Week 14 Story Planning: Little Red Cap

Next week I want to create my own version of the story Little Red Cap from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D.L. Ashliman (1998-2013). While taking notes over this story I had a few ideas to change it and make it my own story.

My first idea was to change the point-of-view from which the story is told. The Wolf would be telling the story, so the reader would see a more sympathetic side of the Wolf and maybe see his reasoning for his actions. He is a Wolf, so it's natural for him to behave the way he does in the story. He must do certain things to survive and to take care of his family. For all we know, he could have baby wolves back home.

My second idea was to flip the role of the villain and the victim. The Wolf would be going to visit his family, but on the way there he encounters some hunters who are trying to kill him. The hunters know how clever the Wolf is, and they try to outsmart him.

After researching this story, I found that the origin is in fact European. The specific country of origin of this story is Germany. I found the story along with other details at the website Lit2Go.

I found out an abundance of information about the original and early forms of the tale from Wikipedia. The earliest form of this story actually comes from French folklore. The story then was known as Le Petit Chaperon Rouge by Charles Perrault. This version, as well as some early versions, were more sinister than the newer versions. I find that very interesting, and I could possibly make my story more sinister to have more of a resemblance to the original tale.

Little Red Riding Hood
Source: Wikipedia

Reading Notes: The Headless Princess, Part B

For the reading this week for Part B, I read the Russian Unit. My favorite story was titled The Headless Princess from Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887). I liked this story because it was something unlike I'd ever heard before. It definitely wasn't what I had expected at first glance.

I don't particularly like the ending of the story, so for my version I would make it a more happy story. I think that even though the Princess is a witch, she still has some good in her. Rather than dying, I think the boy should seek out to help her. I also think the character of the little boy should be a bit older, close to the age of the Princess. He wants to help her because he falls in love with her. He only tells her secret to his teacher, and his teacher helps him get closer to the Princess and gives advice on how to win her over.

Instead of making the story about defeating a witch, I want to make it about a boy who is trying to win over a Princess. He knows she is a witch, but he sees past that flaw. In the end the Princess will fall for the boy, and she gives up her witch ways in order to be with him. Her secret will be revealed at the end to all the other characters, and they praise the boy for saving her.

Princess Witch
Source: Pixabay

Reading Notes: Little Red Cap, Part A

For this week of reading, we read stories from the European Unit. I decided to read the Ashliman stories, and my favorite story from Part A was Little Red Cap. This story came from The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D.L. Ashliman (1998-2013) It's the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood that I was already familiar with that I first heard when I was a child. It had some minor differences than what I had heard because it is the story told from a European view, but most everything stayed the same.

If I were to retell this story I have two ideas in which I'd like to change it. My first idea would to be to tell the story from the Wolf's point-of-view and show the more sympathetic side of his character. He's the villain in the original story, so I would tell the new version in a way that they see that he is an animal who relies on eating others for the survival of him as well as his family.

My other idea would be to flip the roles of the victim and villain. The wolf would be traveling to help his sick grandmother. Before he leaves, his mother tells him to beware of the hunters who are out hunting for wolves. It would be a similar story, but the roles will be reversed. I will change a few details of course, to make it better fit the new version.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
Source: Wikimedia Commons 

Famous Last Words: Thanksgiving Break

This week the reading was done a bit early because we got a week off for Thanksgiving break. I was happy to get a small break for a whole week and it was definitely exciting to not do homework for awhile. I probably should've used my time to get ahead in my classes, but now it's time to finish the semester strong!

My best writing this week was probably from my revision of my story in my project. We're nearing the end of the semester so I was on my second to last story in my project. I was running out of ideas for this particular story, so I didn't include a lot of details in my first version. After reading the revisions, I think I added quite a few good details and my story really benefitted from it. I have one more story to finish the project, so I'm already thinking of new ideas to make it special.

My other classes are starting to wind down along with this one. I don't have any final exams this semester which seems crazy to me, but instead I have projects and final papers. In my introduction to advertising class we have been working on an advertising campaign all semester and this next week it will finally be presented to the class. My group did a campaign for Whole Foods Market, and I'm excited to present the final product.

