Why I’ll never write Strong Female Characters

I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the concept of Strong Female Characters, but I’ve never brought it up, because as someone who breaks into random fits of feminism, I thought it went against everything I stood for to “not get” Strong Female Characters.

Alright, I’m being a little too diplomatic here. I dislike Strong Female Characters. I won’t go as far as to say I hate them, but chances are, if your MC is a Strong Female Character, I’m going to find another book/movie/tv show/operatic epic rap-poem. And I can guarantee you, I’ll never write one.

Let me be clear, I hope all my female characters are strong. In fact, you might call them strong female characters. But I hope you never call them Strong Female Characters–at least to my face.

The problem is: SFCs are a trope–and a dangerous one at that–and I want my characters to be more than a stereotype or impossible standard or ideal. If I were more logical and articulate, I’d write something like this. If I were more creative, I’d write something like this. Seriously, check both of those links out. They express what I feel beautifully. So instead of reading the weird stuff I’m about to write while I try to compress complicated concepts into limited language, just read what other writers wrote, because it’s perfect.

But I like lists, so I’m going to make one about why I dislike Strong Female Characters.

1) Faux Feminism. The problem is not that there are SFCs. It’s that we have glorified them into the ideal representation of women in fiction. We write these characters and call it feminism, when it’s about as far away from feminism as you can get. Feminism is about empowering women, and there’s nothing empowering about telling women (and especially young girls) that if they don’t learn mixed martial arts, ride a crotch-rocket, have limited emotions, and an ass to die for, then they’re woman-ing wrong. Yes, let’s have SFCs, but let’s also have characters who are scared of spiders, who combine sex and emotion, who couldn’t lift a battle axe to save their life. And let’s show how they’re strong too.

2)SFCs encourage impossible standards. I kind of already hit this, but seriously. Do you know ANYONE in real life who is actually a kick-boxing neuroscientist who has time to paint their toenails? And if you do. Do you like them? I spent most of my teens concerned because I didn’t really care about makeup or fashion or shopping. I didn’t look like the popular girls, didn’t like cooking or sewing, didn’t swoon over N*SYNC or understand why A Walk to Remember was “such a good film.” I’ve spent most of my twenties concerned because I don’t have a motorcycle or play the bass or wear leather jackets.  I’m scared of guns and have the upper body strength of a T-Rex. And for some reason (*cough cough* SFCs) that made me feel like less of a woman.

3) The language of “strong” is misleading. So, when we call a female character “strong,” what we’re really saying is “masculine.” We’re equating traditionally masculine characteristics with strength (which we view as positive). Inversely, we equate feminine characteristics as weak and negative. This needs to stop. Because, seriously, people? NOBODY can be completely “masculine.” Not even, like Chuck Norris or that guy from the boxing movies. Maybe John Wayne. But seriously. Can you imagine a world full of John Waynes? We need to rethink what we consider “strong.” Being soft-hearted and empathic to a homeless guy is just as strong as kicking the sh*t out of Peruvian drug lords. And just as awesome.

3.5) We also should reconsider labeling personality traits based on gender.

4) SFCs are two-dimensional. You know what? Women have flaws. Because people have flaws. I want to see female characters have flaws too. I’m not going to be offended if a woman overreacts to something her boyfriend says. You shouldn’t be either. Because it’s something people do in real life–men AND women. The difference is, men are allowed to do it in fiction too. Male characters get to be neurotic. Female characters don’t. But I wish they could be, because that would be so much more interesting. Fun game: take your favorite male character and imagine if they were written as a woman, but did everything the original male character did: acted the same, spoke the same. I bet that (a) that character wouldn’t be an SFC, and (b) they’d be a pretty intriguing character, flaws and all.

In conclusion, I want female characters who aren’t Strong Female Characters. I want them to be strong and weak. I want them to play video games, but in dirty sweats instead of just a bra and red lipstick. I want them to wear glasses because they need them. I want them to say “f*** the stereotype” and eat a tub of ice cream when they break up with their boyfriend. I want them to be good at things, but not good at everything. I want them to be CEOs or middle management or housekeepers or stay-at-home moms. I want them to blow up about misunderstandings. I want them to mediate misunderstandings. I want them to be awkward or petty or stand-offish or disorganized or physically weak. I want some of them to be ninjas, but I want some of them to be pretty much Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. I want them to be compelling.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving.

