, said Martha. “Say goodbye to Grandma, girls. I’ll be right back.”
The moment their mother was out the door, Brenda and Amy turned to their grandmother, and the elder sister asked the question on both their minds.
“Grandma, why can’t Mommy see us?”
The old woman smiled. “For the same reason only Mommy and Aunt Sara could see each other, or why only my brother and I could see each other. That’s just how Cottontail works. Now you should change back before your mother gets here.”
The sisters did as they were told, having Cottontail return them to normal before bidding their grandmother farewell. A minute later, Martha had returned a stack of dry-cleaned tablecloths to her mother and was ushering her daughters out the door. As they walked behind their mom to the car, Amy whispered to her sister.
“Brenda, do you think Cottontail could make everyone see us?”
The older girl shook her head. “I don’t think so. Only brothers and sisters see each other, that’s what Grandma said.”
“Too bad. I kind of wanted Mommy to see me as a princess.”
Brenda wrapped an arm around her little sister and laughed. “I’m sure she already does, Amy. I’m sure she already does.”
This has been a special topic post for Writers Reveal, a monthly blog swap among several talented writers. Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in the event. Thanks for reading!
Other bloggers in Writers Reveal
Melissa Khalinsky: Melissa Writes
Becky Fyfe: Imagine! Create! Write!
Rhianna: A Parenting Life
Ashley Howland: Ghostnapped
Emily Hawker: You Learn Something New Every Day
by Naomi L. | January 22, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing, Off The Bookshelf |
I wanted to start this year’s Off The Bookshelf posts with a review of a beautiful story that I finally got around to reading recently. I know I really should have read it (or rather, finished reading it) a long time ago, and after I did, I realized what I had been missing since I was a kid. So long overdue, here is a review of a classic tale by a French aviator and author: The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Summary
The Little Prince (or Le Petit Prince, in its original French title) was first published in 1943 by Reynal & Hitchcock, in both English and French. Narrated in the first person, the book tells the story of a pilot who ends up stranded in the desert, where he meets a strange boy from a distant and tiny “planet” (which is really an asteroid). Over the eight days it takes him to fix his plane, the narrator gets to know the story of this “Little Prince”, from the life he had on his planet to the journey that brought him to Earth. The Little Prince enchants the pilot with his eccentric and poetic outlook on the world, and when the time comes for both of them to return home, the narrator is utterly heartbroken to lose the only friend he’s ever known who could appreciate life with the beautiful innocence of a child.
Review
What stands out most about this book is how it criticizes the “adult” way of thinking. The story begins with the narrator telling his readers how he was discouraged from pursuing art by grown-ups who couldn’t comprehend his drawings when he was younger. Since that time, the Little Prince was the first person he ever met who understood the vision he had as a child. Still very young himself, the Prince thus represents the simple way children see the world in contrast to the analytical views of adults, and does so in a way that makes the former much more appealing.
The Little Prince and the Fox
(Illustration by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Though appearing to be a children’s book, The Little Prince is arguably targeted at adults who have forgotten how to understand the world the way they should. We as mature readers have it constantly pointed out to us that our manners are flawed, that we are too concerned with “matters of consequence”. Basically, we’ve become so focused on trivial details that we’ve lost sight of the things that are truly important. Perhaps this idea is most evident in a scene involving another well-spoken character of the story: a fox that the prince meets on his journey through Earth.
One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
– The Fox, The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 1943)
The Little Prince is a charming tale fit for readers of all ages. For adults, it’s a reminder of the lessons that can be learned from youth, many of which may have been lost long ago. As for children, they can find embedded in these pages the encouragement to keep living their own special way, and, if nothing else, a friend who can teach them the real matters of so much importance.
