Fixed Fairytales: Jack and Jill

Here is one of my favorite fixed nursery rhymes from HISHE Kids Youtube Channel:

In the spirit of fixing a nonsensical rhyme:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack lost his grip, headfirst he slipped
Into the well of water

Jill was not scared, she came prepared
With scuba gear for diving
She tumbled in and soon did swim
To aid Jack in surviving

She lifted Jack onto her back
And up the rope they rose
They reached the top and there did stop
To dry their soggy clothes

Then Jack and Jill went down the hill
Their pail full to the brim
Jack's head was sore from their chore
Though Jill enjoyed the swim.

The End!
The moral: always have scuba gear on hand.


Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Quick Fix Fairytales

I recently came across a youtube channel of "fixed fairytales" for kids. I really loved their creativity and thought it would be fun to do a series of blog posts where I could fix a few fairytales or nursery rhymes! Here are a few quick fix fairytales:

Sleeping Beauty
The scene opens in the king's courtroom. The queen is largely pregnant and is constantly moving in her throne, trying to get into a comfortable position. The king bends forward to better concentrate on the servant who is going over the final details for the baby's coronation.
Servant: "And lastly, we will invite all of the fairies so that the princess can get amazing magical gifts."
Queen: "Just a moment! How will you know that you have invited all of the fairies?"
Servant: "Why, by consulting with the most up-to-date fairy directory."
King: "Check it twice! It would be awful if we forgot anyone."
Servant checks the directory.
Servant: "Oh dear! We missed Maleficent! I guess we were distracted by Meriweather's name. We'd better get that invitation off right away!"
The scene changes to Maleficent in her nightgown, going out to check the mail.
Maleficent: "Every other fairy has received her invitation! If I don't get one by today, I'm going to...oh! my invitation arrived!! I guess I won't curse that little girl after all."
So Maleficent came to the coronation and she gave Aurora the gift of invincibility, so that she would never be cut or bruised by anything.
The End.
The moral- always check your guest list twice.


Rapunzel
The scene opens with a man and a woman in their small kitchen. The woman is largely pregnant and crying.
Man: "What ails you, dear wife?"
Woman: "If I do not get some rapunzel from the garden behind our house, I shall die!" *sobs*
Man: "Well if it's really that bad I suppose I could go steal some..."
Woman: "Don't be ridiculous! A witch owns that garden! She'll curse us if she catches you stealing! You have to pay for it!"
The man then walks to the witch's door and knocks. The witch pokes her head out.
Man: "Parden me, ma'am, but my wife is pregnant and craving rapunzel. Would I be able to buy some from you?"
Witch: "Well, I've never had anyone offer to buy my herbs before- they usually just steal them, the cowards. Of course you may have some!"
So the woman ate rapunzel for a week and then her craving went away. When the child was born, they named her Rapunzel.
The End.
The moral- buy, don't steal.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Mansion Kids Update

I finally finished the sketches for my Mansion Kids book!! Here's a few of my favorites:

The Kids

The Villian

The Rope Swing Room

Responsibly calling the police

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Recent Reads

Now that I'm out of school, I have time to read for fun again!  I just finished the "Castle Glower" series by Jessica Day George.

Here's a quick synopsis of the first book: "Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celie's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one-other than Celie, that is-takes the time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and their fate is unknown, it's up to Celie, with her secret knowledge of the castle's never-ending twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom. This delightful book from a fan- and bookseller-favorite kicks off a brand-new series sure to become a modern classic."

I liked all of the books, but the first in the series was by far my favorite. I loved learning more about the quirks and secrets of the castle, and cheering the children on as they defended it. (This is probably because of my love for magical settings like the Mansion Kids.)

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Mansion Kids

I'm writing a book!! Finally! 

So this is based off of stories I used to tell my brother and sister when we were kids. I've included the text of the book below for your enjoyment (just typed, not in book form yet). I'm working on illustrations right now, and since I'm not the best artist, it will probably take me a month to finish. 

