First off, let me introduce myself: I’m
the long-winded one.
This is the first post of a group blog, so
I figured I’d jump right in and get to the topic I’ll mostly be posting about.
Gender roles. Before you drift off to sleep, let me tie it in to the whimsical fake gossip column tearing up the Internet. Officially over my HP obsession, I
can now be objective and voice the opinion I’ve always held: Harry should’ve
been a Harriet. That’s why I started my own middle-grade fantasy starring a
girl. Seven years later, I just finished this story and I understand why
JK Rowling chose to write about a boy. It’s way easier.
Let me be clear. I write for girls. I
could care less if a boy ever picks up a single book of mine. I mean, they
might be too busy conquering the world, and I wouldn’t want to get in the way
of that. Yet, if they ever have the urge…I’ve gotta say, Donovan Hunt is a
pretty good male character.
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| You're in a movie and see this coming. Run! |
To put this all into context, let me cite
a movie I saw years ago when I fancied myself a connoisseur of film. The Comfort of Strangers is a thriller
(sort of, I guess) about a truly British couple entrapped by social etiquette
into a relationship with another couple who, at first, appear merely eccentric.
Trust me, if the main characters in this film had been American, there would be
no movie, because they’d’ve have run for the hills the moment Christopher Walken
approached (a good practice for whenever
Christopher Walken approaches in a film, mind you.)
Instead, the couple sits meekly by sipping
tea and nodding politely, as the psycho couple tells them about all the deviant
things they do. This leads to nothing good. It’s not a film for children, but
there is one scene that applies directly to my children’s book. The Natasha
Richardson character is telling the Helen Mirren character about a women’s
theatre troupe she once belonged to (before it dissipated as a result of some
of the women wanting to include men.) Helen Mirren says something along the
lines of: “How can you do a play with only women? I mean, what could happen?”
then—later in the convo—adds: “They’d probably be waiting for a man. And
then he’d come and something would
happen.”
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| True....but there's more to it. |
At nineteen, my response to this was WTF?
Having now written my book, my response is: You’ve hit the nail right on the
head, sister!
A girl character can’t fuel a story by her
lonesome, and not because she’s weak. It’s because female readers look for
different things than male readers in a story—better things. It’s a strength of our gender, this curiosity
about The Other. Plus, I think girls recognize reading as a forbidden fruit,
the privilege having been so hard won. So if you write about a girl, be
prepared to write about a boy with equal fervor. (Don’t tell me that Hermione is as developed as Harry. She’s not!) And get
ready to tackle issues of gender, which is hard to do with entertainment as the
goal. (Note: The Comfort of Strangers
is one of the least entertaining movies I’ve ever seen. Click at your own discretion, and I'll take you to a HP fan art pic that makes you feel the same sort of ickiness.)
In Thief’s Cipher, I’ve tried my best with
a race bred to be domestic servants (a la The
Stepford Wives); a coven of witches that parallels a corporation; a male
character who takes on the demons of childhood abuse and a hero role
in which he’s been unwillingly cast; not to mention, a lingering prophecy that
amounts to an arranged marriage between the two main characters.
Oh yeah, and by poking fun of gender roles
at every opportunity. Sorry, gender roles. You’re toast.
(Told you I was long-winded.)
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