tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487651032830668930.post8920996010978959712..comments2024-03-24T16:53:26.189-05:00Comments on Big Anklevich: Feminist QuandaryBig Anklevichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09436070868726323659noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487651032830668930.post-71538745680534167032014-10-18T16:34:20.082-05:002014-10-18T16:34:20.082-05:00Hey, Big. First of all, congratulations on making ...Hey, Big. First of all, congratulations on making yourself aware of these tropes. You’re already half way to resolving your conflict just by being aware. Secondly, it is nearly impossible to write a story without tropes. Probably easier in short stories, but still really hard. And if you do succeed, you may find your audience isn’t happy. A complex, round, multi-faceted character requires a certain amount of work from the audience—just like getting to know a real person is work. On the other hand, a flat, simple, instantly-knowable trope or archetype requires very little effort or attention from the audience. “The obnoxious mother-in-law” is instantly unknowable, right off the shelf. That’s one of the many reasons that stories usually contain a host of flat characters and only a few round ones.<br /><br />Unfortunately, a disproportionately large number of the stock female characters are insulting and sexist. If you use those characters, you should, at the very least, be aware of what you’re playing into. You may still choose to play that card, but make it a conscious choice, not an accident.<br /><br />If you see a trope you don’t want to perpetuate, there are often a million ways to subvert it. Seriously. Subverting tropes is one of the chief joys of story-telling. For the story you’ve described, you can side-step the whole issue by writing gay characters. Two guys or two girls. Boom. Now their behavior and dynamics can no longer be attributed to their gender differences. It’s all about their individual personalities. Alternatively, you can do a gender swap—have the alien be a male hottie and the lonely lady just can’t get off his dick. Frankly, it’s still a bit insulting to everyone involved, but that’s a much less common dynamic and more interesting. If you want something more subtle, you could stick with your original gender dynamics, but give the alien lady real power – social, political, economic, physical – something besides her lovely lady lumps. This the kind of power that men generally wield in these types of stories – actual coercive force.Abigail Hiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15226877642966705816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2487651032830668930.post-58217961462086996192014-10-17T17:01:16.057-05:002014-10-17T17:01:16.057-05:00Hmmm The story as you summarized it does sound a ...Hmmm The story as you summarized it does sound a bit like "women are bodies for us to enjoy". I'm sure there are more layers to what you stated here, though.<br /><br />This made me think about the article by Maureen Dowd about the feminist uprising around Gone Girl. She makes some good points:<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/opinion/sunday/maureen-dowd-lady-psychopaths-welcome.html?_r=0Journey Into...https://www.blogger.com/profile/15134160667747640028noreply@blogger.com