Rebekah, Robby, and Angela lived in a mansion on the top of a mountain. Instead of their own rooms, each had their own floor. Rebekah had a room to play with her cat, Angela had a room to play with her dog, and Robby had a room to play his trombone. The mansion also had a firepole, a robot cook, and a roller coaster down the mountain. Besides that, the mountain was hollowed out and there were even more rooms inside. There was a ball pit room, a rope course room, and an antigravity room. Because the mansion was so wonderful, the kids had to be careful not to let strangers inside because they might try to steal things. One night, the mansion kid’s parents were out on a date and the doorbell rang. On the porch was a man with an egg shaped head. “Hi, Kids! I’m Bill the Inspector,” he said, “I’ve come to inspect your fire alarms.” “I’m sorry, we can’t let strangers inside,” they said politely, and shut the door. “I don’t think he was telling the truth,” Rebekah said, “I think he is trying to steal something.” The mansion kids waited for a few minutes, and then peeked through the curtains of the front window. Bill hadn’t left. He was sneaking around the side of the house with a crowbar, trying to get inside. “What are we going to do?” Angela cried. “Let’s trick him into going downstairs and get him stuck in one of the rooms,” Robby suggested. “Great idea,” Rebekah exclaimed. Soon the kids heard Bill come through the back door, using a crowbar to break the lock. “Let’s go downstairs to the money room and count the dollar bills,” Robby suggested loudly. “Okay,” Rebekah and Angela replied. Bill fell for their trap and quietly followed the mansion kids downstairs, underneath the mountain. Suddenly, the kids began to run down the hall and into the last door on the left. Bill ran, too, because he really wanted to find the money room. But the kids had shut the door. Bill shouted, “Hey kids, it’s Bill the inspector. I’ve come into the house and you can’t stop me now! Tell me where the money room is.” “We’ll never tell, Bill.” The kids shouted back. “We’re not afraid of you.” That made Bill angry so he broke through the door and rushed in the room, only to fall face first into a ball pit. The mansion kids were already on the other side of the room, where there was another door. “You can’t catch us, Bill.” They teased as they ran through the door. Bill stood and tried to follow them, but he tripped on all the balls and finally had to crawl to the door. The next room was not the money room, but a rope course. The floor was actually a trampoline, so if you fell off the ropes, you wouldn’t get hurt. The kids swung like moneys across the room to the door in the middle of the wall, but Bill fell after the second rope. After bouncing and bouncing, Bill finally was able to grab onto a rope again and swing his way to the next door. By this time he was very tired. But the last room was the anti gravity room! The second door was by the ceiling. The kids had been in the room many times before, and they had learned to swim through the air anywhere they wanted. But Bill was so far behind he did not see the kids and he could not figure out how to move forward. So he floated straight up, and was stuck at the top. “Help, help, let me down,” he yelled. “Oh, we will let the police do that,” the kids said.  So Bill was arrested for breaking into the house, and the mansion was safe once again.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

The Higher Law

The month of March has been swamped by my directed research writing project. I have to complete 100 hours of research and writing and have a completed draft to show my work. I decided to explore the application of "higher laws" in society. While I was originally more familiar with the higher laws that Christ explained in the Sermon on the Mount:

I chose to explore the higher laws followed by the Navajo Nation. Since I've really worked hard on my paper, I thought I'd post a portion of the introduction:

Living the Higher Law: The Navajo Nation and Civil rights

In 1945, German military leaders were tried for the atrocities they committed against the Jews during World War II. They argued that they should not be punished for obeying the laws of their country and that their “crimes against humanity” had been defined after the fact, thus making their prosecution ex post facto. Although the United States and other nations recognize the importance of obeying the laws of the land and prohibit prosecution ex post facto, they proceeded with the trial. As the lead prosecutor, Robert Jackson explained that even rulers are under God and the law.[1] He stated that international law recognizes certain principles (“the law”) that have been held to be universal, such as the Crime of Plotting and Waging Wars of Aggression, the Crime of Violating a Treaty, Crimes Against Humanity, and the Law of Individual Responsibility. “Does it take these men by surprise that murder is treated as a crime?” he asked.[2]

