My Best Rec Is Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns. The Main Character Embroiders And She Uses Her Beauty As

My best rec is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. The main character embroiders and she uses her beauty as a weapon instead of physical strength. There’s also an empress who wants to be a mother more than anything.

I’m becoming bored with the anti-feminization of fantasy novels. I’m all for heroines who take up a sword, or who chafe against the expectations of their society. But can’t we have more heroines who like dresses and housework and embroidery and family life? We don’t just need heroines who do stereotypically masculine things. Because that perpetuates the sexism–women are only welcome if they’re just like the boys. We also need to show that stereotypically feminine tasks and roles can be heroic.

To that end, here are some suggestions:

The princess who arranges her own marriage, because someone’s got to make the alliance to save this kingdom and it may as well be her. (Extra points: her parents want her to be a knight, but she runs away from home because she would rather get married).

A heroine who really, really loves babies and want to get married and start a family.

Women who love doing embroidery,and comparing patterns and making up new designs. And maybe they embroider a map or two for the adventure, because paper can tear and get wet, and that’s not a problem for fabric.

A woman who has to wear trousers for a portion of the adventure–and hates them. They might be slightly more convenient for running, but they’re uncomfortable, and her legs are too warm, and can’t she please get into skirts again?

Mothers as fantasy protagonists. Caring for their children while also dealing with the demands of the fantasy plot. Queens who negotiate treaties and care for the demands of the castle and then go back to spend time with their children. 

Women who don’t get married and aren’t pressured to get married, but have a happy, successful single life–working as a spinster or running a farm or having any other sort of successful business.

Fantasy societies that are built around the fact that women get pregnant and have children. Bringing your children to the meeting of the fellowship is totally okay! You can run the castle while your children play at your feet! Women aren’t trapped in the house caring for the babies because babies are welcome!

There are loads of interesting things that can happen if stories go beyond the tropes and include the reality of female life. (And if anyone knows of fantasy novels that include some of these things, please point me toward them).

Some famous authors describe their characters as smelling like wind or musk. I just described one of my characters as smelling like a blown out candle.

It's more because I accidentally copied the plot. A girl with no friends but is good with magic moves away from home and ends up making friends with a group and together they defeat evil.

Also MLP fans are like the most disturbed people out there. They would love all the dark parts of my wip.

WIP Questionnaire

Thanks for tagging me @owlsandwich! This is such a cool tag. I'm tagging @poethill @spideronthesun @cssnder and I'll leave an open tag but no pressure as always!

I'll do this for both of my wips as well.

Spiritwalker

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

I actually created a lot before I started writing because I never thought I'd accomplish writing a book. It's murky since I didn't document anything for around a year, but I'm pretty sure I created the clans first.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I made a post about this not too long ago. It'd definitely be Daughter by Beyonce

3. Who are your favorite characters you've made? Why?

I have two different answers. My favorite in terms of craft is Daron. I think she's a really unique character and I'm impressed that I'm managing to pull off her personality. My favorite in terms of likability is Aria. She's sassy and really fun.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

I hate to say this but My Little Pony.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Making it make sense. I have a lot of different concepts and sometimes I forget them or struggle trying not to overstuff my work.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Yes! Aria has a wolf. It follows her everywhere and terrorizes people at her command. Daron also forms a bond with a horse.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Horse

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I'm editing chapter 20.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

Maybe magic schools and found family.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it'll get people talking. I'd love to see discourse about theories or little details I included the way I see for books like ACOTAR.

We Faceless Folk

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

I started from the beginning of the first chapter.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Where I Sleep by Emeli Sande.

3. Who are your favorite characters you've made? Why?

Yejin is my favorite. It's so fun to write and read her passive aggressiveness, even if she is insane.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Probably The Hate U Give.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Honestly, just writing it. I work so much on my other wip that I haven't had time to write much for this one.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Sadly, there are no animals.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

My main character drives.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

I don't even know. After I started at the beginning, I started writing random scenes from all over the story. I don't have chapters yet or any other sort of structure. I'm somewhere within the first draft, if you can call it that at this point.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

The useless police.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it'll create a change. I bring up several different types of racism and show their impacts. I hope reading about it will make people acknowledge its existence and try to change the system.

WIP Questionnaire

Thanks so much @verba-writing for tagging me in this!

