In the past I've been able to power through writers block by writing more. New ideas would always get me excited, and reading would set off fireworks in my brain. But reading lost its pleasure, and writing felt flat. Though I'd get new ideas, nothing excited, and it's been pure drudgery.

I tried a number of things which didn't work. I tried taking a break, which grew from one month to two. I tried writing a simple short story, but the process frustrated me to the point of tears. I tried to find ways to make writing fun again, but my go-to tricks (dancing like a fool and lighting candles) stopped working. I tried being creative in other ways. I sewed and I baked, but I was still dead tired.

You know what I realized? Sometimes its not the writing that's the problem, but life.

I needed to take care of the other commitments first. This runs totally contradictory to some advice that you see online: make writing a priority, write everyday. That advice works for some people, but I was driving myself crazy with it. I was making myself unhealthy trying to achieve this.

I'm still working on finding balance, and I suspect that's something I'll keep refining as life changes. I've made the mistake of over-committing myself until the end of June, and until then something has to give. For now writing takes a back seat. Thankfully, at this point I don't depend on writing fiction for income, so I do have that option.

Funny, just making that decision has lifted a great deal of stress off my shoulders, and I think I might have enough energy to write a little for fun. That's how writing should feel, right?

Here's the Hobbit House, which is one of the oldest homes built in the West End.

The Hobbit House

Then there are the Rivendell apartments, just next door to the Hobbit House. I believe they are owned by the First Baptist Church which is just on the corner.

The Rivendell

King's Landing is a lot swankier. You can own a two bedroom there for a cool $2 million.

No Photoshop!

King's Landing from the water

I used to call this house the 7 dwarves cottage and imagine living there when I was a kid. There were several of these houses built in Vancouver, and they're identical. The wavy roof is made of wooden shingles.

Fairy Tale House

Hmm maybe next time I should do a sci-fi movie tour... Ever discovered some weird/fun things in your backyard?

Rawhead and Bloody Bones / Tommy Rawhead

Rawhead and Bloody Bones
Steals naughty children from their homes,
Takes them to his dirty den,
And they are never seen again.
- Children's rhyme (Yorkshire/Lancashire)

Bloody Bones by Majo-Yoru

Bloody bones lives near places of water, sink pipes, under stairs, in cupboards, or in closets. He punishes naughty children by drowning them, or changing them into jam or trash (that gets thrown out by their parents), or eating them. Descriptions vary depending on the telling: sometimes a hairy creature with long claws, an old man covered in scabs, a razor back hog with head yellow eyes and bones for a body, or possibly a shape shifter.

Stories of bloody bones originated in Ireland, spread throughout the UK, and into North America where the belief is more prevalent in the south.

Further Reading

• Jimmy The Fool - A folktale from Ireland involving Rawhead and Bloody Bones
• Raw Head and Bloody Bones - An folktale from Missouri
• Celtic Mythology Bloody Bones

Related Creatures: boogeyman, Krampus

Region of Origin: Ireland

It seems like parents around the world like to threaten their naughty children with terrifying monsters. Perhaps it is just a small sampling of stories that I've found but descriptions of the Bloody Bones seem to be more frightening in North America than in the UK. Did your parents ever threaten you with monsters when you were naughty?

Some happy:

• Roman artifacts found in English molehills - Priceless what? Get it out of my mound! You humans sure do have a lot of garbage.
• Console to Closet - Outfits inspired by video games. Totally wearable. I get a kick out of comparing the reference images. I lust after Carmen Sandiego's shoes.
• The Abominable SnowButt backwards taxidermy (plush) - Taxidermy usually makes me feel vaguely creepy and uncomfortable, but this I might be able to handle. At least it's not staring at me!
• An Ancient Roman Feast - Complete with recipes. It sounds tasty too. My kind of dinner party. It's research, right??
• Archaeoacoustics reconstructs the sounds of Stonehenge - I'd never heard of archaeoacoustics until now. It's fascinating! Have you ever considered the sound properties structures have, and what impact it might have had on a crowd? That's richness to be mined in your storytelling folks. I particularly liked the audio (follow links to it).
• Wind Map of the US - I could stare at this for hours... you've been warned.

