#Magicday

Tags

acceptance, anger, love, magic, Magicday, mobs, understanding

I have a lot of feelings today. Feelings that make me want to hide from the world.

Magic is needed.

I want to send magic to a writer friend.

People make mistakes. We mess up without a clue that we did anything wrong until one person reacts with rage…then another and another until the mob has formed and someone is left shattered.

The magic for today…

Understanding.

Acceptance.

Forgivness.

Those happen only when we practice them.

When the bandwagon drives by, take a moment before you blindly leap on board…breathe. Remember that on the other end of the rage, of the finger pointing, of the vicious mob is a human being.

When that person needs a moment, give it.

When someone apologizes, let them, and accept it.

No one is perfect. Everyone has their own lives and experiences and not one of them is more important. Everyone deserves respect. Look past the mistake and see the person.

What a world we could create if we listen, if we build each other up, if we accept.

Make magic today by spreading understanding. Make magic today by seeing the good. Make magic today.

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Believe in Heroes

Tags

acceptance, be a hero, Believe in heroes, fear, humans, sadness, thoughts

Believe.

In.

Heroes.

Those three words sat on a T-shirt. And I stopped. And I stared. And my heart stuttered with a realization.

We’ve stopped believing in heroes.

The last Captain America movie. Batman vs. Superman. Suddenly we’re questioning the motives of these caped wonders, when once we cheered. Suddenly we’re trying to put rules on them instead of accepting what they do.

Who are we to control them? To control anyone?

We fear our world is spinning out of control, so we reach for a way to tighten our grip.

We aren’t looking for heroes. We’re looking for bad guys, for people to blame.

We scream…

 

SCREAM…

 

SCREAM…

Into the void that is the Internet. We call for change. We point fingers and demand everyone see the world the way we see it…for everyone to hear every idea we pour into the world from our tired, tattered minds.

And we think we can magically make everyone agree with us.

Everyone’s minds are twisted with rage at so many things. Different things. So we yell louder about the injustices that matter to us, about the help that is needed, about the change that must happen.

But no one is listening. All the crying opinions have become a chaotic ball of noise, a giant, scary wad of “You’re wrong and I’m right!”.

The fact that there is no wrong and no right has been forgotten, lost to the darkness of blame. The world has been turned upside down with terrible events, and people have been drowning in sadness and frustration and fear. There are no heroes coming to save us. And even if they did, would they do it the correct way? Who gets to decide?

Life is a series of moments. People act in those moments, choosing the way that works best for them, choosing based on their emotions, their beliefs, their strengths and weaknesses, on what will help them and the ones they love.

This makes us Human.

Later we analyze, we judge, we go through every scenario and decide how situations should have been handled. We find all the faults. We argue. We yell. We scream.

How does this help?

Things happen. And there is no one to blame. For if people act out of desire to help, and they do the best they can, should we place the weight of what went wrong on their shoulders?

Sometimes we need to pick ourselves up and move on.

Without judgement.

Without analyzing.

Without screaming.

Without trying to control every bit of life.

But with listening. People were affected, emotionally changed. Help them find a light in the dark.

With support. Instead of screaming at how things were handled wrong, tend to the mental state of the people involved. Understand what they were thinking, what they were feeling, and why they acted the way they did.

The truth is…

We can’t control everything and not everyone acts with good intentions.

And no one will agree. Ever.

Utopia will only work if everyone gets their own because everyone’s idea of perfection is different. Who are we to decide what’s right for the entire world?

Let’s remember that we’re all Human, that we’re all looking for the same things. To be happy. To find our place in the world. To surround ourselves with people and things we love. That’s enough. The rest of the world will never be that wonderful magical place of perfection you envision. Make your part of the world that place, allow others to have theirs. To be accepted, you must accept.

Let’s remember that this is not the first time in the history of our race (the Human race) that there has been violence, been fear, been hate and a cry for help. We will survive. We will get stronger. And, yes, we will repeat the lessons over and over again.

Humans. We are beautiful, wrapped in all our flaws and crazy emotions. 

Believe.

In.

Heroes.

