Novel Idea #2

For the second installment, this is probably best as a YA or children's book:

Using as many of the fairy tales you remember from childhood, write a story interweaving the stories into something that makes a logical whole world. Think of Shrek, only it doesn't have to be comedic, or too centered on nursery rhymes... remember, you don't have to make a whole series about it, though that worked well for several seasons, didn't it? Eh, Nick?

Feel free to go dark with this if you want to, turning the piece into horror, or selecting the more disturbing of Grimm's tales... whatever you choose to write about, even if you turn it into a modern crime novel, make it as realistic as you can, so that its fairy tale elements are woven into the fabric of the real world around us, but in surprising ways.

Or turn it into a poem, giving us enough clues so that we know who each person is, without your naming a single one of them. Let the glass slipper, the three bears, or the mirror tell us where we are and what you are drawing from.

Use the idea if you like, or leave it. I'll be back with more (let's hope I can keep this going through the whole month). 

Why I Love GRIMM

Although I watch television oh so rarely, I've had two shows this year that have maintained my interest, "Grimm" (Friday nights on NBC) and "Once Upon a Time" (Sunday nights on ABC). In the past, as with such shows as "Kings" and "Crusoe," it may mean my current addictions will be cancelled, but after seeing the latest "Grimm," I hope they aren't with all my heart.

Soooo dreamy!  (Courtesy of NBC)

Those of you who've been reading my blog for years know my particular appreciation of beefcake. Now, Nick does not fit the typical (he isn't Crusoe, after all), but he has gorgeous eyes and long eyelashes, dark hair, and an overdeveloped sense of duty, just like the Hubby. Very, very appealing. So far, the show has been more like a cross between "Law and Order" and The Sixth Sense, only he sees the beast in those around him instead of ghosts. Nick's a Grimm, you see, destined to fight the beasties out in the world, or at least in Oregon, where he works as a police detective.

It's been appealing so far, but I actually watched last week's episode TWICE. No joke. And I want to hug the person/people who wrote the teleplay for it--GOOD STUFF. Danger, sexual tension (that's pretty new), destruction on a different kind of scale, suspense through the whole creepy episode. Brilliant. Loved every minute of it.

Now, don't jump the gun on this, though. Don't go to the link above and watch the latest episode. It won't be half as cool if you haven't seen the show before. Go back and earn this episode. Watch at least two or three other ones, preferably all of them. Just like you shouldn't skip to the end of the book, you shouldn't skip around here, either.

Come to think of it, why do people skip to the end of a book? I HATE knowing what's going to happen, even with a short story. If some of you fine readers are also skippers, can you share some insight?

And watch "Grimm." Please. For once I'd like something I adore to last on television. It may very well be the first series I actually buy on DVD.