#356 Lost, Then Found with A. Y. Chao

This week, we're running a takeover in collaboration with A. Y. Chao! This contest’s winner will not only be awarded $250 — they’ll also receive personal feedback from Alice herself! Here's what Alice has to say about their takeover:

Hello, fellow writers! I’m A. Y. Chao, the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Shanghai Immortal and Paris Celestial. I write speculative fiction inspired by Chinese folklore about women claiming space as their truest, unfiltered selves… which usually entails a fair amount of chaos. My Substack Notes After Midnight shares behind-the-scenes glimpses of my writing life, works-in-progress, and sources of inspiration.

Recently, I’ve been obsessively riding the Pursuit of Jade train. This C-drama follows Changyu, a warm-hearted pig butcher’s daughter, and Xie Zheng, the powerful but cold-hearted marquis she saves. The heart of the story is its slow-burn romance, beautifully built over the show’s forty episodes. There’s also a nuanced and heartbreaking exploration of sacrifice: for a child, a loved one, family, power, and community.

The show excels with its story props in particular, from environmental elements such as light to highly symbolic color choices. The cinematography is masterfully sensorial; haloing light and warm colors, for example, reveal moments of raw trust and connection — like the sun breaking through the clouds. Falling snow is used as a leitmotif for change and the redressing of injustices, while gentle breezes add movement and tension when the characters are motionless.

In the vein of Changyu and Xie Zheng’s love story, this week’s prompts invite you to experiment with props and explore raw-hearted truths, sacrifice, and treasures lost then found.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!