But don’t look for them.

Be.

That.

Hero.

 

 

Change

Tags

acceptance, change, enjoy life, find a happy place, love is love, need something new, thoughts

I’m not a big supporter of change. It scares me to be honest.

But it happens. All the time.

Most of the moments when life switches directions, it’s out of our control. We hang on for the ride, doing the best we can to make it work, to keep smiling and keep living.

There are other times when we seek out change.

I am standing at one of those moments, staring at my life wanting something more, something different.

What will that be? I don’t know. It could be as simple as a new haircut or a fancy schmancy shirt.

The need for change happens to me when I find myself in a happy place. When all the strangeness of life balances to a point where I don’t feel like I’m not doing enough, like I’m not good enough.

Right now, I’m not drowning. I’ve accepted my imperfections, embraced what I can do and let go of what I can’t. I’ve allowed myself time to keep up with yard work, the pool, working out, housework, spending time with the family, and writing…as well as getting the kids to band practice and ball games.

This peace won’t last forever, it never does, so I’ll enjoy it.

And because I kinda like myself now, I want something new, something to show that I am kinda awesome and express me being…well, me.

Yea me!

The world is also standing on the edge of change, searching for a way to be better, demanding more of all its people.

My hope, that in this crazy world of political insanity and meaningless actions, we can all find that happy place, find peace and learn to like ourselves enough to seek out change, a something new that brings us joy.

I wish…

Peace to all who have none.

A somewhere better for those who have had their lives stolen by disease, by mental health issues, by the evil acts of someone else.

The ability to be exactly who you are without fear of judgement.

With change, we will rise above the darkness, but everyone in their own way, in their own life… and bit by bit light will spread into the world.

Change can be scary, but is necessary and can also bring greatness. We’ve seen it throughout history.

Love yourself. If you can’t, find help.

Love others. If you can’t, find a way to accept, to not judge, to let everyone chose their own path to happiness.

Change the world.

Love is love is love is love is love is love is love…

Changing Perspective

Tags

acceptance, changing perspective, characters, different voices, diversity, writing

I like to keep my eyes and mind open for any stray ideas and thoughts, for opinions that might affect my own.

For a while now, I’ve been watching on Twitter as more people call for diversity, for all the groups that haven’t had a voice to speak up. People of color. Disabled. Adopted. LBGQTA (I don’t know all the letters, so forgive me). Those suffering from mental illness. I like this. As an artist and a writer, I believe art is the perfect place for new voices and those voices will add a lot to the world.

However, as a white, middle class…boring whoever. I can’t add a lot to those voices.

Or maybe I can…

I am about to begin writing book three in my DOORS series, the first of which will be published…eventually. And I’m glad that it hasn’t been. Because I have a bit to rewrite.

All the talk on Twitter, pointed to me being stuck in one way of thinking. Stuck. This is not good. And because of these new thoughts in my head, I am rethinking one of the races I created. The Dorn.

As I wrote book two, the Dorn people started talking to me, telling me so many things about their home, their lives, and themselves. They are not born. They are given life by energy and are pulled from the rocks of their mountain home.

So why, in book one, did I write male/female Dorn? I know why…because that’s how it should be. Except no, it doesn’t. On the Dorn world, there is no procreation. Therefore, two genders isn’t necessary. So I’m changing it. And it feels right to portray them as who they are. It feels good to listen to them and learn about them. All the worlds out in the universe aren’t going to be like ours. I’m good at making up interesting worlds and beings, of thinking up new cultures and creatures, of building worlds not like ours…but I didn’t see how I was stuck in giving all the races two genders, influenced by what I know, by the life I have lead.

To be honest, when I wrote the female Dorn, they didn’t quite fit, but I thought they had to be there. And why hadn’t the Dorn told me this before? Because they’re mean? Maybe, but their true purpose in the series has been revealed and it’s bigger than I originally thought. But no I’m not telling…

From listening to others, I have learned, grown. I see how I was stuck in one idea and am crawling out of that rut and seeing the possibilities. 

And this has allowed me to listen to all my characters. My main character has revealed her own truth, one I am happy to let her live.

When Doors edits appear in my in-box…I am prepared to right this wrong, to let these people be who they are.

Kinda like what we all should do in real life. Acceptance: good in books, but AWESOME in reality.

Be the Change

Tags

acceptance, be the change, Mahatma Gandhi, positivity, smile, The Blind Side, thoughts

The Blind Side is one of my favorite movies. I don’t know all the lines, but I do know the feels. It gives me hope for the world.

And the world needs hope. It’s getting frightfully hazardous out there. Every time I turn on the TV or my computer, a tiny bit of panic creeps into my brain. What terrible thing will I see? What angry words will fill my screen? More and more hate covers our lives.

Those words. They inspire other angry words. They don’t change anything.

Ranting about what’s wrong with the world, won’t change it. See a problem? Act.

Put aside judgement. Stop yelling. Stop pointing fingers and throwing out meaningless words like right and wrong. Everyone gets to have their opinion. We should know by now that words will not change those. It’s not about changing opinions, not about screaming louder, but about acceptance.

I tell kids all the time. I’ll let you have your opinion, but you have to let me have mine.

However, actions- quiet actions can make the world better.

Don’t try to change anyone, just follow your heart.

Making the world a better place starts in our own little worlds, in our homes and towns. The smiles we plant will spread.

 

A Day of Joy and Sadness

Tags

acceptance, be you, doubt, rejection, support, thoughts, writing

Yesterday brought me two extremes.

I cried tears of joy, squeeeeeeing uncontrollably, one moment and fell into complete sadness the next. {HUGS} to those friends, who let me into their lives and shared their emotions.

How strange life can be. How weird and unpredictable this world we live in actually is. Living the life of an artist, brings an uncontrollable element – other people. Those who create beauty either with words or paint or whatever exist to share what they do and with that comes the fabulousness of acceptance and the devastation of rejection.

We can’t do what we do without people to receive it. And we want people to read our words, experience our art. And, lord help us all, we want people to LIKE what we do.

Therein lies the problem. That bad review… that rejection waving the red flag of failure. In our minds, we know not everyone will like what we do, we know the rejections will come. And no matter how many you get, they hurt! Our hearts scream that we’re not good enough. But we can’t give up, I mean take a day to shovel chocolate in your face and feel like an utter waste of space, sure. Then get up. Find friends who can remind you how awesome you are (and listen to them, people, they know stuff). Because the person who is wiping away tears of joy one day might not feel so hot the next. The despairing person licking the bottom of the carton of ice cream at 3 am might be celebrating a victory hours later.

I’m hovering somewhere in-between hope and giving up completely. I’m cheer leading for my friends. I’m CPing. I’m working on short stories, because they’re fun. I’m waiting (not patiently) for a new story contest to be announced… AH! And then panic because what if I enter and I suck! *breathes*

As I linger here in limbo, I take stock of my victories and sit with my doubts. If my life means forever cheer leading? That’s okay. I will continue to critique others’ manuscripts, because, when someone says that my comment helped them make their story better, I sit up straighter and smile brighter.

But I won’t ever stop writing. I won’t ever stop sending my words out into the world, hoping someone loves them. That darn dream.

The world is weird. The life of an artist is strange, unexplainable, a roller coaster of emotions. Get on the ride. Enjoy it. Relish the fact you get to ride even when turns evil. For all my writer friends, (and we won’t dwell on the sad fact that most of them exist on Twitter) stay awesome, keep supporting each other, share encouragement, share your words.

In the end, figure out who you want to be and BE THAT PERSON. You can’t ever fail at being you. EVER.

 

Pacing, Squealing, Stalking

Tags

acceptance, editors, life of a writer, rejection, revisions, thoughts, waiting, writing

Ah, the magic of waiting, of biting your fingernails, of right at the edge of stepping into a dream!

Writing means rejection. Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of those. They hurt. They cause sobbing, self-doubt, and overall panic.

But, there is another side of writing. Acceptance. It’s a little harder to find, but will cause ear-splitting screaming.

