Every once in a while it happens: You’re sick of all the old fairy tales, but you’re too tired to write a new one. So what do you do then?
You use the amazing Fairy Tale Generator, of course. Based on Vladimir Propp’s basic rules for fairy tales, this handy widget can sate your hunger for new stories without all the trouble of actually writing them.
Fairy tale fan Lisa tipped me off to this amazing Jim Henson series a while back, and all I could think as I watched the videos was, “WHY have I never heard of this before? This is GENIUS.”
One of the most genius parts of the whole genius endeavor, in fact, is his version of one of my all-time favorites, “Hans My Hedgehog.”
Thanks, Lisa!
So maybe it’s a little bit of a stretch to say this is related to fairy tales. But you know what? Making connections between seemingly unrelated things = creativity calisthenics.
See if you can write a story outline about a man whose nagging wife drives him to desperate measures: a deal with the wolf king!
If you think fairy tales can’t help you find real solutions to real problems, think again.
From the extravagantly talented Noise to Signal.
Please enjoy this funny, intelligent, and poignant talk by Sir Ken Robinson about creativity and learning.
One day, on a whim, I put the HBO series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child in my Netflix queue. I wasn’t expecting much, honestly. I mean, if you’ve seen one cartoon adaptation of fairy tales, you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong! This series is awesome. If I had a kid, this would be required viewing. As it is, all my friends’ kids can expect to receive copies for birthdays and Christmases.
I love the art, the clever dialog, and the diversity of colors and cultures portrayed. All the stories are good (witness: Cinderella, above). If you can find it, I particularly recommend “The Pied Piper.”
See part two and part three of “Cinderella.”
taken shamelessly and directly from Super Punch
The art theme for December is SciFi Fairy Tales – – give a fairy tale, fable, or myth a scifi update, like the one James Jean gave to the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. To enter, simply email John Struan (jstruan at gmail(dot)com) your illustration by 12:00 p.m. California time on January 1, 2010. The best design will win a $100 Threadless store credit. And I will also give a $25 store credit to one randomly chosen participant. You may send as many entries as you’d like, and this contest is open regardless of where you live. No nudity, please.
From Seth Godin:
Not only the way you speak—but the way you write and act. More than geography, accents now represent a choice of attitude.
Let’s define an accent as the way someone speaks (writes, acts) that’s different from the way I do it. So, if I’m from Liverpool and you’re from Texas, you have an accent, I don’t.
Occasionally, an accent is a marketing advantage. Sounding like Sean Connery might be seen as charming in a New York singles’ bar, or sounding like a Harvard man might help a neurologist in Miami Beach. Generally, though, if I think you’ve got an accent, it’s more difficult to trust you.
Can your writing have an accent? Of course it can. Not just grammar errors, but sentence length, exclamation marks and your vocabulary all tag you. And the fonts, colors, pictures and layouts you choose are part of your accent as well. Most of us have no trouble at all telling where an ad or a brochure came from (shyster, NY ad firm, home business, church flyer… you get the idea). This blog has an accent, but I’ve discovered that it’s one that most of the people who read it can live with.
And your actions have a grammar as well. When your little mom-and-pop Middle Eastern restaurant has a policy (no substitutions!) even when the place is empty, you’re speaking with an accent, aren’t you? There’s no right accent, no perfect set of rules or actions for you to follow. The choice of accent is directly related to the worldview of the people you’re choosing to connect with.
Y’all come back soon, y’hear?
From the Martin Literary Management Company on Bainbridge Island:
Dinner with an Author Program
Please join local authors Anthony Flacco and Sharlene Martin at a spectacular Port Madison waterfront home for cocktails and dinner. Bainbridge Island cookbook author and cooking instructor Christine Quinn will prepare an Italian feast. Enjoy great cuisine, local wine, and good conversation, as well as a chance to win some fun door prizes. All proceeds will benefit the Kitsap Regional Library Foundation.
November 15, 5:30 pm. $50 donation.
To purchase tickets call Peter Raffa at KRL 360.475.9039.
Punk poet Jim Carroll reads. Embedding was disabled, so you’ll have to click to see it.