So I'm reading a book and it's pretty good. I like the protagonist, I like the writing style, the plot is gripping and intriguing. Mid-way through the protagonist is being lead somewhere and realizes this boy he only met once and barely had any interaction with is a woman. Well no problem there, how he recognizes her gender is pretty well thought out. And then, from out of left field, he thinks she's the most beautiful thing in all creation and I want to throw the book across the room.
Another book, a fascinating guy, an interesting character, sees this beautiful healer and BAM instant I'll die for you I love you blah blah blah allow me to scream bullshit and another book dents the wall.
I hate this trope. I hate it so much. So so much. It's as if the men only fall in love with the women because they are beautiful and the women, naturally, love them back because it is true love, love at first sight and blah blah blah. Can love at first sight happen? Sure I guess. I'm not debating it. But there are two things about this trope that really grind my gears.
1) The woman gets no characterization other than how she relates to the male lead.
No really. She's beautiful/sexy and that's it. Oh, sometimes they'll throw in things like, she's really not a stereotype because she can fight. Fighting ability does not a character make. I don't care how many hobbies you give her, if she is just there for the hero to bicker with/save/have sex with/whatever--with no problems of her own except to serve for angst fuel or a chance for the hero to save her she is a token chick, flat and thin as cardboard.
In relation to this, she is almost always beautiful, the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. I realize beauty is in the eye of the beholder but how funny, everyone else seems to think she's beautiful too.
I haven't seen this trope too much reversed. Like a female heroine falling in love with a man just because he's hot. Usually there's something about his personality that attracts her. Of course this leads to the girl loving the guy who is an asshole but at least he is more developed than simply being a beautiful woman.
2) It's lazy. So lazy. Oh they love each other. The only arguments they have is because she is a spitfire and doesn't need help from any man! rawr rawr! The fighting is lazy conflict. Oh but they do love each other because of course after that they sleep together. That's not love, that's lust and it's also lazy.
I want to see characters who build up a romance. Who are both unique characters in and of themselves with good sides and bad sides. I want to see compromise. I want to see them trying to build a relationship and go through all the ruffles and problems real people going through a relationship have. Otherwise, I cannot and will not buy it as any sort of romance. I want them to know each other, get to know each other, be there for each other and not take any bullshit from the other. I want to see partners as well as lovers.
Also it would be nice to see a little less heteronormativity but that is another rant for another day. But at least in the few non-hetero fantasies/stories I've read such as The Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling or The Adrien English Series by Josh Lanyon, the couples know each other as people before they fall in love and forming that love and keeping the love going is a work in progress. It never becomes perfect. They always have to work at it. I couldn't say this is true for all non heteronormative fiction and I doubt it is but these are the best examples.
The point is love is stronger when it has to be worked at. Love is stronger when you know your partner. Love is a continuing process. It's compromise, it's hard, it's more than just she's beautiful/he's dangerous we snipe but I really love him/her forever.
Don't be afraid to take that leap...
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Write On
There are a plethora of writing rules out there. Do this, do that, show don’t tell, don’t overuse exclamation points, etc etc. But, I think that there are two that need to be mentioned repeatedly, just to remind us and to inform everyone who doesn’t know already, the real secret to writing. These two rules are write and keep going.
On the outset, the rule a writer must write, is kind of a ‘duh’ moment. If a writer doesn’t write than they are no kind of writer at all. So what do I really mean by this? I can’t seriously be suggesting that the greatest secret to writing is…well, writing. Yes that is exactly what I’m saying. It’s like this, do any of you draw? Throw pottery? Try to learn another language? You may become quite good at it but if you stop for a long length of time, you lose the knack for it.
Now, I’m not saying that if you used to paint like van Gogh you’ll go back to stick figures but what I am saying is that when you get back into, say, painting, you won’t be as good as you once were. It takes time to get used to things again and to work back up to your previous level. Writing gets rusty as well. Just as the hand forgets how to form the shapes with the exact precision it once knew, the brain forgets how to place sentences just so. You lose sense of the story, the rhythm of the poem, it’s a slog to get back to bat again. To quote Inger Mewburn, author of the blog ‘The Thesis Whisperer’ “writing breeds writing.”
And it does. The more you write the easier it becomes to write and not only can you write with more ease but you’ll also improve. In order to get the best out of your ability you must practice practice practice. Try to write something every day. It doesn’t have to be on your current work in progress. It doesn’t even have to be perfect. It can be absolute crap. But don’t let fear of failure lead you to stop writing so that your mind rusts.
Of course there are the times when writing seems to be nothing but an uphill climb through sucking mud and sharp rocks. You know what you want to do. You know where the story is going but for some reason you just—can’t—get it and you’re not sure why. The emotion isn’t there. There is one small piece you are missing, like a tiny key to a gigantic lock. When I hit these times, which I inevitably do, I whine to Skulljuggler and she—being the wise woman she is, tells me to keep going. It is the best advice I’ve ever been given.
