Hello, Patrons! It’s time for another A LOOK BACK post, my reflective series wherein I’ll share some tidbits from my published stories, including my inspiration, personal details, and what the story really means to me now. In this second feature, I’ll be diving into my classic story, “The Paper Bag Princess”.

A self-proclaimed “ugly” woman bed strangers at the bar, covering her face with a paper bag each time. Then she meets a man in an ironic T-shirt, who agrees to bone her, only for them both to face their own insecurities in the process.

“The Paper Bag Princess”: A Look Back

Back when LitReactor still had a community forum, we used to have occasional “Thunderdome” battles. In these battles, two writers would agree to challenge each other an a random prompt would be posted by another member. I used to be terrified of these battles in the early days.

Then I entered and won the first WAR competition. My confidence grew. Somebody challenged me and still I bailed out. Somebody else took my place and the prompt was posted. It was this video.

REMEMBER THIS VIDEO?! This was from 9 bloody years ago!

Well, the prompt DEFINITELY inspired me and I started writing a story. I asked if I could enter the Thunderdome, which was honestly a shitty move on my part. Like, I missed out on the opportunity. I should have just written the story and kept it without being an annoying loser. Anyway, they let me enter the competition and my story, “The Paper Bag Princess” won the most votes.

I wont’ get into the dramz that followed but that was about the time when I realized that my work featured mainly sex, SEX, and MOAR SEX. Some people really liked it. Others thought I was bit of a hack job writer.

And that’s okay. I can accept that. When VILE MEN came out, I was encouraged to venture away form the sex and I have made attempts to do so. My writing has always been sexual in nature but I do maintain a healthy relationship with the sleazy content. Sometimes I’ll dip a toe back in or I’ll do a fucking cannonball.

But hey, “The Paper Bag Princess” was pivotal. After the Thunderdome, I submitted it to ManArchy (my first “white whale”) in April 2013. It was then reprinted in Cease, Cows in April 2014.

“The Paper Bag Princess” Response

You know, it’s weird sometimes, the stories that break loose. I had fun writing this one and I added that rawness in there. Mostly, it was just fun, but people really connected with the insecurities of both my protagonist and the dumb dude with the “Honey Badger Don’t Care” shirt.

Much like with “Tourist”, “The Paper Bag Princess” earned me some weight in my corner of the literary world for a short while. People wrote to me about it. They recommended it to others. Even reviews of VILE MEN often cite “The Paper Bag Princess” as being that one story that struck them.

Inspiration

Ah, the early 20’s. I spent a majority of my early adult years insecure beyond belief. Sex, while intriguing, eluded me, as I’m sure it eludes many beyond what we’re even comfortable admitting. I suppose that’s what really strikes people a lot with “The Paper Bag Princess” but I can’t entirely say.

Nevertheless, that whole idea of the “I’d only fuck her with a paper bag over her head” cliche really targeting. Sure, it’s misogynist and degrading, but it also felt very personal. I used to think that nobody would ever want to have sex with me even with the paper bag because I was very insecure with my body as well.

So I tried to take that old insecurity on with a woman who just absorbed the cliche and made it her own.

I also wrote it in 2010, around when Kate Middleton and Prince William were getting married. It was like PEAK Kate frenzy then, and yes, I am a Kate Middleton fan but can also acknowledge the ridiculous obsession that people have with her and the “normal woman becomes a princess” fantasy that many of us women grew up with. I love addressing that kind of stuff because it also allows me to confront my old childhood self in some form.

A Shared Title

Many Canadian readers will also recognize the story’s title, shared with popular children’s book author, Robert Munsch. The Paper Bag Princess is a great feminist read for young girls. It’s a gender-flipped story of the classic “princess kidnapped by a dragon” trope, wherein a dragon kidnaps a princess’ fiance and burns the princess’ clothes. When the princess saves the prince, he rejects her for not looking enough like a princess, so she ditches his ass.

As a child, I didn’t like this book because I didn’t like the idea of a non-damsel-y princess. Because I was stupid, okay?

Am I Proud of “The Paper Bag Princess”?

It’s funny doing these A LOOK BACK posts because I have to confront a bunch of myself all over again. I typically write as a form of catharsis, and much of my earlier work definitely was a form of working through my own issues as a young adult.

“The Paper Bag Princess” WAS a story about sex for the sake of writing sex. Writing sex has always been a vice for me. I accept that. The main thing I always tired to add to my work was some facet of depth that made the story, you know, worth reading.

I’m proud of it, sure. One thing I will admit is that is hasn’t aged well. The references are dated and my writing has definitely improved. But I think there’s still a rawness to it that people love. And it’s kind of a fun nostalgic trip for those of us who were college-age in the early aughts.

