Week 14 Lab: Advice to Writers

 Advice to Writers

    One of the reasons that I was initially drawn to this class was that I wanted to get more into writing. Now that I have passed most of the way though this class, I definitely want to continue on my writing journey! As such, I was interested when I saw that "advice to writers" was an option for a story lab, I was intrigued. I feel like I have made some strides in writing in this class, but there is always more to learn!

    The first piece of advice that resonated with me was that creative writing needs solitude. I definitely agree with this - some of my best writing has been done in the wee hours of the morning once everyone else has gone to bed and the world is quiet. Something that I might add on to that is that I think that creative writing (and honestly, creativity in general) needs time. Not only because of the obvious - making art takes time - but also that it takes time to get into the right head-space for being creative. Making art is somewhat like meditation - you can't just dim the lights and think that immediately everything is going to just happen. It takes work and concentration (and repetition) to get your brain where it needs to be. 

    The next piece of advice that I liked was the insistence on persistence (hehe - see what I did there?). I think this is hugely important. You cant just think that you are going to make some sort of masterpiece on your first round. If you look at the best composers, artists, writers, etc of the world, most of them have an immensely huge body of work. Out of these, only a few are considered the "hits". The only way to produce "good" art is to start of by just producing art! 

(The value of real advice. Source: 1077TheJewel)

Reading Notes, Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales: The End of the World

Bibliography: Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales. Story: The End of the World

Notes: This was another one of those stories that I was drawn to initially because of the name. What a hook! As with the story earlier this week, it was one that had a pretty thinly veiled moral, but again was one that I could wholeheartedly get behind! Too often in our society we see people running with the lemmings. Most recently, I have been having some frustration with the whole lemming phenomenon in regards to vaccinations. I have been volunteering a lot recently at vaccination clinics trying to help get people vaccinated and get us back to some semblance of normal! Although everyone there is obviously getting vaccinated, I have been hearing a lot of stories about their friends and relatives who are too scared to come in because they either have the traditional fears of vaccinations (that they cause autism, etc) or that they have bought into the recent "vaccinations have a chip in them" fear. 

     These fears sounds very similar to the ones from the little rabbit in the story. They are born out of legitimate concerns (for the rabbit that is fear of the world ending, for people not getting their vaccines this might be concerns about the good will and protection of the government and privatized healthcare system), but what is being said has no basis whatsoever (for reference, the man who published the falsified paper saying that vaccines cause autism is now in prison for writing that paper). And yet, those fears spread like wildfire. 

     One thing that I liked about this story was that the lion did not belittle of laugh at the little rabbit after finding out that the sounds was just a fruit falling. I think this is a really important to genuinely listen to people's concerns and then to try to address them in a way that will make people feel comfortable. 

(Vaccination. Source: DiscoverSociety)

Reading Notes, Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales: The Quarrelsome Quails

Bibliography: Inayat. Twenty Jataka Tales. Story: The Quarrelsome Quails

Notes: Well, the moral of this story was not very subtle, now was it. Work together and be successful or quarrel and fail. Honestly, it's pretty hard to argue with that... 

     What initially drew me to this story was the title. I am a huge fan of alliteration, and try to use it in a lot of my own titles. If I choose to write on this story this week, that is something that I would definitely want to keep! 

     I have been really getting into the Jataka tales, but decided to try to mix it up a bit this week by reading the Inayat Jataka tales rather than the Babbitt Jataka tales. I have to say, now that I have read both, I prefer the Inayat tales. They just flow a bit better and the dialogue seems more natural and not spliced in. I am exited to read more of these tales this week!

     Anyway, on to my own plans with this story. Immediately, I want to make it political. Nowadays, I am always so frustrated when I listen to the news and hear how people in government positions are more concerned with arguing with one another than they are with trying to overcome our differences and work together. The result? Congress is frankly ineffectual because people keep fighting one another. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? 

