This year, I am a Municipal Liasson for NANOWRIMO. With this title comes much responsibility. My job is to inspire and encourage people to write, so most of my posts might focus on writing and inspiration this week and next month.
"What if?" is a great question to ask before starting a story. It ties you to the theme, and maybe even the character growth in your story.
The most recent story I finished writing- in rough draft form- answered a "what if?"
This question is not only important in writing, but in art, designing, builiding, problem solving and even decision making. Sometimes the "what if?" is a risk. Other times it's a wish.
Wherever the "what if" takes you is half of the fun in writing a story. The other half is finding the answer.
There are quite a few stories I love with "what if?" questions.
What if adventure was just outside your doorstep?
What if Cinderella was cursed to obey her every demand?
What if you had what you were looking for all along?
What if every book was actually a recording of real events in another world?
Ashley Clemments and Mary Kate Wiles mentioned that Muzzled would be released soon, and now it's finally here!
From the description on youtube:
"In the Royal Kingdom of Serenadia, singing is power. Our hero Malfalia
The story and songs are creative and fun. It's a neat idea, and so well performed.
I had to share it because it's a cool project, and hopefully they'll make a season 2.
In honor of Back to the Future day, I've decided to reflect on time travel.
What would it be like to go back or forward in time?
Besides Back to the Future, this phenomenon has been explored in several movies, books and tv shows.
The idea that time is a fragile line that should not be altered is the theme of the short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury.
In the story, a hunter named Eckles goes back in time to hunt a dinosaur, and he changes the time stream with one action that snowballs into a catastrophic future.
It is possible that "the butterfly effect" theory came from a moment in the story where Eckles steps on a butterfly, and the time he once knew becomes something completely different.
Harry Potter had an interesting take on the consequences of time travel, and what rules should be followed for a person (or wizard) to stay sane. He was allowed to go back in time to save lives, as long as he stayed out of sight.
But he wouldn't have been alive if he hadn't gone back in time.
In the third book, Harry saves himself, believing that he was saved by someone else. In the time stream, because Harry didn't see who saved him, he was protected from the bizarre event of meeting another version of himself.
Sailor Moon also does this when she goes to the future, and saves not only her future self, but her future child. Naoko breaks all the rules when her future and present self speak, but they don't talk for long. Usagi's daughter, however, constantly talks of her life in the future while she is in the past, and she possibly influences the events that she believes happend just by speaking them.
This idea was also explored in Meet the Robinsons, but with a positive effect. Because Lewis sees his future, and meets his future self, he is able to let go of his doubt and stop living in the past. Because Lewis saw how bright his future was, and how easily he could influence it, he started his journey to the future by moving forward instead of looking back.
Doctor Who plays with time travel constantly, but there are rules that the doctor must follow in order to keep time from changing too drastically. There are always consequences to the Doctor's actions.
Here's a fun theory they played with in a recent episode:
That's the appeal of the show, and the character of the Doctor. He can go anywhere, and he has the power to do anything along the timestream, as long as he doesn't alter history in a bad way.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman had a lot of fun messing with time. Sherman learned history by actually seeing it, and meeting the people who made it happen.
One writing prompt I did, in a college writing class was to write a letter to my past self. It's strange, because that letter will never be seen by my past self, but in writing that letter, I realized just how much I had changed, and how I had stayed the same.
If someone could mess with time, they have this crazy power to change anything. They could change major historic events, but the consequence could be devastating. They could change their own decisions, but then they may not be the same person.
I have never written a story that messes with time, but it is interesting to entertain the idea.
What would it be like?
I think it would be intimidating. If you could change anything, and create whatever you wanted, you are closer to a god than a human.
But it's also a huge responsibility. you must keep track of events and make sure that you don't alter history or how life is supposed to go.
But how is life supposed to go? Is that something we have invented due to past experiences? Or is it a future prediction we have yet to reach?
Disney entertained the idea in Tommorowland that ideas themselves have the power to create the future, and the more positively we think, the more amazing and positive the future will be. I think there is some truth to that, at least in terms of an individual.
If you don't believe that you can do something, then you won't. You will make excuses, you will allow fear to hold you back, or maybe its just something you don't want to do, so you don't, and naturally it doesn't happen.
But if you believe you can do something, then you start to try. You may fail, try again and if you don't give up, you will accomplish it. Goals, dreams and wishes come true when they are persued. But they are only persued if you believe it is possible.
