Zoë Marriott's Blog, page 37
July 9, 2012
PINK IS NOT THE ENEMY
Hello, my lovelies! Tuesday again, and today I'm sharing with you a slightly different kind of RetroTuesday post - not something from the archive, but a post that I wrote for my publisher's UNDERCOVER blog back a couple of months ago. At the time I linked the post into the Queen of Teen Award, but I thought it would be nice to bring it back here for anyone who didn't see it then and just let it stand on its own. I present to you:PINK IS NOT THE ENEMY
Shhhh. *Looks around furtively* I need to tell you a secret, OK?
It's really embarrassing. You won't tell anyone, right? This is just between you and me?
Here goes.
I really... kind of... love... pink.
When I was a little girl and my mum tried to put me in a pair of jeans, I threw an epic tantrum and wouldn't leave the house, even though said jeans had been specially bought because they had pink embroidered flowers all over them. When my cousin didn't invite me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding I cried for hours because I swear to you, I wanted that big pink puffy meringue dress more than I wanted to live. One of my favourite toys for years was a troll doll with hot-pink hair in a full ballerina's outfit including hot-pink tutu and toe shoes. It never left my sight.
I know, right!? Me! Me, with my martial arts and Feminism and fantasy/sci-fi nerdery. Me, with all the big talk about sexism and diversity and trying to write the change you want to see in the world. Me, with my powerful heroines that go around fighting and casting spells and rescuing the heroes and freeing nations.
I feel so ashamed of myself! I'm letting the side down! Right? Right?
Or how about: OH HECK NO.
This is the dilemma many of us ladies (and in fact, gentlemen) face in our day to day lives. We want to be fierce, strong, independent people, fighting back against stereotypes of what femininity can and cannot be. We want respect and we are prepared to kick butt and take names until we get it.
But we also really, really, really want that pair of pink suede kitten heel slingbacks we saw on sale last week...
Humans have a problem, and it is this: we like to put things in boxes. We like to be able to put Hairy Chested Manly Things in one box, and Fragrant Pink Girly things in another. Girls may sometimes, and with a large application of effort, be allowed to play in the Hairy Chested Manly Things box and borrow some stuff (like, you know, wearing trousers, voting, owning property). But we're not allowed to have everything we might want, and we're often under threat of someone coming along and taking those things back from us.
And if we like the stuff out of the boys box too much (equal rights and pay at work, equal sexual freedom, absolute and unquestioned dominion of our own bodies) we'll probably have some very unkind names thrown at us and may even be physically attacked.
Men are not even allowed to glance at the Fragrant Pink Girly Box. Everything in there - everything which is supposed to be natural to and desirable for girls - is supposed to be inherantly inferior and lesser for them. A man who likes that stuff is letting down all men. He's unfit to be a man. He can't play in the box without getting sneered at, threatened, deprived of rights and possibly beaten up by others, some of whom might even be women.
And ladies - many ladies - including me! - have seen this and have been known to say: 'I shall not play in the Fragrant Pink Girly Box! If it is not good enough for men then it is not good enough for me either! I shall not be forced into certain roles and choices in life! I shall partake only of the Hairy Chested Manly things - like being tough and strong, and not caring about personal hygiene - AND THAT WILL JUST SHOW YOU!'
Ladies. Comrades. Sisters in arms and sisters in pink suede kitten heel slingbacks. I am here to tell you that you do not have to chose.
Many, many of the things our society has put in the Hairy Chested Manly Box, like wearing trousers, and kicking butts, and being strong, are awesome. And many, many things society has put in the Fragrant Pink Girly Box, like falling in love, and caring about relationships, are also awesome.
The thing that is very not awesome? Is the label there on the box that says 'Manly' or 'Girly'.
Because this makes those of us who like stuff from both boxes feel bad. It makes us scared. It makes us feel that things we like and care about and enjoy are wrong, merely because of the private parts assigned to us by fate. That is not awesome at all. It's so far from awesome that I'd quite like to catch it and put it in a box all of its very own. And then hit the box with a stick. And then drop the box off a very high cliff.
It's 2012, and all of us, boys and girls, should feel free to play in both boxes and take what we like out of both of them and then construct our own, personal idea of what it is to be a man or a woman. Pink is not essentially girly, no matter what those box loving people think (in fact, until around a hundred years ago, pink was traditionally a boy's colour, did you know that?). And being hairy is just as much a girly thing as a man thing - anyone who has seen a woman's collection of hair removing products cannot doubt this.
We do not live as hunter-gatherers anymore. The natural order of things is the way that feels natural to each of us as individuals.
When I see people making disparaging comments or retching noises over displays of pink, that makes me feel sad. Because there is nothing inherantly wrong with pink. The only reason pink is so despised is that it is considered something 'for girls' - and this has caused it to be labeled inferior, sickening, lesser. So those people are, in fact, making their disparaging comments not just about the colour - but about the value of things liked by girls. When I hear a boy being teased by being called a 'girl', that makes me feel incredibly sad. He's being told that the worst thing he can do is to act in any way that the world considers traditionally feminine - that in fact, doing anything badly is to do it 'girlishly'.
People try to play this off like it isn't important. People - both men and women - will tell you that worrying about the use of the word 'girl' as an insult, or how wearing a pink shirt to school is unthinkable for a boy, is foolish. Or over-reacting. But it isn't. Of course it isn't. Think about it for a minute and think about what this actually says about our society and our attitude to women and girls. It's scary.
So this is a plea to you. All of you boys and girls who love pink and sparkly things. And all of you boys and girls who love sword fights and magic. And all of you boys and girls who love both. The world may not want you to have strength and independence AND pink - but I think you can. I think we can.
Don't let other people tell you who you are. Just BE who you are.
Pink is not the enemy. Prejudice, narrow-mindedness and bigotry are.
Appropriate personal photo-no-jutsu!
Shhhh. *Looks around furtively* I need to tell you a secret, OK?
It's really embarrassing. You won't tell anyone, right? This is just between you and me?
Here goes.
I really... kind of... love... pink.
When I was a little girl and my mum tried to put me in a pair of jeans, I threw an epic tantrum and wouldn't leave the house, even though said jeans had been specially bought because they had pink embroidered flowers all over them. When my cousin didn't invite me to be a bridesmaid at her wedding I cried for hours because I swear to you, I wanted that big pink puffy meringue dress more than I wanted to live. One of my favourite toys for years was a troll doll with hot-pink hair in a full ballerina's outfit including hot-pink tutu and toe shoes. It never left my sight.
I know, right!? Me! Me, with my martial arts and Feminism and fantasy/sci-fi nerdery. Me, with all the big talk about sexism and diversity and trying to write the change you want to see in the world. Me, with my powerful heroines that go around fighting and casting spells and rescuing the heroes and freeing nations.
I feel so ashamed of myself! I'm letting the side down! Right? Right?
Or how about: OH HECK NO.
This is the dilemma many of us ladies (and in fact, gentlemen) face in our day to day lives. We want to be fierce, strong, independent people, fighting back against stereotypes of what femininity can and cannot be. We want respect and we are prepared to kick butt and take names until we get it.
But we also really, really, really want that pair of pink suede kitten heel slingbacks we saw on sale last week...
Humans have a problem, and it is this: we like to put things in boxes. We like to be able to put Hairy Chested Manly Things in one box, and Fragrant Pink Girly things in another. Girls may sometimes, and with a large application of effort, be allowed to play in the Hairy Chested Manly Things box and borrow some stuff (like, you know, wearing trousers, voting, owning property). But we're not allowed to have everything we might want, and we're often under threat of someone coming along and taking those things back from us.
And if we like the stuff out of the boys box too much (equal rights and pay at work, equal sexual freedom, absolute and unquestioned dominion of our own bodies) we'll probably have some very unkind names thrown at us and may even be physically attacked.
Men are not even allowed to glance at the Fragrant Pink Girly Box. Everything in there - everything which is supposed to be natural to and desirable for girls - is supposed to be inherantly inferior and lesser for them. A man who likes that stuff is letting down all men. He's unfit to be a man. He can't play in the box without getting sneered at, threatened, deprived of rights and possibly beaten up by others, some of whom might even be women.