     I did just write a story last week making pointed political commentary on capitalism (or, at least, trying to), so I could just continue on with that story- essentially write the sequel. Since it is Terry Pratchett's birthday today (he is my absolute favorite author) and he excelled at writing political satire, continuing on in this vein only seems fitting. That being said, I am going to have to work pretty hard before I can hold a candle to Sir Pratchett. 

(A quail. Source: Wikimedia)

Week 13 Story: An Orwellian Farm

    "Hey. Hey you!" Little Red was hunched behind the pig pen, and his cramping limbs were happy to finally see the Pig. He'd been waiting to talk with him for most of the day. 

    The Pig started and peered cautiously around the corner. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out plowing?" he asked haughtily. 

    Little Red tried not to let the Pig's demeanor get to him. "I'm here to help you, you fool. I have a warning."

    The Pig continued to look cautious, but some of his aloof stance was replaced by one of curiosity. 

    "All of that fancy food you have been eating- its to fatten you for slaughter! The farmer's wife is getting married, and you are to be the main course." continued Little Red. 

    "Ha. There are words of caution coming out of your mouth, but all I hear is jealousy. I see you across the farm, working from dusk 'til dawn and only getting a meager ration of hay in return. Don't try to come here and convince me that I am the one actually getting the short end of the stick." scoffed the Pig. 

    "I'm not going to pretend like my life is perfect, but listen here, pal - I'm sticking my neck out for you here. My dad, Big Red, was too scared to come and tell you himself - didn't want to get caught by the farmer, ya see? Don't believe me? Fine. Just ask yourself what happened to all of your pals after they got all nice and fat. Really believe, I mean deep down believe, that they were sent off to some nicer farm to frolic around? Come on. Stop kidding yourself. That's a children's story." 

    Little Red started to turn around and leave, when suddenly the Pig pipped up, fear lacing his every word. 

"Ok! Ok. You've got me listening. What's the plan?"

(The next story to read. Source: Flickr)

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Ox Who Envied the Pig

Author's Note: I thought that the moral of this story might have been more sinister than the original story let on. The original seemed to suggest that one ought to not envy those around us who have more because they are destined for disaster. I thought, however that the moral was that, in the system set up by the farm, there really was not winning. Either you get to live a long life but toil and get no real rewards, or you get to live high and mightily, but only for a time. The only one who really "won" in the story was the farmer who got the oxen to work for him and got to eat the pig. It seems like the only sensible thing for the animals to do is to rise up and revolt.... 

Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales: The Ox Who Envied the Pig

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Ox Who Envied the Pig

Notes: Hmmmmm. I don't know what to make of this story. At first glance, it seems that the story is trying to tell us not to envy the people who have more than we do, because they are destined for failure (or, in the case of the story, food). Yet I think that the meaning of the story might be more sinister than that. If you think about it, the oxen don't actually have some wonderful life. Sure, they are actually alive at the end of the story, but they only reason they are is because they have use as beasts of burden. In return for their labor, they are fed rather poorly. Not that the pig's life is much better. He gets to live high and mighty, but only for a while... 

        Looking at it this way, the moral of the story seems more to be that you can't really win. There is no way, at least in the setting that has been established in the story, to live both well and for a long time. That is, unless you are the farmer. It must all seem rather dystopian to the animals, this way of life. 

        I think that this might be an interesting way to approach a story- a dystopian setting for a dystopian moral. Perhaps there could be tidbits of a revolution thrown in there as well as the characters realize that what is needed in order for them to escape this caged existence is for them to revolt against the farmer character. The real moral could be, essentially, that rampant capitalism is bad. The farmer represents the 1% who literally feasts on and exploits the other 99%. Very Animal Farm..... 

        I just also think that it would be more fun to write this story in a dystopian setting than in the "real world". 

