Mythology and Folklore

This week, I read Chapter 2 of Empoword, a writing resource for college students. It was a great crash course of sorts for the basic elements of composing a story or narative, with thorough outlines on how to keep the plot moving, sequence, pacing, scope, and reflection. I found the refresher on point of view especially helpful, since I am planning on writing my storybook from a third person limited point of view (from little Egan's perspective!). What I really want to try incorporating are the examples given that illustrate proper characterization and flow. I really worry about writing a boring narrative that sounds like the same old story people have read before. This website gave tips on how to include more and specific details that help the reader share the vision that the writer is trying to create. It is much more effective to talk about the unique traits of each character, understanding that the reader will imply the rest (obvious traits), and make them memorable. Characte...

The conclusion of Twenty-Two Goblins was really satisfying; it turns out the goblin was rooting for the success of the king all along and was testing him to slay the fake monk. This reading followed the same pattern as Part A, stand alone riddles that the king must solve. What I really liked about the ending was that the king did not know the answer to the final riddle, but he stayed silent which showed his character. To this, the goblin found him worthy of the power the rogue monk was trying to get. I like the lesson a lot: knowledge without character, and vice-versa, is weak. The translation is very easy to read and flows  seamlessly. The writing style does not take any attention away from what is happening in the plot, which makes it all the more easy to follow and understand. I think this kind of writing is very necessary for a story that largely consists of riddles. The imagery in the ending, describing the monk's ritual, was super creepy and effective. It was also very straig...

This week's reading is very similar to The Tales of a Parrot that I read last week. It consists of individually standing chapters that are riddles which a king must solve. I love these kids of stories because I am engaged and am trying to figure out the riddle myself. What I love about Twenty-Two Goblins  is the characters in each riddle are usually quite one-dimesional. The pretty damsels are prettier than Greek Godesses, enough to woo any man that sees them. The wise men are completely wise, the brave men can slay any enemy, the loyal are loyal regardless of the situation. Because of these characteristics, their actions truly do speak louder than any words and reveal their character wholly. I used to not like characters written this way, but as a plot element it is really effective. It allows the king to make the correct deductions every time, which shows his thoughtfulness and logic. I think writing using this straightforwardness for characters can be really impactful for my own...