Story Lab: Writers Write

This week I decided to do a story lab, specifically about writing. I looked at the Writers Write website, which has all kinds of blog posts about types of writing. From explaining how to write to analyzing writer’s habits and techniques to little tips and tricks for when someone has writer’s block, it’s got a lot of stuff on there to help anyone write anything.

So without further ado and in no random order, here are some of the posts I found interesting.

This post was written shortly after Stan Lee passed. Stan Lee gave out a lot of writing advice over his life, and they complied six of his quotes. The top one listed is a piece of advice I’ve seen floating around the internet in various quotes: “write what you love to read.” This falls in line with the advice of “if you can’t find a story you like, write it.” If nothing else, it’s encouraging.

This is pretty interesting advice: basically, by figuring out what a character’s to-do list would be, whether mundane or dramatic, it can help a writer figure out how to advance the plot. As the post suggests, the list could be incorporated into the story at some point, whether as a major or minor plot, or not at all. This can help define what the writers call “story goals,” the solid plot structure.

The website also gives practical advice, like explaining the exact difference between a memoir or an autobiography. Basically, an autobiography is more historical, usually written by someone famous, and will often rely on records to tell the story. A memoir is more based on memory, can be written by anyone, and there’s usually more of an emotional connection in the story.

And of course, the formula for writing a good tragic love story. Basically, two star-crossed lovers, with something forbidden that stops them from getting together, they fight their feelings but can’t stay apart, etc. etc. Nothing like a good simple formula to provide the backbone for a love story, especially if someone isn’t in the mood for a happily ever after.

Honorable mention to the post about the writing habits of various authors, specifically how many words they aim to write each day. Fairly insightful, and also a little disheartening to know that some people aim for 10,000 words a day (Michael Crichton is insane). Honorable mention also to the post about how J. K. Rowling isn’t a good writer, which I’m taking with a grain of salt because I feel like they’re just picking on Rowling’s writing style. (I’m currently relistening to the books again and I will fight anyone who says she can’t write.) (Also this is coming from a company that made itself sound redundant.)

Reading Notes: Celtic Fairy Tales, Part A

To start the week’s reading, I decided to take notes over the story of Gold-Tree and Silver-tree, which is like a twist on Snow White with a dash of Bluebeard thrown in. This story comes from Joseph Jacobs’ Celtic Fairy Tales.

