Joanne Harris Profile picture
Jun 22, 2018 16 tweets 5 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
There is a story the bees used to tell, which makes it hard to disbelieve. #Storytime
There once was a beautiful Queen, who was married to an old and cruel King. #Storytime
She lived in a tower of gold and glass, and slept between sheets of satin and silk, and rarely opened the windows, for fear of hearing the cries of her people. #Storytime
She seldom ventured from her tower, except on State occasions, and when she did, she never spoke, but maintained a modest silence. #Storytime
This did her no harm with the people, who knew the cruelty of the King, and imagined her weeping in sympathy under her silken veil. #Storytime
One day a man came to petition the Queen, claiming to be a tailor from a distant land. #Storytime
"The fatherless children, the suffering poor, the orphans and widows need your voice," said the mysterious tailor.
And he gave to the Queen a marvellous coat made from a silk that she had never seen before. It caught the light like a butterfly's wing: it shone in many colours.#Storytime
The Queen, who was vain, accepted the coat, and promised at last to lend her voice to the voices of her people. #Storytime
But the next time she appeared in public, she stayed silent, as always. #Storytime
Little did the cruel Queen know that the coat had been spun from magical silk, in the court of the Lacewing King himself. #Storytime
And as she followed the cruel King through the streets of the city, her true thoughts appeared in the weave of the coat, written in magical letters large enough for all to read. #Storytime
And the letters on the magical coat read: OH HOW TIRESOME AND UGLY AND BORING ARE THE POOR. HOW MUCH MORE CAN I TAKE? I DON'T CARE. #Storytime
And then it read: OH WHEN WILL THE KING DIE AT LAST? HE IS SO OLD AND UGLY AND VAIN. WHEN WILL I HAVE MY CHANCE TO RULE THE KINGDOM?
And then it read: WHY ARE MY PEOPLE ALL STARING AT ME IN THIS WAY? IT CAN'T BE SOMETHING THAT I SAID. WHY DO YOU STARE? WHY ARE YOUR FACES SO ANGRY?
#Storytime
And then, at last, as the people rose to overthrow the Queen and the King, the coat read nothing more, because it was all in rags and tatters. #Storytime
The end

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More from @Joannechocolat

Oct 9, 2018
It's a long train journey, so let's do this one, too. Follow #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen to collect them all!
1. This one is for the many men who have asked my advice on this. First, kudos for asking. Second, the fact that you needed to ask at all may be the root of your problem. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
2. Look at the way you interact with women in real life. If you're problematic, sexist or prejudiced in life, then you don't have much of a chance of avoiding it in your fiction. #TenWaysForMenToWriteAboutWomen
Read 12 tweets
Sep 18, 2018
This one sounds interesting. Let's extend it to writing about EMOTIONS. Follow the hashtag to collect them all! #TenThingsAboutEmotions
1. To write convincingly about emotions - whether that's love, grief, anger, joy - you have to be acutely aware of your *own* emotions, and how they come across to other people. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
2. It's probably the only instance where the "write what you know" rule really applies. #TenThingsAboutEmotions
Read 11 tweets
Sep 16, 2018
Margareta von Ascheberg (1671 – 1753) was a Swedish land owner, noble and acting regiment colonel during the Great Northern War. #CelebratingWomen
She was the youngest child of Field Marshal Rutger von Ascheberg and Magdalena Eleonora Busseck. In 1691, she married colonel count Kjell Christopher Barnekow in Malmö.
As was the custom of the Swedish nobility as that time, she kept her name after marriage and style herself »Grevinnan Ascheberg» (Countess Ascheberg). The couple had four children.
Read 8 tweets
Sep 15, 2018
Queen Nanny or Nanny (c. 1686 – c. 1755), was an 18th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. Much of what is known about her comes from oral history, as little textual evidence exists. #CelebratingWomen
She was born into the Asante people in what is today Ghana, and escaped from slavery after being transported to Jamaica.
Historical documents refer to her as the "rebels' old 'obeah' woman." Following some armed confrontations, colonial officials reached a settlement for peace.
Read 4 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
1. Writer's block is a psychological disorder, and is far, far less common than most people think. It's linked to depression, so if you really think you're suffering from this, get professional help. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
2. Many people use the term loosely, to mean "lacking the will or the inspiration to write." If this is you, try to identify the reason. #TenThingsAboutWritersBlock
Read 11 tweets
Sep 14, 2018
Na Hangbe was the ruler of the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, for a brief period before Agaja came to power in 1718. #CelebratingWomen
Little is known about her because her rule was largely erased from the official Dahomey history and much that is known is brought together by various different oral histories.
However, it is believed that she became the ruler of Dahomey upon the sudden death of King Akaba because his oldest son, Agbo Sassa, was not yet of age.
Read 4 tweets

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