Jaycee Woods

Last year, I started editing one of my early story drafts, but stopped after had edited a page and a half. I solicited feedback from a sympathetic reader on that small chunk. Despite the feedback being valuable, I did permit it to crush my confidence a little until after I practiced by writing more and varied drafts.

Recently, I restarted and finished the first pass editing that old story. While only 8,700 words, it was my longest edited story at that point.

Originally began as a forced bride, arranged marriage, story, by the time the draft was complete, it was about using deceitful means to achieve a desired end. Not advocacy but more a story about ethically mixed characters to inspire thoughts weighing the good and bad of their choices & actions. Rated PG-13 by my guess, it puts the horror back into a fairy tale.

The working title is “The Princess’ Lesson.” During drafting, the characters did not have the identity of names but only roles as if a stylized M2 tale like a medieval morality play or a Soviet era “A Girl and Her Tractor.”

The king became Leonato as Copilot gave me a list of Shakespearian characters when I asked for literary examples of fathers desiring to make a good marriage for his daughter. So adapted from “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The prince became Henri as Copilot said Disney France claims that as the given name of Prince Charming.

The princess became Varuca after Varuca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I wanted a name already well known as associated with a spoiled girl. Also, I know that means that she is Princess Wart.

The general became Sargon. Yes that is a reference to Carl Benjamin. Why? Sargon is one of those liberal atheists who changed to become apologists for religion & cultural Christianity as they view many people as too dimwitted & decadent to make moral choices unless in fear of the Invisible Sky Daddy or constrained by a straight jacket of traditionalism.

Based on the selected names, the story was relocated from medieval Germany to Lombardy.