I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family a couple days ago and it was really nice. I'm glad I got to see my parents, siblings, and everyone else. We had lots of food (of course) played some games, and shot guns at some targets. I'm officially counting down the days until Christmas now because it's the most wonderful time of the year!

This next week is going to be hard to transition back into the school and work life after a small break, but I also have more motivation because there are only a couple weeks left.

Happy Late Thanksgiving and an early Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

Source: Pixabay

Tech Tip: Blog Profile

I decided to keep my profile visible on my blogger profile. In my major and future career it's important to have an online presence, so I want this blog to be a part of that. I have a separate blog that is more centered around my interests and I have included a link to this blog on that site. I have thought about my online identity a lot, and I think connecting a class blog with my professional blog will be beneficial. A key ingredient for my online identity for the years to come would be to keep my blog as updated as possible. In today's world your online identity is very important and that's sometimes the first thing that people research about you, especially when applying for a job. Another key factor for my online identity is to always keep it professional. Social media is closely related to blogging, and I think it's important to keep both of them professional at all times.

Week 13 Story: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Once upon a time, there were three bears who lived in a mansion deep in the forest. The family included Father Bear, Momma Bear, and Baby Bear. The year is 2017 and the family adored all of their technology. Father Bear worked hard for his family so that they could have the newest and most popular items in their mansion.

One day, the family left their home to go visit their relatives in the next town over. While they were out, a little girl named Goldilocks stumbled upon their mansion. "Wow, this is the most magnificent home I've ever seen! I want to see inside!" she said. Being the curious girl that she was, she creeped inside the home and realized that nobody was home. She was immediately entranced by the new, shiny devices all around the home. They had everything she had ever imagined and dreamed of!

I'm very hungry she thought. So she entered the kitchen and saw three different bowls of soup. She tried the first large bowl, and said "This soup is too cold!" She tried the second middle-sized bowl and said, "This soup is too bland." She tried the smaller bowl and said, "Ah, finally. This soup is perfect." She finished her soup and started to get very sleep.

I want to watch TV to relax before a nap she thought. She went into the living room first and settled on the couch. "This TV is too high for me to see," she said. She went into the biggest bedroom and said, "This TV is too small." She went into the smaller room and said, "This TV is perfect for me."

She watched her favorite shows and set her favorite channels on the remote. She was getting very sleepy and began to drift off...

Father Bear, Mother Bear, and Baby Bear arrived back at home later that night.

"Someone ate our soup!" said Baby Bear.

"Well, that's what you get for leaving it out and not putting it away," said Mother Bear.

"Someone left the TV on wasting electricity all day!" said Father Bear.

"It was probably you, dear." said Mother Bear.

"SOMEONE is in my bed!" shrieked Baby Bear. Goldilocks was awakened abruptly. The family entered the room.

"What are you doing in our home?" asked an angry Mother Bear.

"Well, I was out in the woods and I came across your home. It's very lovely I just wanted to see inside. It was getting dark out, so I decided it was too late to go home alone. I got hungry and ate some soup then I watched TV before falling asleep. I'm deeply sorry." said Goldilocks.

"Well, if you put it that way I guess we can understand. You're too young to be traveling alone after dark. You can stay here for the night. But please, get permission next time before entering someone's home. It may not turn out so well some places." said Mother Bear.

Story Source: Scrapefoot from More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Author's Note: In the original story, there is a fox named Scrapefoot who enters the castle of three bears while they are away. He found a hall with three chairs in it--one small, one medium, one large. He tried them all out and the smaller one was the best fit for him. When he was hungry, he went to the kitchen and found three saucers--one small, one medium, one large. The smaller bowl tasted the best, and he finished all the milk in it. He was getting sleepy, so he decided to take a nap. He again found different sized beds and selected the smallest one. When the bears arrived back at home they noticed someone has been in there home. When they found Scrapefoot, they threw him out of their castle. In my story, I changed the main character to Goldilocks because that's the original story that I know. I changed the setting to a more modern version with technology. I also changed the ending. Instead of the bears throwing them out, they decide to show sympathy and understanding.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Notes: Scrapefoot, Part A