Reading Notes

• A king had a wife with the name of Silver-tree, and they together had a daughter they named Gold-tree.
• One day, Silver-tree and Gold-tree went to a well where a trout resided; Silver-tree asked the trout if she was the most beautiful queen in the world.
• The trout told her no, that Gold-tree was.
• Enraged, Silver-tree went home and lay sick in her bed, and vowed that she wouldn’t become well until she could get Gold-tree’s liver and heart to eat.
• When the king came home that night and was told that Silver-tree was ill, he asked what he could do to make her well, and swore he would do anything.
• Silver-tree demanded the heart and liver of Gold-tree to eat, and be well.
• As it happened, the son of a king had come to visit and asked for Gold-tree’s hand in marriage; the king approved and sent Gold-tree on her way abroad.
• The king then sent out his men to catch and kill a goat; he took the heart and liver from the goat and gave it to Silver-tree, who became well.
• A year later, Silver-tree came by the well again and saw the trout, and again asked the same question.
• Again, the trout told her that Gold-tree was, and that Gold-tree was married to a great prince abroad.
• Silver-tree went to her husband and begged to let her go to see Gold-tree, since it had been a year since she’d seen her; the king agreed.
• Silver-tree steered the ship herself, and they arrived in a short amount of time to Gold-tree’s new home.
• Gold-tree’s husband was out hunting, and she saw her father’s ship coming.
• She told her servants how she was worried about her mother trying to kill her, and they agreed to lock her in a room where her mother couldn’t get at her.
• When Silver-tree got off the ship, she cried out for Gold-tree, who told her she was locked in the room and couldn’t get out.
• Silver-tree begged Gold-tree to stick out her finger so Silver-tree could kiss it; when Gold-tree did, Silver-tree stuck a poisoned thorn into Gold-tree’s finger, and she fell down dead.
• When Gold-tree’s husband came home, he was greatly distressed and insisted on Gold-tree being laid to rest in a locked room, rather than being buried.
• After a time, the prince married again, and his new wife had access to the whole house except for that one room.
• One day, he left the key lying around, and his new wife took it and entered the locked room, to discover Gold-tree.
• As the new wife examined her, she took the poisoned thorn out of Gold-tree’s finger, and Gold-tree came to life again.
• That night, the prince was delighted to discover that Gold-tree was alive again, and when his new wife offered to leave, he instead said that he would keep both of them as his wife.
• At the end of the year, Silver-tree went to the well and found the trout again, and again asked if she was the most beautiful queen in the world.
• Of course, the trout told her that Gold-tree was still alive and doing fine.
• Once again, Silver-tree went to her husband and begged to take a ship to Gold-tree’s new home to visit her, and was given permission.
• Once again, the prince was out hunting, and Gold-tree recognized her father’s ship.
• When she told the second wife that her mother was coming back to kill her, the second wife proposed that they go meet Silver-tree.
• Silver-tree came ashore and offered Gold-tree a drink she had prepared, but the second wife told her that it was custom in their country for the person who offered a drink to take a sip first.
• Silver-tree tried to fake it, but the second wife struck the cup so that some of the drink went into Silver-tree’s throat, and she immediately fell down dead.
• Silver-tree’s body was taken home for burial, and Gold-tree, her husband, and the second wife lived long after this.

Silver-tree preparing to stick Gold-tree’s finger through the locked door (Source)

Week 11: From the Girl's View

      The little girl was happy.

     It was always a fun time when she and her brothers could walk upright on two legs and dance and sing. This was their time, time that belonged only to them. 

     As the only female, her brothers had demanded that she be the one to look out for their mother. They knew eventually they should probably reveal to their mom that they had human forms, not just dog forms, but for now they wanted to keep this to themselves. It was their secret, only shared with their siblings. Sometimes she could convince one of her brothers to keep watch for a bit so she could dance, but today she was content to just watch.

      Unfortunately, she hadn’t noticed that her mother hadn’t moved in several minutes, and so everyone was surprised when their mother came bursting in. She chastised them for never showing that they could change into human form, and insisted that they couldn’t become dogs anymore. The little girl and her siblings were upset for a while, but then got over it. At least in human form they were taller, and if they occasionally changed into their dog form when their mom wasn’t around… Well, what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

      The little girl knew their history, that her father was a shapeshifter who lived as a dog by day, then would turn into a man at night. When her mother had gotten pregnant, her parents, out of shame, abandoned her and convinced the village to move away. Her mother had given birth alone, and raised the girl and her brothers alone. Her father was dead, killed by her grandfather before they left.

      Now that the girl and her brothers stayed in human form all the time, their mother started to teach them how to hunt, and her brothers proved to be highly successful at this. The girl kept the house while her brothers were out, and helped deconstruct their kills. When they became successful at whale hunting, she would take the fat and treat it for household use.

     When they had a visiter, the girl knew who it was. Her mother had told them how Crow had helped her when she was abandoned, leaving a few embers that could be coaxed into a fire. Now Crow had come to investigate what was the source for all the dead whales on the beach.

     The girl and her brothers gave Crow all the food she could eat, but it was the girl’s idea to not let Crow take anything with her. She wanted some privacy for her family for just a little longer, before their existence was revealed. But Crow managed to smuggle some whale meat back to the village, and once the village learned that the brothers were such good hunters, they decided to move back and allow the brothers to be their chiefs.

     The girl was okay with this. After all, now they had more protection, and she had people to talk to that weren’t related to her. But sometimes she missed the days when it was just her and her brothers, dancing in human form before becoming dogs again.