No, it's not rocket science, but it is one of the most common morals and lessons in time travel stories. Events happen, but it is up to us to decide the meaning in them. One event may be forgotten, while another could live on forever, remembered as a holiday or an important moment in history.
The time that matters most is now. Because what we do today is a step toward the future, whatever that future might be.
My script is almost finished, and I can't wait to dive in and see what my beta readers think of it. In the meantime, for NANOWRIMO, I have decided to expand the story, and write a novel version of it.
This idea first came to me before I left for Korea, and while I was in Korea, I was inspired by many places I visited. I'm going to try to pitch this story to Disney once it is finished, and hopefully Shim Chong will be the first Korean Disney Princess.
This project has taken months, but I love working on it, and I hope that I'll have a novel out for it soon.
Last week, I met someone who graduated from College fairly recently. He asked me my dream, so I told him, and when I asked him the same, his answer was very simple. Successful.
We shared a laugh, because I believe that is what we all wish and dream. To be successful. But what does that mean? What is success? Is there a definition for people, in certain ages and stages of their life?
I used to believe that, so I set standards for myself, and I told myself I wasn't sucessful until I achieved them. I was convinced that I had to pass the levels of life, like a video game. I had to level up for that boss fight and earn the reward, the gold medal.
But then, I realized that time had passed, and I was still a beginner in the areas of life that I had expected to achieve by this age, and by this time. I began to tell myself that I had failed, and that I was a failure as a result.
I looked at my choices, my reactions and repeated those negative thoughts day after day. This was very unhealthy, and as a result, I became very depressed, worried and just a mess.
Well, life happened, and I found myself standing by my uncle's hospital bed. I felt so sad and angry at his situation. I wanted him to get better. But all I could do was ask what he wanted, if he needed anything, and what he would like to talk about. All I could do was be there for him, and hopefully it helped.
What broke my heart was when he asked me what was going on in my life, something positive. I had nothing to say, but he brought up South Korea, and he asked me if I'll go back. I told him yes, probably and then I was able to talk about some of my adventures and experiences, but inside I was ashamed. I felt like had not achieved that desired goal, that level. I wasn't successful.
It was after he died, talking with his friends and family that I discovered my uncle was very proud of me.
"You're the one he wouldn't stop talking about!" one of my uncle's friends told me, "He was so proud of you!".
I began to cry, right then and there, and that's when I realized, no one else thought I had failed. Only I did, and it meant the world to me that my uncle was proud of me.
I learned something very important: Success is not a report card.
Only we can decide what means the most to us and what matters in our lives. And to be considered successful is a great honor, but it matters more to feel successful
I was being ridiculously hard on myself, and I had built a pedestal that limited my appreciation of the world around me, and the people around me.
I wasn't focused on what I had accomplished. I was too focused on what I hadn't done yet. That way of thinking got in the way of my productivity.
My family and friends are amazing! They helped me get through this stage, and I am grateful for everything they have done and still do for me.
It really is important to be grateful, and to remember what you have accomplished.
It's okay to dream, wish and want, but it's not okay to set a limit for yourself. Life is unpredictable. Things happen in their own time. That may be before or after you expect them to. The best thing to do is recognize when you've accomplished something that you have cared about, and to appreciate the journey along the path toward your goal.
So what is success? Success is whatever you want it to be. No one has the same idea of being successful, and who are we to judge what kind of life a person lives? As long as you are happy, content and appreciate the world around you that's plenty to be proud of.
So, what's my plan now? I have some idea, but it requires patience, work and time. It includes Disney, a company I love and miss working for. I no longer tell myself that I haven't leveled up. Instead I look for what the day will bring, and I do what I can, while encouraging myself to keep going.
This reflection on success was inspired by a Ted Talk from Madu Nataraj Kiran:
Although it was just outside the village, it beckoned with its beauty and wonder. The way the trees towered over the bright path, and the sunlight streaked through the leaves.
"You must never enter the woods," my grandmother said. "Strange beasts lurk in its shadows, and many have lost their way."
I knew that was true, because my father had never come home.
I remember waiting on the front steps, watching the path and waiting for father to arrive, always with gifts for us girls. I was a five year old girl then, with wishes and dreams, even hope.
My sisters allowed me to sulk for a week before they reminded me of the chores to be done, and I became my mother's strength as the neighbors arrived with questions.
Even now, ten years later, I still have a seed of hope that my father will return. But it is buried under the stories that people told in the market, and the mysterious cases of merchants who never set foot in the village again.