And ladies - many ladies - including me! - have seen this and have been known to say: 'I shall not play in the Fragrant Pink Girly Box! If it is not good enough for men then it is not good enough for me either! I shall not be forced into certain roles and choices in life! I shall partake only of the Hairy Chested Manly things - like being tough and strong, and not caring about personal hygiene - AND THAT WILL JUST SHOW YOU!'
Ladies. Comrades. Sisters in arms and sisters in pink suede kitten heel slingbacks. I am here to tell you that you do not have to chose.
Many, many of the things our society has put in the Hairy Chested Manly Box, like wearing trousers, and kicking butts, and being strong, are awesome. And many, many things society has put in the Fragrant Pink Girly Box, like falling in love, and caring about relationships, are also awesome.
The thing that is very not awesome? Is the label there on the box that says 'Manly' or 'Girly'.
Because this makes those of us who like stuff from both boxes feel bad. It makes us scared. It makes us feel that things we like and care about and enjoy are wrong, merely because of the private parts assigned to us by fate. That is not awesome at all. It's so far from awesome that I'd quite like to catch it and put it in a box all of its very own. And then hit the box with a stick. And then drop the box off a very high cliff.
It's 2012, and all of us, boys and girls, should feel free to play in both boxes and take what we like out of both of them and then construct our own, personal idea of what it is to be a man or a woman. Pink is not essentially girly, no matter what those box loving people think (in fact, until around a hundred years ago, pink was traditionally a boy's colour, did you know that?). And being hairy is just as much a girly thing as a man thing - anyone who has seen a woman's collection of hair removing products cannot doubt this.
We do not live as hunter-gatherers anymore. The natural order of things is the way that feels natural to each of us as individuals.
When I see people making disparaging comments or retching noises over displays of pink, that makes me feel sad. Because there is nothing inherantly wrong with pink. The only reason pink is so despised is that it is considered something 'for girls' - and this has caused it to be labeled inferior, sickening, lesser. So those people are, in fact, making their disparaging comments not just about the colour - but about the value of things liked by girls. When I hear a boy being teased by being called a 'girl', that makes me feel incredibly sad. He's being told that the worst thing he can do is to act in any way that the world considers traditionally feminine - that in fact, doing anything badly is to do it 'girlishly'.
People try to play this off like it isn't important. People - both men and women - will tell you that worrying about the use of the word 'girl' as an insult, or how wearing a pink shirt to school is unthinkable for a boy, is foolish. Or over-reacting. But it isn't. Of course it isn't. Think about it for a minute and think about what this actually says about our society and our attitude to women and girls. It's scary.
So this is a plea to you. All of you boys and girls who love pink and sparkly things. And all of you boys and girls who love sword fights and magic. And all of you boys and girls who love both. The world may not want you to have strength and independence AND pink - but I think you can. I think we can.
Don't let other people tell you who you are. Just BE who you are.
Pink is not the enemy. Prejudice, narrow-mindedness and bigotry are.
Appropriate personal photo-no-jutsu!
July 6, 2012
WOMEN IN FANTASY
Hello, my duckies! Happy Friday to you all! Yesterday - the 5th of July - was
FrostFire
's official publication date (even though Amazon has been shipping it out to people since late last week) and so now we're in the hushed waiting period, both longing for and dreading reviews. Eeep.
I would absolutely LOVE it if people would send me pictures of FrostFire out in the wild. Shots of it on the shelf, or of yourself holding it in a bookshop - they make my day. So remember to charge your phones or take your cameras when you go shopping next!
Today is the third stop on the FrostFire Blog Tour, and the topic is Women in Fantasy (or Fantasy Women, as I wanted to call it). It's all about my favourite girl characters, and it's been hosted by the delightful Lynsey of Narratively Speaking . Head on over there and read!
This week there's also a couple of really interesting interviews with me online. The first is with Novia at Truly Bookish as part of her MultiCultural Book Challenge - and there's a giveaway of Shadows on the Moon for USians, too! Then Kaylie from the Bluewater Waterstone's interviewed me for her book club's blog . Check those both out. There were some great questions.
In the meantime, to celebrate (belatedly) the release date, and just in case you haven't seen it yet - the FrostFire trailer!
I would absolutely LOVE it if people would send me pictures of FrostFire out in the wild. Shots of it on the shelf, or of yourself holding it in a bookshop - they make my day. So remember to charge your phones or take your cameras when you go shopping next!
Today is the third stop on the FrostFire Blog Tour, and the topic is Women in Fantasy (or Fantasy Women, as I wanted to call it). It's all about my favourite girl characters, and it's been hosted by the delightful Lynsey of Narratively Speaking . Head on over there and read!
This week there's also a couple of really interesting interviews with me online. The first is with Novia at Truly Bookish as part of her MultiCultural Book Challenge - and there's a giveaway of Shadows on the Moon for USians, too! Then Kaylie from the Bluewater Waterstone's interviewed me for her book club's blog . Check those both out. There were some great questions.
In the meantime, to celebrate (belatedly) the release date, and just in case you haven't seen it yet - the FrostFire trailer!
July 2, 2012
NICE TO MEET YOU?
Hello, hello, hello Dear Readers! I'm back from the Lancashire Book of the Year Awards in Preston and wow - I had the best time EVER. There were a series of events over the weekend including a panel with local children, a dinner, and then the actual presentation ceremony, and despite slight collywobbles from me about all the public speaking involved, I think this was probably one of the most humbling and rewarding experiences of my career so far.
I met legendary children's and YA author Adele Geras who is a fascinating, intimidatingly well-read lady, wickedly funny and completely invested in encouraging young people to read and value books. I loved her books as a kid (still love them, really) so I managed to get a place near her at both breakfast and lunch on the Saturday and probably talked her ear off, along with this brilliant university professor Helen (I realised later that I never got her last name - gah!) who teaches an MA course in Children's and YA literature at UCLAN. If I could have gotten away with it, I'd have rolled them both up, hidden them in my bag, and taken them home with me. Our discussions were epic.
I also met the award winner Chris Higgins, who was lovely, and nearly got into a scrap with fellow shortlisters Cliff McNish and Mike Lancaster over romance in YA novels and why men don't write more of it (a friendly scrap! And the kids at the panel found it highly amusing). And to top it all of, I got a delightful visit from Keris Stainton, who was at the awards last year, and who came to the lunch on the Friday with her son Harry. It was wonderful to meet her at last!
Of course, the most amazing thing of all was the ridiculous quantities of hard work that had gone into making all this happen by the ladies from the library service - including Big Boss Heather and the two ladies known as 'The Allisons', and lovely Jake and Sandra, and many more - and the young people who'd ploughed through all these books and spoke so passionately about their favourites. Huge thank yous and hugs to all! Everything was so joyful that I think I'll be crossing my fingers constantly from now on that one of my books manages to get shortlisted again at some point.
But now onto the point of today's post, which is...THIS:
THAT'S RIGHT DEAR READERS! Those of you who live in, around, or within a reasonable distance of London have finally got the chance to come and meet me! Which means I finally have the chance to meet you!
*Flails*
That's an amazing line-up of authors right there - you already know I love Kaz Mahoney and Lee Weatherly (both as luverly people and as writers) because I've interviewed them right here and given away copies of their books. I also know Michelle Harrison from Twitter and she's funny and adorable. We'll be having a panel discussion about books, writing and reading, signing books and (in my case anyway) giving away special presents and swag. I can't tell you how excited I am about this - and I want my Dear Readers there so much, you guys. If any of you can make it you will literally make my day.
The way to reserve tickets for the event is to email this address: events@foyles.co.uk. Now from the response on Twitter yesterday when I announced this the tickets may be going fast, so please get in there as soon as you can. I really, really, REALLY want some of you to be there!
*Flails some more*
See you again on Friday!
I met legendary children's and YA author Adele Geras who is a fascinating, intimidatingly well-read lady, wickedly funny and completely invested in encouraging young people to read and value books. I loved her books as a kid (still love them, really) so I managed to get a place near her at both breakfast and lunch on the Saturday and probably talked her ear off, along with this brilliant university professor Helen (I realised later that I never got her last name - gah!) who teaches an MA course in Children's and YA literature at UCLAN. If I could have gotten away with it, I'd have rolled them both up, hidden them in my bag, and taken them home with me. Our discussions were epic.
