B`Forre the Flood?

NaNoWriMo

2010-03-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

Speaking of my upcoming Script Frenzy adventure, in November I participated in its sister event, National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.

I won! Meaning that I managed to write more than 50,000 words in 30 days!

Script Frenzy!

2010-03-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

It's almost April! My sister and I will be participating in this year's Script Frenzy. That means that between the two of us (who have next to no experience in writing scripts), we will (attempt to) write 100 pages of a screenplay in 30 days! Wish us luck!

Check out Ferdinard!

2010-01-12T19:42:00.001-08:00

Some (Novel?) Thoughts on Noveling

2009-12-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

It's been interesting to write a novel for the first time. It is a totally different writing process than my shorter projects have been!

Earlier in the process, I felt like Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. If you happen to be familiar with the book (not the movie--the movie doesn't have this part), Sophie at one point starts cutting out triangles from one of Howl's suits, out of which she plans to make herself a skirt. But then Howl catches her at it, and she has to sew them all back.

Of course, at that point, there's not much left of Howl's suit (most of it is now triangular holes), so Sophie has to sew triangles back into a netting she has created.

Writing about Mariah and the Beast (or whatever the title will end up being), a few weeks ago, I had my framework, but I sure had a lot more holes than I did the netting around the holes! I filled in piece by piece, until I finally found myself with a clearer idea of how to handle this rapidly-shrinking story-suit I had on my hands.

Now, I have most of the main holes filled in--besides one. There is one puzzle that I need to solve. The problem is, that is the main puzzle that the Mariah in the book is trying to solve. Except that she has an easier time of it than I do, because the framework around the solution is already there; she just needs to find what fits. As for me, as the author, I'm the one who has to find something to fit in that hole!

I mean, it's a whole lot easier to look at the clues, eliminate the impossible (leaving, to paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, the solution, however improbable), and find a solution, which is then verified by the story, than it is to look at the clues and the constraints that you have and try to find something that will fit there. It's much easier to be a character than the author, because the author has to make all those decisions, and the character just does as she's told.

Anyway, off to bed (after working on the book for a little longer)... I hope my musings made some sense!

-Mariah :)

A New Book in the Works!

2009-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

I realized today that it's been a while since I've posted on this blog, so I thought I'd tell you all about my newest project.

My big brother, Jordan, passed away in October after battling a rare cancer for several months. (Hence the lack of blog posts.) This book-in-process is the result. (And, yes, the "Mariah" in the book is, indeed, me.)

More to come soon, but here's a bit about the story:

Mariah is still trying to comprehend her brother's death when--she finds herself in the middle of a fairy tale.
Now life, which was already plenty complicated enough, thank you very much, is suddenly even more interesting, as Mariah tries to understand life in an enchanted palace.
Mariah had stumbled upon the palace during a snow storm, and now she was snowed in, with a Beast, an invisible servant, and the (likewise invisible) Lady of the Palace, who seems to want something from Mariah.
But--isn't it the story of Beauty and the Beast? So what happened to Beauty? Why does the Beast disappear for a while every day? Why isn't the fairy tale the way it's supposed to be?

Sylvester meets Little Red Riding Hood!

2009-09-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Published! :)

2009-08-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Announcement:

Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre is now available online!

My estore:

https://createspace.com/Customer/EStore.do?id=3387392

Amazon.com:

http://amazon.com/Ferdinard-Other-Unexpected-Fairy-Tales/dp/1448607701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250530744&sr=8-1

Or, visit my website:

http://mariahbforre.weebly.com/

Ferdinard &c.: Did You Know? I

2009-07-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Fun facts from Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre:

The third little pig has a pet hen. The book doesn't tell us, but the hen's name is Eliza.
In the story of Young King Cole, I initially included what Lady Bird was thinking and feeling--until I got to the end of the story and realized that it wouldn't work anymore, because, well, you'll have to read the story to find out for yourself!
Sylvester, the not-so-big, not-so-bad wolf, named himself. The conversation went something like this:

"But I can't name you Silvester. There's already a Silvester. See? He lives here, on the desk. He's a toy snake. Grandma named him. You can't steal his name!"

"Calm down, Mariah! I'll spell my name differently. The snake can still be Silvester. I'll be Sylvester."

"Oh, that's fine," Silvester said to Sylvester. "It'll be lots of fun, Mariah. After all, you enjoy sharing your name with your friend Mariah!"

Sylvester's Nightmare

2009-07-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon: Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre!

[The following is a story about Sylvester, the not-so-big, not-so-bad wolf. Sylvester is a character in Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales, but this is a story that isn't in the book. Enjoy!]

Sylvester slowly opened his eyes and stre-e-etched. Sleepily he climbed out of bed, slipped his four feet into his slippers, and combed his fur. Yup, he thought, today will be the perfect day for visiting those three little pigs! Maybe he could even invite them over for dinner. He doubted that they would come, though; for some reason they were convinced that Sylvester was out to eat them. Just because he happened to be a wolf.

As Sylvester walked down the hall towards the front door, he vaguely noticed that something was different about his home. It had always seemed like a cave before, but now it looked rather like a house.

By the time he had walked out of the house and onto the sidewalk, Sylvester was wide awake and very aware that he was in the middle of a city, not in his forest home. And he was the only wolf in sight.

Sylvester spent the day knocking on doors ("little boy, little boy, let me come in!"). He even managed to keep his temper when people threw things at him--so he didn't end up blowing a single house down.

Finally Sylvester reached my neighborhood. I heard a knock on the door and a voice called out, "Little girl *sniff*, little girl *snuffle*, let me come in!"

"Oh, poor Sylvester!" I cried out as I hurriedly opened the door. "What are you doing here? Did you get lost?" And then he sobbed out the whole story.