For this week's reading I looked into the second unit of English Fairy Tales. My favorite story from part A was Scrapefoot. I liked this story because it's the familiar story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Except, instead of Goldilocks, the character is a fox named Scrapefoot. The story comes from More English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

If I were to choose to rewrite this story this week, I would make the main character Goldilocks instead of the fox because I like the original story that I've always known. I would also like to change the different things that she does while she is in the house. I would like to make the story more modern, so when Goldilocks enters the bears' home she will tamper with other things. For example, I had an idea that she would mess with different TVs in the home. The dad has the biggest TV in the living room, the mom has a middle-sized TV, and then the baby bear has the smallest TV. Goldilocks will alter all of their preset favorite channels. She will also tamper with some of their foods. Finally, she will break the baby bear's bed.

When the bear family arrives back home, instead of throwing Goldilocks out, the family will welcome her and accept her apology. They will be understanding and decide to be friends and welcome her as a visitor anytime she wants to come back.

I only wanted to change the ending to a more happy ending because I don't like how they throw her out. Even though it's reasonable to throw an intruder out. It's hard to change such a well-known story too much.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Tech Tip: Twitter Follow

I chose to follow a few accounts, most of which were accounts associated with the university. I followed the Oklahoma Football account because they give updates on the team and they post promotional pictures and videos to hype up the fans. I also followed the OU Athletics account that gives updates on all the teams including basketball, volleyball, golf, baseball, and more. 

The most useful account that I followed was the OU Parking account. One of the worst things about OU is the lack of parking spots. This account tweets everyday, usually in the morning, to let students know about available parking spots. They notify where and how many spots are available. 

My major is public relations. I am involved in PRSSA which is the Public Relations Student Society of America. I followed this account on Twitter because I want to be involved in this organization. I'm hoping to keep up with them this way. 

Week 12 Story: The Three Little Pigs

This week on Top Homes we'll be checking out three new modern homes of the forest! I'm your host The Big Bad Wolf and we sure do have a good one this week, folks! We have three brothers who each went different ways when building their homes. Which one will have the best home? Let's find out.

The first home we will look at is made of the lightweight and easy to use straw. This has been used for many years, but the trend has started to fade due to the lack of security and durability. This is home to the youngest pig brother. So sir, what made you choose this type of home?

House of Straw
Source: Pixabay

Youngest pig: "Well, Big Bad Wolf, I chose this type of home because I was looking for something fast and easy to build. It only took half a day to build my home and I cold build another just as easy! If I ever want to move it's easy to disassemble and start again."

Big Bad Wolf: "Have you thought about bad weather? What happens with heavy rains? What about intruders? How durable is your house and what can it withstand?"

Youngest Pig: "Um. Well. You know we don't usually have bad weather.. but I bet it would be alright. I hope. I never considered that..."

Big Bad Wolf: "Well, on that note let's make our way to the next home! This home is owned by the middle brother. It's made out of sticks from the surrounding forest. This home is a bit bigger and has a more private feel to it. The straw was almost see-through in some places, and I'm not sure people would like that. These sticks however, provide a more solid foundation for a home. How is this home treating you?

House of Sticks
Source: Wikipedia

Middle Pig: I love my new home! This home took me a full day to complete building, so not too little or too much time. I have privacy from my neighbors. I've always wanted a cabin-like home and now I have just that. Unlike my younger brother's home, this one can withstand the rain!"

Big Bad Wolf: "What about heavy winds? Is that going to be a problem? It doesn't seem to be a very sturdy structure. And what about intruders?"

Middle Pig:"Well... It may not be very sturdy, but it's not ALWAYS windy here. Maybe I can build a surrounding barrier to prevent the winds from harming my home."

Big Bad Wolf: So there's that. I don't know about you viewers watching at home, but I'm ready to see the final home. This home is made out of bricks. The oldest brother built and owns this home. Mr. Pig, what do you have to say about your home? 

House of Bricks
Source: Pxhere

Oldest Pig: "It took me a full week to build my home, but it was well worth the wait and work. My home has many different rooms including three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.  My home is strong enough to withstand heavy rains and winds. AND, I also just installed an alarm system in case any intruders try to break in. I think we all know who takes the cake on this one, Mr. Wolf. 

