Marking Time with Tale Friends

The other day I was trying to conjure up my quarantine fantasy (not that being under quarantine should be anyone’s idea of a fantasy other than the whole stuck on a desert island with your dream lover, but that’s for another post). It included things like spending an entire day in bed with meals delivered up to my bedroom and reading an entire book, cover to cover, without interruptions. Actually, that last one figures in a lot of fantasies of mine!It got me thinking about what people do when they’re stuck at home and because this is a blog primarily about how I feel about fairy tales, it seemed only natural to consider what a quarantine would be like with one of them.First, I’d stress clean with Cinderella. I have a feeling even after the prince whisked her away from servitude, he’d find her scrubbing the throne room floor on particularly anxious days.The only sewing I do is the occasional button reattachment, so it might be nice to learn some handy crafts from the Valiant Tailor. Bonus: he knows how to brag and won’t mind if I crow about my meager accomplishments.After all that activity some peace and quiet might be in order and who better than to spend some moments of quiet contemplation with than The Little Mermaid (obviously pre-foaming). Shared meditation requires someone unobtrusive and she is it!Meditating makes me sleepy and I know Sleeping Beauty knows about napping through your troubles. It’s not the best way to deal with a problem, but it plays into my desire to spend an entire day in bed. She’d totally understand and never judge.Eventually I’d have to get up again and face the reality of all the people in my house who are quarantined with me. I love my family, but I love alone time too. To remind me of how lucky I am that I’m only sharing my home with two people and a dog, I’d switch with Snow White. Cooking, cleaning and sharing space with seven people—my nightmare!To clear my head after all that togetherness, I need to take a walk. Who better to invite along than Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma? They like the woods, despite the occasional double-talking wolf, and after you’ve survived being eaten, socially distant hiking should be a breeze.And lest your think I’d only hang out with the goody-goodies, I think some baking with the Old Woman in the gingerbread house, while risky, is worth learning how to make baked goods the size of building! And because I’d ask before nibbling on her frosted shingles, I think she’d forgo trying to make me into a pie.Lastly, Zoom cocktail hour with The Evil Queen because I am almost positive she can mix a mean drink!Who would you spend your quarantine with, if you could pull them out of your favorite stories?

Random Joy in Weird Times

Whenever I'm given unexpected good news, I think about the Valiant Tailor. It was a small thing, working away at his trade and then pausing for a snack only to be interrupted by pestering flies. He ended their buzzing with one blow and was so tickled by the fact he made himself a sash proclaiming the feat.These days it's the small victories that have to be celebrated. For an indie writer, small victories have to be gathered up whenever possible to make sense of the madness of wanting to make this a profession. But they do come.My novella, a small but meaningful project, languished for a while. I was going to make it into an audio book, but the costs were a touch prohibitive. Then I was alerted to the fact that Draft2Digital got their printing off the ground. I opted to try it and then thought nothing off it with the world slowing swirling out of control. Today I was greeted by a surprise package:Seeing it made me smile. And I think smiles are definitely victories. Hope you find your smile today!

The Valiant Little Tailor and Other Brave Declarations

If ever there was a fairy tale character to look up to, I think Grimm’s The Valiant Little Tailor should be at the top of the list. Here was a man who had no problems telling the world about his amazing deed, even though the “seven in one stroke” he killed were only flies who wanted his jam. It led to other great deeds with giants, unicorns and even marrying a princess.The reason I admire the Valiant Little Tailor (or VLT for short) is his ability to declare his accomplishments to anyone and everyone he meets. I think we all have parts of ourselves of which we’re proud, but don’t date tell anyone. Mine is easy—I’m a writer.I know that sounds like a statement from Captain Obvious, but I find it challenging to tell people I’m a writer. I have this recurring fantasy where I finally tell everyone while simultaneously passing around copies of my newly published book. In a sense, I’m a closeted writer and I only tell people I trust to keep it quiet.But why? As I continue to navigate the publishing world, words like platform and following keep popping up. I know my silence will only hurt my chances of generating buzz and keeps me from things like Facebook and Twitter. Even this blog has the name FairytaleFeminista, but I’ve never listed my name. It’s hard to put yourself out there, but people who want to make their living in creative fields have to do it constantly.Writing becomes so personal because it’s mostly you and your words inhabiting a cozy universe of your making. In this world you can delete the unpleasant bits, reword the awkward phrases, and configure personalities that fit into your creation. When your writing becomes public, you can’t erase what other people think, do, or write about your work. And honestly, who’s a bigger control freak than a person invents people and decides their fates based on the needs of a plot. Doctors have nothing on writers when it comes to a God complex!Was VLT on to something? Should we just emblazon our truth on a sash and wear it out in the world? When is the right time to “come out” to friends and family about your literary aspirations? Will it be more like a debutant announcing herself at a cotillion or am I declaring my alternative lifestyle, horrifying the practical 9 to 5ers in my life? Well, I’ve taken a few positive steps in that regard and introduced myself as a writer to a stranger. That was easy. Let’s try some more.Hello, my name is Ivia Cruz and I’m a writer. I’ve written three novels and I’m working on a fourth.That felt good.Now what should I do about that LinkedIn page?How about you? What’s your VLT story?