Inspiration
If there’s one thing I loved most about this book, it was the way it constantly reminded me how I used to see the world when I was a little girl (and how I probably should see it again as a woman). Living in a world that seems to demand we grow up as quickly as possible, it’s easy to forget what it’s like to experience life through the innocent eyes of children. The Little Prince’s questions and observations, coupled with the grown-ups’ awkward answers, served as a lesson on how I should never lose touch with the curious child still in my heart, for to do so would be like losing a very special friend.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. Though it did break my heart a little, it was wonderful to read a story that could effortlessly shine light on the poetry children can bring to the world. The Little Prince has a lovely perspective on life, and after reading his story, I only hope I can remember to keep setting my inner child free. She is, after all, a very important friend to the grown-up writer I’ve become.
by Naomi L. | October 18, 2013 | Blog, Indie Writer Spotlight |
Hello, dear readers! Today I’m sharing a special post, as it marks the beginning of a new segment on my blog: the Indie Writer Spotlight! Though it won’t be a regular segment, posts will be up on Fridays and will feature independent authors and their books in the world of self-publishing. With so many writers trying to get their work out there, it’s great when we can support each other!
Kicking off the Indie Writer Spotlight is an interview with Jennifer M. Zeiger, one of the authors of the upcoming short story anthology Midnight Abyss. Jennifer and I have been in touch for the past few weeks, and I sent her some questions about the new book. Here’s what she could tell me about Midnight Abyss. Enjoy!
About Jennifer M. Zeiger
Jennifer M. Zeiger lives in the beautiful state of Colorado with her husband, dog and two cats. She graduated with her Bachelors in English in 2008 with minors in Accounting and Recreation. She loves writing fantasy in particular but will read just about anything.
Interview with Jennifer
Me: What can you tell me about the book itself?
Jennifer: The book’s titled Midnight Abyss. It’s a mix of horror and dark fantasy short stories with a few poems thrown in too (It’s Midnight in the Abyss. Do you know where your Darklings are?). If you can’t tell, we’re having a lot of fun with this. =)
Me: Who are the collaborating authors, and where are you all from?
Jennifer: Okay, this one’s going to take a minute. There are nine authors all told. We have Anisa A. Claire in Vancouver and Kelleigh in Seattle who are the masterminds of all of this.
Then there’s Doug Langille in Nova Scotia who, thankfully, knows the techie stuff.
Gregory K Shipman’s up in Alaska. He keeps us all laughing when we start taking things too seriously.
Shaun Adams charms us all with his British accent since he’s from the Isle of Wight in England.
Raymond Tabaygo’s a hero of mine. He’s in New Jersey and he’s 66 years old and still writing. I love it.
Matthew X. Gomez is in Maryland. Although we’ve all helped with the editing, he’s definitely the one willing to cut your writing to pieces. It’s great.
Then, to finish this all off, there’s Theresa Briscoe Tschetter and I in the old west. She’s in Wyoming and I’m in Colorado. Theresa, even though she’s had some trouble with internet since we’ve started working on this, has made a massive effort to stay involved and upbeat. As for myself, I feel like I’m along for the ride and it’s a great adventure. =)
Me: How did you all meet?
Jennifer: Except for Anisa and Kelleigh, I think all of us met on Writer’s Carnival, which is a workshop site for writers. We’ve never met face to face. It boggles my mind how, in this day and age, such collaboration can happen without actually meeting.
Me: What made you decide to write a short story anthology together?
Jennifer: I received a message from Anisa asking if I wanted to take part in writing this anthology. I think the idea came about because we were all familiar with each other’s writing off of Writer’s Carnival and we all liked what we saw.
Me: And why did you decide to write in the horror and dark fantasy genres?
Jennifer: Those are the two genres we all like to write in. Well, fantasy for me is the genre I prefer, so dark fantasy was a bit of a challenge, which was great. Plus, we decided to launch the book on Halloween, so those two genres fit the theme.
Me: How long did it take you all to put the book together?