Keep going can be used in two senses. The one Skulljuggler generally means is just move on, keep writing—you might get an idea further down the line. And this is helpful and often very correct. But I like to employ another version of keep going, that is, keep going at the problem. Keep picking at it and picking at it until you can crack it open. Try every method you can think of. Holly Lisle’s "Create a Plot Clinic" has some pretty useful advice for that but you can always Google for advice, turn to friends, do guided meditation on youtube, go for a walk, do yoga, freewrite, –rest if you have to, put the problem aside if you must but only for a little while. Any nut can be cracked if you peck at it long enough.
Remember, no matter how stuck you are, no matter how desperate you are, this is your story. The answer lies within you and you can bring it out. Whatever you do, don’t give up and just keep on writing.
On the outset, the rule a writer must write, is kind of a ‘duh’ moment. If a writer doesn’t write than they are no kind of writer at all. So what do I really mean by this? I can’t seriously be suggesting that the greatest secret to writing is…well, writing. Yes that is exactly what I’m saying. It’s like this, do any of you draw? Throw pottery? Try to learn another language? You may become quite good at it but if you stop for a long length of time, you lose the knack for it.
Now, I’m not saying that if you used to paint like van Gogh you’ll go back to stick figures but what I am saying is that when you get back into, say, painting, you won’t be as good as you once were. It takes time to get used to things again and to work back up to your previous level. Writing gets rusty as well. Just as the hand forgets how to form the shapes with the exact precision it once knew, the brain forgets how to place sentences just so. You lose sense of the story, the rhythm of the poem, it’s a slog to get back to bat again. To quote Inger Mewburn, author of the blog ‘The Thesis Whisperer’ “writing breeds writing.”
And it does. The more you write the easier it becomes to write and not only can you write with more ease but you’ll also improve. In order to get the best out of your ability you must practice practice practice. Try to write something every day. It doesn’t have to be on your current work in progress. It doesn’t even have to be perfect. It can be absolute crap. But don’t let fear of failure lead you to stop writing so that your mind rusts.
Of course there are the times when writing seems to be nothing but an uphill climb through sucking mud and sharp rocks. You know what you want to do. You know where the story is going but for some reason you just—can’t—get it and you’re not sure why. The emotion isn’t there. There is one small piece you are missing, like a tiny key to a gigantic lock. When I hit these times, which I inevitably do, I whine to Skulljuggler and she—being the wise woman she is, tells me to keep going. It is the best advice I’ve ever been given.
Keep going can be used in two senses. The one Skulljuggler generally means is just move on, keep writing—you might get an idea further down the line. And this is helpful and often very correct. But I like to employ another version of keep going, that is, keep going at the problem. Keep picking at it and picking at it until you can crack it open. Try every method you can think of. Holly Lisle’s "Create a Plot Clinic" has some pretty useful advice for that but you can always Google for advice, turn to friends, do guided meditation on youtube, go for a walk, do yoga, freewrite, –rest if you have to, put the problem aside if you must but only for a little while. Any nut can be cracked if you peck at it long enough.
Remember, no matter how stuck you are, no matter how desperate you are, this is your story. The answer lies within you and you can bring it out. Whatever you do, don’t give up and just keep on writing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Art of Writing: Learn to Chill
It is a truth universally acknowledged that writers stress out a lot. No, really, they do. I know I do, and I'm sure you do, too. There is the pre-story drama where you are in the planning stages and the story is no more than a hardened seed of possibility in the root of your brain. 'Oh what a stupid idea. I want to write it but it's so cliched/weird/gruesome/mushy,' you tell yourself. Sometimes it stops there. Other times you take a tentative reach toward the keyboard, stretching your fingers, staring at the cursor blinking on the blank page and think of the perfect opening line; the one that will catapult your story to the top seller list, make you the next J.K Rowling or James Patterson. A household name at least and a movie deal or two in the making. Or maybe you're just looking for a clever line to get your story started. You write a sentence and delete, write a sentence and delete, write a paragraph and delete in frustration. It's not perfect. It's just not. But maybe you get over that and continue anyway. Characters appear. Plot happens. More stresses abound. Is this character too flat? No one is going to be able to connect with this character! You call this a plot? It's a mess! No one's going to want to buy this. No one is going to want to read it. You go to author chat rooms and agent chats and writers boards and ask fervently would this get published? Or this? Or this? What is hot right now? Is this too stupid?
First, chill out, take a deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out. It's going to be okay. No, really. If you're a writer, that is to say if you write, if you love to write and create worlds and characters and sentences that dance and sparkle on the page, then the first thing you have to do--the core element--is loving what you write. Love your story. Love your characters. Write your passion into every word, hook your heartbeats on every comma no matter how misplaced. Love it, live it. And most importantly, tell the truth, your own truth, in every single press of a keyboard or glide of a pen across paper or words dripped into a recorder. Write what moves you, what tickles you, what makes you want to sing, what makes you want to cry, what makes you want to hop in the sack and love all night.