I also met the award winner Chris Higgins, who was lovely, and nearly got into a scrap with fellow shortlisters Cliff McNish and Mike Lancaster over romance in YA novels and why men don't write more of it (a friendly scrap! And the kids at the panel found it highly amusing). And to top it all of, I got a delightful visit from Keris Stainton, who was at the awards last year, and who came to the lunch on the Friday with her son Harry. It was wonderful to meet her at last!
Of course, the most amazing thing of all was the ridiculous quantities of hard work that had gone into making all this happen by the ladies from the library service - including Big Boss Heather and the two ladies known as 'The Allisons', and lovely Jake and Sandra, and many more - and the young people who'd ploughed through all these books and spoke so passionately about their favourites. Huge thank yous and hugs to all! Everything was so joyful that I think I'll be crossing my fingers constantly from now on that one of my books manages to get shortlisted again at some point.
But now onto the point of today's post, which is...THIS:
THAT'S RIGHT DEAR READERS! Those of you who live in, around, or within a reasonable distance of London have finally got the chance to come and meet me! Which means I finally have the chance to meet you!
*Flails*
That's an amazing line-up of authors right there - you already know I love Kaz Mahoney and Lee Weatherly (both as luverly people and as writers) because I've interviewed them right here and given away copies of their books. I also know Michelle Harrison from Twitter and she's funny and adorable. We'll be having a panel discussion about books, writing and reading, signing books and (in my case anyway) giving away special presents and swag. I can't tell you how excited I am about this - and I want my Dear Readers there so much, you guys. If any of you can make it you will literally make my day.
The way to reserve tickets for the event is to email this address: events@foyles.co.uk. Now from the response on Twitter yesterday when I announced this the tickets may be going fast, so please get in there as soon as you can. I really, really, REALLY want some of you to be there!
*Flails some more*
See you again on Friday!
June 28, 2012
INSPIRATIONAL FANTASY
Hello, Lovely Readers! As you read this I am already winging (well, railing) my way to the Lancashire Book of the Year Awards in Preston. I know that I haven't won anything, so basically I am just turning up for the fun of hopefully meeting lots of readers and other authors. I'm nervous and excited!
But fear not: despite my abandonment there is still a post for you to read today: stop #2 on the FrostFire Blog Tour. It's over at the lovely Laura's blog, which is called SisterSpooky and it's about fantasy that I find inspirational. Clickety click, dearies!
Once you've devoured that one, there's another guest post I did the other week for Caroline at Portrait of A Woman, which I forgot to link you to. It's about my love for Japan, and has lots of recommendations for manga and anime.
See you on Tuesday :)
But fear not: despite my abandonment there is still a post for you to read today: stop #2 on the FrostFire Blog Tour. It's over at the lovely Laura's blog, which is called SisterSpooky and it's about fantasy that I find inspirational. Clickety click, dearies!
Once you've devoured that one, there's another guest post I did the other week for Caroline at Portrait of A Woman, which I forgot to link you to. It's about my love for Japan, and has lots of recommendations for manga and anime.
See you on Tuesday :)
June 26, 2012
RETROTUESDAY: YOU CAN STUFF YOUR MARY SUE...
Good morning, Dear Readers! Today is the first day of my programme of RetroTuesdays, in which I dredge through the rich, dark slime of the archives in order to drag free the gleaming gold of vintage posts. Posts you may have missed the first time around, or perhaps would enjoy reading for a second time.
Don't forget that on Friday I'll be posting you a link to the next stop on the FrostFire blog tour, so stop by for that as well! Now, onwards to...
YOU CAN STUFF YOUR MARY SUE WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE
Today, at the urging of some of my lovely Twitter friends and followers, I intend to tackle a controversial topic. You can probably guess what it is from the post title, but if not...well, here's where we wade into the Mary-Sue Morass. It's a deep one. You might want to bring a snack. And a spare pair of socks.
If you regularly read book (or film or TV or other media - but most especially book) reviews of any kind, whether in magazines or on Amazon and Goodreads or on book review blogs, you will more than likely (more than likely) have come across the term Mary-Sue. If you don't already know what the term means, you might have tried to work out the meaning using the context in which the term was used. But, because hardly any of the people throwing this term around themselves understand what it means, you'll have a tough time of it. Even if you've read a hundred reviews talking about Mary-Sue characters, you probably still don't know for sure, although you'll have gotten the idea that Mary-Sue = bad news. Bad character. Bad writing. BAD WRITER, NO COOKIE!
When I read reviews, I see the term Mary-Sue used to mean:
1) A female character who is too perfect
2) A female character who kicks too much butt
3) A female character who gets her way too easily
4) A female character who is too powerful
5) A female character who has too many flaws
6) A female character who has the wrong flaws
7) A female character who has no flaws
8) A female character who is annoying or obnoxious
9) A female character who is one dimensional or badly written
10) A female character who is too passive or boring
Do you see, Dear Readers, how many of these aspects of the commonly used term Mary-Sue are...umm...just a teeny bit contradictory? How can Mary-Sue mean 'a female character who is too perfect' when it is also used to mean a female character who is 'annoying or obnoxious'? How can it mean that a character has 'too many flaws' and also 'no flaws'? How can these people have anything in common? It's all so confusing!
Except that it isn't.
Take another look at the list of complaints against so-called Mary-Sues and you will see one thing all of them have in common.
'A female character.'
What many (though not all!) of the people merrily throwing this phrase around actually mean when they say 'Mary-Sue' is: 'Female character I don't like'.
That's it. That's all.
So why don't they just say 'I didn't like the female character' and explain why? I mean, there's no problem with a reviewer not liking a female character, is there? Everyone is entitled to like or dislike a character according to their own lights. A character that one person loves may seem utterly vile to another reader, and that is a wonderful thing we should all be very happy about as individuals. How did this strange, contradictory, badly defined term come into such common use in the first place? Clearly it doesn't mean what people think it means - so why not just honestly lay out the reasons you didn't like the female character, the same way you would any other character (by which we mean, a male one) instead of throwing the term Mary-Sue like a mud-pie?
Maybe it's because the reviewers in question, the reviewers who keep saying 'Mary-Sue' as if it was all that needed to be said, don't want to have to explain the reasons why a particular character didn't work for them. Maybe it's because their reasons for finding these female characters just too obnoxious, unrealistic, stupid, passive, badass or talented are as contradictory and badly defined as the term itself. Maybe it's because the reason they don't like the female characters isn't that they're just too...anything. Except just too...female.
For the record, at this point let's see if we can't dig out the actual meaning of the term Mary-Sue. Because it did have a useful definition once, before it was co-opted and turned into a two-word mud-pie to diminish female characters. And that definition was this:
"A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader. It is generally accepted as a character whose positive aspects overwhelm their other traits until they become one-dimensional."
The term was made up by people writing StarTrek fanfiction, to describe the author-insert characters (often given names like Mary Sue) who would show up in pieces of fanfiction as a new ensign or science officer and immediately prove to be the best looking, most intelligent, spunkiest, wittiest and most perfect StarFleet officer ever recruited. All the other characters would immediately realise this and hail Ensign Mary-Sue as a genius. If they did not, they were very obviously motivated by spite and jealousy, since Mary-Sue was so clearly perfect (and modest! And humble! And unaware of how beautiful she was!) that no one who wasn't wicked could do anything but embrace her.
She would not only miraculously solve every problem that the Enterprise faced and make instant friends of all the crew, but all the significant male (and maybe female) characters would fall in love with her. Usually Mary-Sue would bravely die at the end of the piece of fanfiction, because the established characters and setting would have become so warped around her utter perfection by then that if she had lived she would have gotten married to either James T Kirk or Spock (or both) and become Captain of the ship, and no one would ever have had to have any adventures again.
In short, Mary-Sue is a wish fulfilment fantasy. And I'm not saying characters like this don't exist. I'm not even saying they are *bad*. In fact, an example of a Mary-Sue in a well-known novel is the character Bella Swan in Twilight (I'm sorry Twilight lovers, but it's really true! I'm not dissing Bella, I'm just stating a fact about the kind of character she is).