"Mariah," he said at the end of his story, "you're the author. Can't you write me back home?"

I thought for a minute. A lazy-author ending, if you ask me. But on the other hand, I was the one who wrote him into the problem in the first place. It would be mean to just leave him in the middle of a city. Then I thought of something else.

"Sylvester, why don't you take a nap?"

"?"

"Trust me on this, okay?"

So Sylvester curled up in the corner of my front room, and I watched him carefully. Sure enough, he began to fade away.

And then I woke up.

Want to read more about Sylvester? Find out what happens when he first meets the three little pigs in Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre!

Copyright (c) 2009 by Mariah James

The Marriage of a Beauty and a Beast (excerpt)

2009-06-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon: Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre

...

Have you ever watched the moon rise? It starts out as a faint halo around the top of the mountain.

Beast may not be the perfect gentleman, but I've found that there's more to him than meets the eye. He is very generous and will provide for my ever need. I never fear for my safety when Beast is near.

Then the glow sneaks slowly over the sky and the clouds become as white as the snow under a noon-day sun.

He is always so kind to me, in a gruff sort of way. And he's my friend. Beast and I often talk for hours about the things that are closest to our hearts. I know that he will never judge me for anything I say, and he knows that I will always treat him the same way.

Now, after several minutes with just the sounds of the night to keep me company, the first sliver of moon peeps out from its hiding place.

[end of excerpt]

[cropped picture from the story]

Want to read more? Curious to see how the moonrise and the story of Beauty and Beast fit together? Read Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre to find out!

Goldilocks: excerpt from the introduction

2009-06-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Coming soon: Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre

[Here's an excerpt from my introduction:]

"Someone's been reading my book," Papa Bear gruffly said.

"Someone's been reading my book," said Mama Bear, a little less gruffly.

"Someone's been reading my book," Baby Bear squeaked, "and read the whole thing!"

"That's because your book is so tiny," Papa Bear grumbled.

"Papa!" scolded Mama Bear. "Baby Bear's book is the perfect size!"

And Goldilocks had to agree, as she remembered Papa Bear's huge book she had dropped on her foot, and Mama Bear's medium-size book that she had had trouble holding on her lap.

[end of excerpt]

Want to read more? Check out Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre!
Copyright (c) 2009 by Mariah James

Preview: Cinderella?

2009-06-04T06:57:00.001-07:00

Coming soon: Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre

Watch out for Cinderella! She intimidates her stepmother and stepsisters. She learned her manners from servants. She commands the prince to dance with her. She is certainly surprising in all of her moods: feigned indifference,

"Hey, we're going to the ball tonight, and you can't come!"

"Whatever."

sadness,

"I really wish that I could go to the ball. Now I don't have anything to do all night except mope around by the fireplace."

shock,

"Whoa! Sparkly, shiny lady with wings in my kitchen!"

indignation,

"Why'd you have to spoil my best pumpkin? I was going to make it into a pie!"

frustration,

"Fairy godmothers! only give me until midnight and then waste the time until eleven fussing about the dress!"

and more.

Read Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairy Tales by Mariah B. Forre to find out what happens to Cinderella!

Copyright (c) 2009 by Mariah James

A Fairly Tale (excerpt)

2009-06-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Coming soon: Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairytales by Mariah B. Forre

Lark came into my office and solemnly watched me as I jotted down a few notes about Jack and his beanstalk. I set my papers aside and she climbed into my lap.

"Will you tell me a story, please?" she asked, slipping her thin arms around my neck and pressing her cheek against mine. "The story of Snow White?"

And so I began.

* * * * *

Once upon a time, there was a king who had only one daughter. The girl's mother had died, so the king remarried. However, as the little girl grew in beauty, so did her stepmother grow in jealousy. The girl had hair black as midnight, lips red as a rose, and skin white as snow. She was called Snow White."

"Don't make her as pretty as all that," put in Lark. "And don't make the stepmother too wicked, either. That's unrealistic."

The girl was fairly beautiful, I amended, with fairly black hair, fairly red lips, and fairly white skin. She was called...

What do I call her now, Lark?" I asked, feeling rather perplexed.

She thought quietly for a moment and then, quite seriously, replied, "Paper White will do."

"Paper White, then," I said, all the while thinking that the story of Snow White had never been this complicated before.

She was called Paper White.

Her stepmother, a fairly wicked woman, was fairly jealous of Paper White, for she wished to be fairly the fairest in the land.

Despite her stepmother's jealousy, Paper White was safe from her fairly vicious wrath until, one fairly rainy day, Paper White's father, the king, died.

From that day on, Paper White was kept fairly busy as a servant--although she also had a fairly comfortable bed to sleep in.

Paper White did not mind her extra work; she was a fairly sweet girl. And so it happened that Paper White continued to become more beautiful even though she was now a servant.

The stepmother happened to own a fairly magic mirror. Every day she would ask the mirror,

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,

Who is fairly the fairest of them all?"

and each day the mirror would respond that the queen was fairly the fairest. But one day his reply was,

"Fairly fair art thou, I see,

Yet a fairly fairer maiden there be.

Her hair is dark, her skin is light;

She works for thee both day and night.

Her name, you know, is Paper White."

The fairly wicked stepmother was fairly upset at this announcement, and she almost flew into a rage. Instead, she called in her woodsman, a fairly loyal fellow, and commanded him to take Paper White into the woods and there to...

"Kill her!" supplied Lark, almost jumping out of my lap in her excitement.

"But she's only a fairly wicked queen, Lark!"

"She was having a bad day. Give her a break!"

...and there to kill her.

[end of excerpt]

Read Ferdinard and Other Unexpected Fairytales by Mariah B. Forre for the rest of the story!