I wasn't sure which of my 2 WIPs I should answer for, so I'm just going to do them both :P

I'll tag @pb-dot @teacupsandstarlight @eccaiia @stits @ahungeringknife @mundanemoongirl and leave an open tag (please jump in! This one is a lot of fun and I want to read about other's WIPs!)

The Mechanics of Magic:

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

A handwritten draft of what eventuall became chapter 3, written back in 2010

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

I'm not sure about a theme song, but I wrote most of Mechanics while listening to Portugal The Man, so something by them!

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

Oliver is my favourite character - I love how stressed he is, under the weight of his responsibilies, and I put a lot of myself into him. The character I love the most though might well be Morgan. He really sums up that question of what if a good person did something terrible? What is enough to earn redemption? I don't know if there is a clear answer on whether he deserves happiness, but I believe that he does, and because of that, maybe I can believe it for myself as well.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

I'm not actually sure! My stories aren't particuarly marketable.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Defining the genre. I have been told that it's not possible to create a new genre, but Mechanics doesn't appear to fit into any existing fantasy sub-genre.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

I wish there were more! Roy has a betta fish named Mr Shinysides (named after my friend's fish).

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

The word is very similar to the UK in the 00s, tech-wise, so usually cars and trains, though I think they might have air travel as well.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

Going through all the changes the editor made and signing off each chapter for the final edition.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

Tropes... maybe found family? I love how they all come together, despite being from very different walks of life. I have canonly autistic characters as well, though even the ones that I didn't intend to be autistic, probably are (it's hard to make characters that don't share some of my fundamental way of thinking).

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

I hope it can find the people who need it, and that they might love these characters as much as I do.

Burning The Darkness:

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

I imagined chapter 1 a month or so before I wrote it down, and played with the scene over and over in my mind. I have a diary note somewhere musing on whether I should actually write it.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Surely it would have to be Darkness At The Heart Of My Love - The Ghost song that inspired it!

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

I love Julian. His character allowed me to explore so many of my own feelings about being raised in someone's image, purged of kindness and softness, and the conditional love that comes with being a golden child (though I'd say he got more of that than I did). I smile when people say they dislike him.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

Again, I am not sure! People who like queer paranormal romance, but with layers of metaphor? This really is a story about discovering you are queer, even though it's about vampires.

Maybe Buffy fans!

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Overcoming the shame of having written a romance. It being paranormal with a bit of smut in it, makes me feel like people will think less of me and that no one will take the deeper themes seriously.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

There is a blackbird singing in one scene, but again I need to add more animals into my work!

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

Vampires are fast walkers, so they mostly just run around the place. Darkness is set in basically Eastbourne or Brighton though, so they have all the usual transport methods.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

Wondering what I should do with it really! I need to edit out the smutty scene in chapter 2, if I ever want to self publish it.

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

There's a lovely bit of enemies to lovers in there I think. Also Oren's arc is basically a direct metaphor for me realising I was trans and starting testosterone, so I'd love if other trans guys read it and related.

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

Kinda what I said before - I hope it can find its way to people who will love it. Particuarly I'd love to find a queer audience who might relate to the themes.

One day I would love to be traditionally published, but so far I haven't written anything that has stood a chance, so that's a dream for a future WIP!

Blank Questions:

What was the first part of your wip that you created?

If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

What part of your wip are you working on rn?

What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

What are your hopes for your wip?

Last Line Tag

Thanks for tagging me @rjcopeseethemald! I love the angst in your line.

Here’s mine:

He balled his hand into a fist and held out his arm. The greeting was a pleasant surprise to me. Witches used to use it all the time when seeing someone familiar or when their encounter came to an end, but it phased out centuries ago when humans imposed their culture on us. I had never seen anyone use it for its intended purpose—only as a demonstration. I outstretched my fist as well and tapped it against Leon’s forearm as his fist tapped mine.

I’ll tag @poethill @cssnder and anyone else who wants to participate. As always, no pressure

can we just talk for a minute about how fucking INSANE those obscure middle grade books are with intricate plot lines and higher vocals then both children’s, YA, and adult lit; eccentric characters, random magic, and truly horrifying random imagery. they rllly are like when ur 13 you feel like ur eating urself alive and also u want to run the world. cereal doesn’t taste the same as when you were seven and ur secretly convinced u might be going insane. also there’s a magic portal but all of ur childhood dreams are shattered and everyone is ignoring it bc ur just a teenage girl.