Bella moves to a new town and immediately finds that everyone there wants to be her friend (except for two female characters who are mind-cripplingly obviously jealous) despite the fact that she is not interested in any of them. Bella has no flaws apart from being adorably klutzy. She is convinced that she is plain, and wears no make-up, but everyone reacts to her as if she was ravishingly beautiful. She captures the interest and then the undying love of the main male character despite the fact that he nearly has to turn his whole character inside out to make it happen. She also gets the love of the secondary male character. And all the other boys her age start fighting over her too, even though she's got no interest in any of them either. Bella undergoes no character growth or development within the story because she is already perfect when the story begins. And, as has often been pointed out, the detailed description of Bella is a perfect description of the author, Stephenie Meyer.
So this is what a Mary-Sue is:
1) A character who is based, at least partly, on the author
2) A character whom has no significant flaws (except possibly ones the other characters find cute)
3) A character to whom everyone within the story reacts as if they were beautiful and wonderful except characters who are clearly evil and/or motivated by jealousy
4) A character with whom, during the course of the story, every available character of the opposite (and occasionally the same) sex will fall in love given any contact whatsoever
5) A character who undergoes no significant growth, change or development throughout the story
Believe me, when you come across one, you will know.
And yet I see the term Mary-Sue applied to characters who bear no resemblance to this definition at all. I see it applied to such diverse people as Hermione Grainger from Harry Potter, Mae from The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Clary from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Alanna from The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce, and Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore. These guys, honestly, couldn't be much more different from each other. The only thing they all have in common? Is that they're all girls.
Not a Mary Sue!I recently read a book that I loved. In the course of the book the heroine underwent immense physical and mental and emotional ordeals. She was by turns denigrated and treated with disgust, and excessively sheltered and lied to. She was kidnapped, dragged across rough terrain, attacked, threatened, lost people that she loved, was betrayed by people she had trusted, and had almost unbearable burdens thrust onto her shoulders. She evolved - inch by painful inch - from a very smart, yet extremely insecure and self-centred person, to one who was compassionate and empathetic and able to use her intelligence for the good of others. She changed from a passive and largely physically inactive person to one who was physically strong and active. She worked and scrabbled and fought and whined and cried for every bit of progress she made. She lost everything she loved and wanted and pulled herself up and made a new life for herself, bittersweet though it was.
And I thought: How wonderful!
And then I saw a review calling this character - this amazing, flawed, revolting, inspiring, broken, beautiful, ugly character - a Mary-Sue. Dear Readers, my head nearly exploded.
Definitely not a Mary Sue!I'm sick of it, Dear Readers. I'm sick of seeing people condemn any female character with a significant role in a book as a Mary-Sue. I'm sick of people talking about how the female characters were too perfect or not perfect enough, too passive or too badass, too talented or too useless, when what they really mean - but don't even KNOW they mean - is that the characters were too much in possession of lady parts.
So now I turn away from my wonderful blog readers, who are lovely, kind, sweet people who would never make my head explode, and I turn to you, the reviewers. Not all the reviewers. Just the ones who are making my head throb dangerously and causing the silvery lights to float in front of my eyes.
I beg, I implore, I get down on bended knee and grovel: next time you're about to use the term Mary-Sue, stop and look at my little checklist above. And if the character you are about to describe does not hit all the points on the checklist? DON'T.
And if you're going to ask how on earth you're supposed to know, without photos of the author, if the character is partly based on them? You've just proved my point. YOU CAN'T. Therefore, you shouldn't be using the term Mary-Sue. Because in doing so, you are making a claim about the character/author relationship which you cannot substantiate. Simple as that.
Absolutely, positively not a Mary Sue!Instead of slapping 'Mary-Sue' in your review and leaving it at that, make a list of four or five traits or decisions or actions that you think were bad, or unrealistic, or obnoxious, about the character. Perhaps you should discuss those points, and why they bothered you, in the review instead.
But before you do, take a moment to imagine that the character you are thinking about was a boy or a man. And don't say 'Well, that's different' or 'But I just can't see a girl behaving this way' or 'It's not about their gender!' or any other excuse. Look at your list again, really look at it. See if, suddenly, magically, all those traits, decisions or actions don't seem bad, unrealistic or obnoxious anymore but like perfectly normal, perfectly acceptable traits or decisions or actions...for a boy.
By attempting this exercise, you might come to realise that you (like every other human being ever born on this planet, except maybe Jesus and the Dalai Lama) have an unconscious prejudice, an unexamined blind spot. And it doesn't mean you are A Sexist Pig, or A Bad Person, or that I Don't Like You. It means you're human. And humans, oh glory, humans can change.
If you can change enough to realise how damaging and unfair the term Mary-Sue is when used indiscriminately and incorrectly to denigrate female characters, you might start to notice some of the damaging and unfair assumptions which are generally made about ACTUAL FEMALES in this messed up sexist world of ours. You might change enough to start dealing with that and make this world a better place in the process. I believe you can. I believe in you.
But only if you shove the term Mary-Sue into a deep dark closet somewhere and leave it there except for very, very special occasions.
Note: I'm well aware that there's a male variant of the Mary-Sue, called a Gary-Stu. When was the last time you saw that term used as a method of dismissing a male character who was clearly nothing of the kind? Yeah. That's what I thought.
Don't forget that on Friday I'll be posting you a link to the next stop on the FrostFire blog tour, so stop by for that as well! Now, onwards to...
YOU CAN STUFF YOUR MARY SUE WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE
Today, at the urging of some of my lovely Twitter friends and followers, I intend to tackle a controversial topic. You can probably guess what it is from the post title, but if not...well, here's where we wade into the Mary-Sue Morass. It's a deep one. You might want to bring a snack. And a spare pair of socks.
If you regularly read book (or film or TV or other media - but most especially book) reviews of any kind, whether in magazines or on Amazon and Goodreads or on book review blogs, you will more than likely (more than likely) have come across the term Mary-Sue. If you don't already know what the term means, you might have tried to work out the meaning using the context in which the term was used. But, because hardly any of the people throwing this term around themselves understand what it means, you'll have a tough time of it. Even if you've read a hundred reviews talking about Mary-Sue characters, you probably still don't know for sure, although you'll have gotten the idea that Mary-Sue = bad news. Bad character. Bad writing. BAD WRITER, NO COOKIE!
When I read reviews, I see the term Mary-Sue used to mean:
1) A female character who is too perfect
2) A female character who kicks too much butt
3) A female character who gets her way too easily
4) A female character who is too powerful
5) A female character who has too many flaws
6) A female character who has the wrong flaws
7) A female character who has no flaws
8) A female character who is annoying or obnoxious
9) A female character who is one dimensional or badly written
10) A female character who is too passive or boring
Do you see, Dear Readers, how many of these aspects of the commonly used term Mary-Sue are...umm...just a teeny bit contradictory? How can Mary-Sue mean 'a female character who is too perfect' when it is also used to mean a female character who is 'annoying or obnoxious'? How can it mean that a character has 'too many flaws' and also 'no flaws'? How can these people have anything in common? It's all so confusing!
Except that it isn't.
Take another look at the list of complaints against so-called Mary-Sues and you will see one thing all of them have in common.
'A female character.'
What many (though not all!) of the people merrily throwing this phrase around actually mean when they say 'Mary-Sue' is: 'Female character I don't like'.
That's it. That's all.
So why don't they just say 'I didn't like the female character' and explain why? I mean, there's no problem with a reviewer not liking a female character, is there? Everyone is entitled to like or dislike a character according to their own lights. A character that one person loves may seem utterly vile to another reader, and that is a wonderful thing we should all be very happy about as individuals. How did this strange, contradictory, badly defined term come into such common use in the first place? Clearly it doesn't mean what people think it means - so why not just honestly lay out the reasons you didn't like the female character, the same way you would any other character (by which we mean, a male one) instead of throwing the term Mary-Sue like a mud-pie?
