Mythology and Folklore

(Advice Key from  Flickr )      For this story lab I chose to take the advice to writers option, to look for some advice that may help me in the future. Below are listed some pieces of advice that I thought would be helpful to me in my writing. "There is probably some long-standing “rule” among writers, journalists, and other word-mongers that says: “When you start stealing from your own work you’re in bad trouble.” And it may be true. - Hunter S. Thompson    I chose this quote because I tend to write up similar stories. By that, I mean I tend to write up stories that are based around a moral lesson or can relate to the real world, and don't always look at new options. Words are to be taken seriously. I try to take seriously acts of language. Words set things in motion. I’ve seen them doing it. Words set up atmospheres, electrical fields, charges. I’ve felt them doing it. Words conjure. I try not to be careless about what I utter, w...

(Woodpecker from  Wikimedia Commons ) For these reading notes I chose to focus on the woodpecker story, "Why the Woodpecker Pecks". I chose to focus on this story because I heavily prioritize strong morals in folklore, and I liked the literary devices used in this story. I enjoy the moral of "moderation" or not overindulging in things. It's a very strong one that can relate to every day life, especially in cases of addictive substances, which are a constant plague that we have in our society. It also uses imaginative figurative language and has a nice combination of onomatopoeia and alliteration with "Tap! Tap! Tap!" in the start of the story. The merging of literary devices is an interesting technique, and is something I'd like to do with my own stories. Bibliography: Florence Stratton, Why the Woodpecker Pecks , from  UnTextbook