Claer Starkland

Aspiring author, plant lover, marketing professional, family-fueled

[claerstarkland]

For #fairytaletuesday here's a little #haiku I wrote for one of my favorite #fairytales #thesteadfasttinsoldier https://www.instagram.com/p/CQt6blZHggV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

Trying to keep this in mind during these blazing hot days. "One benefit of summer was that each day we had more light to read by." -Jeanette Walls, The Glass Castle #thursdaythoughts #thursdayvibes #summerreading https://www.instagram.com/p/CQO912onrf1/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

Feeling fancy so I made a #haiku about #eastofthesunandwestofthemoon #thebear https://www.instagram.com/p/CP9aBpSHLlz/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

Just a little Sámi folktale wisdom for your Thursday. Story from "By The Fire." #folktales #thursdaythoughts #sami https://www.instagram.com/p/CPrODfXHam4/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

“Are we in danger?” she asked again, in a more serious tone she hoped would disguise the rattling sound like dry sticks that threatened to overpower her voice. Her grandfather looked at her now, his face tired and ashen. The stony grip on her arm softened but did not relinquish its hold, and his eyes reflected the damp despair of defeat. “Are we in danger?” He responded. He did not seem to be asking the question at all; he was simply repeating her words. “My dear,” he paused, briefly. “My heart is in danger of breaking.” #thebear #mywriting #fairytales https://www.instagram.com/p/CPWT1E6nkFk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

Runa felt the wind on her face as she looked over her herd of reindeer. It had been whispering as it made its way through the trees, and she was trying to listen. But she didn’t hear what it said so much as feel it – she felt it in the perpetually cold places, like the tip of her nose, her ears, her eyebrows. That’s where the voice of the wind lived: the endless cold. At least the wind here, at the top of the world, where the roots of the trees had to be deep, their trunks had to be thick, and their branches had to be strong to withstand the ceaseless blowing. It was the wind that put breath in their sails, and brought the warning scent of danger. Several reindeer shook their antlers as they grazed, some lifting their heads to the treetops around them. The wind at the top of the world talked to the reindeer too. The difference was that the reindeer knew what the wind was saying. #mywriting #thebear #fairytales https://www.instagram.com/p/CPJSCZ4nlhX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

Life's necessities #sunshine #freedom #alittleflower #hanschristianandersen https://www.instagram.com/p/CPCtz5CHtHg/?utm_medium=tumblr

[claerstarkland]

I love the simplicity of this quote from East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon. She wasn't afraid. And there you have it. #eastothesunandwestothemoon #quotes #quotestoliveby #notafraid https://www.instagram.com/p/CO1HDqqH2_e/?igshid=7s3yk3sgzk4o

[claerstarkland]

A #seashell is so much more than an #exoskeleton. Maybe a phone call to a mermaid? What do you think of when you see one? #thebearbyclaerstarkland #fairytale https://www.instagram.com/p/COzSSenno9-/?igshid=1h74rez9m3yqm

[claerstarkland]

Late Night Snippet

A white bear was running.

If anyone were to see him, it would look as if he didn’t have much time. Why or for what he didn’t have time wouldn’t be obvious, but he was clearly determined and even though his bright, winter-sea eyes wandered here and there, looking for something as he passed from snowdrift to snowdrift, it seemed as if he knew exactly where he was going. Despite his speed, his footing seemed a little unsure, as if he wasn’t used to running this way, or was taken aback at just how quickly the pine boughs and frigid streambeds passed him by.

The truth was that he definitely was not used to running this way, and his speed did surprise him indeed, though he had been moving for quite a while and the novelty of it all had worn off somewhere at the base of the second mountain range. He had been running since dawn, and had covered much ground in this airy, unearthly state. It had been both an exciting and remarkable feeling, but he could not enjoy it for what was weighing him down the most at this time was fear. There was much to be afraid of.

A small lake appeared, surrounded by thick trees and mist, and a string of softly glowing lights floated out from the forest toward the shore, pausing as if they were surprised by his appearance, then resuming their somber march toward the water as he passed. The Bear’s fears grew, even as he entered the treeline and the lake disappeared behind him. He hoped this would work, and that everything would turn out right. He just had to try. He had to keep going. He had to find her.

#mywriting #thebear

[claerstarkland]

Um excuse me what. How did I not know this book existed until literally 3 minutes ago??? #eastismyfavoritebook #edithpattou #fairytales 

[claerstarkland]

#fairytaletuesday Similar to the Scandinavian mara, the Sámi tell of an imp called deattán who transforms into a bird and sits on the chests of those who sleep, giving them nightmares. https://www.instagram.com/p/COvA2YVHeRo/?igshid=1d91y8dol4dpo

[claerstarkland]

“If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it.” -Beverly Cleary

This is what led me to write my own book, which I finally finished November of last year. The goal is to get it published by November of this year! #goals #thebear #wishmeluck