Last November, I entered a short story contest ProjectREUTSway put on by Reuts Publications because it sounded like fun. Take a fairy tale twist it, crumple it up, add some strange paranormal element and BAM! awesomeness. I needed a break from all my revisions. I wanted to write, new stuff, weird, scary, creepy stuff. So for four weeks, I read the assignment on Sunday, wrote something, and send it in by Thursday. Then I waited for Saturday when Reuts would post top looks, excerpts from their favorites from that week. I waited with my heart in my throat.

I was doing it for fun! Except I wasn’t. The prize called me. Those top look spots haunted me. At the end of the contest, winners would be chosen … those stories would get a spot in an anthology. I wanted to be published. I WANTED IT SO BAD.

Well, week three an excerpt from my story appeared on top looks. I screamed. I cried. I celebrated with my Twitter friends.

When the contest was over, I waited for what seemed like forever for the list of winners. A list of authors whose stories had been chosen as winners to be in the anthology or runners up to be posted on Reuts’ blog.

I WAS ON THE LIST! I screamed. I cried. My entire body shook with excitement.

But it wasn’t enough to be on the list. I needed to know how many of my stories had been chosen and for what … the anthology, the blog. AH! I waited another month for the list of stories to appear.

I wanted … I NEEDED at least one of my stories to be in the book. (pretty much like EVERYONE else)

The morning of the announcement, I thought I was going to puke … or have a heart attack. I hadn’t slept well the night before, I couldn’t focus. It wasn’t just me, right … all my Reutser friends? When the post went up, I stared at it, afraid to look. Not looking meant not knowing and that allowed hope to live. If my stories weren’t chosen to be in the anthology, that was okay. Right?

No.

So I looked. I held my breath. I pushed aside my nerves.

Two of my stories were chosen as winners. One was chosen as a runner-up … which was just posted on the PRW Runner-up tour last week http://blog.reuts.com/prw-runner-tour-liar-liar-kathleen-palm/. EEEEEKK!If you heard screaming on the final day of January. It was me.

Even more exciting, last week I received e-mails giving me the name of the editors I will be working with to make my stories awesome. So I keep running over to my Google Drive to look at my words waiting for comments. Nothing yet. I am so flippin’ excited! I can’t even … *flails*

Anyway, what about that fourth story I wrote? I revised it with the help of my fabulous CP Elsie Elmore   (http://elsieelmore.com/  and @ElsieWriter on Twitter) and sent it to a magazine. Fingers crossed, kids. I should hear from them next month … maybe. Hopefully.

So I wait. Someone should have warned me about all this insanity-causing waiting before I joined the club. Seriously. *headdesk*

But we submit. We wait. Because we write. Sharing the words is important. *high five*

Even though this post is all about me … that’s all I got, people … so many of us have these stories. The tales of triumph, tales of heartbreak, tales of thinking your head will explode with all the wondering and panicking. The life of a writer. Who would do this to themselves?

Anyone want to play a game? I have Dr. Who Monopoly and HP Clue.

Oh My Magical Wow … Someone Mentioned Me!

Tags

acceptance, blogs, friends, honored, life, magic, The Versatile Blogger Award, thoughts, Twitter, writing

So when I first ventured into Twitter and then blogging, I decided to do it for fun. I mean if it’s not fun … why? I’m old enough to know that being yourself and being able to state your opinions is a gift. Life should be fun, exciting, full of all the happy. Share what makes you YOU and … just be.

When I suddenly had followers on Twitter, I nearly died. Why would anyone follow me? But hey, I am having fun so everyone is welcome! I began to make friends on Twitter. An e-mail popped up, saying so-and-so mentioned you on Twitter, I fell on the floor.

During Pitch Madness, I made connections. When I participated in ProjectReutsway last November, I felt as if I had been accepted into the fold.

Through Twitter I began to find blogs. And then last February, I started this one. I am new here. *waves*

I met the fabulous Debbie Vega while we entered a short story each week in November for that fantastic ProjectReutsway contest with Reuts Publishers. We laughed, we cried, we celebrated, trying to keep everyone in the mix sane. She nominated me for the Verastile Blogger Award … wait … what? Holy wow, Batman. I am completely honored. So, I need to do a few things. First …

Thanks Debbie! Go check out her blog. http://debravega.wordpress.com/ I love her focus on everything entertainment.