The laws Robert Jackson cited are what are known as “natural laws” or “higher laws.” These laws are rules of conduct “arising out of the natural relations of human beings, established by the Creator.”[3] They include principles such as honesty, temperance, humility, and cooperation. Rarely to governments hold their citizens to such high standards in all aspects of their lives--rather, they are enforced through more limited laws and ordinances. For example, most nations have enacted laws against murder. Even in ancient times, communities followed the mandate: “thou shalt not kill.”[4] However, when Christ came, he established a higher law, which encompassed the old law: “But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”[5] While most nations will not enact laws against anger, they will enact laws restricting the expression of anger, since anger leads to willful infliction of bodily harm, i.e. assault, battery, etc.

There are few examples of nation-states enforcing higher laws outright, and the Navajo Nation is one of them. Unfortunately, the Navajo Nation has been overlooked in the discussion of higher law, as most scholars have focused on the international and Anglo-European applications of higher law. This paper will provide an introduction to higher law in Navajo culture and encourage legal scholars and legislatures to turn to the Navajo example in discussing the theory of higher law.

Since the creation of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court in 1985, Navajo justices have sought to apply Navajo higher law in the enforcement of civil rights. Over the years, the court has become increasingly confident in the application of higher laws to legal principles.[6]  In 2002, the application of such higher laws was solidified when the Navajo Nation Council (their equivalent of the Legislative branch) passed a statute recognizing the existence of Navajo higher laws and mandating that they be considered first when interpreting statutes.[7] This has led to a broadening of rights guaranteed to both Indians and non-Indians under the Navajo Nation’s jurisdiction.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

---

[1] Robert H. Jackson, Opening Statement Before the International Military Tribunal, available at http://www.roberthjackson.org/the-man/speeches-articles/speeches/speeches-by-robert-h-jackson/opening-statement-before-the-international-military-tribunal/.

[2] Id.

[3] “What is Natural Law?” Black's Law Dictionary Free Online Legal Dictionary 2nd ed., available at http://thelawdictionary.org/natural-law/.

[4] Exodus 20:13.

[5] Matthew 5:22.

[6] Paul Spruhan, The Meaning of Due Process in the Navajo Nation, in The Indian Civil Rights Act at Forty 119, 123 (Kristen A. Carpenter, Matthew L.M. Fletcher, and Angela R. Riley, eds., 2012).

[7] Spruhan, supra note 6, at 123.

Ferdinand Columbus

Someday I will write a book about Ferdinand Columbus. I have started it many times, but I keep on hitting the same roadblock: voice. I know I should just buck up and write the first draft, and fine tune the voice later, but I hate thinking of writing something only to completely rewrite it. I also struggle wanting to make the story historically accurate without having to do years of research.

Luckily, some of the work has already been done for me: Ferdinand wrote a biography about his father, Christopher Columbus, and much of the information I need comes from there.

The trick is how to portray Ferdinand's story in a way that children can relate to. Should I do a picture book? Or a young chapter book? I definitely don't want it to turn into a series, which kind of rules out explaining things through a modern kid's eyes through time travel. Which leaves me with a more historically accurate option, but nonetheless difficult. Should I write in the way they spoke back then, or try to put things in more modern terms? How many characters should I make up and how many should I use that actually existed? Do I completely gloss over the fact that Indians were treated horribly? So many choices...

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Writers' League

I promise I blogged today. It was just on my other blog: http://writing-rights.blogspot.com/2014/11/guest-speaker-judge-poulson.html

What is this other blog, you ask? It's for the Writers' League. I've been president since my first year in law school, and it's been great to see the club grow and progress. The biggest thing I've been grateful for is having a Board to help me coordinate events. Delegation is the best! I love being able to maintain the blog and schedule the events, without having to worry about finding speakers, getting food, or advertising.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

NaNoWriMo 2

Last year, I participated in my own version of NaNoWriMo by blogging once a day. I've decided to do that again this year, mostly because my personal journaling has lagged and I'd like to document this historic time in my life (pregnant and finishing grad school). Also, because I want to do something better than this:

Like last year, you can expect this month to be full of memoirs, poems, thoughts from my classes, and family updates. Unlike last year, I will be starting on time and so my goal is 30 posts for the month of November.