My Writing Process

Step 1: Set word count goal for the day–usually between 1K and 2K.

Step 2: Reread over what I wrote yesterday to refresh my memory and reestablish voice/character mindset.

Step 3: Think about what I want to write.

Translation of step 3: Stare at blinking cursor until vision blurs and thoughts have drifted to why they took away the light brown M&M’s.

Step 4: Go buy M&M’s. Also, pick up some laundry detergent, and maybe that movie that just came out on DVD that I missed when it was on sale, and now have to spend the full twenty bucks for.

Step 5: Eat M&M’s while thinking about writing.

Translation of step 5: Eat M&M’s while browsing Doctor Who memes on Pinterest.

Step 6: Spend 30 minutes writing 200 words that are absolute crap and I know I’ll have to scrap tomorrow, but I REALLY want the word count, so I leave them for now even though they’re nonsense. I mean, absolute rubbish. Like, I’d be embarrassed if anyone was to ever see them. You know what? Maybe I should just go ahead and delete them now. Just in case.

Step 7: Check Facebook.

Step 8: Check Twitter.

Step 9: Check Facebook again, just in case something has changed. Comment appropriately.

Step 10: Write another 200 words. Thankfully these are slightly better than the last 200 words. Something I can work with.

Step 11: Put in movie. You know, the one I just bought that I spent too much money on.

Step 12: Watch 20 minutes of movie until sufficient amount of guilt has built up.

Step 13: Write 300 words. Okay, you know what, that movie really inspired me. These actually sound like they can turn into something great.

Step 14: Break for more M&M’s. Think about how I should start running again one of these days or these M&M’s are going to catch up to me.

Step 15: Write 20 words.

Step 16: Check Facebook.

Step 17: Look at the clock. Realize I have to be somewhere in an hour.

Step 18: Write 100 more words. All crap.

Step 19: Bang my head against desk.

Step 20: Take some Tylenol.

Step 21: Keep writing. Writing. Writing. Until something finally makes sense. Then stop writing and delve into the world, not making up a story, but discovering it. Finish one scene. Then another. Then another.

Step 22: Rush to work/school/social interaction (ugh), because I’m almost late.

Dragon*Con …oh, and by the way, I’m BACK!

I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I apologize to all of you who follow my blog. So… Brook, I’m sorry.

Let’s talk about Dragon*Con. SO MANY PEOPLE. As one introvert to the Internet: I never want to be surrounded by so many people ever again! It was like being dropped into the middle of a school of steampunk fish. I thought I was going to die.

But here are some highlights…

1) I’m seriously impressed by cosplay. Truth be told, it’s always kind of freaked me out, but in context, it’s pretty awesome. I saw a Jawa playing chess. A four-foot Iron Man. A million Doctors (side note: my friend Brook, who was such a trooper (but not a storm trooper), asked me why there were so many Masons at the con. I finally figured out it was the fezzes that were confusing her. Brook: watch more Who). Anyway, I can definitely see why people do it. Impressive. Most impressive. Here was my attempt at Jayne Cobb:

Crushed it.

 

2) R2-D2 sonicked K9. (I have a picture for this, but WordPress is working against me, and I don’t have a sonic screwdriver to fix it. So just imagine it. It was pretty awesome. You should have been there.)

3) I met Beth Revis (again) and Jessica Khoury, both fabulous authors you all should check out. I met some other authors too, who seemed awesome so I put their books at the top of my to-read list–you know, that list that gets longer by the minute.

4) Brook and I got separated with NO CELL PHONE SERVICE for almost two hours. By the time I’d found her, I already had a plan to take a cab out of the city and start calling hospitals.

5) I saw John Barrowman, Noel Clarke, Peter Davison, George Takei, Sylvester McCoy, Tahmoh Penikett, and a whole bunch of other people. From a distance. Like a creeper. I couldn’t afford their autographs, so I circled the Walk of Fame a few times so I could stare at them.

6) I didn’t have to work. It’s a simple thing, but I’m going to say it again. I DIDN’T HAVE TO WORK.

Despite the insane hordes of people (or hordes of insane people, depending on how you look at it), I really had  a great time. Maybe next year. Maybe I’ll even dress up. Maybe I’ll blog more. Life is full of surprises.

