My Storytelling Mind

She glared at the mirror, teeth chattering, knowing full well that they were watching her. The cold water fell over her in buckets but she refused to let them see her humiliation. They may have stolen her freedom, but they would never break her spirit.  Find this blurb on Pinterest . Photo: (c) Nikos Reskos.

The book was his mother's, his only remembrance of her since his father remarried. He remembered the stories she would read to him when his father wasn't home, and how she would bring the beautiful pictures to life. He had seen mermaids, unicorns, fairies, and even dragons frolic about his room. This time, his mother wasn't here to read it, but he opened it anyway. A small letter fell in his lap, marked "To My Son, After I Am Gone." Find this blurb on Pinterest . Photo: (c) Amorphisss.

"Tom, come back," John whispered, stopping as he glanced over a shrub down to the water. "What now?" Tom asked, stepping back. "There's a girl in the water," John said, pointing. Tom pushed him out of the way to look. "She's not wearing anything," Tom said, and John nodded. "And what gentlemen would we be if we let her go around like that, John?" "No gentlemen at all, Tom," John replied as Tom smiled, mischievously. They ducked down and made their way, quietly, to the shore. Find this blurb on Pinterest . Photo: Queen Vicky Park , 2009 (c) Tom Hunter.

The flowers in the main hall were wilted when she arrived home, and the candles were more than halfway burned down. "Where were you?" he asked, coming out of the study. "I got you flowers." "They're beautiful," she replied. He didn't ask her again as he looked into his glass of whiskey. She excused herself to bed and he didn't stop her. Find this blurb on Pinterest . Photo: (c) Elsa Billgren

The basement swirled below her as she yanked and pulled on the handcuffs holding her to the railing. Whoever decided that chaining her to the railing would ensure the completion of initiation was an idiot. It was probably the same idiot who thought it was a good idea to initiate people in the abandoned lighthouse, she thought to herself, as the dark mass of water continued creeping up the stairs. Find this blurb on Pinterest . Photo: (c) Thomas Prior

In addition to several fictional works, I'm also working on a mass fantastic reference of mythological beings. I have Excel sheets, Word lists, and several combined notebooks just for this pet project, working to document as many creatures, and variations of those creatures, I can. It's fascinating and eye-opening work that provides all of these mythological entities not drained dry by mainstream media (poor werewolves and vampires, they've been through a lot). Mermaids have been through a lot, too. Today, I'm jumpstarting the actual deep research required for this project; I have the names, I have the mythologies, I have the geographical locations, but I don't yet have the myths or the facts or the images. Starting alphabetically (because Excel is fabulous), I started with the Adaro from the Solomon Islands , near Australia.  Solomon Islands Adaro Sculpture (c) JCC Jewelry The Adaro is a malevolent mer-person, often considered a sea spirit rising f...

Mondays are tough, and motivation always seems at its lowest on Monday mornings, regardless of how much the birds sing or how blue the sky is or how blustery it is. But words can change the worst of moods or attitudes, and poetry is a great, small way to wake up the creative centers of your mind. With creativity flowing, your motivation and inspiration is guaranteed to follow, improving your Monday at least a little bit. (c) Tyler Kent White Tyler Kent White specializes in short and significant poems, speaking elegant truths about the world. His poetry is a simple motivation and a beautiful one. This poem, for example, which I read over this morning, got me moving and motivated for class today - something I always have trouble with - and I'm cognitively functioning much better than if I let the Monday gloom stick around. For more helpful, insightful poetry, check out my Poetry board on Pinterest.