*Tuesday = Tewesday = Tiw's Day. Tiw / Tyr is the god of heroic victory and single combat in Norse mythology. Just so you know. Tuesday is badass. No wonder it always kicks my butt. I'm so tired... *weeps*

Any fun links to share? What makes you happy?

The Unicorn

The Last Unicorn by Blue-Dragon22

The first mention of the unicorn come from Greek texts in natural history, rather than mythology. The unicorn was thought to be a real creature native of India described by Pliny as "very fierce animal called the monoceros which has the head of the stag, the feet of the elephant, and the tail of the boar, while the rest of the body is like that of the horse; it makes a deep lowing noise, and has a single black horn, which projects from the middle of its forehead, two cubits in length." This is no gentle creature.

The mythology of the unicorn does not begin until the middle ages, when it became a subject of Christian artwork. A wild beast that can only be tamed by the heart of a virgin, the unicorn becomes a symbol of purity, chastity, innocence. The horn of the unicorn is said to be made of a material called alicorn, which can cure disease and combat poison. An alicorn cup was a gift given to kings and queens. These goblets were often made of ivory, and full horns, from narwhals.

FYI the unicorn appears on the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (taken from the Scottish coat of arms).

Further Reading:

• The Natural History by Pliny the Elder Book 8, Chapter 31 - Reference to the monoceros
• The virgin and the unicorn - Analysis of the myth
• Unicorns from around the world - European and Asian unicorns in mythology

Related Creatures: zhi / quilin (China), kirin (Japan)

Region of Origin: Multiple

By the way, I love the book "The Last Unicorn" despite my prejudice. That story plays very closely to the medieval concept of the unicorn: innocent, difficult to tame, and possessing magical healing powers. What do you think of unicorns? Are they badass, or a yawn?

In the meantime I'll spare you some of my ranting and share a secret with you... this isn't the only place I blog.

I'm one of those people that can never sit still, and when I'm stressed out, or need a break, I make things. I sew, I take things apart and put them together again, I bake and burn things, and take photos of whatever. I generally make messes.

So if you're not appalled at the prospect of possibly seeing my face... here's my other blog, for which I occasionally wear makeup and comb my hair, and sometimes don't.

And here's a bunch of random things from there:

DIY thumb guard! It's a hand saver. I was getting painful clauses from using my sewing shears.

Tropical fruit salad with mint syrup.

Vancouver floating in the fog.

I don't use Tumblr or Pinterest, though they look very tempting. Where do you hang out online? Just blog and twitter? Do you have anything to bring to show and tell? ;)

Ladder by sbluerock

Yesterday while we were in the elevator, headed to the basement to do the laundry, E pointed out that our apartment building has no thirteenth floor. I never really thought much about it before, but just accepted it as a fact.

"That's because no one wants to live on the thirteenth floor. In all the horror movies, that's where people die." I nodded solemnly.I'm not sure if he bought my explanation. There are various explanations for the missing thirteenth floor, some are innocent and others sinister.

Superstitions seem to pop up in all kinds of strange places, and situations.

It's NHL playoff time, so I expect to see a decrease in shaving until it's over. Sports fans and athletes are notorious for their superstitions.

One of the first gifts my in laws sent us when we moved into our apartment was a glass pomegranate, with a slice cut open to show the seeds inside. I remembered seeing one in their home, but never asked why. It turns out that is a traditional first gift when you have purchased a new home, as it is a symbol of prosperity and fertility. There are baby blue and pink beads tied to it, and I did get not so subtle hint. lol

E's also hugely superstitious. He'll stop a car in the road if a black cat crosses, and wait for someone else to pass first. This is a guy that does not believe in the possibility of supernatural entities, so it's amusing to watch him paralyzed in fear over a cat. He'll never walk under a ladder. He also believes that a particular kind of cold wind will make you sick, and I've seen it happen to him - there's power to belief. It's never happened to me.

My family has a few of its own. My dad swears we should never take a shower on Good Friday. The one year he bathed his dog on Good Friday (when no work should be done, and bathing = work), it lost all its hair. My mom always puts out oranges at New Years, to encourage good fortune. She also grows a pachira or money tree. The more points each leaf of a money tree has, the more prosperity it's supposed to bring. When my parents go away on vacation, and my brother inevitably forgets to water it, mom always gets angry, because she needs to restore it back to health. Now hmm, actually sounds rather metaphorical.

I don't subscribe to many, but one of my personal superstitions include wearing something new on New Year's day, as a symbol that the year includes a fresh start. I also like to avoid talking about what I'm writing until it's done. Irrationally, I think by talking about it, the idea might change or slip away from me. The excitement, let out and escaped forever.

Now I'm wondering what kind of superstitions my characters might believe in. Are you superstitious?

The Mo'o / Gecko

Gecko by Close2deathNlife

Descriptions of the mo'o vary. It is said to resemble a lizard, black skinned, and dragon like in its size, but as a shape shifter, the mo'o is is also depicted as a female goddess. They are said to be found in fish ponds and caves, and if a fish pond contains a mo'o, it is said to bring prosperity to a village. Foam in the fish pond means the mo'o is home. While most stories are benevolent, in human form the mo'o is sometimes depicted as a jealous lover, who might eat or drown her lover rather than share him.

The mo'o is said to guard places, individuals, as well as families. The household gecko resembles the mo'o and is considered good luck, and to kill one would bring bad luck.

Further Reading:

• Legend of Wailuku Falls
• My Name is Waihili: Hidden meaning of the Mo'o Goddess
• The Gecko or Mo'o (Includes list of famous Mo'o Goddess')
• Nu'uanu, O'ahu - Arrival (Translated story)
• Geckos (Evolution of the mo'o stories)

Related Creatures: dragon

Region of Origin: Hawaii

Elsewhere in the world I've run into folk beliefs that lizards can bring thunder and storms, and should be killed. The contrast is stark. I for one, am really happy they eat bugs. One less cockroach in my bed thanks! Do you know of any guardian spirits beyond dogs and cats?

The importance of casting in breaking sterotypes. Some of the things that have been swirling around in my head about race portrayed in the media, but I haven't been able to articulate. I hope you read it, and think of these same things when you're writing, because fiction is another source from which we learn which dreams are acceptable:

The problem is that actors carry our dreams onto screens with us, and those dreams have power.
...
If you would just dream a little bigger, we would follow you. While everyone likes looking at gorgeous people, there are a lot of definitions of gorgeous. The way we are represented on screen hold meaning and power and consequences for us. The way we are represented on screen hold meaning and power and consequences for us. You can take risks and still be commercial. If Machete can pass the Bechdel Test, so can you.

And then there's this: On writing female characters, or characters.

The crux of the problem:  a female character is seen as female first, a person second.  Whereas a male character is seen as person first, male second.

...

Think of action movies:  you have the lead guy, the geek guy, maybe the big tough guy, the uber hot guy, the guy of some racial minority and the woman.  "Guy" is considered the default gender so it gets subdivided into types.  But not "gal".  "Gal" IS a type (just as racial minority is a type, but that's a blog post for another time).

...

My point: we as authors have been writing about people we aren't for forever.  We find a way to empathize, we find a way in.  Female characters are no different.  All they are are characters.  They are people too.

Is "Game of Thrones" too white? Read through to the end. It discusses the impact of Tolkien on Fantasy.

Ultimately, A Song of Ice and Fire, like the Lord of the Rings, is the work of a brilliant and conscientious writer who is nonetheless writing in his own time and place. The United States in 2012 is, far too often, and even with a black president, still a culture rich in racist stereotypes and xenophobic fear-mongering. Expecting a writer to remain entirely unstained by this is expecting a person to live underwater without getting wet. If we still find troubling racial assumptions and caricatures in fantasy – whether on the page, or on the big or small screen — this probably tells us more about our culture-wide problems than it does about a single writer’s, or a single show’s issues. A Song of Ice and Fire is indeed our American Lord of the Rings, and if Westeros has its race problems, they are simply a powerful reflection of America’s.