Maybe it's because the reviewers in question, the reviewers who keep saying 'Mary-Sue' as if it was all that needed to be said, don't want to have to explain the reasons why a particular character didn't work for them. Maybe it's because their reasons for finding these female characters just too obnoxious, unrealistic, stupid, passive, badass or talented are as contradictory and badly defined as the term itself. Maybe it's because the reason they don't like the female characters isn't that they're just too...anything. Except just too...female.
For the record, at this point let's see if we can't dig out the actual meaning of the term Mary-Sue. Because it did have a useful definition once, before it was co-opted and turned into a two-word mud-pie to diminish female characters. And that definition was this:
"A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader. It is generally accepted as a character whose positive aspects overwhelm their other traits until they become one-dimensional."
The term was made up by people writing StarTrek fanfiction, to describe the author-insert characters (often given names like Mary Sue) who would show up in pieces of fanfiction as a new ensign or science officer and immediately prove to be the best looking, most intelligent, spunkiest, wittiest and most perfect StarFleet officer ever recruited. All the other characters would immediately realise this and hail Ensign Mary-Sue as a genius. If they did not, they were very obviously motivated by spite and jealousy, since Mary-Sue was so clearly perfect (and modest! And humble! And unaware of how beautiful she was!) that no one who wasn't wicked could do anything but embrace her.
She would not only miraculously solve every problem that the Enterprise faced and make instant friends of all the crew, but all the significant male (and maybe female) characters would fall in love with her. Usually Mary-Sue would bravely die at the end of the piece of fanfiction, because the established characters and setting would have become so warped around her utter perfection by then that if she had lived she would have gotten married to either James T Kirk or Spock (or both) and become Captain of the ship, and no one would ever have had to have any adventures again.
In short, Mary-Sue is a wish fulfilment fantasy. And I'm not saying characters like this don't exist. I'm not even saying they are *bad*. In fact, an example of a Mary-Sue in a well-known novel is the character Bella Swan in Twilight (I'm sorry Twilight lovers, but it's really true! I'm not dissing Bella, I'm just stating a fact about the kind of character she is).
Bella moves to a new town and immediately finds that everyone there wants to be her friend (except for two female characters who are mind-cripplingly obviously jealous) despite the fact that she is not interested in any of them. Bella has no flaws apart from being adorably klutzy. She is convinced that she is plain, and wears no make-up, but everyone reacts to her as if she was ravishingly beautiful. She captures the interest and then the undying love of the main male character despite the fact that he nearly has to turn his whole character inside out to make it happen. She also gets the love of the secondary male character. And all the other boys her age start fighting over her too, even though she's got no interest in any of them either. Bella undergoes no character growth or development within the story because she is already perfect when the story begins. And, as has often been pointed out, the detailed description of Bella is a perfect description of the author, Stephenie Meyer.
So this is what a Mary-Sue is:
1) A character who is based, at least partly, on the author
2) A character whom has no significant flaws (except possibly ones the other characters find cute)
3) A character to whom everyone within the story reacts as if they were beautiful and wonderful except characters who are clearly evil and/or motivated by jealousy
4) A character with whom, during the course of the story, every available character of the opposite (and occasionally the same) sex will fall in love given any contact whatsoever
5) A character who undergoes no significant growth, change or development throughout the story
Believe me, when you come across one, you will know.
And yet I see the term Mary-Sue applied to characters who bear no resemblance to this definition at all. I see it applied to such diverse people as Hermione Grainger from Harry Potter, Mae from The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan, Clary from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Alanna from The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce, and Katsa from Graceling by Kristin Cashore. These guys, honestly, couldn't be much more different from each other. The only thing they all have in common? Is that they're all girls.
Not a Mary Sue!I recently read a book that I loved. In the course of the book the heroine underwent immense physical and mental and emotional ordeals. She was by turns denigrated and treated with disgust, and excessively sheltered and lied to. She was kidnapped, dragged across rough terrain, attacked, threatened, lost people that she loved, was betrayed by people she had trusted, and had almost unbearable burdens thrust onto her shoulders. She evolved - inch by painful inch - from a very smart, yet extremely insecure and self-centred person, to one who was compassionate and empathetic and able to use her intelligence for the good of others. She changed from a passive and largely physically inactive person to one who was physically strong and active. She worked and scrabbled and fought and whined and cried for every bit of progress she made. She lost everything she loved and wanted and pulled herself up and made a new life for herself, bittersweet though it was.And I thought: How wonderful!
And then I saw a review calling this character - this amazing, flawed, revolting, inspiring, broken, beautiful, ugly character - a Mary-Sue. Dear Readers, my head nearly exploded.
Definitely not a Mary Sue!I'm sick of it, Dear Readers. I'm sick of seeing people condemn any female character with a significant role in a book as a Mary-Sue. I'm sick of people talking about how the female characters were too perfect or not perfect enough, too passive or too badass, too talented or too useless, when what they really mean - but don't even KNOW they mean - is that the characters were too much in possession of lady parts.So now I turn away from my wonderful blog readers, who are lovely, kind, sweet people who would never make my head explode, and I turn to you, the reviewers. Not all the reviewers. Just the ones who are making my head throb dangerously and causing the silvery lights to float in front of my eyes.
I beg, I implore, I get down on bended knee and grovel: next time you're about to use the term Mary-Sue, stop and look at my little checklist above. And if the character you are about to describe does not hit all the points on the checklist? DON'T.
And if you're going to ask how on earth you're supposed to know, without photos of the author, if the character is partly based on them? You've just proved my point. YOU CAN'T. Therefore, you shouldn't be using the term Mary-Sue. Because in doing so, you are making a claim about the character/author relationship which you cannot substantiate. Simple as that.
Absolutely, positively not a Mary Sue!Instead of slapping 'Mary-Sue' in your review and leaving it at that, make a list of four or five traits or decisions or actions that you think were bad, or unrealistic, or obnoxious, about the character. Perhaps you should discuss those points, and why they bothered you, in the review instead.But before you do, take a moment to imagine that the character you are thinking about was a boy or a man. And don't say 'Well, that's different' or 'But I just can't see a girl behaving this way' or 'It's not about their gender!' or any other excuse. Look at your list again, really look at it. See if, suddenly, magically, all those traits, decisions or actions don't seem bad, unrealistic or obnoxious anymore but like perfectly normal, perfectly acceptable traits or decisions or actions...for a boy.
By attempting this exercise, you might come to realise that you (like every other human being ever born on this planet, except maybe Jesus and the Dalai Lama) have an unconscious prejudice, an unexamined blind spot. And it doesn't mean you are A Sexist Pig, or A Bad Person, or that I Don't Like You. It means you're human. And humans, oh glory, humans can change.
If you can change enough to realise how damaging and unfair the term Mary-Sue is when used indiscriminately and incorrectly to denigrate female characters, you might start to notice some of the damaging and unfair assumptions which are generally made about ACTUAL FEMALES in this messed up sexist world of ours. You might change enough to start dealing with that and make this world a better place in the process. I believe you can. I believe in you.
But only if you shove the term Mary-Sue into a deep dark closet somewhere and leave it there except for very, very special occasions.
Note: I'm well aware that there's a male variant of the Mary-Sue, called a Gary-Stu. When was the last time you saw that term used as a method of dismissing a male character who was clearly nothing of the kind? Yeah. That's what I thought.
June 22, 2012
FROSTFIRE TRAILER PREMIERE!
Hello, my lovelies! Happy, happy Friday to you all.
Today is the very first day of the FrostFire Blog Tour! Direct your eyes to the glorious banner on the right and you can see that there is a full schedule of fantasy related posts to be had, the first of which is a guest post on Writing Fantasy , today, on the lovely Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews .
Clickety click on the link, my duckies! BUT WAIT! That's not all I have for you today! To celebrate the very first day of the Blog Tour, I can now share with you (wait for it)...
THE FROSTFIRE BOOK TRAILER!
*Stops for some deep, calming breaths*
That's right, it's what you - and I - have been waiting for all these weeks. Script by me and Lovely Lass of Walker Books, actors procured at some expense and difficulty, shot on location in an enchanted wood. Brace yourselves. Here it is!