Second … I’d like to pass on some of my favorite blogs. I’m supposed to name 15 … let’s see …

Rena Olsen is a fabulous writer … read her latest short story Envy! http://penandmuse.com/spring-fling-envy-rena-olsen/ So good! She is always there with a smile. Follow @originallyrena on Twitter. Her blog is funtabulous. http://renaolsen.com/

Jamie Adams http://jamieadamswriting.wordpress.com/ is another Twitter friend (@Jamie_Adams22)! Her blog is honest and fun! Just a fabulous person.

TA Brock http://ta-brock.blogspot.com/ (@TA_Brock) is a fellow ProjectReutsway writer. Her book Fatal is a unique take on zombies and I really enjoyed it. She supports her writer friends and is an all around great person.

Elsie Elmore http://elsieelmore.com/ (@elsiewriter) helped me with one of my ProjectReutsway entries. Since then we have connected as CPs. What a great writer and friend. Her blog is full of inspiration and honesty, book reviews and cover reveals. I look forward to reading her upcoming book … The Undead: Playing for Keeps. I can’t wait for the cover reveal on July 23rd!

Jamie Ayres http://jamieayres.com/ blog is pretty awesome, as she’s always willing to share her thoughts and support a fellow author. You can find her on Twitter @jamiemayres and be sure to check out her books 18 Things and 18 Truths.

Judy Post http://writingmusings.com/2014/06/01/writing-time-the-illusion-of-control/ is the fearless leader of my writers’ group. If you need a kick in the pants to get writing, she’ll be happy to give it to you. Her blog is full of thoughts on writing and life. Her books are full of magic! Follow her on Twitter @judypost

Kisa Whipkey http://kisawhipkey.com/ is an editor extraordinaire, writer, and artist! Her blog has oodles of info on editing, writing, laughter, and if you need advice on writing fight scenes, she’s your girl. Find her on Twitter @kisawhipkey.

Summer Heacock’s blog http://www.fizzygrrl.com/ will make you laugh and smile with her stories of life. Find her on Twitter @Fizzygrrl.

Ami Allen-Vath http://amiallenvath.wordpress.com/ blog is one to visit. Fun and honest, you’ll get to know a great person. Follow her on Twitter @amilouiseallen.

Carrie Rubin http://carrierubin.com/ blog can flip from writing to medical, cause she’s awesome. Find her on Twitter @carrie_rubin.

Drew Hayes http://www.drewhayesnovels.com/ needs a super hero cape. He has a hand in everything. He is revealing his writing process by writing a book on his blog. He is helping authors learn the art of writing web serials. He was also a ProjectReutsway writer! He has a book coming out this July called ‘The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant’.  @DrewHayesNovels on Twitter.

Heidi Norrod http://heidinorrod.webs.com/apps/blog/ will always share a smile and teach you to laugh in a bajillion different languages. Follow her on Twitter @HRNorrod. Join her in her quest to write 10 short stories this month!

Emily Toynton (@emmyshine) http://emilytoynton.wordpress.com/ is well into her 90 day writing challenge, so go check it out.

Tanager Haemmerle (@dreamoffire) http://writingrevelations.blogspot.com/ is just a fun and magical artist and writer. She’s always off creating, so be patient with her twittering and blogging. She is a fellow ProjectReutsway illustrator!

Felicia Anderson (@fifi_the_Ninja) http://fifitheninja.wordpress.com/[/embed] is a fellow ProjectReutsway writer! Great blog and great person. I got to trade first pages with her along ago and have my fingers crossed to read her ms as a book someday.

Oh my gosh. I think that’s 15. *collapse*

Third … I am supposed to share seven things about me.

*takes a deep breath* I am really boring, so try not to fall asleep.

1) I believe in faeries. No need to clap. They’re there, existing beyond the limits of our vision. Yup. I have plans to build a faerie house.

2) My obsession with Little House on the Prairie borders on weird. I own all the books and the entire TV series on DVD. I have been to Laura and Almanzo’s house in Mansfield Mo., I STOOD WHERE LAURA STOOD! I nearly cried.

3) My BA in art sits tucked away on a shelf. I wanted to be an illustrator. With my drawing set to be published in the Reuts twisted fairy tale anthology, my dream has come true. Someday I would love to write and illustrate a book.

4) I am a stay-at-home mom of two. My son and daughter are 13 months apart and no, that wasn’t planned. And yes I nearly lost my mind during the first five years. I made it, not sure how. It’s all a big blur.

5) Where ever I go, I end up surrounded by kids. They seem to like me. I will choose to join a group of kids rather than adults. Possibly because I think more like the kids than the adults, but no one will hold that against me. Right?

6) Roller coasters rock! I will ride all day, non-stop.

7) I played the violin from 5th grade to 12th grade. I love classical music. Sitting in the middle of an orchestra playing Wagner sends tremors of joy up my spine. My music of choice is movie soundtracks … epic, powerful soundtracks. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Narnia, Indiana Jones … you get the idea.

I am completely in awe of the friends I have made on Twitter. I am shocked when I am asked to participate in blog hops and critique stories. It’s like magic. And I believe in magic.

And that’s me. Still awake?

Smiling? Yes?  Good. Life is better with smiles.

Short Story Magic

Tags

acceptance, fun, reading, rejection, short stories, thoughts, writing, writing contests

I like short stories.

I read them because they’re fun. I especially like the stories that hit me like an episode of the Twilight Zone, leaving a bit of strange in my brain or feelings in my heart. Ones that change me. Novels can do that too, but with shorts it’s more of a … BAM!

I started writing shorts to acquire publishing credits. Ten years ago, when I began typing words, e-books were not everywhere, you could submit to bigger publishers, and having publishing credits in your query was good and that letter to the editor I wrote just wouldn’t cut it. Overall, the idea of needing to be published to get published seemed a little crazy to me and I feared my head would explode, still do, but I pushed on. I wrote a couple of short stories and sent them to Writer’s Digest Short Story Competition. And I received an honorable mention (meaning I finished somewhere between 11 and 100). Yea for me! Holy moly! Maybe I can do this writer thing.

But writing shorts taught me something I hadn’t expected. The contest had word limits. I had to pick and choose what words were really necessary for the story. I learned to cut, delete, say good-bye to the needless ramblings I love so much. That doesn’t mean I don’t write too many words all the time, it just means that I know I do it and will at some point recognize it and throw them away.

I kept at this short story thing and entered more. Some didn’t do anything, but I won another honorable mention. Not quite as thrilling as the first, but good for me. I took one of the stories that hadn’t placed, rewrote it, and sent it to a magazine. And it was accepted. Possibly you heard me scream in joy. Although the honorable mentions were fun, I had a desire to see my name listed in the magazine in the top ten list. I entered one final time and my story placed ninth. Mission complete.

Last fall I entered the ProjectReutsway competition and had SO MUCH FUN! Deadlines and frantic writing and rewriting made me all warm and fuzzy. All the friends I discovered being the icing on the cake. Two of my four stories won their place in the upcoming anthology from Reuts publishers. One will be featured on their ProjectReutsway runner-up tour on their blog (found each Thursday). The final story, I rewrote, with a little help from a fabulous CP, and sent to a magazine. Now I wait.

But because I have this blog, which can’t reject me, I have been dying to share what I write (good or bad), I added a page, a sample of what I do. My YA fantasy/humor The Day after I Died, Part 1 is a new addition to the menu. Check it out. Tell me what you think. Good or bad, I love all comments. Hopefully it leaves a bit of weird in your head and laughter in your heart.

Short stories carry their own magic. For writers we have less words to create a world or characters, to hold a reader’s attention and give that reader something entertaining. I learned a lot writing shorts and have become attached to reading them. I love Stephen King’s shorts and get my fix of twisted fairy tales each Thursday at Reuts publishers blog.

Anyone else out there like short stories? Writing them? Reading them? Or both?