And lastly, there is no such thing as a good stereotype. On strong female characters as a stereotype, model minorities, and a lot of other good stuff.

“good” stereotypes are dangerous. Not only because so many of them end up encouraging bigotry, but also because they make us complacent. We let the ugly stereotypes slide because we’ve bought into the “good” ones. And if one kind of “brain macro” is OK, why not another?
...
Stereotypes kill. Even the “good” ones. Stereotypes end careers, or prevent them from ever getting started. Stereotypes hide real discrimination, and excuse real violence. Stereotypes change the fate of nations, usually for the worse.

Its OK to struggle with portraying race or gender in your writing (I do), but it is not acceptable to ignore the issues. I hope you take these posts, read and chew thoroughly. You may not agree with every point, and that's OK. I think its good to be reminded that we need to examine the messages we're sending to the world and to make sure that what we choose to say is intentional.

Writer's always talk about subverting cliche, and like cliche, stereotypes are boring, and lazy. However, stereotypes can also be damaging. Maybe not one story is not enough to do harm, but the messages we hear get layered and reinforced by one another over time. Stories become part of us. They have always been used to explain our world, and our place in it.

Everyone should be allowed to dream, and we writers are architects of dreams.

Frustration by Sharon Pak

I've been involved with dance for 27 years. I started with ballet and moved on to other types of dance. Picking up choreography should be easy by now, right?

Not really. The past two weeks I've had my ass handed to me. There's one particular dance that I just can't wrap my brain around. My feet don't want to go in the right place. When I concentrate on my arms, I end up missing my mark. If I concentrate on my feet, I get my arms in the wrong position. I can't seem to keep everything in my head at once, and some movements completely baffle me.

This is my fourth season with my current dance group, and despite my previous training, I'm still a novice with them. Many of the other dancers have been with the group more than a decade, some for almost 20 years. It's terrifying to feel like the weakest dancer, that I might mess up the rehearsals, screw up the show, to get yelled at, to be a disappointment. It's stressful struggling to keep up, and learn faster. I've lost sleep over it. I've considered quitting.

I've been in the other position, the seasoned dancer, but it's all relative. It feels good to be confident that you know what you're doing, but it's also boring. When it's easy, when it becomes routine, when I've stopped learning, that's when it's time for me to jump ship. The challenge is why I keep coming back.

When you're surrounded by extremely talented people, you get pushed to do better. Maybe you're not going to be the best in that group, but you may find that you're capable of more than you believed.

The same thing applies to writing. We all have certain things we're good at, and might come easy to us, but the writing should be frustrating at times too. The frustration is a sign that we're still learning, and that we still have things to learn. It's a sign that we're pushing ourselves further than we have before.

I will get this. It might take me a while to learn this dance. It might take doing it every day until the movement is in my body, but even if it seems daunting, I know I will get this. I'll be as good as I am capable of.

May you also be surrounded by talented people. May you also be frustrated.

What's one thing that frustrates you when you write? For me it's story beginnings.

HEED MY TALE OF WOE! I hope that at the very least you all invest in a proper computer chair. WOE I tell you!

I hope you're all doing well! I'll be back next week.

Sometimes I think back about the choices I made career wise, and daydream the what if's.

In one life I'm a costume designer for the opera or stage, working on grand ball gowns, with dress forms, and luxurious bolts of fabric. I'd know how to cut a suit, and understand proper tailoring. I'd use my creativity to dream up whatever the demands of the stage required, landing anywhere between minimalist and surreal.

If I'd been born to inherit wealth, I would have spent my days volunteering instead. I would still want to work, but do my part to affect the world directly.

In another life I'd have studied anthropology or sociology. I might still be at the university, or have moved to another country, or simply traveling the world learning about different cultures. In this life I might have wound up a professor, quite happy to be consumed by research on human interaction, and teaching.