Big Bad Wolf: "Hmmm... I now know whose house I won't be huffing and puffing down and breaking into."

Story Source: The Three Little Pigs from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs

Author's Note: In the original story of The Three Little Pigs each of the pigs builds a home. One out of straw, one out of sticks, and one out of bricks. The Big Bad Wolf visits each home and huffs and puffs to blow their houses down. The first two homes get destroyed and the wold eats the pigs. The third pig, with the house of bricks, is safe from the wolf. The wolf realizes that he can't blow this house down, so he tries to outsmart the pig in numerous ways by convincing him to leave his home. Every time, the pig leaves earlier than expected and outsmarts the wolf. Finally, the wolf gives up and  decides to climb down the chimney to get to the pig. The pig again outsmarts him by placing a pot of boiling water at the bottom of the chimney. He boils the wolf and eats him for dinner. In my version of the story, I change the whole idea to a more modern version of a TV show about homes. The Big Bad Wolf is the host and uses this to his advantage to learn about the pigs weaknesses of their home. Towards the end, I foreshadow and leave the readers with the idea that the wolf is going to eat the first two pigs, but not the third after realizing how advanced his home is. 

Reading Notes: Mr. Fox, Part B

For part B this week I chose to stick with the English fairy tales unit. The story that I found to be the most interesting was titled Mr. Fox which is from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. I enjoyed this story because it involved love and murder, which is not something you typically think of when you read fairy tales. I love a good murder mystery. I do wonder why Mr. Fox had killed so many women previously? Perhaps it was because he enjoyed it because he was a serial killer.

Some ideas I have for this story are to give an answer as to why Mr. Fox has killed so many women. I could change the story into a sort of murder-mystery. When Lady Mary goes to visit Mr. Fox she will uncover many of the clues that lead to many unsolved cases about missing woman and their murders.
She will also narrowly escape death because Mr. Fox will find her hiding. When he is about to kill her, her brothers enter the home and come to her rescue. They will then kill Mr. Fox for revenge against him from all the women who have died because of him.

Another idea I have is instead of killing Mr. Fox, the story will begin with Mr. Fox on trial for murder and the story centers around this. He will be questioned as to why he did this, and many questions will be answered. The reader will find out how many women he has killed and why he did it. Lady Mary will testify against him and be the voice for all the dead women because she almost faced the same fate. Lady Mary's brothers will be there as well because they saved her from the killer and also solved the mystery of who was responsible for missing and murdered women.

Scary Castle

Source: Pixabay

           

Reading Notes: The Three Little Pigs, Part A

For Part A this week I explored the British fairy tales unit. I focused on the story of The Three Little Pigs because it's a story that most everyone knows. I think it would be an interesting story idea to change such a well-known story.  This story came from English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs.

When I was little I always enjoyed this story. I think a good idea in changing the story would be to make a more modern version. Now on tv they have a lot of home improvement or renovation shows. I would like to make a special version of three different houses, and the wolf will be the host of the show. They will start with the house made out of straw and he will point out all the flaws with that. Next, they will move on to the house made out of sticks, and the wolf will again point out flaws. Finally, they will visit the house made out of bricks and the wolf will praise this home.

In this version, it gives a whole new plot to the original story. I don't like how the pigs die in the original story, so I wanted to change the ending where they all live. Also in this version the wolf isn't the villain. Perhaps at the ending I will create a twist. I was also thinking if the wolf is not the host of the show I could introduce a new character, like a rabbit. The wolf could still be the villain by destroying the first two homes, thus proving that the third house is the best choice for homeowners. I think a modern twist on a classic story is a perfect idea, and I hope I can create a great story about it this week.

The Three Little Pigs

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Famous Last Words: Happy November!

This week was definitely a busy one, but lately I've felt that way about every week. I have been extremely busy in all of my classes! We're nearing the end of the semester already, which sounds crazy but it's also exciting.