The lucky few always returned wide eyed and pale, as if they had seen a ghost.
But I knew better.
I found my father's research, hidden under his inventory lists. He had been searching for something, and I was convinced his search was tied to the tragedies that the villagers faced. But what was he looking for? I found my answer at the bottom of the drawer of father's desk in the study. It wasn't much, just a map with the route clearly drawn in black ink, and half a sheet of paper that was slightly burned at the edges, and contained half a paragraph of broken sentences.
The one word that appeared again and again was circled in that same black ink. Faerie.
These were not small friendly creatures who brought magic to the common garden. These were illusionists, masters of deceit and subtlety.
Once, I had gone to the library, hoping to find the book that the page was from, but I was met with a blank stare when I asked the book keeper for information.
I had only songs, rumors and mysteries to go by.
"Tamara!" my mother called from the sewing room. I cringed. I had forgotten to dust the spinning wheel, and my mother would not work with dusty thread.
As I went down the long staircase to the front room, I felt like someone was watching me. I turned to the window, and there was a rustle of leaves as something or someone ducked from view.
I could only stare for a moment before my mother made my name echo through the house, and my little sister opened her bedroom door staring at me with one sleepy eye and rubbing the other.
I found mother standing by the spinning wheel tapping her foot.
Without a word, I got to work, never taking my eyes off the window, wondering if what had seen me was still there. But the moment had passed, and soon I was back to the daily routine of cleaning and cooking.
It was almost evening, and the first star appeared when I gathered vegetables from the garden.
I heard more than a rustle this tme. It was a musical sound, like the ring of a bell. And I caught a glimpse of a wing as I turned.
"Alright you!" I said, "No more of this nonsense! Come out now!"
I suppose it was silly to expect whatever it was to listen, but for some reason it did. A spritely creature, green, blue and purple stepped from the tree and stared at me.
It looked slightly human, and even more interesting, it had long hair and gleaming eyes.
"Who are you?" I asked.
It didn't answer, but it did laugh for a long time, and that annoyed me. I had only twenty minutes to cook dinner, and if this thing had nothing to say, I wasn't going to waste my time.
I picked up my basket of vegetables and turned away.
"Wait!" it said. The voice was strange and almost feminine.
I stopped, but I didn't turn around.
"Don't go. I need help." it said.
"Who are you?" I asked again. Turning toward it. "And why are you here?"
"I am Lethe, of the Spring Court." it said.
"You're a faerie." I said, even though it was obvious.
"And you're a human, clearly." Lethe said.
"And why should I help you?" I asked. "You're from the Mystic Forest. How do I know you're not one of the fae who capture humans?"
"I was sent here, by your father." Lethe said.
I froze. How did it know my father?
"Prove it." I said, more harsh than I intended.
Lethe stared at me, and held out her hand.
It was my father's compass. The familiar carving of a stag was etched in the wooden case, and his intials R.G. were inside the lid.
"How did you . . .?" I asked, but the words wouldn't come. I was too surprised to see even a trace of father after years of his absense.
"Your father gave me this, and he told me to find his eldest daughter. He told me you would understand." Lethe said.
I wasn't sure what my father thought I would understand. Maybe he believed I had found more information than a ripped page.
"Come quickly." Lethe said, "We don't have much time."
I stared at the compass. It was real. Fae couldn't create illusions for objects, and even if they could, there was no mistaking my father's artwork. He had carved the stag himself, long ago, and his art adorned the fireplace in the form of deer taking shelter in the very forest we were told never to enter.
The very forest this Lethe was telling me to brave.
"Wait there." I said.
Lethe stared, but nodded.
My cloak was just outside the door, hanging on a hook. Diana, the cook, was busy stirring a stew.
There was no way to explain this to my mother, and I was horrible at goodbyes.
I left the basket filled with vegetables on the table, grabbed my cloak, and I didn't look back.
“The evil Groln Empire invasion has accelerated. Cities and nations of the Free Countries are falling into destruction and ruin. Lirak and his new-found warlock powers are their only hope. But just as Lirak begins to master sorcery, a new threat emerges, one that sends the gods themselves into fear and confusion. Lirak will need more than sorcery to save his world this time.”
This is a tough one. Faith is a complex matter, and it's never truly the same process for anyone, because we all have different perspectives.
Truth be told, I haven't had faith much lately.
But I did.
It's similar to that moment when you're a child. When anything is possible. I used to imagine that all kinds of amazing things could happen.