Top 5 of 2012

Alright, yes it’s a little late, but y’all, blogging’s hard. I’m funny or profound about 5% of the time, and mostly when inspiration hits I’m nowhere near a computer.

But because it’s the new year and because of my fondness for lists, I’ve created a few TOP 5’s for 2012. Why 5? Because 10 took too much effort and 3 just seemed pointless.

MOVIES I SAW:

5. Brave –

It was pretty cute. Mainly I added this because I only saw five movies this year. And my deepest wish is to be a Scottish ginger.

4. Dark Knight Rises – This is  my least favorite of Nolan’s Batman flicks, but I love seeing the cast of Inception together again.

3. The Hunger Games – I’m the only person in the world who likes how this was shot. I thought the camera work was extremely emotionally manipulative. At least it manipulated my emotions, and I love being emotionally manipulated. By books and movies. Let’s just get that straight right now.

2. The Hobbit – Yes, I have my issues with it, but it’s Peter Jackson and lotr and Martin Freeman could act the alphabet at me and I’d yell “Oscar!”

1. The Avengers – Joss Whedon is my hero. Pretty much everything I know about creating a story, I learned from him. Not directly. I don’t know him or anything.

TV EPISODES I WATCHED:

5. Chuck Versus the Goodbye (Chuck) – Mostly, I pretend that Chuck ended after the season three finale. But Zachary Levi is my future husband, so I need to show my support.

4. Normal (New Girl) – True American. Enough said.

3. The Angels Take Manhattan (Doctor Who) – Weeping Angels. Enough said. PS-That pic is going to give me nightmares.

2. The Reichenbach Fall (Sherlock) – Remember what I said about Martin Freeman acting?

1. Virtual Systems Analysis (Community) – Inspector SpaceTime, the Dreamatorium, the actors acting like Abed acting like their characters, Troy having a meltdown and admitting he didn’t get Inception. What’s not to like about this episode?

BOOKS I READ:

5. WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks – Normally I don’t care for this kind of narration. I need a character to stick with the whole way through. But this was such a poignant social commentary that I totally didn’t care.

4. LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green – Pretty much in awe of this book. And it should be required reading.

3. VALKYRIE RISING by Ingrid Paulson – I really want to learn how to write like this woman. And bonus: new book boyfriend.

2. THE TREACHERY OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Ruth Frances Long – This book is pretty much perfect.

1. My critique partner, Emily’s manuscript. The thing blew my mind and is directly responsible for tripling my caloric intake on the day I finished it.

I don’t have a picture for her book, so here’s a picture of a sloth instead. Why? Because it’s ADORABLE:

So, those are my lists. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have several new posts lined up, so stay tuned!

…My new years resolution? Find me a man or a literary agent. To make things easier on myself lets add “or cyborg unicorn sidekick” to that. Honestly, I think I’d be equally happy with any of those.

In defense of 48 fps… but not really

Because my brain only works via either disinterest or obsession (and all things lotr fall under the obsessive part of my brain), I saw The Hobbit again on Christmas. This time, I opted for the higher frame rate and 3D. I’ll talk about 3D first, since it will only take me about a paragraph. Okay, maybe two.

I’m not a big fan of 3D. I avoid it if at all possible. The only reason I’ve seen 3D movies is because of the times I’ve wanted to see a movie, and the only person who will see it with me wants to see it in 3D. And it’s usually a person I don’t feel comfortable enough with to pitch a fit, call them names, and chew my hair until they agree to go to regular 2D.

The reason I don’t like 3D is because when I go to a movie, I want to be immersed in it. Now, 3D should do that quite effectively, except filmmakers approach 3D the same way a toddler approaches a Lego set–exploiting it for all its worth, doing things just because they can, definitely not creating what’s on the box. The filmmaker says, “Let’s have things jump out of the audience just to freak them out!” And then someone says, “But it has nothing to do with the story.” And the filmmaker says, “F*** you! It’s 3D, bitches!”

So, 3D movies end up replete with gimmicky, confusing… gimmicks that distract me from the story and pretty much achieve little more than pissing me off. However, The Hobbit kept its gimmicks to a handful, so, basically, yeah, I’m good.

Okay, maybe that was three paragraphs.