Wish me luck!
Rhetorically,
Rebekah

my brain on insomnia

I need to give credit to this post, which I am slightly modifying to apply to myself:
http://www.wifyr.com/blog/2014/07/07/this-is-your-brain-on-insomnia/

Ah, at last, bedtime. Deep breath in...
Breathing in.

Fill those lungs, now breathe out...
Breathing out.

Pace it out, slower...
I am going slower. How come you aren't sleeping?

Give me a few minutes. Now breathe...
I don't think this is working very well for you. 

Is too. Be quiet.
What if I can't go to sleep, what if my planning won't let me?

Then we'll just get out the virtual white board.
White board?

Sure. Just put everything you think of on the board.
Like this?

Exactly. Now erase it right away.
But that was a good plan up there.

Oh really, what was it?
Well, it's about how you can redecorate that spare room...

(a long while later)
I can't believe you tricked me like that. Back to the board. No cheating.
I was just--

I want nothing but a mind numbing expanse of white up there.
But what if I want to plan? Just one more plan?

Do you realize how late it is?
But you have a bunch of things you have to do this week.

(an even longer while later)
What are we doing still awake? What were you thinking? That's it, you were thinking. No more thinking.
Can I have a drink of water?

Don't try to distract me.
But what if I have to go to the bathroom?

You should have thought of that earlier.
But I think--

That's just it, bedtime is for dreaming, not thinking. You can think in the morning.
But--

No more buts. Erase. Erase. Erase.
If you don't write on that notepad on your phone, all of the things you have to do tomorrow will be forgotten. Forever. 

Fine. If I write it will you go to sleep?
Cross my heart.

Phone on. Typing a list. Phone off.
Thank you. 

You're welcome. Now I can sleep. Wait, now what time did my phone say?
3:00am.

Grrrr. I went to bed at 11.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah

Writing Conference

While I have attended several writing conferences in the past, I wish I would have taken advantage of this particular conference earlier: Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE). LTUE is one of the
cheapest writing conferences I have ever seen, and to beat the normal price, they offer free admission to students. It is a three day conference focusing on all things related to Science Fiction and Fantasy. While all three days are full of information for authors, they also have events for artists, gamers, and film junkies.

LTUE is mostly targeted to those who are pre-published or newer authors. While the guest of honor (Orson Scott Card) and special guests (Brandon Sanderson being among them) all have a lot of published works, there were also panelists who had only published one book. It was great to get a variety of perspectives and meet new people.

I also enjoyed seeing familiar faces such as my ex-roommates Allison Hymas and Sarah E. Seeley, and friend Chad Morris, all whom are authors.

 I attended the following one-hour sessions:
-Agent or No Agent?
-Write What You Don't Know
-Why Economics Matters
-Henchmen Don't Have to Suck
-From Start to Finish: Drafting the Manuscript
-This is Your Life
-Drawing Upon Folklore
-Writing for Boys
-The Best Books for Children and YA
-Lovable Bad Boys
-Writing Children's Books
-Description in Writing

If you do the math, I spent approximately 12 hours at the conference over a three day period. And yet I could have gone to so much more. I think I only went to about a third of the conference, since it started every day at 9am and lasted until 9pm.

Nevertheless, I had a fabulous and enlightening experience, and an increased desire to continue my writing. We'll see if that desire is enough to get me to commit to writing daily. If I learned anything from all of the mothers at the conference, it is that you can make time for writing, even if it's only during your children's nap time. The trick is making it a priority. And I still haven't quite figured out how to do that yet- I've got classes, work, exercise, church, and a summer job hunt all bidding for priority status right now.

Rhetorically,
Rebekah