Second, realize that the first draft is the first draft and it is not going to be perfect and what's more, that's a good thing. True, sometimes writers will have a flash of inspiration and write everything they mean to say in a frenzied pitch, the story writing itself like magic across the page. But that frenzied pitch isn't always going to be there. Sometimes you have to struggle and sweat and cry and moan and that's okay. You will get it right if you don't give up and the feeling of accomplishment is euphoric, filling your head, singing at your fingertips. Allow yourself time to explore your story and your characters. Let them take you where they will. Anything can be changed. Anything can be edited. In this process you not only discover what you're writing, but you also discover yourself. Editing is when you hone your craft, working and fixing until the story is tight and gleaming, characters strong, plot engaging, euphoric feeling over 9,000.
Third, it's okay to ask for advice, but realize at some point that no one is going to be able to help you but you. You can ask in all the chat rooms or forums you like but the most people can do is offer advice. The answer to the problem sometimes lies in your brain and your brain alone. If a story frustrates you, don't throw it out. Don't destroy it in fits of depression and whatever you do, as my dear friend tells me often, DON'T DELETE. Save it somewhere else if you don't want to look at it. Put it aside. Look at it with fresh new eyes another day. Most importantly, don't give up.
So you do all this and what, you'll get published? Maybe. I don't know. Not even an agent can be sure. And if it is published there is no guarantee that it will sell well or at all. There are so many factors going into making a successful book and probably the biggest factor of all is luck. Maybe you'll be lucky. Maybe you won't. The point is no one can truly predict the next big thing. The point is you never know when you're going to hit an agent or a publisher that will love your story just as much, if not more than you do. Maybe that will never happen. But if it doesn't at least you will have your story, the story of your heart that you poured your passion in. The story that exhilarated you and made you cry. The story of the truth of your life. The story that only you can tell and no one else, no one in the world, can tell it exactly the way you can. Treasure that. Write for you. Write with your passion. Write with everything in you because the one thing you have that no body else does is the story deep in your heart.
First, chill out, take a deep breath. Breathe in, breathe out. It's going to be okay. No, really. If you're a writer, that is to say if you write, if you love to write and create worlds and characters and sentences that dance and sparkle on the page, then the first thing you have to do--the core element--is loving what you write. Love your story. Love your characters. Write your passion into every word, hook your heartbeats on every comma no matter how misplaced. Love it, live it. And most importantly, tell the truth, your own truth, in every single press of a keyboard or glide of a pen across paper or words dripped into a recorder. Write what moves you, what tickles you, what makes you want to sing, what makes you want to cry, what makes you want to hop in the sack and love all night.
Second, realize that the first draft is the first draft and it is not going to be perfect and what's more, that's a good thing. True, sometimes writers will have a flash of inspiration and write everything they mean to say in a frenzied pitch, the story writing itself like magic across the page. But that frenzied pitch isn't always going to be there. Sometimes you have to struggle and sweat and cry and moan and that's okay. You will get it right if you don't give up and the feeling of accomplishment is euphoric, filling your head, singing at your fingertips. Allow yourself time to explore your story and your characters. Let them take you where they will. Anything can be changed. Anything can be edited. In this process you not only discover what you're writing, but you also discover yourself. Editing is when you hone your craft, working and fixing until the story is tight and gleaming, characters strong, plot engaging, euphoric feeling over 9,000.
Third, it's okay to ask for advice, but realize at some point that no one is going to be able to help you but you. You can ask in all the chat rooms or forums you like but the most people can do is offer advice. The answer to the problem sometimes lies in your brain and your brain alone. If a story frustrates you, don't throw it out. Don't destroy it in fits of depression and whatever you do, as my dear friend tells me often, DON'T DELETE. Save it somewhere else if you don't want to look at it. Put it aside. Look at it with fresh new eyes another day. Most importantly, don't give up.
So you do all this and what, you'll get published? Maybe. I don't know. Not even an agent can be sure. And if it is published there is no guarantee that it will sell well or at all. There are so many factors going into making a successful book and probably the biggest factor of all is luck. Maybe you'll be lucky. Maybe you won't. The point is no one can truly predict the next big thing. The point is you never know when you're going to hit an agent or a publisher that will love your story just as much, if not more than you do. Maybe that will never happen. But if it doesn't at least you will have your story, the story of your heart that you poured your passion in. The story that exhilarated you and made you cry. The story of the truth of your life. The story that only you can tell and no one else, no one in the world, can tell it exactly the way you can. Treasure that. Write for you. Write with your passion. Write with everything in you because the one thing you have that no body else does is the story deep in your heart.
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