Baked veggie pot pie and chocolate chip cookies the other day in an effort to make our Halloween-decorations-go-down-Christmas-decorations-go-up efforts merry and festive rather than tedious and chore-like. Managed to drop a semi-sweet chocolate chip on the floor, and before I could retrieve it, our chocolate chip Mephitis mephitis lunged and nabbed it. I grabbed him and tried to get it out of his mouth, but the very best way to encourage Hobkin to gulp something is to pry at his jaws and stick your fingers in his mouth while shouting “Drop it!”
Sigh. Silly beastie. Can’t really blame him. I mean, it’s chocolate.
I stressed. He’s fine. Not even an upset tummy. Apparently chocolate frosting on a birthday candle or a single semi-sweet chocolate chip isn’t enough to even faze a skunk’s digestive tract. But I really need to be more careful. Hobkin appears to have acquired both a taste and a nose for the stuff, and can pounce and swallow faster than I can bend and snatch.
Also, on the laptop front, I updated the BIOS (thanks for the suggestion, cyber_pagan) and am now waiting to see if that did any good. And, I’ve been working off battery more often–although the amount of time a fully charged battery provides is downright pathetic–to see if the shut down happens while solely on battery. So far, one day and no mysterious power outage . . . and counting.
Writing Stuff
Did some research on an Egyptian myth that I think I’d like to turn into a retelling to try on Cricket, but it’s really hard finding source material. It’s the Unut/Wenet and Wepuat/Un-nefer/Osiris moon-hare tale. I’m good with Osiris, but I’d really like more info on Unut/Wenet.
If I continue to come up dry on the source material front, I’m leaning toward retelling the Greek Arachne Myth instead. But I worry that that myth is simply too well known, and therefore done. I’d ask fosteronfilm if he’s heard of Arachne, but he’s not much of a myth/folklore/fairy tale sort and nine times out of ten he’ll give me “huh” face for even the most well known myths. So I can’t count on him being unfamiliar with a myth necessarily indicating that it’s obscure. But just because I know a myth backward and forward, it doesn’t mean it’s common knowledge either. Grumph. I need a control group. Or . . . a poll!
New Words: -500 on “Rue and Ruin.” Culled about 500 words and foisted it on the hubby. He thinks I should turn it into a novel. Yup. Also, I went back and looked over the anthology guidelines. Doh! When I thought they’d said a max word count of 12K, it was actually 20K, so I’m going to put back in some of the bits I pulled out.
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500/day
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I love Greek myth, of course, especially metamorphosis tales. But Arachne is well known… If you’re looking for obscure bits of interesting material, try Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, if you don’t know it. There’s enough material there to inspire hundreds of stories.
Wow, thanks for the link! I wasn’t aware of Brewer’s previously. I’ve been using Encyclopedia Mythica for sparks of inspiration when I’m scrounging for source material, but a lot of their entries are somewhat Spartan.
Oh that story! I am sooo bad with names. I didn’t recognize the story by name but after looking it up I do remember the basic story. I am not very familiar with myths and folktales. Are stories with this themes, or variations of this theme, common in myth and folk tales?
I say “Who cares if it is over done!”
If your muse inspires you to write a variation on a familiar theme, then listen to your muse not your doubts. Get that story out of your head and onto paper. After all, what is the purpose of writing other than to tell friends the stories that haunt our sleep. Free the spirits that chatter away in the rooms of your soul and your heart. That way they can go pester someone else!
Heh. Why am I not surprised that both you and were both pretty “hanh?” on the Arachne front. Matthew has elicited a slackjawed “Really??” countless times from me when he’s pointed out that fables or myths which I think of as part of the common culture are in reality obscure and unknown to him. Part of it is that he’s not much for folk/fairy tales, but then, apparently only a small percentage of people are.
“Are stories with this themes, or variations of this theme, common in myth and folk tales?“
It certainly is in Greek mythology where the gods are particularly jealous and easy to offend. But yeah, overall, the whole “mortal gets uppity, god gets offended, god smites mortal–and look, that’s why blah blah blah is as it is today” is a very common theme in folk lore and mythology.
Why am I not surprised that both you and fosteronfilm were both pretty “hanh?” on the Arachne front. Matthew has elicited a slackjawed “Really??” countless times from me when he’s pointed out that fables or myths which I think of as part of the common culture are in reality obscure and unknown to him.
First, personally I would be shocked, shocked if fosteronfilm didn’t know far, far more mythology than this geek. Second, some days I wonder if there is a common culture. But there are many shared stories! Beware, the locals may not interpret the stories the same as you. I will confess to demented pleasure in slipping in and out of the local communities of Humanists, Skeptics, Yoga Enthusiastists, Film Aficionados and Fantasy Fanatics. So many different local points of view.
It certainly is in Greek mythology where the gods are particularly jealous and easy to offend.
That is what I remembered about the Greeks myths. Lots of stories of petty, capricious behaviour. I have wondered if such stories where used justify behaving badly. Or used to sooth people with the knowledge that that same frailties and failings that afflict humans also afflict the gods.
Well, I love the story of Arachne. But then, I love most Greco-Roman myths. I’m willing to bet that if you ran the same poll on the non-classically educated girls just in my youth group, even the homeschooled ones, most of your answers would come up “Arach-wha?”
Think of it this way; there is no such thing as a new story. We all know that. What makes it new is the fresh spin you put on it. I respectfully submit to you the alternate question, “How comfortable are you that you can give it a new look?” And if you think you can–go for it!
(As far as I personally am concerned, the world can always use another retelling of the Arachne myth–and it doesn’t have one from Eugie yet!)
Aw, thanks, Keesa! You can always make me smile and give my day a perk. I’m just fretting that even if I can come up with a fresh “spin” (which I think I can) on a familiar story, there’s only so many times a place will want to publish variations of something very well-known.
Well, snarf. I have never understood marketing, and I shouldn’t try to figure it out now or I’ll second guess myself into a writers block. Silly Eugie.
:hug: You know every word is true!
No, indeed! I forbid you to try to make sense of marketing. If you do that, your head will fall off, and then where will the world be?
Arachne
If you are going to retell a story from classical mythology, I think you have to assume that your readers are going to know the story. That’s not a reason not to retell one, though. Afterall, the reason why they’ve lasted for 3000 years is because they retell well.
Re: Arachne
:points: He’s got a good point. 😀
Re: Arachne
Hee! What said.
>>I’m willing to bet that if you ran the same poll on the non-classically educated girls just in my youth group, even the homeschooled ones, most of your answers would come up “Arach-wha?”
Chiming in late because the poll results made me feel like a redneck troglodite. I’m in the “Arach-what?” category. In school, if it wasn’t science, I didn’t want any part of it. I hate, hate, hated Shakespeare and Cliff-noted my way through nearly everything else.
Anyway, I love retellings of fairy tales and mythology. Even old saws like Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood. Give it a new spin and let ‘er roll.
Pat Kirby
That’s an excellent point, Pat. I’ve done re-tellings of major, Disney-fied classics like “Sleeping Beauty” and “Hansel & Gretel” and sold them. It’s a bit silly for me to get squeamish now.
Charge!!