Source

Author’s note: This isn’t my best work, but oh well. While it’s specifically mentioned in the story that there are four boys and one girl, after the mother discovers that her children can have human form, she isn’t mentioned again. The focus is on her brothers and their great ability to hunt. I thought it would be interesting to look at how the girl felt about everything. 

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B

Today’s story is interesting, and is called The Dog-Husband, and is from the Tales of the North American Indians, by Stith Thompson.

Reading Notes

• In a village, a girl had a dog that she was very fond of, and that often slept at the foot of her bed.
• However, what no one knew was that at night, the dog would change into a man, and would lie with the girl, then change back into a dog before the sun rose.
• The girl eventually became pregnant, and her parents, deeply ashamed that a dog had gotten her pregnant, convinced everyone to put out their fires and tear down their house, and moved away.
• But Crow took pity on the girl, and hid away some coals for her so she would have fire.
• The girl eventually found the fire, and shortly after gave birth to five dogs: four male and one female.
• Since her dad had killed her dog, the father of these pups, she had to care for them by herself; to survive she had to dig up clams and shellfish on the beach.
• Some time passed, and the dogs grew fast and strong.
• Eventually the mother noticed that when she left the house, she often heard singing and dancing while she worked on the beach. 
• The fifth time this happened, she dressed up her clam-digger in her clothes and snuck around to the back of the house.
• She found that the dogs had all changed into human form, and that the boys were dancing and singing while their sister kept watch.
• She scolded her children, and from that point on they kept their human form.
• As the boys grew, their mother made them weapons and taught them to use them to hunt.
• From catching birds the boys quickly graduated to catching whales, and were very successful in this.
• One day, Crow noticed the smoke arising from the place where the old village had been, and let curiosity take her there.
• She saw all the whales lying on the beach, and met the grown children, who fed her as much as she wanted, but told her if she wanted more food she would have to come visit them again.
• The sister instructed Crow to cry and pretend they were dead when Crow made it back to the current village, but Crow told them the truth, and had a piece of whale meat as proof.
• Everyone in the village talked it over, and decided to go back to the old village.
• The boys became chiefs of the village and kept it supplied with whales.

Souce

Reading Notes: Mississippi/Great Lakes, Part A

For this week I chose to read The Origin of Winnebago from the Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes, edited by Katharine Berry Judson. “Winnebago” is a name that’s given to a group of people by another group of people.

Reading Notes

• Manabush was walking along and became hungry, and saw a bunch of waterfowl in a lake. 
• He tucked away his medicine bag that he had, then took a roll of bark and put it on his back before walking back by the lake. 
• Catching the attention of the birds, they asked him where he was going; Manabush said he was going to have a dance, and invited the birds to come with him.
• He led the birds away from the lake, then arranged the birds around him and told them to close their eyes and sing and dance, proclaiming that the first one to open his eyes would always have red eyes.
• He grabbed the birds by the neck one by one, until a small duck opened his eyes and saw what was happening.
• The duck screamed a warning to all the other birds, and they ran away to the lake.
• Manabush grabbed the small duck, and warned that he wouldn’t kill the bird, but it would always have red eyes and be the laughing stock of the other birds, and pushed it into the lake, taking its tail off.
• Manabush took the birds he’d killed and buried them with a fire on top to cook them, with only the feet and heads exposed.
• Because Manabush was tired, he told his thigh to keep watch and fell asleep.
• After a while, Indians come along and steal the birds to eat, then rebury just the heads and feet to make everything look like before.
• Manabush eventually woke up, and discovered that his birds were gone. 
• When he asked his thigh why it didn’t wake him, his thigh said it also fell asleep because it was tired, but pointed out the Indians moving away in their canoes.
• The Manabush called the thieves winnebagos, and so the Menomini have always called any thieving neighbors winnebagos.

Members of the Ho-Chunk people, called the Winnebago by some. (Source)