Jacob and The Epics of India

  A Fixed Mindset Could Be Holding You Back     I think that this article is quite relevant to me. While I don't necessarily think that I'm always right or always the best at something, I often do get stuck on one idea or method, and rarely revise. I think that having a growth mindset is extremely important when it comes to writing because you will always make mistakes and there will always be a better way to word something. In creative writing, it is important to be able to accept criticism and learn from it. How To Overcome Perfectionism     Perfectionism is something that I have struggled with for a long time. Firstly, I am OCD. Not just in the "Every painting has to be straight" kind of way, but truly OCD. So being a perfectionist has impacted many areas of my life. Also, I grew up doing very competitive gymnastics. I think that my time doing gymnastics definitely conditioned my brain to always strive for perfection and efficiency. Now, this isn't always a s...

 The First topic that I came across which interests me is The Gods/Devas. I think that there are a lot of interesting ways to write stories about the gods. Learning about the gods and goddesses of different religions is something that I have a lot of interest in. I am spiritual so focusing on the spiritual side of things would be right up my alley. I think it would be cool to do a more sci-fi version of the gods. Or, perhaps doing a story about the gods in a superhero-style would be pretty cool. I'm not sure if I would focus on one particular god, or write about many of them. But I'm sure I will learn more about them as the semester goes on.  Khan Academy has a really good page about the various Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The next topic that I am considering is Reincarnation. As someone who is spiritual, I am very interested in learning about what happens after death whether it be heaven, or perhaps reincarnation. I recently watched the Netflix series " Surviving Death ...

Matthew was running faster than he knew he could. The house seemed to go on forever, and he had no idea where his friend had gone. "If I find Josh I'm going to kick his ass", he muttered to himself. "I can't believe he roped me into exploring another haunted house".  Matthew had known Josh for quite a long time. Josh was the quiet kid who always got great grades, but was secretly a thrill chaser. Matthew, however, was known to be kind of a troublemaker in school. Teachers always got onto him about talking too much, or not turning in his homework. The two became close friends after they discovered a shared interest in all things supernatural. It turned out though, that Matthew was actually quite a scaredy-cat compared to Josh. Josh would find nearby abandoned buildings for the two to explore in search of ghosts. Every trip before this one had been exactly the same. They explore the house for a while, find some minorly creepy items, try to contact the ghosts, ...

 My favorite of the stories was  The Turtle and the Geese  by Ellen C. Babbitt.  I really appreciated how, despite being quite simple and short, the story has a very good message. The moral of the story is basically don't be a loudmouth, something many people today struggle with. The Characters of the story are: The Turtle - not intelligent, naive, mostly friendly The Geese - seem to be wise, peaceful, friendly The Village Children - normal kids, mock the turtle While this story is short, I feel like there are many ways to alter it while keeping the same theme. Canadian Geese  Pixabay

 I have chosen to read "Tiny Tales from the Ramayana". My decision was mainly because I often have a hard time sitting still and reading for long periods of time, so the short stories will be a much better format for me. I also like the layout of the website and pdf version, and I appreciate the inclusion of the illustrations or pictures.  The first comic book that caught my attention was  Stories of Creation  because I really like learning about different religions and their views on creation and death. The second comic book was  Tales of Shiva  because I am interested in learning more about Shiva. My high school world history class taught us a little about Hinduism, Buddhism, and India, so I am eager to learn more. The first video on the playlist that caught my eye was  Ancient Technology - Atlantis and India  because I love learning about the idea that many old civilizations or cultures possessed far more advanced technology than we think. I ha...