I used to believe in magic.
When I was little, I played this game, similar to Alice's beliveing in impossible things, where I could do anything, and I could be anything.
Maybe that's when my admiration for specific characters started.
I never picked one trait, or one ability. I simply picked a character, and I pretended that I was them.
This was different from dressing up though. I didn't have a costume.
I had long hair, and my hairstyle was Sailor Moon's everyday. I believed that Sailor Moon was an incredible and admirable hero. And I could be just like her.
I would pretend that I had powers, and that a black cat with a moon symbol on her forehead everywhere I went. Sometimes my firends would join in, or we'd roleplay. Disney characters, Sailor Scouts, even Pokemon were our inspiration.
I would fight "battles" in the school yard with my powers, posing just like Sailor Moon and believing that I had the power to conquer anything.
I may not have realized it then, but back when I was a little girl, I had faith in myself. I believed in the impossible, and I enjoyed the challenges that I faced everyday.
Somehow, along the way, as I got older, and faced obstacles, difficult truths, losses, and challenges, I began to tell myself the opposite.
I began to say that I couldn't do things, couldn't be things. I said things like, "I'm not smart enough,"
and "I'm not pretty enough."
Instead of the hero, I became the villian, and I talked myself down for years and years.
I had lost faith, in myself, and in the world around me.
I had put myself in a position where everything felt impossible, and no one could convince me otherwise.
And yes, I believe in God. I prayed, and I waited, but for me, no answer came. I was lost. And worse, it was my own fault.
I had built a barrier and blocked out an important element in my life: faith.
Now, faith doesn't solve your problems, but it is an important part of self confidence.
In order to do something, you must believe that you can. If you don't believe, then you never try. It's a viscious cycle, and it's pretty common in phobia's and depression.
I went to the Disney College Program and I restored some of that faith, but I still doubted, still belittled and at times I even bullied myself out of doing things.
Now, I loved Disney, and I still do. What I loved most about it was the atmosphere, so positive and uplifting. So accepting and inspirational.
When I went to work, I felt like I was doing something, making a difference and helping people do one of the most important things imagianable, finding some magic in their life.
I started writing stories at the Epcot center after work, taking the bus straight there and staying for the fireworks at either Fantasmic or Magic Kingdom.
I started to believe that I had a purpose.
But somehow, that faith in myself and belief in the possiblity of the world dwindled during college and after it. Because I'm stubborn, I haven't given up, but I don't feel that same joy or purpose that I once had.
I'm sure that Disney had a lot to do with it, but it was my mindset too. I wasn't beating myself up anymore. I was trying new things, meeting cool people and finding inspiration. I went through the same pattern in South Korea. At first, I was right back in that rut, but then as I pushed myself to explore the cool places and get out there to meet new people, I discovered that purpose and joy again.
I think I can argue that this year has been a trying time for me, and I've been going back and forth from what I call hopelessness to stubborn optimism.
It hasn't been easy to stay hopeful and to have faith in myself. Many events happened that made me angry and frustrated. There were times that I just wanted to shout "Why!" but, of course, there was no answer.
I am a deep thinker, and I do believe that some things happen for a reason, but I am not sure how I would define faith.
Some would define it as a belief in a higher power, which I have.
Some would say it is a blind trust in the world, which I don't have.
Despite my happy demeanor and my love of Disney, it has been incredibly difficult to trust the world blindly. In many ways, I am terrified to do so.
I've heard success stories from people at TED, and even script writers, actors and musicians. I know that all of them have taken that big step, that blind leap forward and put their faith in the world and themselves.
For some reason, I have been hesitant to do that.
Taking risks is a scary thing, especially in making life decisions that involve money and time.
Risk is something you take everyday just by living.
One of the things I hear people say about the immportant things in life is that there is no guarantee. Yet, people go forward anyway. And maybe faith is what they have.
Maybe they have the faith in themselves to get by. Maybe they have the faith that the world will not slap them in the face or leave them penniless.
Or maybe they are simply brave enough to take the risk.
Faith is a choice to take a risk. we take risks believing that they will work out somehow, or that our time and effort will come to fruition. Faith is believing in the world and yourself. Hoping for the best, and believing in your own ability to get through obstacles. Faith is a gut feeling that it will all be okay. Faiith is a word that represents the courageous act of living. To hope for the best, even during the worst times. To believe that whatever you're going through now will have its value and meaning later.
I came across this film when I was doing research on Korean Folklore for my screenplay.
