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john-pyle.blogspot.com

Sideways-in: Folktale Humor and "The Reluctant Dragon"

http://john-pyle.blogspot.com/2012/09/folktale-humor-and-reluctant-dragon.html

Writing my way to clarity. Saturday, September 15, 2012. Folktale Humor and "The Reluctant Dragon". Image credit: www.wrensnestonline.com. Here’s a common kind of folktale: the humorous tale. Take Grimm's “The Gallant Tailor.” One thing I notice right away is its use of metaphors- not a given in the Grimm collection. Here are some examples:. And his heart quivered with joy, like a lamb’s tail. 8220;This is too much! They fled away as if they had been wild hares and none would venture to attack him. Contr...

john-pyle.blogspot.com

Sideways-in: December 2014

http://john-pyle.blogspot.com/2014_12_01_archive.html

Writing my way to clarity. Sunday, December 7, 2014. Full Moon at Midnight. It's a full moon, and my dog is restless. She keeps looking at me with an expectant expression. More than once she has growled, or just stared, as she does when she needs to go out. But these have been thinly veiled excuses, even for a dog. Her piddling seems hardly urgent. She just wants to go out. So if you hear me howling at the moon, in an hour or so, you'll know why. Just roll on over and go back to sleep. Unless you...John ...

fairyspell.wordpress.com

The Unicorn Hunt | John Pyle

https://fairyspell.wordpress.com/publications/the-unicorn-hunt

Warm Up Your Tongue: Here Come the Dinosaur Names. On the Anniversary of the Uprising. The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestry (Photo credit: Wikipedia). This story appeared in Quail Bell Magazine. Still his feet were restless, and he set out through swaying grasses. To every side it stretched; only behind his back it fell away. Uncharted, it begged to lose him in its vastness. He must wander, relying on chance as much as eye and wit. And what of your life, son? Beck said aloud to hear his thoughts over the cha...

donkeysense.blogspot.com

Donkey Sense: A Poem I Was Inspired to Share...

http://donkeysense.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-poem-i-was-inspired-to-share.html

Thursday, February 7, 2013. A Poem I Was Inspired to Share. I follow the blogs of a number of authors that I admire. It's a great way to find out about their work in progress, and many of them simply share fascinating information and stories on their blogs. Earlier today, I was reading Terri Windings blog, "Myth and Moor". Windswept (photo by Zhi Zhu). I am dreaming awake. Between fantasy and reality there is. In the boundary there is. I can open the gate. Or with my heart. Or my mandolin;. Practical, us...

john-pyle.blogspot.com

Sideways-in: A Writing Year in Review

http://john-pyle.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-writing-year-in-review.html

Writing my way to clarity. Saturday, February 14, 2015. A Writing Year in Review. Nothing like filing taxes to get you thinking about last year. It wasn't a great year for my writing, but I did log my first story sale (actual money for something I wrote). I won't disclose figures, but it was enough to buy a twelve pack. I also wrote (it looks like) four short stories. Like I said, not a great writing year. On the up side: three of those rejections came with compliments, what I could call "near misses&#46...

john-pyle.blogspot.com

Sideways-in: "The Fairy Way of Writing" - Joseph Addison

http://john-pyle.blogspot.com/2012/03/fairy-way-of-writing-joseph-addison.html

Writing my way to clarity. Saturday, March 31, 2012. The Fairy Way of Writing" - Joseph Addison. In 1712, a British critic named Joseph Addison discussed what we would call “fantastic” or “fairy stories” as an identifiable literary form. This is, he says, “The Fairy Way of Writing”:. Addison seems to admit this a little later in the essay:. Besides possessing “a particular cast of fancy, and an imagination naturally fruitful and superstitious”, the author “ought to be very well versed i...In effect, fant...

shocktotem.com

The One-Hour Flash Fiction Challenge | Shock Totem

http://www.shocktotem.com/05/23/2015/the-one-hour-flash-fiction-challenge

Shock Totem at Anthocon →. The One-Hour Flash Fiction Challenge. May 23, 2015. This Saturday, August 8th, at 8 PM EST, we will once again be hosting our bi-weekly flash fiction challenge. The challenge: You have just one hour to write, edit, and post your story. This is a “prompted” challenge, meaning your story. Be based on the prompt, which will be revealed just before 8 PM. The challenge takes place here. On our forum, so you’ll need an account if you want to participate. And the rules are simple.

john-pyle.blogspot.com

Sideways-in: September 2014

http://john-pyle.blogspot.com/2014_09_01_archive.html

Writing my way to clarity. Tuesday, September 30, 2014. The Origins of Mythology: "Comparison and Theory". This is an old-school weblog series, tracking my progress through. The Origins of the World's Mythologies , by Michael Witzel, a thick monograph published by Oxford University Press in 2012. My initial impressions about this chapter. The question that drives this chapter is this: "Why do we find the same myths all over the world, even in cultures that don't have any recent connection to each other?