The Brave Princess - Princess Parade Flash Fiction Contest Entry (Under 16s)

The Brave Princess

by Jade (11 years old)

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Isabella. She was locked in a  tower.

One night, she told herself, "I can not stay in this dirty place." She was determined to plan her escape.

She sat at her princess desk with her paper and pen trying to think of a plan for her escape. Despite her situation, being trapped in the tower, she was a brave princess. Her plan was to dress up like her mom, the Queen and then tie up some bed clothes like a rope. Then she would begin to moan at the wicked witch.

The wicked witch treated princess Isabella like a slave, so Princess Isabella dressed up as her mom the Queen and acted out her plan exactly as she had planned it.

It worked. Galloping through the woods on the horse that she had found tied up just outside the tower, she saw a handsome prince. "Hello, I'm Prince Andrew and what is your name?" asked the prince.

"I'm Princess Isabella," said the princess.

The prince smiled and asked, "Will you marry me?"

Princess Isabella thought and then said, "Yes. Are you Prince Charming?"

Prince Andrew replied yes, so they galloped back to the castle of the king and queen. The king and queen were delighted to see the princess . After that, they planned the wedding.

One of the phrases Princess Isabella kept hearing being said was "walk through the fire to God." She asked herself, "What does that mean?"

Her family was delighted that she had found love, but soon Princess Isabella started to cry because prince after prince came, another and another and another.  They all claimed to be her Prince Charming, but she knew they couldn't all be, so she ran away from all of them. She ran all the way to England and she is still there.

This story was sent in by 11 year old Jade as an entry for the under-16s.






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Modern Day Warrior Princess - Princess Parade Flash Fiction Contest Entry

I am not elligible for the prize, as I am the one doing the judging (along with some friends), but I thought it only fitting that I wrote something for the Princess Parade Flash Fiction Contest anyway. Besides, it's fun theme for writing a story!

Modern Day Warrior Princess

by Rebecca Fyfe

Marie walked beside her husband in the crisp night air. The movie had been okay but nothing to get excited about. It had been enjoyable to get out away from the children for a few hours though. Dinner and a movie with her husband had been a welcome break. James gently slipped his hand over hers. It was only a short walk home. They’d given up their car many years ago and never regretted it once. Most places were within walking distance from them anyway.

The clouds moved and the light glow of light from the moon disappeared just as they started walking across the field near their neighborhood. A shadow moved in front of them, and Marie was startled when she felt James’ hand grip hers tighter and pull her up short. She looked up and saw a man standing in front of them. He was almost as tall as her husband and was built like a linebacker. It was difficult to distinguish his features in the dark, but there was enough light from the nearby streetlights to glint off the knife he held in his right hand.

“Hand over your wallets and jewelry and no one will get hurt!”

James held up his hand in a placating gesture. “Okay, we’ll do what you say. You don’t need to hold that knife out at us.” He reached into his back pocket for his wallet.

In the next moment, the thug had hit James over the head, knocking him forcefully to the ground. Stunned, Marie could only think that he must have thought James was reaching for a weapon.

“Why did you do that?” Marie surprised herself by yelling at the thug. “He was just getting his wallet out like you asked!”

“I’m the one with the weapon here, so shut up!”

Marie could tell this guy was not the brightest guy they’d ever encountered, but he was right in that he was the one with the weapon. He was also nervous and violent and Marie wasn’t convinced that handing over their possessions would earn them any safety from him.

She took a step toward James as he got to his knees and tried to stand up, but was brought up short by the thug snarling, “Stay where you are!”

“I will not! My husband is hurt and I am going to help him.”

The thug moved towards her, moving faster than she had thought him capable and within a blink of her eyes, he was standing behind her holding the knife to her throat. By then, James was standing and growled out, “Let her go!”

“Stay back or I’ll cut her!” the thug yelled.

Marie was getting really tired of all of this posturing by the thug and she decided that enough was enough. This guy was violent and dangerous and he was threatening both her and her husband. If she didn’t do anything, one of them might not make it home alive to see their children again. She would not be threatened by this moron any longer. She clasped her hands together and swung her elbow back with as much power as she could put into it, hitting him in the middle of his gut while stomping hard on his right foot at the same time.

The thug made a muffled “oof” sound as he bent forward, his knife nicked Marie’s throat slightly as he pulled his hands into his stomach and let go of her. While he was still doubled over, Marie spun around and kicked him in the face. She heard a crunching sound as her foot made contact with his nose.

James was about to move in to help, but realized that Marie was handling the situation quite well on her own. He stopped for a brief moment, experiencing a swelling of pride in her. He watched her kick and pummel with the grace of a ballerina in her movements coupled with the force and power of an avenging angel. She was stunning in her ferocity. He’d always known she had it in her. She was normally easy-going, funny and sweet, but he’d seen the fierceness in her eyes whenever she thought her children were threatened. He’d always known that she’d be fierce and courageous, his own beautiful warrior princess, if given the right circumstances.

