Friday, February 4, 2011

Still Writing

I am up to 37K on my Arthurian inspired novel.
I read an interesting blog post yesterday about the use of the so-called "feminine gaze" in fantasy novels. I wonder if because those of us here in the US have been brought up a certain way if the feminine gaze female authors use are still the male gaze? I am struggling with this issue in my current WIP, Although my MC is female I wonder if she is "female enough" or if she is more male. Then I think, what does it matter as long as her story is told from her POV? The whole gender has come up because I know of a person who is struggling with gender identity and although society perceives the person as one gender the person perceives themselves as another or do they? Even this person has a problem defining their role, it's no wonder writers have trouble with this too. One comment suggested that it all stems from homophobia, girls can wear pants and act like males but males cannot act like females without being labeled gay or feminine as if that is something bad. How can writers help? By writing characters both male and female that are well-rounded characters, neither one is stronger than the other, both have feminine and masculine characteristics. We as a society need to embrace all aspects of ourselves, and together we can blend those elements into a whole.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please comment below: