Teagren is Walking in a Winter Wonderland

ByValerie Comer

So I was up waaaay too late last night waiting for hubby to get home from work up at the mines. The weather has been…wintry…and the visibility was lousy and he didn’t get home till pushing midnight. So we talk for a bit and I head up for bed (while he unwinds with a cup of tea) and *sproing* I’m wide awake.

Teagren is tapping me on the shoulder to tell me what’s wrong with her story. Not precisely what one wants to hear when at 62K of an estimated 80K revision. At 1:00 a.m no less. Quest to be Queen is set up with seven tasks that complete the quest (you can read the blurb under Projects at my website.) Teagren mentioned to me that the seventh task didn’t really match the setup the reader–and heroine, apparently–had come to expect over the course of the previous six tasks.

And she’s right.

The final task takes place in a part of Dhaneira called the Chilplains. Remember this is a spoof, so we HAD to have the island, the jungle, the desert, the woodlands, the plains, the mountains, and now the icy wastes. It was expected of me, and I do hate to disappoint. And while I did some really cool (haha, get that?) worldbuilding for the Chilplains that I might get to use again somewhere else should I ever set a story on a icy fantasy world–I’d have to write THAT in the summer time, I can assure you–it doesn’t have the flow of familiarity that the rest of the novel has.

So, dear reader.

What are some myths, fairy tales, kids’ songs, comics, cartoons, pop culture type references that include winter? I’m not looking for Santa/ Christmas stuff. I already have some abominable snowmen (yeti) that are staying, and Frosty the Snowman may show up. Or we could build a snowman in a meadow and pretend that he is Parson Brown… Jack Frost will pay a visit.

But I’m looking to you–begging you!–to help me with some brainstorming. Any random G-rated winter stuff that would be familiar to a lot of readers. Any legends about the Northern Lights that come to mind?

Teagren thanks you for your consideration.

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9 Comments

  1. What about an ice queen? You could go several ways with that. Maybe a fashionista type character (The Devil Wears Prada) who demands a ‘fresh, new look before I give you this silly token.’ Or maybe a love-lorn transvestite drag ice queen? Maybe a girl-hating drag queen that she has to melt with a hair drier before she can get her token?

  3. Erin twigged me over to the Snow Queen idea too, and both stories (the HCA tale and Narnia) have the SQ arriving on a sledge and taking the unwary child off with big promises. So that might be universal enough to work in.

    In some of the other tasks I’ve mixed as many as eight different tales and stirred, so I’m still looking for more!

  4. I don’t have anything specific, but I’d suggest you look Norse (yes, with an se rather than a th ;)). Their mythology is rife with snow and it might be fun to introduce people to something a little less familiar as well.

    Didn’t Beowulf take place in the winter with everyone huddled in the fire-warmed hall?

    I have a friend who is heavy into the Norse background if you want me to check with her.

  5. Frosty the snowman.
    Reindeer, especially flying ones. (you can’t have the token till you make them fly?)
    Jack Frost
    Snow Elves.
    Fat guy in red suit (Santa’s summer retreat, a frosty paradise! Hehe)
    Snow-white? I mean, I know the Disney version doesn’t have snow… but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the name.

  7. What? No Ice Bear? Looking for a magical seal soup recipe that will reverse global warming, resulting a worldwide chillplain? 🙂

  9. Oooooh, some great suggestions. My mind has found the large wooden spoon and is starting to stir the snowy soup…

    And while I’m leery of too specifically naming something that might be trademarked or copyrighted, there are ways around that if one is creative enough 🙂

    You guys are GOOD!

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