(Storytelling Inspiration. Source: Flickr)

Extra Credit Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales: The Sandy Road

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Sandy Road

Notes: I am really intrigued by this story. A number of the Jataka tales that I have read have been somewhat untraditional moralistic tales in that they have not really presented a moral. I don't really know if it is fair for me to be comparing the stories to "moralistic tales" since that may not actually be the point of the stories, but most stories tend to have a deeper meaning, which I have struggled to find in some of the stories (though that may be more of a personal failing than one of the story). This story, however, is unconventional in a different way. Most moralistic tales (I will just continue to use this classification because I think it is the closest one I know to use) have "good" and "bad: characters or "wise" and "foolish" characters (think "The Wise and the Foolish Merchant", though I had thoughts on that that can be seen in my reading notes on the story). This story combines both of those tropes into one character. The merchant is both the foolish one and the wise one. He is the one who makes the questionable decision to throw away the water and firewood before they are out of the desert, but he is also the one who does not give up and finds the place for the well. I really like this actually, since it presents a much more realistic view of how the world works. There are not completely "good" or "evil" people, neither are there completely "wise" or "foolish" ones. People make mistakes. Yet, as my grandfather used to say, "It is only a mistake if you don't learn from it." Perhaps in a re-telling of this story I could have the merchant, now old, telling his grandchildren this story and incorporate my own grandfathers wise words in there as the "moral". 

(A sight that would make most people want to give up. Source: pxhere)

Week 12 Lab: Crash Course Mythology

What is Myth:

    Wow. I had no idea that the definition of a myth would be so complicated. I guess I could have baseline told you before that there is some difference between a myth and a folk tale, I had never really thought about quantifying that difference. I think that the definition of myth is like that of "art". I think that staying power and humanistic significance are both important aspects to it. I would also add that I think beauty plays a role in both definitions. For "myth" this might present as "is it a good story- did I like listening to it". This aspect might have more to do with the storyteller than the story though. 

Theories of Myth:

    I think that a really interesting theory of myth is that of using it to explain the things that we don't understand. Isn't that the point of most stories? Fables use myths to explain morals that children might not understand yet in terms that they can (haha) come to terms with. I think that one of the big differences in myth and religion is- do we understand these things now. Thor and the legends that surround him are thought of much more in a mythological sense in current society. We now know how thunder and lightning work, so his stance as a religious figure is no loner quite so pertinent. However, we still don't know what happens after we die, so most of the tales that surround that particular issue remain in the realm of religion. 

The Hero's Journey and the Monomyth:

I really liked being able to look at this list of "heroism". I think that it will be a really helpful thing not only to keep in mind when I am reading other stories, but also when I am producing them myself. I like especially that the typical story of a myth includes the re-integration into society. I have been on a couple of really long trips in my life, and have found that "culture shock" is weirdly often worse when coming back than it is when starting a new adventure. You do not expect yourself to have changed so much on a journey, so it is often really disconcerting when your relationship with what is supposed to be a familiar setting is so different. 

(The newest book on my reading list. Source: Wikimedia)

Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales: The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Turtle Who Couldn't Stop Talking

Notes: I think I might have heard this story before! I tried to google it to see if an iteration of it also existed as an Aesop fable (I know that a lot of folk tales have a lot of overlap), but I didn't find anything. Maybe I have heard the Jataka tales before and I just haven't known what I was listening to. 

        I am someone who is both quite opinionated and is not afraid to express those opinions. I have found that this can be both a blessing and a curse. While I think it is good to be outspoken and talk about those thing that you are passionate about, there have definitely been situations in which I have found that I think things would have been better off if I had just kept my mouth shut. I think that the turtle in this story can definitely relate.... 

        I think it is a valuable skill to know when to talk- when to make the choice to engage in a conversation or not to and knowing what battles you want to fight and what hills you want to die on. Frankly, if you choose to talk all the time about the things that you feel passionately about, not only is it likely annoying to others, but it is also just exhausting. 