So...what do you think? You already know that I'm completely in love with this because I squeeeed about it before - the additional things that they added in terms of music and special effects after the last version I saw have just pushed my love into the stratosphere. Are you exited for the book now? Will you be Team Luca (that's the chainmail wearing blonde guy) or Team Arian (that's the curly-haired one with the leather jerkin) or just Team Kickass With An Axe?
Let me know in the comments!
Today is the very first day of the FrostFire Blog Tour! Direct your eyes to the glorious banner on the right and you can see that there is a full schedule of fantasy related posts to be had, the first of which is a guest post on Writing Fantasy , today, on the lovely Vivienne's blog, Serendipity Reviews .
Clickety click on the link, my duckies! BUT WAIT! That's not all I have for you today! To celebrate the very first day of the Blog Tour, I can now share with you (wait for it)...
THE FROSTFIRE BOOK TRAILER!
*Stops for some deep, calming breaths*
That's right, it's what you - and I - have been waiting for all these weeks. Script by me and Lovely Lass of Walker Books, actors procured at some expense and difficulty, shot on location in an enchanted wood. Brace yourselves. Here it is!
So...what do you think? You already know that I'm completely in love with this because I squeeeed about it before - the additional things that they added in terms of music and special effects after the last version I saw have just pushed my love into the stratosphere. Are you exited for the book now? Will you be Team Luca (that's the chainmail wearing blonde guy) or Team Arian (that's the curly-haired one with the leather jerkin) or just Team Kickass With An Axe?
Let me know in the comments!
June 19, 2012
UPDATES
Hello, Dear Readers. I hope you are having or will have a delightful Tuesday!
Today I've got various bits of news to offer up, about what I'm doing and also about the blog and...well, just read on and see.
Firstly, some Katana Trilogy: The Night Itself news. I can't remember if I posted about it before, but when my editor first read the intial draft of the book she really liked it and thought it didn't need too much work. So we went back and forth on line edits for a bit, but we both felt sort of stuck - we didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The more my editor read the book as it was, the more she felt something was missing. So last week (last Thursday actually - which is why you didn't get a post!) we met up and had a really fabulous, intense editorial meeting and agreed to overhaul the whole book, to make it the absolute best it can possibly be. Basically, it's about taking everything - story, characters, writing - from 'good' to 'craymazing'. Which I'm totally on board with. I'm very excited about the re-writes and changes we have planned. But this does mean a lot of extra work that wasn't part of my original, tightly packed (slightly OCD) work schedule.
The draft of Katana Trilogy: Book #2 (which is currently at about 80% of complete) has to go on hold for now. It's probably going to need extensive re-writes to get it to match up with the first book again, but I would have been doing re-writes anyway as part of my normal process when it was finished, so that's not a huuuge deal.
However, what can't go on hold is the blog tour for FrostFire , which is starting at the end of this week! There's going to be one guest post by me on a different blog every Friday running up to the book's publication date of the 5th of July, and this will continue until the 20th of that month. I've only written one of the posts so far (the one for this Friday) so I seriously need to get cracking. I'm told there should be a banner for me to post here shortly so you can see where the posts will be on what date - there are some really great bloggers taking part - but don't worry, I'll be linking them here anyway every Friday so you can click through.
Which brings me to...the blog. Guys, I'm really sorry but for the duration of the blog tour I'm not going to do any new posts here. Ah, don't throw things! Hear me out, wait, wait! Every Tuesday I'm going to do a Retro-Tuesday blog post - pulling up an older post from the archive that you might have missed the first time around, or I think you'd enjoy reading again. Then every Friday you get a brand new post, only on someone else's blog. So you're not really missing out all that much. It's just that I feel like I need to take some pressure off myself at the moment, and new posts here are the only thing I can feasibly decide not to worry about. After Friday's post about my inbox I feel like an awful slacker, but once again: I hope you will forgive me!
See you on Friday, cuties!
Today I've got various bits of news to offer up, about what I'm doing and also about the blog and...well, just read on and see.
Firstly, some Katana Trilogy: The Night Itself news. I can't remember if I posted about it before, but when my editor first read the intial draft of the book she really liked it and thought it didn't need too much work. So we went back and forth on line edits for a bit, but we both felt sort of stuck - we didn't seem to be getting anywhere. The more my editor read the book as it was, the more she felt something was missing. So last week (last Thursday actually - which is why you didn't get a post!) we met up and had a really fabulous, intense editorial meeting and agreed to overhaul the whole book, to make it the absolute best it can possibly be. Basically, it's about taking everything - story, characters, writing - from 'good' to 'craymazing'. Which I'm totally on board with. I'm very excited about the re-writes and changes we have planned. But this does mean a lot of extra work that wasn't part of my original, tightly packed (slightly OCD) work schedule.
The draft of Katana Trilogy: Book #2 (which is currently at about 80% of complete) has to go on hold for now. It's probably going to need extensive re-writes to get it to match up with the first book again, but I would have been doing re-writes anyway as part of my normal process when it was finished, so that's not a huuuge deal.
However, what can't go on hold is the blog tour for FrostFire , which is starting at the end of this week! There's going to be one guest post by me on a different blog every Friday running up to the book's publication date of the 5th of July, and this will continue until the 20th of that month. I've only written one of the posts so far (the one for this Friday) so I seriously need to get cracking. I'm told there should be a banner for me to post here shortly so you can see where the posts will be on what date - there are some really great bloggers taking part - but don't worry, I'll be linking them here anyway every Friday so you can click through.
Which brings me to...the blog. Guys, I'm really sorry but for the duration of the blog tour I'm not going to do any new posts here. Ah, don't throw things! Hear me out, wait, wait! Every Tuesday I'm going to do a Retro-Tuesday blog post - pulling up an older post from the archive that you might have missed the first time around, or I think you'd enjoy reading again. Then every Friday you get a brand new post, only on someone else's blog. So you're not really missing out all that much. It's just that I feel like I need to take some pressure off myself at the moment, and new posts here are the only thing I can feasibly decide not to worry about. After Friday's post about my inbox I feel like an awful slacker, but once again: I hope you will forgive me!
See you on Friday, cuties!
June 15, 2012
MY SAD CONFESSION
Hello, Dear Readers (I say sombrely, gazing at you with mournful eyes). On this rainy (entirely weather metaphor appropriate Friday) I must make to you a sad confession.
Unfortunately this isn't one of those pretend sad confessions where I actually end up springing something lovely instead, like the fake snake popping out of a can. It's... an actual confession.
So. I am behind with answering my emails. Very, very behind.
It has always been my policy to reply to EVERY email that I get. All of them. And on my website and here I encourage people to email me and ask me questions about my books, my characters, or maybe writing. I love to get emails! I really do. And as a result I get a LOT. Over the past year the number has probably trebled. Which would be great, except for this funny thing I've noticed.
The majority of the emails I get these days are not coming to me from readers. My readers, I mean. People who want to talk about or ask questions about my books, or have even *read* my books. The vast majority of emails I get now are coming from people who either don't mention my work at all, or tell me they're intending to read something by me one day but haven't quite gotten around to it yet. So why write to me?
Well, they've seen my website or my blog, and I seem like a nice, friendly sort of author and I do say that I welcome emails, soooo... they have this question they really, really, really need an answer to. In fact, they have several questions. Questions about how to write, how to solve this problem in a story or with a character, how to get published, how to find an agent.
And please can I get back to them as soon as possible?
It's not uncommon for me to get an email which contains ten or even twenty questions, packed tightly into four or five paragraphs. And all too often these questions are ones which I have already answered on my blog (which is what the All ABout Writing page is for) or on the various pages about writing on my website. But these guys either didn't read those pages, or else they want personalised advice that requires me to have a lot of information about their personal dilemma. Or, I suspect, they don't really want advice at all. They want The Super Special Awesome Secret which I (as a published author) simply must have, and would surely hand over to them if only they asked nicely enough.
See, here's the thing, Dear Readers. There is no Super Special Awesome Secret to finishing a book or writing brilliant characters or finding an agent or getting published. There really isn't. If I knew it, I promise I would share. But it doesn't exist. And if you can't finish your story, and you've read the article about Neverending Stories here, and you still can't manage it? There's nothing more I can do to help - it's up to you now. And if you didn't bother to read the Neverending Stories post because you're sure that it doesn't apply to you and your situation is different and unique? There's still nothing extra I can offer you. Everything I have to say about the issue is already there.