Or I might have been born into the circus, and grown up with a peculiar skill set possessed only by those trained from childhood. I could bend and flex as if I didn't have bones, and do one handed pushups. I'd audition for the Cirque du Soleil and hit the road with that huge extended circus family.

I might have also been happy starting a handcrafted business. I can sew like nobody's business, and have been making things for years. I was on this path once, and shut down a fairly successful shop, but sometimes I still wonder what would happen if I went way again.

Funny though, in all these lives I never considered not writing. Even in my daydreams, I'd still write if I could. That is the one constant.

In another life, what might you have been?

The Forgotten Guardian by Ennaedwyn

The lamassu / shedu is a protective deity with the body of a winged bull, most commonly depicted with a bearded head, though female faced lamassu have also been found. The etymology of the name may suggest that the origin of the lamassu was a female deity. The oldest image appears in 3000 BC, and is thought to have originated in ancient Mesopotamia. Lamassu were carved at the entrances to to palaces and temples. Tablets with images of lamassu were also buried beneath the entrances to houses for protection. They are often depicted in pairs.

Further Reading:

• Lamassu (bull-man) - Archaeological information
• Winged Lions - A collection of winged creatures from around the world
• Shedu Benevolent Guardian

Related Creatures: sphinx, harpy, centaur, gryphon

Regions of Origin: Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkadian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires)

I couldn't find any stories associated with the lamassu, only how its image was used. Most of the information on it is archaeological in nature, and perhaps the mythology was lost with time.

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I'm beginning to think that most of writing a novel is just not losing your nerve. ~ Lev Grossman

It doesn't matter if I'm in the middle of novel edits, or writing a fresh novel draft. Once I hit the halfway mark I suddenly start to wonder if I've spent the last few months working on garbage. It feels as if the end is nowhere in sight, and that it would be easier to trash the project to start on something new. I like to think of this as the dark night of the writer's soul. It happens every time.

By now, I know this feeling is normal, and I just need to keep going.

I think it's usually due to a combination of factors, including mental burnout, and physical fatigue. This past February, I badly needed a writing break. For the better part of the month, I buried my head in projects I'd put aside that had nothing to do with writing. My well was dry and needed refilling.

If the well's empty, you ain't drawing any water with that bucket.

I also know it will be worth it to finish. I'm halfway there! I will and can get to the end of this story. Not every writing day is fun, but I need to find a way to get excited about this story again. I also need to figure out a better working routine for myself, that includes a pace that's sustainable, and allows me to enjoy this process as much as possible.

So in the interests of continuous process improvements (thanks day job) , here are a couple of changes I'd like to try out:

1. Cut down writing time to a half hour commitment per day, and flexible weekends. I might write or I might not. I think more often than not, I can write more than half an hour once I get into things, but even if I sit there with the laptop on, and the document open, its still something to start action.
2. Eliminate word count goals. I'm not going to stress about how much I write, as long as I write something.

I figure I should be done this draft by mid May, even at a slower pace. That's not so bad at all. I'm still easing into things, but I'll get through this, and past this. It's a game of 'chicken' and I'm not going to lose my nerve.

Do you ever have moments like this? How do you deal with it?

Ningen

Aloysius' Ark by Elda Grimm

Ningen "human" - This ocean cryptid is named for its human like features. It was first supposedly spotted by a Japanese research vessel in Antarctic waters, is described as 20 - 30 meters in length, having with human like eyes and a mouth, pale white, and with five fingers on each hand. Sometimes it is described as having multiple limbs, but in other stories that it has a whale / mermaid like tail.

Further Reading:

• Humaniod creatures of the Antarctic
• Ningen: A bizzare Japanese cryptid

Related Creatures: Sea monster

Region of Origin: Antarctic, Japan

This one surprised me with its recency. I don't suppose we'll know of everything that lurks beneath the oceans any time soon, and as long as there are unexplored places I think we'll always have monsters. Do you think we'll always have monster stories?

Do you have any you'd like to share?

