Studio Ghibli: The Secret World of Arrietty and The Borrowers

I'm waiting in unbelievable anticipation of Studio Ghibli's latest feature film, "The Secret World of Arrietty." The film is based upon a book (which I will be studying as part of my children's literature classes at university this year) called The Borrowers by Mary Norton-- a well-known fantasy book originally released in 1952, about little people who live in the walls and beneath the floorboards of regular human houses. (Click here for an LA Times review on Arrietty.)

This book only just recently found it's way onto my bookshelf -- mostly because of the fact that I will have to be studying it later in the year. I remember many years ago watching the 1997 film starring starring John Goodman, but it never made much of an impression. When Charles De Lint released his own rendition of the original tale, titled Little (Grrl) Lost, I took a bit more interest. It was a bit more modern and edgy compared to the older stories, and I loved the mythology about how borrowers/little people were all originally birds who forget how to fly.

Studio Ghibli is well known for its animated fairy tale and fantasy films, such as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo. With Studio Ghibli, and in particular the films directed by Hayao Miyazaki, I found everything that I missed in Disney fairy tale movies: drama, beauty, and heart. While Disney tried to make a commercial product, Ghibli made art. Looking back, it was probably Studio Ghibli that provided some of my earliest influences in fantasy -- namely, the 1985 film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It was released in the same year I was born, but I didn't see the film until perhaps 10 years later. It set the gold standard, in my mind, for animated films, fantasy stories and storytelling. Fantastically, ever since Studio Ghibli has never failed to inspire.

Creative Writing

Five months, a million cups of tea and two writer blocks later and I've finally completed the last short story for my portfolio - 4750 words of rough draft wonderfullness. Together with a few other stories, I can submit the portfolio with my application for University of Canterbury's 2011 short writing course. They only have 24 spaces so I am really really hoping I get in!

In addition, the finalists for Wildberries Journal of Mythic Fantasy issue 2 have been chosen and now just waiting on a few individuals to get back to me about some of the admin details. All goes well, hoping to upload and publish online sometime in the next week or two. The earthquake has upset so many things, it's great to get the ball rolling again.

Short stories and white fluffy dogs

Currently eating a delicious selection of fruits (bananas and seasonal feijoas) with my morning toast, covered in slatherings of organic blackberry jam. All this amazingness, served alongside a fresh cup of coffee with honey, almost makes up for the night I suffered last. It was rough. It was difficult. I came very close to violent hysterics. Twice. But I got through, then I slept, then I got up, and now - I eat.

I am currently dog-sitting two white fluffy dogs for my partner's mother while she is recovering from a cardiovascular procedure from last week. Yes, yes. They are cute. Whatever. It doesn't make up for the fact that they have a psychic ability to sense whenever I pick up my pen and attempt to work on any of my badly neglected fiction.

I have a portfolio due for submission at university by the end of the month. That might seem a lot of time to submit two 5000 word stories, but it isn't. Not when you included it alongside the other myriad of exams and essays I've got to write as well. So last night I pick up my notepad and start jotting down a flurry of ideas for one of the stories in question I've decided to submit. It's got everything I love in a short story: dark magic, transforming animals, men who juggle balls, etc.

But what happens?
Yep, that's right.
Bark. Bark. Bark.

Joel gets up, wanders to check on dogs, then goes back to bed.

Bark. Bark. Bark.

Joel sighs and gets up, wanders to check on dogs, glares at them and goes back to bed.

Bark! Bark! Bark!

Joel growls and gets up, wanders to check on dogs, yells at them, then goes back to bed again.

Bark Bark Bark Bark!!!

Joel gives up on story and brings the dogs to sleep with him.

Today, with the magical power of a second cup of coffee and a visualization in my mind's eye that I am a non-violent person, somewhat like Buddha, I continue on my dog-sitting adventures and desperately try to write 'the next great new zealand story'. Wish me luck.