Jennifer: I received the email at the end of July asking if I wanted to be a part of this. Honestly, we lagged during August. Then about mid September, we realized, ‘oh dear, our deadline’s fast approaching!’ So we all kicked it in gear and have been working furiously since the last couple weeks of September. So when all is said and done, we put in about six weeks to finalize the stories and put the book together, which is wicked fast but we’ve managed to come up with a book we all love.
Me: Was it difficult coordinating your efforts, since most of you live so far apart?
Jennifer: Yes and no. Sorry, that’s an awkward answer.
Yes, because we’re working through messages and the occasional Google Hangout. There’s a lot of information getting thrown around: slogans, covers, order of stories, editing details… I could go on for a very long time. Let me just say, Dropbox is awesome.
But when I really look at how much we’ve figured out in a very short period of time, I have to say the group’s fantastic. There could be a lot of bickering but there hasn’t been. We all want this book to be the best set of short stories that we can produce and we’ve worked really hard to make that happen.
Me: How did you feel while working on this book?
Jennifer: Oh Lordy, that’s a loaded question. Personally, I’ve never been published before, so I’m thrilled-out-of-my-mind excited, I’m scared so bad my hands shake if I think about it too long and I’m breathless trying to keep up with all the details. But overall, I’m blessed to be working with such great people and following my dream at the same time.
Me: And how do you feel now that it’s all done?
Jennifer: Wow, that was a wild ride! And still is. Unlike with traditional publishing, we don’t have a marketing team working with us, so we’re still working on getting the word out. That work won’t be done for a while, but having a finished product feels amazing. Holding a hard copy book with my name on it, indescribable.
Me: When can we expect a full release of the book?
Jennifer: Oct. 31st to coincide with Halloween.
Me: Where can we find out more about the book?
Jennifer: Facebook: Midnight Abyss
Twitter: @AbyssMidnight
Goodreads: Midnight Abyss (I believe we’re going to do some giveaways for reviews here, so that’s definitely something to look forward to.)
Tumblr: TheMidnightAbyss.tumblr.com
My blog: Jennifer M Zeiger
We’ve set the book up with Amazon’s CreateSpace. So if you’re looking for a copy, you can find it there after the 31st.
Thanks so much for the interview, Jennifer! And thanks to you readers for joining us in the Indie Writer Spotlight!
Midnight Abyss comes out October 31st. Be sure to check it out this Halloween! Thanks for reading!
by Naomi L. | September 4, 2013 | Blog, Creative Writing, Off The Bookshelf |
Since the 9th century, the legend of King Arthur has been a well-known and popular one, spawning several myths and original retellings around the world over hundreds of years. Today, modern adaptations of Arthurian legend are hardly in short supply, from fantasy fiction portraying tales of the Knights of the Round Table to historical nonfiction seeking the truth behind the myths. Among the Arthurian fantasy novels that stand out the most, however, is Marion Zimmer Bradley’s celebrated four-part saga: The Mists of Avalon.
The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Summary
The novel series was first released in the United States by publisher Alfred A. Knopf in January 1983, for a targeted audience of adults, particularly women of any mature age. The Mists of Avalon tells the story of the rise and fall of King Arthur Pendragon in Britain during the late 5th and early 6th centuries, spanning across generations to narrate events from a little before his birth to sometime after his death. While it still encompasses many of the legend’s fantasy elements so well known today, the saga has a creative twist in that it relates the entire Arthurian legend from a completely different perspective: that of the female characters.
Review
As excited as any admirer of medieval fantasy fiction may be to start on a novel series with an Arthurian theme, the sheer length of this saga may prove daunting enough to warrant it a place on a summer reading list instead. This would likely turn out to be a wise decision, for one quickly discovers that Bradley’s elaborate plot, complex characters, detailed descriptions of medieval Britain, and fantastically original perspective of the Arthurian legend are capable of making the novels nearly impossible to put down for periods longer than are enough for basic necessary tasks, such as eating and sleeping. It’s arguable that enraptured readers would probably reach the end of the book well before the aforementioned list’s respective summer is over, and somehow feeling more conscious of – and respectful toward – the many possible interpretations of the story of King Arthur.
