Unique To This Moment, or Telling Time the Fairy Tale Way

Here's a random fact about me. I really love clever ways of marking the passage of time. Why say, "in a year", when you can say, "when the barren trees are ready for harvest again"? I especially love it when it illustrates a character. Let me explain... Better yet, here are some examples: When a …

Diamonds or Toads?

I'm a bit of a news junkie. I get most of my news from newspapers both at home and abroad. But, I will admit that lately I've had to take news breaks because it's become frustrating and ugly. This is not a post about the news. I won't write about politics, nor will I push …

Fairy Tale Book Club–The Goose Girl, or how to be a princess without really trying

Welcome to the first posting of the FTBC. And today we'll start with The Goose Girl. Fairy tales are something we keep discovering. I know I am. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised when I read a new story. This was not one of those times. The Goose Girl, one of the many stories from the brothers …

The Witch

As a young girl, I wanted to be a witch. They were mystical and wise. People came to them for help. Most importantly, witches had magic. They could conjure spells, brew potions, and divine the future. In short, they effected real change with power, knowledge and will. Who wants to be a princess when that's …

Bad Choices and the Epic Adventure

A couple of days ago I was reading a post on a blog I follow, Life in the Realm of Fantasy, and it posed the question about crisis points for a character. Her example was driving down a road where the signs are missing, but the character keeps driving anyway. I think of a fork …

Transformations with The Little Mermaid

  Having a blog has taught me some interesting things about myself. Some things I already knew and the blog just solidified the fact (i.e. I thrive on deadlines because without them my default is lazy). Some were funny (like how ridiculously happy it makes me when someone leaves a comment). How guarded I am …

Losing it

I’ve been thinking about loss and fairy tales lately. It’s the prologue to most stories, shaping the hero’s or heroine’s current misfortune. Be they motherless, fatherless, or orphans loss is the beginning of a story in fairy tales. Disney has made this fact into a cliché. It’s been joked that Frozen didn’t become a true …

Waiting as taught by Thumbelina

I hate waiting. I rank it up there with pulling teeth and stupid people. It's not that I can't deal with having a tooth pulled or muddle through interactions with the intentionally daft, but I'd rather not--thank you very much! But writing has taught me about waiting because books don't spring forth perfect and complete …

The Hidden Minority Part II

I've been looking for a topic for some time now. After spending a week at Disney World, something occurred to me. Something I haven't shared with you. I have a confession to make. Like Frieda from Peanuts I have naturally curly hair. We even have the same "birthday" although mine is many years removed. According …

“Jack” and the Beanstalk

I think we can all agree that, on the whole, fairy tales try to teach us something about life. Usually there are warnings about the dangers of taking a dark path, talking to strangers, and not minding your elders. Others show how goodness can reap its own rewards and sometimes a castle and a title …