        In a society so fraught with all different kinds of turmoil, I think that the story of the turtle could definitely be relevant. Sometimes not talking about the things that are causing this turmoil is actually the best way to get past it- to just exist in a pleasant manner with friends- to spend time together having fun rather than having conversations with a capital "c". I don't necessarily know that this is the story I will choose to write this week- I am feeling slightly more inspired by my Ganga reading notes, but it's an idea!

(Turtle. Source: Wikimedia)

Reading Notes, Ganga: The Divine Beauty

Bibliography: Random Comic Book. Story: Ganga: The Divine Beauty

Notes: I have never been a big reader of comic books, but for the sake of pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I decided to go with it! I flipped though a couple of the random comic book suggestions (I don't know if that defeats the purpose of random, but here we are) until I found one about Ganga. I have always wanted to lean more about the mythology behind Ganga, so this was perfect! I actually have had the absolute honor to go with my family to Varanasi and see Ganga herself! 

           I actually thought that it might be interesting to, instead of doing a re-telling of the story that was outlined in the comic, explore some of the characteristics of Ganga. She is known to purify, and I know that actually one of the big problems with the River Ganga is that there is a lot of pollution from the Manikarnika Ghats and from people putting other things into the River Ganga to get purified. I think that this irony is something that could be explored in a story. 

            I have always really enjoyed reading the works of Neil Gaiman, and I especially liked his book "American Gods". I think that the concept that he explores in that book of thinking about what deities might be like if they were a part of our society- essentially if they had immigrated and developed along with all of the people who worship them. I think that a similar concept to this could be explored with Ganga. How has the goddess who purifies changed after years and years of pollution? What does she think about people worshipping her somewhat ironically by polluting her? I think that all of these questions and thoughts of Ganga's would be the basis of a pretty interesting story. 

(Ganga. Source: Wikimedia)

Week 11 Story: Of Pearls and Private Eyes

    Marlowe sat in the smoky bar, twirling his empty bourbon glass on the table. He wanted another - and badly - but business had been slow of late and he didn't want to add any more to his tab. He sighed. He's have to head home soon- the cat would be getting hungry. 

    Just as he had started to put on his coat and amble out of the less-than-high-brow establishment, a man walked in. Now, in this particular bar, it was strange enough to see a new face. But a new face wearing tailored suit? That meant trouble. 

    "I'm looking for a man named Marlowe. Philip Marlowe." the man said. "Was told I could find him here." The man glanced around at the tables, wrinkling his nose at the smell of cheap whiskey and whatever had caused those stains on the back wall. 

    "Yeah, that's me." Marlowe said after a moment. "What are you doing looking for a man like me in a place like this?"

    "I need a PI. I've got a case that needs to be kept on the down low, and I've heard people say that you're the man to talk to if you want something solved fast and quietly." the man said, absentmindedly wiping his hands on the handkerchief he had pulled out of his pocket. As if that would wipe away the grime of this place. Marlowe could swear that he sometimes still felt it seeping out of his pores even after he got out of the shower. You stayed here long enough and the place just became a part of you, ya know?

    "What are the details?" Marlowe tried to play off his eagerness at a new job as interest in the facts of the case. Truth be told, he had been longing for something to do. Too much time alone to think was never healthy. Marlowe wanted to be busy, and some extra cash would be good too, he had to admit. 

    The man joined him at the bar, speaking in hushed tones and casting glances around the place to make sure that no one was paying them too much interest as he outlined his predicament. Turns out his wife had lost some trinket, and now everyone was in some big flap about it. Sounded like it had been stolen, but the house had state-of-the-art security, and none of it had been tripped the night of the supposed theft. Marlowe had dealt with cases like this before. Any time some bozo got their grubby little hands on something shiny that they shouldn't have, it was only a matter of time before they started wanting to show off. Give them a little incentive and saturate the market with rumors of some lesser version of what they'd got and - well - the poor suckers just couldn't help themselves.   Everyone wanted to be top dog, and if they had to incriminate themselves to get there, so be it. 

    "Yeah, I'll take the case. I charge twenty-five dollars a day, plus expenses." 