It's available on Netflix, and it's the first Korean animated movie that I've seen.
Story: Thousands of years ago, nine tailed foxes roamed the moutains, but they were driven out by humans. Yobi is the only one of her kind, and when aliens crash on the mountain where she lives, she takes them in, and they become a family. One day, one of the aliens is found by a human girl, and she takes him to her school. In order to get her friend back, Yobi poses as a human and goes to the school that the girl goes to. While trying to find a way to get her alien friend back, Yobi meets Geum-ee, a young boy who wants to be a comedian. As Yobi gets to know the humans at the school, and becomes more interested in Geum-ee a Gumiho hunter appears, and she is put in danger. Yobi learns that to spend time with humans, she must become one herself, but the price might be too high for her to pay.
This movie was very interesting. The spirits, history and the world of the film gave it the same mysterious atmosphere of Spirited Away.
Yobi is a curious, fun loving character, and she also has a good heart. As she sdapts to humans, she changes her values and morals.
Some of the spirits were really strange, but they seemed to be part of the world of the film, and each brought their own element to Yobi's story.
For some characters, there is little to no history about them. The shadow detective, the fox hunter and Yobi's spirit friend are never really explained.
Still, the movie was very interesting and it dove into some philosophical topics.
I would recommend this film to fans of Miyazaki, Korean Folkore and animation.
When going through a hard time, I watch movies to help me deal with the chaos or the disappointment.
This month has been very difficult for people I know, so I thought I would share something that gave me comfort while facing a trying time.
I was very angry, and in a way I still am with the situations that I've had to face. The uncertainty, the loss and the challenges that lay ahead.
On the way back to Arkansas, from one of the most heart-wrenching visits with family that I had, I watched Kung Fu Panda, and I learned another interesting lesson about life.
I've watched this movie countless times. We even watched it in South Korea, and the students had to write about what had happened in the story.
Typically watching this movie, Po is the character I identify with. I have a dream, and obstacles that I have to overcome to achieve it. But his story is only one lesson of many in the film.
Shifu has a lesson of his own, and I'm surprised I didn't pick up on it before.
Shifu's obstacle in the film is wanting to be in control. He trained Tai Lung to be the best, but when things didn't go according to his expectations, he shut himself off from his later students. He became guarded, cold and obsessed with control. Po is a wild card in his plan, and he doesn't know what to do with it. First, he tries to get rid of that unexpected element. He tries to convince Po to leave.
He runs to his master, Oogway, hoping that somehow Oogway will agree that Po is not the dragon warrior. He tries to explain that it was an accident, and it's impossible for Po to be the dragon warrior.
Oogway tells him, "My old friend, the panda will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control."
Life is unpredictable. We may plan for as much as we can, but there are no guarantees. It's easy to forget this in the fashion of a daily routine. Sometimes we can control things in our lives, but when we can't it is natural to feel frustrated.
That was where I was at. I was grieving for my uncle, not wanting to face the truth that he was gone. Not wanting to believe that he didn't have that year the doctor told him to get better. And, I was frustrated with the fact that no matter what I tried, I couldn't secure a job or place to live when the time came for my family to move to Arkansas. As much as I love my family, I was angry at myself. I felt like I had failed, and that I had sunk so low, I would never get back to a life of my own. I had given up, and I had allowed despair, grief and anger to rule my mind and heart.
But life cannot be controlled. You can perform actions, that in turn become events and there are specific actions that set off a specific chain of events, but there is no guarantee that what you do will control everything in your life, or prepare you for anything that comes your way.
This lesson may seem obvious and simple on paper, but it is harder to accept it and live that way.
I wanted to control my life, and the events that happened in it, and I had expected my plan to be flawless. But that was an unrealistic view.
I had a lesson to learn, and I don't regret learning it.
Reacting to something is natural, and not every reaction is easy to choose, especially when a loved one dies or you lose a job. There's no manual that tells you how to prepare for those moments, just as there is no manual to tell you how to live your life. The best you can do is to live them, and accept that you do not control them. So I will focus on my reactions, and work with what I can control.
I wrote something for my uncle, and I am still applying for jobs. I will focus on what I can do, and hope for the best.
Grief is natural, and life is messy. Sometimes the best thing to do, is to let go of the illusion of control.
A while ago, I wrote a story about a Gumiho that wants to be human. I few days ago, someone asked me if I would keep writing that story. I've decided to publish it on Wattpad, and this will be my project for NANO WRIMO :)