1. What inspired you to be a writer?

Stories and a vivid imagination. One of the first books I remember, was a story about a duck lost in the forest. I read it over and over again, and wished that all the animals could come out of the book to play with me. I'd make up games full of strange worlds and creatures. The bathtub was a time machine (you had to walk along the ledge, and spin three times inside the shower curtain), and would take us to a world full of dinosaurs, or a sea full of sharks and mer-people. My first novel attempt (I was 11?) was based on one of these games. If I could draw, I would draw out these stories, but unfortunately I can't. Writing is the only way I have of telling the stories that that take place in my head.

2. What is love according to you?

There are many types of love, none lesser than the other (I think the west idealizes romantic love too much). When it comes to love for another person, it's wishing the best for them, wishing them happiness, and doing the best you can to help that happen. It's not always easy, and it doesn't even mean you need to feel affection for someone (though that helps). When speaking of love of art or an occupation, I'd say it's an extension of passion: always wanting to learn more, and never getting bored with it for long.

3. What are your writings to you?

Some days they're magic. Somehow the blood, sweat, and dark dreams jotted onto those pages mingle to form something more than the sum of their parts. Other days, the same story can feel like a horror movie. I don't know how I could have written something so awful. It really depends on my frame of mind and mood.

4. How will you define yourself as an artist?

The only philosophy I have behind my writing is to 'be honest' and 'write what interests me'. There are some themes I enjoy exploring more than others, and I think I'll define and redefine myself over time.  However, when a story is loosed upon the public, it's no longer mine. That's the great thing about writing. When the reader engages with it, the reader brings his/her experiences and way of seeing the world to the text. Every interpretation is different. So perhaps one day (when people actually read my writing) readers will come up with their own ideas.

5. What do you think are the qualities in you which others do not have, and because of which you can write?

I think that anyone can learn to write competently if they really want to. I don't put as much stock in talent as I do in hard work. To me, talent is simply an ability to learn faster / understand a subject a little more quickly than others. On the other hand, I do believe that there are some stories only I can write, and that's just because no one else sees the world the same way. Every one of us has a distinct voice, personality, and a unique point of view. If you love stories, if you love books, and you're willing to learn, you can write.

If you could go back in time and speak to your younger self, what words of encouragement or advice would you give about writing?

Dwende / Nuno sa Punso (Tagalog)

Nuno sa Punso by SinkoSiete

The dwende and nuno may or may not be two different creatures. Physically, their description is the same: small bearded brown men, anywhere between three inches to 3 feet tall. They typically wear a loincloth, woven hat, and walk barefoot.

The nuno sa pusno (ancestor of the anthill), is said to live in termite mounds or anthills, in caves or under rocks. If you disturb the nuno's home it may curse you. Symptoms of a curse: soreness, vomiting, swelling of the genitals (if you urinated on its home), swollen feet (if you kicked its home). The cure is usually an apology and an offering of food or drinks. When passing a termite mound you should say "tabi tabi po" to excuse yourself out of respect for the nuno.

Dwende, on the other hand are usually attached to a home or household, and may live in the back yard. They're friendly to humans, if not a little bit mischievous. Leaving a bit of food out for them on the floor is usually one way to keep on their good side. The color that the dwende wear may also indicate its nature: white is kind, red gives protection, green plays with children (there is a similar theme in leprechaun folklore).

Belief in the dwende / nuno may have been brought to the Philippines by the Spanish conquistadors and fused with local animistic religious beliefs.

Further Reading:

• Mabait and the Duende - Legend and comparison to similar tales.
• Dwende - Basic description
• Philippine Myths - Dwende and the Engkanto

Related Creatures: hobgoblin, kobold, brownie, gnome, duende (Spanish)

Region of Origin: Asia, Philippines

Don't laugh, but I think there's a dwende living in my apartment. I've seen it several times and I get a mini heart-attack every time I do. It seems to like me and I heard it once exclaim 'that's my girl!'. He's reddish brown, 3 feet tall, with a pointy chin, straight black hair that falls to his chin, and brown clothes the same color as its skin.

Of course I could just be a bit crazy, but I'm a writer so that's more than likely.

Have you ever experienced a myth/legend firsthand?