    Marlowe lit a cigarette and blew out a cloud of bitter smoke. Things were looking up. 

(Philip Marlowe, Private Eye. Source: Pixabay)

Bibliography: Babbitt More Jataka Tales. Story: The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls

Author's Note: I am in a film class this semester, where we are watching and analyzing film noirs. Philip Marlowe is a character from a popular series of noir books that were later made into movies. I thought that the mystery outlined in the original story of The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls would work well within a noir setting, so I did- a re-telling of the story (or the exposition to the story) within the world of smoky bars and private eyes.

Reading Notes, Babbitt More Jataka Tales, Part B

Bibliography: Babbitt More Jataka Tales. Story: The Brave Little Bowman

Notes: I have to admit, I was a little bit worried when reading this story that it was going to take a different turn than it did. I thought that it might end with the small man turning on the big man after he insulted him and leaving him to fend for himself when the other army came. I was then pleasantly surprised when the small man then went out to help the big man anyways. I had just read a couple of other Jataka tales (like Prince Wicked) that I thought had a pretty harsh view of morality. While I understand that there are plenty of morally questionable characters that do questionable things, I just am of the view that there is no situation in which it is OK to take someone's life into your own hands and condemn them to death (I think this viewpoint might be a large motivating factor to becoming a doctor- the whole "do no harm" thing and all...). 

The beginning of the story reminded me of Cyrano de Bergerac. It is one of my favorite plays, and I thought that this story shared some characteristics with it- someone that does not have the "look" acting through someone who does. I think it might be interesting to do a re-telling of this story in that storyline. Taking the story and transferring it to renaissance France would be quite the dramatic change, but I think it would work! Instead of doing battle and hunting as they do in the story, I think it would be possible to stay true to the Cyrano de Bergerac story and have poetry and letters substitute in for battle. As the climax of the story, Cyrano may have to act as an ambassador to the foreign king and write a treatise that appeases him. 

(Cyrano de Bergerac. Source: Wikimedia)

Reading Notes, Babbitt More Jataka Tales, Part A

Bibliography: Babbitt More Jataka Tales. Story: The Girl Monkey and the String of Pearls

Notes: I decided to keep going with the Jataka tales instead of moving on with the stories about Krishna because I was getting distinct Aesop's Fables vibes and I just really love those (I think it has a lot to do with nostalgia- my dad used to read them to me as bedtime stories). 

        Of the stories in part A of the "More Jataka Tales", I thought that a lot of them were somewhat strange in that they seemed like they were set up to have a moral, but then stopped just before telling the audience what that moral actually was supposed to be. This was one of the few stories that I though had an actually deducible moral. From what I could understand, there were a couple of different morals in this one: greed, showing off, ingenuity, and thanking the brains behind the operation. Now, while I think it could be interesting to create a moral for a story that does not (at least at surface level) have one (maybe fodder for the next reading notes?), I was also just more drawn to this story than the other ones, so here we are!

        This story does not have as many side characters that need their own narrative (like many of the Rama and Sita stories), nor does it have elements of the plot that I think need re-analysis (like the Wise and the Foolish Merchant story), so I think this story has the potential to do a re-telling, but in a different setting. This is not something that I have done before, so it ought to be a new experience! I am currently taking a film noir class, so I am feeling inspired by this: perhaps the soldier could be the PI hired to solve the case of the missing pearls....

(Private Eye. Source: Pixabay)

Week 10 Story: The Wise and the Young Merchant

    One fine day under the beating desert sun, a group of merchants gathered in the town square. Among them were two merchants who were going to be traveling the same path and selling the same goods. One of them was old and wise, and the other was young and had just begun to work as a merchant. When the young man heard that they would be travelling the same road, he immediately thought that it would be prudent to go first. That way his cows could feed on grass that had not yet been eaten and he could set the prices for his goods in the towns. As he was hurriedly packing his bags to leave, the old man approached him. 