So far, when I get one of these emails I've made it a practise to write a kind and thoughtful reply offering up all the links to the information which is already freely available here and on my website. And that takes TIME. A lot of time.
Because that's the funny thing about emails from readers. If someone writes to you to tell you that they read one of your books and they loved it, it doesn't take very long to reply. All I have to do is open my heart and thank that person, so much, for reading my books, for taking the time to email me. I love to get emails like that. They brighten my whole world for a while, like an unexpected hug in or a smile from a stranger in the street.
But those emails, these days, are out-numbered three to one by the other type. And the other type take HOURS to answer because they demand so many different pieces of information that I have to go hunting for, so many hyperlinks, and so much tact to respond in a way that's nice but also firm. What's more, it feels kind of sad and pointless answering them, because I know I'm not giving those guys what they really want (that Super Special Awesome Secret) and that they're probably going to go off and email some other author with the exact same questions when they don't get what they want from me.
It's gotten to the point where when I get an email with the spammer codeword in the subject line, I *cringe* instead of smiling. If I open it and it's an email from an actual reader I can relax. But if it's not, then I get this awful sinking feeling which, honestly, shouldn't be part of my working day. What I've been doing since before Christmas is stuffing all these emails into a folder in my inbox without even looking at the contents because I just can't take any more stress or pressure. Which leads back to my original point.
I am behind on my emails. Very, very behind.
I feel awful about it. Awful. I try not to even think about it, because it drowns me in guilt and worry. But whatever I do, that folder is like a folder-shaped ghost that haunts my inbox, making reproachful wwwooo-wwwwooo! noises whenever I pass through. I'm sure there are emails in there which 100% deserve a reply from me. I'm sure there are emails in there that would be a joy to read. But I can't bring myself to look and find out, because I CANNOT face the inevitable hundred requests for the Super Special Awesome Secret which will also be in there, and which I cannot grant.
So here's what I'm going to do. It's taken me a lot of soul-searching to get to this point, and I'm not sure it's the best or wisest or nicest thing to do; but right now it feels like the best option I have.
The folder is going to get deleted. I'm not going to look at it anymore, or look at the emails inside it. If you've sent me an email and I haven't already replied to it? I'm so sorry, but, as of now, you won't get a reply. Consider that email lost in the post (so to speak). And I'm never going to make a folder like that again, because all too quickly it becomes a black hole, and results in people who deserve replies getting ignored because it's just easier for me to lump everyone together in there.
If you sent me an email with five or ten or twenty questions about writing or publishing in it? Please look around my website and on this blog and I'm sure you WILL find the answer already there. If not, leave me a comment on the blog and if your question is both different and interesting, I may answer it here. If you don't want to share your question in the comments or see it answered on the blog, then I'm afraid I am not the author you're looking for.
If you wrote me an email in which you asked questions about my books, my characters or my imaginary worlds? Please resend it. I WANT to see it. I want to know what you think, and I'll try to reply as soon as possible, I promise.
And that is my sad, Friday confession. I hope you'll all forgive me!
Unfortunately this isn't one of those pretend sad confessions where I actually end up springing something lovely instead, like the fake snake popping out of a can. It's... an actual confession.
So. I am behind with answering my emails. Very, very behind.
It has always been my policy to reply to EVERY email that I get. All of them. And on my website and here I encourage people to email me and ask me questions about my books, my characters, or maybe writing. I love to get emails! I really do. And as a result I get a LOT. Over the past year the number has probably trebled. Which would be great, except for this funny thing I've noticed.
The majority of the emails I get these days are not coming to me from readers. My readers, I mean. People who want to talk about or ask questions about my books, or have even *read* my books. The vast majority of emails I get now are coming from people who either don't mention my work at all, or tell me they're intending to read something by me one day but haven't quite gotten around to it yet. So why write to me?
Well, they've seen my website or my blog, and I seem like a nice, friendly sort of author and I do say that I welcome emails, soooo... they have this question they really, really, really need an answer to. In fact, they have several questions. Questions about how to write, how to solve this problem in a story or with a character, how to get published, how to find an agent.
And please can I get back to them as soon as possible?
It's not uncommon for me to get an email which contains ten or even twenty questions, packed tightly into four or five paragraphs. And all too often these questions are ones which I have already answered on my blog (which is what the All ABout Writing page is for) or on the various pages about writing on my website. But these guys either didn't read those pages, or else they want personalised advice that requires me to have a lot of information about their personal dilemma. Or, I suspect, they don't really want advice at all. They want The Super Special Awesome Secret which I (as a published author) simply must have, and would surely hand over to them if only they asked nicely enough.
See, here's the thing, Dear Readers. There is no Super Special Awesome Secret to finishing a book or writing brilliant characters or finding an agent or getting published. There really isn't. If I knew it, I promise I would share. But it doesn't exist. And if you can't finish your story, and you've read the article about Neverending Stories here, and you still can't manage it? There's nothing more I can do to help - it's up to you now. And if you didn't bother to read the Neverending Stories post because you're sure that it doesn't apply to you and your situation is different and unique? There's still nothing extra I can offer you. Everything I have to say about the issue is already there.
So far, when I get one of these emails I've made it a practise to write a kind and thoughtful reply offering up all the links to the information which is already freely available here and on my website. And that takes TIME. A lot of time.
Because that's the funny thing about emails from readers. If someone writes to you to tell you that they read one of your books and they loved it, it doesn't take very long to reply. All I have to do is open my heart and thank that person, so much, for reading my books, for taking the time to email me. I love to get emails like that. They brighten my whole world for a while, like an unexpected hug in or a smile from a stranger in the street.
But those emails, these days, are out-numbered three to one by the other type. And the other type take HOURS to answer because they demand so many different pieces of information that I have to go hunting for, so many hyperlinks, and so much tact to respond in a way that's nice but also firm. What's more, it feels kind of sad and pointless answering them, because I know I'm not giving those guys what they really want (that Super Special Awesome Secret) and that they're probably going to go off and email some other author with the exact same questions when they don't get what they want from me.
It's gotten to the point where when I get an email with the spammer codeword in the subject line, I *cringe* instead of smiling. If I open it and it's an email from an actual reader I can relax. But if it's not, then I get this awful sinking feeling which, honestly, shouldn't be part of my working day. What I've been doing since before Christmas is stuffing all these emails into a folder in my inbox without even looking at the contents because I just can't take any more stress or pressure. Which leads back to my original point.
I am behind on my emails. Very, very behind.
I feel awful about it. Awful. I try not to even think about it, because it drowns me in guilt and worry. But whatever I do, that folder is like a folder-shaped ghost that haunts my inbox, making reproachful wwwooo-wwwwooo! noises whenever I pass through. I'm sure there are emails in there which 100% deserve a reply from me. I'm sure there are emails in there that would be a joy to read. But I can't bring myself to look and find out, because I CANNOT face the inevitable hundred requests for the Super Special Awesome Secret which will also be in there, and which I cannot grant.
So here's what I'm going to do. It's taken me a lot of soul-searching to get to this point, and I'm not sure it's the best or wisest or nicest thing to do; but right now it feels like the best option I have.
The folder is going to get deleted. I'm not going to look at it anymore, or look at the emails inside it. If you've sent me an email and I haven't already replied to it? I'm so sorry, but, as of now, you won't get a reply. Consider that email lost in the post (so to speak). And I'm never going to make a folder like that again, because all too quickly it becomes a black hole, and results in people who deserve replies getting ignored because it's just easier for me to lump everyone together in there.
If you sent me an email with five or ten or twenty questions about writing or publishing in it? Please look around my website and on this blog and I'm sure you WILL find the answer already there. If not, leave me a comment on the blog and if your question is both different and interesting, I may answer it here. If you don't want to share your question in the comments or see it answered on the blog, then I'm afraid I am not the author you're looking for.
If you wrote me an email in which you asked questions about my books, my characters or my imaginary worlds? Please resend it. I WANT to see it. I want to know what you think, and I'll try to reply as soon as possible, I promise.