But really, he was beginning to feel sorry for the idiot who had decided to threaten the two of them. He was laying on the ground now, blood pouring from his nose, holding his hands over his head as he curled into a defensive ball. James supposed he should take pity on the criminal and call the police before Marie did any more damage to him.

790 words





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Princess Parade Flash Fiction Challenge

I recently read this article by Amy Fox about a new Disney Princess book. The book is so ridiculously awful. The storyline makes Cinderella seem so completely shallow. I hate the idea that little girls are reading drivel like this.

This blog might be about princesses, but I have tried to convey that "princesses" as described by this blog are strong, independent, self-confident, clever, creative and kind-hearted, not weak, submissive, dependent, insecure, shallow and self-centered.

In response to Disney's new Cinderella book, I've decided to run a challenge. (Also I need more material for this blog, and a challenge seems like a good way to possibly get some. Besides, I like taking part in challenges.)

The challenge is to write a story that involves a princess in some way. You can use a wide scope to interpret this, but in your story, your princess needs to be strong and independent, possibly even the "hero" of the story. The story can be dark or light in nature. The story has to be between 300 and 1,500 words. You can write it for adults or for children, but remember that this is a family-friendly blog. Post the story on your own blog and link it here by using the button at the bottom of this post. If you don't have a blog of your own, you can e-mail it to me through the contact form in the sidebar and I will post it here. Make sure you post the word count along with the story.

Deadline to get your story posted is March 4th. The winning entry will be chosen and announced here on March 12th. Please go through to read and comment on everyone's stories; it's not required, but it's a nice thing to do.

You must paste the linky at the bottom of your post. (Click the link below  to copy the html code to paste into your blog.)

get the InLinkz code

1st prize is the book "The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers and Writers in the Field."



 

Note: I have decided to add a secondary contest within this one. If any children under 16 years old would like to enter, there will be a separate judging for their entries and the prize will be a different one. The winner of the under-16 entries will win a teddy bear with a special message about the competition on its t-shirt.







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10 Ways to Be A True Princess

I've made it clear in previous posts that, to me, the idea of being a princess is about being strong, feminine, compassionate and smart. It's about not feeling helpless and about being helpful. It's about realizing your ability to attain your dreams.

Here is a list of ten quick and simple ways to be a true princess.

1. Believe in yourself and in your ability to achieve your dreams. Always believe.

2. Be compassionate towards others, giving help when you can.

3. Be gracious in accepting help when you need it and never look on the need for help as a failure.

4. Never believe the words of people who try to tell you that you aren't strong enough, aren't smart enough or aren't pretty enough, because you are strong, you are smart and you are beautiful.

5. Believe in the beauty of people's souls. Everyone is beautiful inside, and everyone deserves respect.

6. Demand respect for yourself. Never let anyone treat you as less than the wonderful person you are.

7. Be kind to animals. Animals bring out the best in people and deserve the best from us.

8. Learn as much as you can. Read and study. Be knowledgable in the things that are important to you.

9. Take time for yourself. Never forget to spend time doing something you enjoy. It nurtures the soul.

10. Don't forget empathy. The ability to feel what others feel or at least to feel for them in whatever situation they find themselves in is what holds humanity together.

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Sites That Empower Girls

As you know, Princess Parade is all about girl empowerment and believes very strongly in raising our daughters to be strong, confident and capable. With that in mind, I have been perusing the web for websites that have similar beliefs and have come across two that I would like to share with you.

The first one is called 7Wonderlicious. This site states in its about page:

"We believe every child is placed on this earth to accomplish something remarkable, something that only he or she can do.

Our tribe was created with one single purpose , to help reduce all threats to girlhood that crush our girls ' true nature and potential.

We focus on overturning the gender stereotypes that make girls obsess with body image, keep girls from taking leadership roles, that limit girls' interests in sciences and maths and cause them to feel self-aware when playing sports.

The first years of a girl's life are a crucial time when their identity and model of world are being shaped. Our goal is to provide in our 7Wonderlicious girls a group of fantastic role models; confident girls that are healthy, confident, resourceful, persistent and a lot of fun."

They share a lot of links and helpful news articles about girl empowerment and raising powerful, confident daughters. They also have some fun apps for kids.

The other site I found is called SheHeroes. The SheHeroes vision and mission statement states that

"Our Vision
■A world where young people can see themselves in whichever occupation they choose.
■A society where gender doesn’t limit one’s choice and voices of both women and men are heard with equal regard.