    "Let us travel together." he said. "I know the way across the desert. These many years of travelling have taught me where the watering holes are and how to avoid the demons that would seek to carry you off! But my bones are growing weak and I could use your help in setting up camp and loading up my goods."

    "But what of the cattle and the grass they will eat? What of the prices of our goods in the town?" replied the young man. 

    "If you travel with me, I will show you where the best grazing fields are. Both our cattle will arrive at the town fat and well-rested. Then, if we discuss what would be a fair price for us both, we can sell our goods together. That way, one of us can work at the stall while the other goes out and shepherds people to the tent." said the old man.

    The young man pondered this offer, and decided to accept. Together, the young and the old man travelled across the desert. The old man knew not to trust a prince who cast no shadow, as it meant he was a demon. Once they had crossed the desert, the cattle feasted on fine, fresh grass in a hidden grove, the old man knew shortcuts to the town, and working together, there they sold all their goods. 

    Many years later, the young man's wagon was full with jewels, silks, and other finery to sell. Yet his bones had now begun to creak and he was no longer spry enough to load his own wagon or shepherd his own clients. But he had grown wise in the paths through the desert and how to cross it safely, and one day he met a young man one fine day under a beating desert sun. They were going to travel the same path and sell their goods in the same town. 

    "Let us travel together." he said. "I have been taught the way across the desert. I know where the watering holes are and how to avoid the demons that would seek to carry you off! But my bones are growing weak and I could use your help in setting up camp and loading up my goods."

    The young man looked at him and pondered his offer...

(Merchants. Source: Picryl)

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Wise and Foolish Merchant

Author's Note: When reading the story "the Wise and the Foolish Merchant", I actually viewed the "wise" merchant as the real antagonist of the story. While I understand that the story is trying to say that sometimes going first is not always better (and the point must also be made that the "foolish" merchant is trying to pull one over on the "wise" merchant), the "wise" merchant knew exactly what was going to happen to the "foolish" one, meaning that he willfully lets him have a terrible trip (though I don't necessarily know that I can make the claim that the "wise" merchant knew that the "foolish" one was going to be carried off my demons). The "wise" merchant then steals the wagons and the goods from the "foolish" one! What a jerk! As it stands, I viewed the moral of this story to be "it is OK to lie, exploit, and steal (and perhaps also send people to their deaths) for your own gain". I wanted to do a retelling of this story in which the moral reads "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but working together and helping those around you will lead to even greater riches". I think this is a much more powerful moral. 

Reading Notes, Babbitt Jataka Tales, Part B

Bibliography: Babbitt Jataka Tales. Story: The Wise and Foolish Merchant

Notes: While I understand what the story is trying to say with regards to being "wise" and "foolish", I honestly viewed the "wise" merchant as being the real antagonist in this story. I mean, he knew exactly what was going to happen to the "foolish" merchant when he let him go first, which means that he willfully allowed him to have a terrible time just so that he could have a smooth road. While I don't necessarily know that I can make the claim that the "wise" merchant knew that the "foolish" one was going to be carried off my demons, stealing the "foolish" merchant's wagons and goods after he had been abducted/killed/possessed was despicable enough. Instead of this story being called "The Wise and the Foolish Merchant", I think it ought to be called "The Inexperienced and the Exploiting Merchant". Because, lets be real here, that is what is happening.  

        If I were to re-tell this story, I would either choose to write an epilogue in which the "wise" merchants ways come back to bite him or one in which the "foolish" and the "wise" merchant work together and achieve significantly better results. As it stands, the moral of this story is that it is OK to lie, exploit, and steal (and perhaps also send people to their deaths) for your own gain. I think it would be much better either to spin the moral either as "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but will lead to unhappiness and self-destruction in the long-term" or that "lying, stealing, and exploiting may get you riches in the short term, but working together and helping those around you will lead to even greater riches". I think I prefer the second moral, because happy endings are more fun!

(Merchants. Source: Picryl)