 Action/Adventure: February 26, 2020 Issue [#10042] |
This week: Character Gender: But why? Edited by: Cinn  
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This is my last Action Adventure newsletter as a permanent editor. I'm going to shift my attention to Noticing Newbies (with occasional guest editing elsewhere). If I miss you all too much, I'll be back... on a temporary or permanent basis.  One last poem for the road... on, what else, but gender roles:
Women whose lives are food
breaking eggs with care
scraping garbage from the plates
unpacking groceries hand over hand
Wednesday evening: he takes the cans out front
tough plastic with detachable lids
Thursday morning: the garbage truck whining at 7
Friday the shopping mall open till 9
bags of groceries unpacked
hand over certain hand
Men whose lives are money
time-and-a-half Saturdays
the lunchbag folded with care and brought back home
unfolded Monday morning
Women whose lives are food
because they are not punch-carded
because they are unclocked
sighing glad to be alone
staring into the yard, mid-morning
mid-week
by mid-afternoon everything is forgotten
~ Excerpt from "Women Whose Lives Are Food, Men Whose Lives Are Money" by Joyce Carol Oates
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For those who don't know, my education and work experience is in a male-dominant field (smack dab in the middle of two male-dominant fields, in fact). I also don't really think of myself as a woman... just as a person. So I tend to notice gender a whole lot in stories.
I received a review the other day for a really old item of mine: "I'm Fine" . It is about a woman who decides to go deep sea diving alone. Perhaps because I was at work, I started thinking about why I chose to make her female.
In this case, I believe it was for the same reason many of you probably choose gender: it's fiction but based on personal experience. Also, growing up as one or the other, we may find it easier to write in one or the other. I tend to default to female without really considering which is a better fit. I intend to break that habit. I think for me it might even be far easier to write from a man's perspective. I'm surrounded by men at all times, after all.
So, I've decided to revise my story for typos and the like. But after much thought, I've decided to leave the main character female. Why? She's actually bucking gender roles to some degree. Bravery is not a male-only trait. Neither is the drive to excel at work. Sadly, neither is stupidity. An independent woman can make terrible decisions too.
But what about the other stories in my port?  Warning: Gender swapping may occur! And you know, if you really think about it, some swapping might may occur in yours as well.
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I believe that reading poetry can help any type of writer with their word usage, imagery, and flow. I also believe that once in a while, we all need some nonsense in our lives. You have a few more days to signup for two activities happening in March (no poetry writing required in either, but welcome in both).
And as always, some things to read:
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Have you ever read a story thinking the main character was one gender and later been shocked to find they weren't?  Do you think that any traits are truly just for one gender or the other? If so, which ones?
 
Here are some interesting responses for my last newsletter, "Action/Adventure Newsletter (January 29, 2020)" :
Thank you for promoting my story. I appreciate it. ~From kzn 
Hi Cinn, thanks very much for the information, and thanks for highlighting my story. ~From smjones
Wow! Thanks for highlighting my story. Truth be told, the bones of it came to me from a dream I had, and I worked it into the contest.  ~From Mastiff 
You're all welcome!  And I've had some scenes from dreams pop up in stories and novels before too. And of course... lots and lots of poetry. Nothing like waking up inspired, huh?
I can't agree with you more this reader say in a low bass voice as he looks up from the poem he is writing.
 That made my day!
This newsletter isn't long enough. Can you continue this topic in the next one? I don't think you effectively explained how or shown the status quo vs what it should look like. That one brief example wasn't enough. I think I have this issue and I'm not sure how to recognize when it's wrong and how to change it. VOICE: I need more help on this subject. Can you please expound a bit more? Thx
For a moment there, I thought you were being sarcastic, since it's rare for anyone to think that I wrote too little about... well, anything!
I actually didn't read this until after I had drafted my newsletter for this week. I definitely have more to say on the topic though. I will include some more examples of voice in my next fiction newsletter-- Horror, March 11. Be on the look out!
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