So, now about 48 fps. This is tricky, because I pretty much came out of the theater thinking: ehhhhhh… yeah, I dunno.

First of all, yes, it totally looks more realistic. I don’t think there’s any debate about that. If there is, I think the opposing side is silly. The higher the frame rate, the closer the film is to how we see things in reality. Duh.

My qualms are not about how real the film looks, but on how real the film should look. Movies are magic. Yes, it’s a little sentimental, but I would bet the majority of us go to movies to escape reality. They’re different–other–than our everyday lives. At least, I’m assuming. Movies are nothing like my life anyway…

Watching The Hobbit with the higher frame rate kind of reminded me of sitting too close at live theater. You see too much. There’s not enough distance to maintain the magic. It’s like watching behind-the-scenes footage or a documentary or people acting on a movie set.

That being said, I noticed the frame rate less, the further I got into the movie. At first, I thought I was getting used to it, but then all of the sudden it would pop out at me again. The pattern I started noticing is that the frame rate worked better with action sequences. I guess that makes sense in a way that I can’t quite articulate. The closest I can get is: action equals fast fast fast!

So, will 48 fps be the new standard in film? I don’t know. I lost my magic 8 ball. Will I be pissed off if it becomes the new standard? ehhhhhh… yeah, I dunno. I think it’ll pretty much be like when Facebook changes its layout. I’ll be agitated for like a week and then forget what it used to be like.

Nerdview – The Hobbit

This is a little late, because, well, I’m slacking in life at the moment. It’s almost Christmas, and I’m busy buying the presents I should have bought three weeks ago and putting off wrapping them until the last minute. It’s very taxing. I can’t be expected to blog as well.

Here are ten random thoughts about The Hobbit (Also, SPOILERS):

1)Peter Jackson sure loves his prologues.

2)Elijah Wood apparently has unlimited access to the fountain of youth.

3)For a little while, I wondered if I had stumbled into a musical. I half-expected Bilbo to start in on his rendition of “The Wizard and I.”

4)Doctor? Please wash the bird poop out of your hair. Also, you’re a little creepy. Like, if Santa had a deranged, hippie younger brother.

5)Was it just me or did the Great Goblin seem like something out of the Star Wars prequels? Kinda like Boss Nass meets Dexter Jettster?

6)I think a better subtitle would have been The Hobbit: Deux Ex Machina’s Guide to Surviving Horrific Falls.

7)Thank you to whoever convince Peter Jackson that one of the dwarves needed to be hot. Well played.

8)P.J. is in desperate need of an editor who will slap him and say, “No, YOU listen!”

9)Okay, Gandalf and Galadriel, just make out already.

10) Martin Freeman wins at acting.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel. Don’t get my wrong, I loved it. I’m just not sure I Lord of the Rings loved it. But I still need to see it in 3D and 48 fps, so I have plenty of opportunities to form a more solid opinion. What are your thoughts?

Take that, grad school!

Now Reading: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Semester status: over. That’s right, papers are turned in, tests are graded, and my office keys are handed over to the nice lady in the office. I am ON BREAK!

Things I plan to do over break:

1. Finish revising my ms. I can now sit and edit eight hours a day–which is what I want to do anyway–so I’m going to do it. (My friend Brook is gonna be all: What?! Girl, you HATE editing! You get all crabby and start coming up with creative curse words. And I’ll be all: That was before I discovered Valium! Actually, I just finally discovered HOW to revise, see: previous blog posts)

2. Read 10 books. Having recently discovered the charms of YA, and realizing I can finish one of those even on a busy weekend, I don’t think this will be a problem.

3. Make some writer friends. I finally found a promising writer’s group in my area. I’m going to my first meeting tomorrow night. Wish me and my socially anxious alter-ego luck!

4. Watch all the Christmas movies I own.  This is no easy task. Here they are:

Don’t fight me on Die Hard. You’ll lose.

5. Try to pick up guys in the sci-fi section of Barnes & Nobles.

6. See The Hobbit.

7. Watch the Doctor Who Christmas special.

8. Eat an entire apple pie.

SIDE RANT: My dog today–“Oh. You’re finishing papers for grad school? I think you need a break EVERY THIRTY SECONDS! And you know what you can do on your breaks?? PLAY WITH ME!! Well, I don’t actually want you to play with me. I just want your attention. No. Don’t PET me. What the hell’s wrong with you?! GO AWAY! Wait! Why are you leaving? Put the laptop down! I want you to stare at me while I play. Oh, you’re trying to focus? I’ll serenade you with high-pitched squeaking for TWO HOURS! ….you’re welcome.”

Internet! Internet! I helped today! I did, I did, I did!

Hiatus

Word of the day: hiatus – n; a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

Now Reading: rgjiodjklrhkujgiogrhjlrgejiogreaiograehuefwjigr *banging my head against the keyboard because of all the research I have to do for school*

Well, in case you haven’t figured out, I’m going on hiatus for a while. Just for two weeks. Just until I’ve finished the semester. And then maybe for a week after that while I’m catching up on sleep and trying to recapture my sanity.

Here’s something to hold you over until then:

Dammit, Moffat, now I’m scared of snowmen. (Link to Doctor Who Christmas special trailer)

SIDE RANT: Why are pizza places closed on Thanksgiving??!?

 

Revision, Revision! Revision! (To the tune of Tradition from Fiddler)

Word of the day: maelstrom – n; a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs

Now Reading: The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long (this book is absolutely flawless. Read it now.)

Yes, it’s been quite some time since my last post. I’m over it. You should be too. Grad school is kicking my butt, and I’m also working on some major revisions on my ms (thanks to my new friend Emily). Not to mention that my punctuation keys on my computer keep sticking……………………………………………………………………………………………..

I’m breaking my internet silence because I wanted to share with you an “Aha” moment I had today. And I’m not talking about how you should take on me, take me on, because I’ll be gone in a day or two (80’s music humor. Nailed it). No, I’m talking about a realization I had concerning the revision process.

Before I share with you my revelation, I should probably point out that this is most likely something that every writer knows, but I’ve just been too thick to get it through my head. I’d like to plead inexperience. So I will. I plead inexperience. Here’s today’s deep thought:

While revising, instead of looking at my manuscript and thinking “What’s wrong with this and how can I fix it?” I should look at it and think, “Okay, how can I make this better?”

It’s such a subtle distinction, but it’s the difference between dragging yourself kicking and screaming toward an impossible standard and passionately creating something you can be proud of.

I feel very wise at the moment, and may possibly don a long gray beard, a wizard’s hat, and yell at people that they shall not pass. Again.

Also, here’s a link to the complete Hobbit soundtrack. Don’t thank me. Buy me presents.

SIDE BIRTHDAY WISHES: Today is my best friend Sam’s birthday!! It won’t be as awesome as it could be, because I live hundred of miles away, but I’m sure she’ll make do. Everybody wish her the best and the strength to withstand my absence.

On the Path to World Domination, You’d Better Have the Force on Your Side

Word of the day: hank – n; a coil, knot, or loop

Now Reading: False Memory by Dan Krokos

When you put together your costume at 5:30 on Halloween, chances are it will consist of a Batman t-shirt, yoga pants, and a towel tied around your shoulders like a cape.

You’ve been warned.

So, I figured I’d better weigh in on all this Disney acquiring LucasFilm stuff. I’m a little late to the game, but give me a break. I have to at least pretend I’m working hard at grad school.

It seems to me that Star Wars fans are pretty much split down the middle on this news. Some are over the space station (get it? cuz that’s no moon, it’s a space station?) and others are frenetically trying to invent time travel so they can go back and prevent this from ever happening (I approve. Whatever gets time travel invented).

But are we really that surprised? I mean, Disney is buying everything else. They own Ironman and Captain America, is it so hard to believe that they’d annex Darth and Greedo too? And Lucas has proven he’s not above making a little cash (4.05 billion-with-a-b dollars??????).

And as far as Star Wars VII goes, I’m neither excited nor wary. The prequel pretty much beat any excitement I might have felt out of me. And now that it’s Disney, I don’t really feel like it’s Star Wars anymore, so I can go into without expectations and without… lack of expectations…

More than anything, I’m amused at the memes that have been floating around Pinterest.

What really frightens me about the whole thing, and what nobody seems to be talking about is this: Disney now owns Indiana Jones.

Discuss.

SIDE RANT: My dog doesn’t care if I was supposed to get an extra hour of sleep today.