One of the most obvious themes that sets this novel apart from other Arthurian adaptations is feminism. The most widely known versions of these myths portray King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table as the heroes of the story, while the women remain further toward the background as supporting characters with only a few key roles. In The Mists of Avalon, it’s almost exactly the opposite; Arthur and the other male characters sink into supporting roles, while the women rise up to become the protagonists in this original retelling. Readers are brought into the same world they know so well from the classic tales of King Arthur, yet at the same time, it becomes an entirely different world altogether, proving that vantage point really does make all the difference in the telling of a story.
The Mists of Avalon (2001 TV Movie)
The majority of the narrative is told from the perspective of Arthur’s half-sister: the Avalon priestess Morgaine (known as Morgan le Fay in other Arthurian tales). Many chapters are also narrated from the viewpoints of other important women, among them Arthur’s wife, Queen Gwenhwyfar (the Welsh spelling of ‘Guinevere’); Avalon High Priestess and Lady of the Lake, Viviane; and Arthur and Morgaine’s mother, Igraine. Not only are these characters graced with much longer periods in the center of the narration, but Bradley also does a wonderful job of pulling these women out of their original unidimensional roles and giving them true depth, making them worthy of protagonism. Morgaine is no longer just an evil witch or a simple healer, but a strong druid priestess with good intentions and a tragic destiny. In turn, Gwenhwyfar’s innocent Christian veil is not just a plain matter of faith, but a slow descent into fanaticism brought on by an inferiority complex, her inability to bear children, and her search for salvation from her not-so-innocent infatuation with her husband’s best knight.
Which leads into the next main theme of the book: religion. One of the basic historical aspects of the Arthurian legend is the Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England, at a time when paganism was equally common. Again, a new light is shed on the story, as the conquering over dark pagan ways by Christianity becomes more of a struggle of rising tension and intolerance of the increasingly unstable balance between religions. The matriarchal society of Avalon is cast onto the defensive side against the overbearing patriarchal Church, eventually leading into a sequence of events in which Morgaine and the pagans strive to save Avalon and their native religion from disappearing from their country’s history altogether. Obviously, such strong religious implications – as is true of many novels with similar themes, notably Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy – tend to spark equally strong criticism from religious groups, likely qualifying this book for a more “tolerant” audience.
Many might argue that it takes a certain kind of reader to enjoy a story like this, which boasts a generous share of heavy mature themes, such as sexuality and political radicalism. In light of such arguments, it may be best to recommend the series to readers deemed mature enough to refrain from dwelling excessively on these superficial themes (key as they are in many parts of the narrative) and truly appreciate the central concept Ms. Bradley intended to portray in her books: a story isn’t necessarily a simple matter of black and white or good and evil, but instead may hold several truths.
Inspiration
I first read this series when I was 14, after my mother gave me the single four-part volume as a Christmas gift. Since immersing myself in the world of Avalon, this saga has inspired me for its unique take on the legend of King Arthur, a story that has always fascinated me for its fantasy themes and insights into Celtic mythology. It was interesting to read this classic tale from the perspective of the women, and I quickly became entranced by the core theme of feminism present throughout The Mists of Avalon. Looking back, I’m glad my mom considered me mature enough to read the novels during my adolescence, for they introduced me to major political and religious topics during a key stage in my development as an independent thinker, and have thus become a great inspiration for the subtexts and themes that I like to write into some of my own stories.
The Mists of Avalon is, in my opinion, a classic work of art. Whether you’re an Arthurian enthusiast, a feminist, an intellectual with a fascination for religious debate, or simply a fan of well-written fantasy fiction, you will most likely enjoy this book. And if you happen to fit into every one of the above categories – as this writer likes to think she does – you will certainly devour it in no time, and still be left hungry for more.
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