Our Mission
■To tell inspiring stories of female role models via free web based video interviews geared towards 3rd through 5th graders.
■To awaken youth to their potential, increasing the numbers of youth from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds who will consider entering the workforce in a variety of careers. Careers which they might not have known or thought about previously.
■To encourage positive choices and reduce risky youth behaviors through video programming which facilitates discussion between the youth and a caring adult."

They share video interviews with women role models to help inspire young girls with the knowledge of the greatness that they can achieve.

I recommend that you go and visit these sites! I'll make sure to let you know of any other sites I find that empower girls.


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How To Feel Like A Princess

Some common ideas about princesses are that they live in the lap of luxury, they can have almost anything they want, they dress elegantly, have perfect make-up and look beautiful at all times. With that in mind, most of us would like the chance to feel like a princess.

You might be shocked to find out that you can make yourself feel like a princess and that it is surprisingly easy to do so! Here are ten easy steps to take to help yourself to feel like a spoiled, pampered and beautiful princess.

1 - Believe in your own beauty. You are a beautiful person and one way to help yourself believe in that fact is to remind yourself frequently that you are beautiful. Act as though you are assured of your own beauty and pretty soon, you will start to feel it and believe in it.

2 - Take some time every week to do something pampering for yourself. Whether this is to take the time for a long and luxurious hot bubble bath at the end of the day or getting a professional massage to help relax yourself, it is important to do something special that is just for you. Indulge in buying your favorite gourmet chocolates or go and get a pedicure. There are many ways to treat yourself.

3 - Take time each day to style your hair and put on your make-up. If you don't have time to do this everyday, give yourself a couple of days a week where you take the time to glam yourself up a bit. You could also go and have your hair and make-up done professionally on occasion.

4 - Wear a pretty dress. If you're taking the time to glamorize your make-up and hair, make sure to also put on a dress or outfit that makes you feel pretty and feminine. It has to be something that you feel pretty wearing.

5 - Take special care with your accessories. Wear jewelery that compliments your outfit and coloring and shoes that flatter your feet and legs. These finishing touches are a great way to top out your glamorous look and can help add to your feeling like a princess.

6 - Do some breathing exercises. Take slow deep breaths and empty your mind of all thought except for concentrating on those slow deep breaths for a few minutes. Hold your breath for several seconds between breathing in and out. This can relax your body and calm your mind, and feeling calmer will help you keep your emotions under control and can lift your mood.

7 - Donate to charity. One thing modern princesses are noted for is their contributions to charity. Your donation doesn't have to be monetary. You could volunteer to spend your time at a soup kitchen or to drive your elderly neighbor to do her weekly shopping. Doing good things for others will help you feel better about yourself.

8 - Set a small amount of money aside from each paycheck to save towards doing something you love. Even if all you can set aside is $5 from each paycheck, it will eventually add up and knowing that the money is there can be a huge stress reliever and you'll be able to look forward to whatever it is that you have planned to do with it.

9 - Be tidy. By keeping your house uncluttered and clean, you will feel better and will even be more likely to entertain guests. Having a dirty or messy house can be stressful and stress can definitely keep you from feeling like a princess.

10 - Spend time with your prince and if you don't have one yet, make sure that you never settle for less than a true prince (i.e. a man who shows you both love and respect). Spending time with your man and letting him be the one to spoil you with affection and to let you know how beautiful you are to him can be a wonderful boost to your ego and is a great way to feel like a princess!

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Dads, How Are You Raising Your Princesses?

"Lift your daughter up to the sky when she is young, and when she is grown, she will soar to the heavens on wings of her own creation." ~Rebecca Fyfe

Here's one for the dads. Your daughter needs you to think of her as your little princess. Not so that you can protect her, but so that you can encourage her. Not so that you can spoil her with gifts, but so that you can spoil her with love and affection and with time spent with you.

More and more girls are growing up with a lack of self-esteem and barely any belief in themselves or in their abilities. But this trend can be changed. Dads, you need to be active and present in your daughters' lives. You need to support them not just financially but emotionally. You need to believe in them. You need to show them through your actions that you respect all women so that you reinforce in their minds the fact that they are worthy of being respected. You need to spend time with your daughters so that they believe that they are worth spending time with. You need to listen to your daughters and let them speak so that they realize that their ideas and thoughts are important.

It's not enough just to work to support them but never spend time with them. It's not enough just to criticize them when they do something wrong or to harp on them about their chores. They need to know that they matter. They need to know that you see them for who they are inside and that you like that person.

Think about this; studies have shown that girls will subconciously seek out men in their lives who either treat them the way their dads treated them or who treat them the way they saw their dads treat their mothers. They learn what they see, just like everyone else in this world. Let them see you treating them and every other woman on this planet with respect and decency and care, and that is what they will expect from the men in all areas of their lives.

Isn't that what you want for your daughter?

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