My writing this week was below average. I had a chance to complete both of my reading notes, but failed to complete my story for the week. I hate when I don't complete an assignment, so I was a bit mad at myself for not finishing my story. This was a revision week for my project, and after doing that I'm very happy with the result, making it my best writing for the week,, My story was 1,200 words after revising it, which I never thought would happen. I had to delete parts of my story to get the word count down. I also read some interesting stories this week on other people's blogs and sites.

My other classes are starting to get more difficult. Everything seems to be due around the same time, and professors are cramming assignments into the last two months. This is why I dread this time in the semester, but that means it's almost over. Halloween relieved some stress this week for everyone. I had class and then work all day, but everyone was in the spirit making the day a lot more enjoyable.

This week I hope to stay on top of all my homework and do as much extra credit as possible. I want to finish my homework early in the week so I can have a relaxing homework-free weekend. I am about 20 points behind from having an A, so I need to do quite a bit of extra credit this week and the next few. I just have to push through for a month and a half longer!

Hello November

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Typing Test Tech Tip

I wanted to do a typing test for my tech tip this week because I wanted to see how fast and accurate my typing is. I feel that I type rather quickly without many errors and my test results reflected that. I type 78.2 words per minute and have an accuracy of 98.1%. I would like to type a bit faster, but I think if I did I would surely be less accurate.

I used the key hero.com website to test my typing. I did the test three times and my results were mostly consistent. I chose my best trial numbers to be the ones listed above. I sometimes still look at the keys when I type, so I hope to improve enough that I rarely have to. I notice that I mess up frequently when typing, but usually the autocorrect fixes it for me. The only time I've specifically worked on my typing skills was when I was in high school and one of my teachers had us practice typing in one of our computer classes. Autocorrect makes it harder to improve typing because the computer fixes the mistakes for you. I think typing is important because you use it daily when in school. Most people will use it after school also for a job at one point or another.

Reading Notes: The Wanderer's Song, Part A

This week I wanted to do some extra reading and did some exploring in the Un-Textbook. I found some interesting stories but focused on the Beowulf Unit. The story that I chose to take notes over was titled The Wanderer's Song. This story came from The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs.

If I were to rewrite this story I would change a few things. First, I would change the wanderer to a beautiful young woman instead of a wise old man. They still believe that the woman has seen many things and been on various adventures. When the woman would sing, everyone would be mesmerized by her voice. They were all entranced by her voice so much that they would believe everything that she said.

She will speak of all the things she has seen throughout her life. I want to change the ending though. Towards the end she uses her hypnotizing voice to take over the minds of all the men. She tricks them into obeying her. By doing this, she convinces them to allow her to be the new queen. No one stops her because they are all amazed and entranced.

She is now the new queen, and anytime someone questions her judgement or decisions she knows that all she must do is start singing.

Female Wanderer

Source: Pixabay 

Reading Notes: How the Rabbit Killed the Giant, Part B

For Part B this week I finished reading the Great Plains unit stories and focused on the story titled How the Rabbit Killed the Giant. This story is from Myths and Legends of the Great Plains by Katharine Berry Judson. I enjoyed this story because the rabbit kills the giant and basically saves the whole town. A creature so small takes initiative to save everyone else.

The thing that I did not like about this story was the way that the rabbit killed the giant. The rabbit had an insect bite the giant, making him sick and he later died. Technically, the insect saved the town but they recognized the rabbit. If I were to change the story I would have the rabbit stab the giant when the giant attempts to steal the deer, and that way it seems more heroic and dramatic than a simple insect bite.

Another thing I could do, is have the rabbit kill the giant when he goes to have a feast with him in the beginning. I would change the plot to where that happens last though. The other animals are tired of sharing their food and going hungry so when the rabbit arrives he is the only one who is strong enough to defeat the giant. They ask him to do it, and he is more than willing.

I may also change the character of the rabbit. I could stick with the insect being the main character and killing the giant by biting him. Or, I could use an entirely new character. The way that the character kills the giant, somewhat reminds me of the biblical story of David and Goliath. I could try to incorporate that into the story also.

One last idea I had was telling the story from the Giant's perspective. Maybe making it easier to see why the giant does the things he does, whether it is wrong or right.

The Giant

Source: Wikipedia