Hello, Patrons! It’s time for another A LOOK BACK post, my reflective series wherein I’ll share some tidbits from my published stories, including my inspiration, personal details, and what the story really means to me now. In this second feature, I’ll be diving into my classic story, “The Paper Bag Princess”.

A self-proclaimed “ugly” woman bed strangers at the bar, covering her face with a paper bag each time. Then she meets a man in an ironic T-shirt, who agrees to bone her, only for them both to face their own insecurities in the process.

“The Paper Bag Princess”: A Look Back

Back when LitReactor still had a community forum, we used to have occasional “Thunderdome” battles. In these battles, two writers would agree to challenge each other an a random prompt would be posted by another member. I used to be terrified of these battles in the early days.

Then I entered and won the first WAR competition. My confidence grew. Somebody challenged me and still I bailed out. Somebody else took my place and the prompt was posted. It was this video.

REMEMBER THIS VIDEO?! This was from 9 bloody years ago!

Well, the prompt DEFINITELY inspired me and I started writing a story. I asked if I could enter the Thunderdome, which was honestly a shitty move on my part. Like, I missed out on the opportunity. I should have just written the story and kept it without being an annoying loser. Anyway, they let me enter the competition and my story, “The Paper Bag Princess” won the most votes.

I wont’ get into the dramz that followed but that was about the time when I realized that my work featured mainly sex, SEX, and MOAR SEX. Some people really liked it. Others thought I was bit of a hack job writer.

And that’s okay. I can accept that. When VILE MEN came out, I was encouraged to venture away form the sex and I have made attempts to do so. My writing has always been sexual in nature but I do maintain a healthy relationship with the sleazy content. Sometimes I’ll dip a toe back in or I’ll do a fucking cannonball.

But hey, “The Paper Bag Princess” was pivotal. After the Thunderdome, I submitted it to ManArchy (my first “white whale”) in April 2013. It was then reprinted in Cease, Cows in April 2014.

“The Paper Bag Princess” Response

You know, it’s weird sometimes, the stories that break loose. I had fun writing this one and I added that rawness in there. Mostly, it was just fun, but people really connected with the insecurities of both my protagonist and the dumb dude with the “Honey Badger Don’t Care” shirt.

Much like with “Tourist”, “The Paper Bag Princess” earned me some weight in my corner of the literary world for a short while. People wrote to me about it. They recommended it to others. Even reviews of VILE MEN often cite “The Paper Bag Princess” as being that one story that struck them.

Inspiration

Ah, the early 20’s. I spent a majority of my early adult years insecure beyond belief. Sex, while intriguing, eluded me, as I’m sure it eludes many beyond what we’re even comfortable admitting. I suppose that’s what really strikes people a lot with “The Paper Bag Princess” but I can’t entirely say.

Nevertheless, that whole idea of the “I’d only fuck her with a paper bag over her head” cliche really targeting. Sure, it’s misogynist and degrading, but it also felt very personal. I used to think that nobody would ever want to have sex with me even with the paper bag because I was very insecure with my body as well.

So I tried to take that old insecurity on with a woman who just absorbed the cliche and made it her own.

I also wrote it in 2010, around when Kate Middleton and Prince William were getting married. It was like PEAK Kate frenzy then, and yes, I am a Kate Middleton fan but can also acknowledge the ridiculous obsession that people have with her and the “normal woman becomes a princess” fantasy that many of us women grew up with. I love addressing that kind of stuff because it also allows me to confront my old childhood self in some form.

A Shared Title

Many Canadian readers will also recognize the story’s title, shared with popular children’s book author, Robert Munsch. The Paper Bag Princess is a great feminist read for young girls. It’s a gender-flipped story of the classic “princess kidnapped by a dragon” trope, wherein a dragon kidnaps a princess’ fiance and burns the princess’ clothes. When the princess saves the prince, he rejects her for not looking enough like a princess, so she ditches his ass.

As a child, I didn’t like this book because I didn’t like the idea of a non-damsel-y princess. Because I was stupid, okay?

Am I Proud of “The Paper Bag Princess”?

It’s funny doing these A LOOK BACK posts because I have to confront a bunch of myself all over again. I typically write as a form of catharsis, and much of my earlier work definitely was a form of working through my own issues as a young adult.

“The Paper Bag Princess” WAS a story about sex for the sake of writing sex. Writing sex has always been a vice for me. I accept that. The main thing I always tired to add to my work was some facet of depth that made the story, you know, worth reading.

I’m proud of it, sure. One thing I will admit is that is hasn’t aged well. The references are dated and my writing has definitely improved. But I think there’s still a rawness to it that people love. And it’s kind of a fun nostalgic trip for those of us who were college-age in the early aughts.