Books vs. Movies

Tags

acceptance, Book Thief, books, books to movies, fiction, Harry Potter, movies, Narnia, Stephen King, thoughts

“AH! They’re making one of my favorite books into a movie!” I know I’ve joyfully screamed that phrase numerous time, sometimes accompanied by wild flailing.

After the excitement comes the fear, the worry … favorite characters, worlds, story … will I love it? Will it be what I want it to be?

And we begin pacing, chewing on our fingernails. What if it fails to impress?

I have heard so many people complain …

The movie wasn’t like the book.

Scenes were missing …

The story wasn’t right …

It just didn’t do a good job.

What were those movie people thinking?

I too am guilty of movie judging. And I can tell you the exact moment when I quit.

After seeing the movie ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, I exited the theater so upset at all the things they changed. All the mistakes ran wild through my mind. During the movie I grumbled, pulling on my HP nerd power to figure out exactly which scenes they cut, how they totally messed up the story … and how this movie (because of a new director) looked so different from the first two.

And then later that evening, I wanted to slap myself. I had just ruined my HP movie experience with all my nerdiness. I had just sucked away all the joy I could have had sitting in that theater with my popcorn. I love Harry and all his gang. I love Hogwarts. What had I done?

That’s when I vowed to never judge a movie by the book, to accept the movie for what it is … an adaptation. And I have found a new love for movies that differ from the books that inspired them. I enjoy having a different experience with each.

Overall, the Harry Potter movies and books give us the same feelings, the same bigger picture, but separately they give us a little something different. If the two experiences were exactly the same … what would be the point?

The Last Unicorn movie had been one of my childhood favorites. Seriously, I had it memorized. Magic do your will!

Same with The Neverending Story. Atreyu!

So when I discovered the books as an adult I was really excited. The Neverending Story was so much more than the movie, which gave us one slice of that book. I was thrilled to read the rest!
The Last Unicorn, however, was exactly the same. Exactly. Hmmm. I was disappointed.

What’s wrong with changing the end of a book for a movie to surprise us? Knowing exactly what will happen is boring.

I flat out refused to see The Golden Compass movie because of my love for that series. I knew they couldn’t put in that movie what those books held. I did years later watch it and I enjoyed it for what it was, but no … they didn’t capture the essence of that book.

I love The Lord of the Rings … both versions, both experiences.

Now, The Hobbit had me confused. They reached the halfway point of the book in the first movie. How would they get two more movies out of the second half? By adding all sorts of scenes, by golly! Fun scenes. Action-packed scenes!

Well, okay then.

I think the Narnia movies took that series to a new level of cool. The books are fabulous, but as they are written for kids are fairly simple. The movies impressed me.

Percy Jackson … the books, the movies, it’s all fun.

If you’ve never read The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brain Selznik … read it. It’s just … well, read it. The movie? Hugo. Just as fabulous with a bit of added humor.

The Shining … Stephen King’s horrific tale is one of my favorite horror books. Everyone knows Jack Nicholson as Mr. Torrence, but that movie, as scary as it is, tumbles far from the book’s path. Even Stephen King was slightly disappointed enough to create a mini-series for TV, which follows the book well and is GREAT! I finally found it on DVD! Eeek!

I have read The Book Thief a couple of times. All the love for that story! I gifted a copy to my mom! It’s SO fabulous. So I bought the movie … and haven’t gotten the chance to watch it yet. So stay tuned for me hopefully screaming in joy with that experience. *crosses fingers*

And with the release of the movie Divergent, we face it again. No, I haven’t seen it, but I did like the book! But I plan on watching without dwelling on the book version.

Anyway, let’s not fight, kids. Let’s embrace all the different forms of the stories we love. We can all live happily.

Unless, well … poor acting, script writing … you know. Overlooking that might be difficult.

Forget, for a moment, of our need for everything to be perfect. It can’t be. As we do in life for EVERYTHING … people, jobs, relationships, accept things for what they are. Like it or don’t, but if we let go of all our high expectations for it to fill this mold in our heads, sometimes we might just find contentment.