And that is my sad, Friday confession. I hope you'll all forgive me!
June 12, 2012
BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE FROSTFIRE TRAILER
Hellooo, Dear Readers! Today I'm taking you on a journey behind the scenes of the making of the FrostFire trailer which, with any luck, will be released sometime before the book's 5th of July publication date. They're still working on cutting it all together and making the best of the amazing footage they got. I've had a sneak preview (yep, author's privilege!) and it looks *stunning*. I can't wait to share!
Now some of you might remember the post I did for the Shadows on the Moon trailer here. Watching that take shape was loads of fun, but I honestly didn't have all that much involvement in the process. I sent them a list of possible shooting locations early on, and then they consulted me on a few key points later, but mostly my involvement was skipping and flailing in the background and badgering people until they let me see photos/early footage.
The FrostFire trailer is different because I - gulp - co-wrote the script. The other writer was Lovely Lass (whom I introduced here). I haven't done anything like that since I left college, so it was pretty nerve-wracking, and the requirement to keep the whole thing down to as short a length as possible was a real challenge for me. As my Dear Readers know, I do have a slight problem with keeping anything I write to a reasonable length...*cough* fourthousandwordblogposts *cough*
Once we'd gone back and forth over the writing of the script for a while we sent it to Lovely Lass's boss, who sent it to the company who actually shoots the trailers. They OK'ed it provisionally. Basically, they were willing to give it a go, but reserved the right to tweak, cut, or downright change anything that they thought could work better (which they definitely did, based on the sneak peek I got, so bear that in mind when you see the finished article - it's not a product solely of my genius!).
A little while later I was sent a storyboard for the way they intended to produce the trailer. I can't share the whole thing with you, but I snipped a tiny part of it so you can see that it's pretty rough and ready and leaves a lot of room for artistic interpretation:
At this point they were hunting for possible shooting locations - not as easy as it sounds, since the book's setting, Ruan, is based on Northern India and Tibet and much of the story takes place in dense forest. But that paled in comparison to the hunt for the right actors.
There are three main characters in FrostFire and they are each very different. Without giving too much away (well, this is mostly on the cover copy) there's Luca, the charismatic and handsome captain of a crack team of mountain soldiers, defending a troubled border against ruthless bandits. There's Arian, his dark and tortured second-in-command and adopted brother, who would do anything to keep Luca safe. And there's Frost, the heroine of the story and it's POV character, whose entry into the boy's lives is a catalyst for huge change for both of them, and who is herself on an epic journey to find a cure for her berserker rages.
Relatively early into the casting process I was sent the images for the boys and did a genuine MUPPET FLAIL (with credit to Laura :) because they looked soooo good. First, the actor playing Luca: Ian James
I love him because he has a deceptively frail quality, as Luca does in the book - the heroine thinks he's like a bird of prey, fierce and silent. He's also got a very pretty face and long hair, which I was hoping for.
Next, meet of Ben Wiggins, taking on the role of Arian:
I was SO happy when I saw Ben. He's got the beautiful curly hair Arian's described as having in the book - and get a load of those eyes! Arian's pale eyes are vital in the book, and I was a little doubtful we'd get them for the trailer.
So far, so squeeful. But then, as I mentioned before, we hit a bit of a snag. In the book Frost is described as being tall - as tall as Arian - and very strong and tough. She has dark skin and in my head I've always thought she looked like a younger version of Julia Jones, from the Twilight films, only with long hair. This is the sketch I did of Frost when I was writing the book:
Having had so little trouble finding the two guys, I was - well - let's stay stunned when Lovely Lass told me that she was being sent actresses who were completely wrong for Frost.
I mean WRONG.
Not just a little wrong.
Like, tiny petite white girls did-you-even-read-the-character-description wrong.
Why it would be so hard to find an althetic looking, dark-skinned young actress, I can't really understand. They're out there. They are ready for action. Just look at the cast of the British film FAST GIRLS! But for some reason we were not seeing them.
We did some anxious nail-nibbling. But then, at least, we were sent...Sophia Leonie (and what a gorgeous name that is, too):
Go ahead and take another look at my sketch. I don't want to say that the resemblance is uncanny but...it's totally uncanny, right? Eeee!
The only thing the lovely Sophia doesn't have that Frost does is grey eyes. But since she's tall and athletic and perfect in every other other way, I was happy to let that one go. We had a Frost!
Within about a day, I was told that shooting was going ahead in order to take advantage of the fine weather. And lucky you! I have some stills from the filming.
Frost flees in the darkness
Luca and Frost meet
Frost and Arian confront each other
Frost stares into the shadowsSupremely cool, right? I'm so impressed with the setting, as well. I thought I might get some fake connifers against a painted background. All in all I am over the moon with how it seems to be turning out - and you guys will be the first to know as soon as I'm allowed to set it free on the internet, I promise :)
What do you think of the actors and the film stills? Are you looking forward to seeing this? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. Today's second post will be on Friday rather than Thursday this week, peeps. See you then!
Now some of you might remember the post I did for the Shadows on the Moon trailer here. Watching that take shape was loads of fun, but I honestly didn't have all that much involvement in the process. I sent them a list of possible shooting locations early on, and then they consulted me on a few key points later, but mostly my involvement was skipping and flailing in the background and badgering people until they let me see photos/early footage.
The FrostFire trailer is different because I - gulp - co-wrote the script. The other writer was Lovely Lass (whom I introduced here). I haven't done anything like that since I left college, so it was pretty nerve-wracking, and the requirement to keep the whole thing down to as short a length as possible was a real challenge for me. As my Dear Readers know, I do have a slight problem with keeping anything I write to a reasonable length...*cough* fourthousandwordblogposts *cough*
Once we'd gone back and forth over the writing of the script for a while we sent it to Lovely Lass's boss, who sent it to the company who actually shoots the trailers. They OK'ed it provisionally. Basically, they were willing to give it a go, but reserved the right to tweak, cut, or downright change anything that they thought could work better (which they definitely did, based on the sneak peek I got, so bear that in mind when you see the finished article - it's not a product solely of my genius!).
A little while later I was sent a storyboard for the way they intended to produce the trailer. I can't share the whole thing with you, but I snipped a tiny part of it so you can see that it's pretty rough and ready and leaves a lot of room for artistic interpretation:
At this point they were hunting for possible shooting locations - not as easy as it sounds, since the book's setting, Ruan, is based on Northern India and Tibet and much of the story takes place in dense forest. But that paled in comparison to the hunt for the right actors.There are three main characters in FrostFire and they are each very different. Without giving too much away (well, this is mostly on the cover copy) there's Luca, the charismatic and handsome captain of a crack team of mountain soldiers, defending a troubled border against ruthless bandits. There's Arian, his dark and tortured second-in-command and adopted brother, who would do anything to keep Luca safe. And there's Frost, the heroine of the story and it's POV character, whose entry into the boy's lives is a catalyst for huge change for both of them, and who is herself on an epic journey to find a cure for her berserker rages.
Relatively early into the casting process I was sent the images for the boys and did a genuine MUPPET FLAIL (with credit to Laura :) because they looked soooo good. First, the actor playing Luca: Ian James
I love him because he has a deceptively frail quality, as Luca does in the book - the heroine thinks he's like a bird of prey, fierce and silent. He's also got a very pretty face and long hair, which I was hoping for.
Next, meet of Ben Wiggins, taking on the role of Arian:
I was SO happy when I saw Ben. He's got the beautiful curly hair Arian's described as having in the book - and get a load of those eyes! Arian's pale eyes are vital in the book, and I was a little doubtful we'd get them for the trailer.
So far, so squeeful. But then, as I mentioned before, we hit a bit of a snag. In the book Frost is described as being tall - as tall as Arian - and very strong and tough. She has dark skin and in my head I've always thought she looked like a younger version of Julia Jones, from the Twilight films, only with long hair. This is the sketch I did of Frost when I was writing the book:
Having had so little trouble finding the two guys, I was - well - let's stay stunned when Lovely Lass told me that she was being sent actresses who were completely wrong for Frost.
I mean WRONG.
Not just a little wrong.
Like, tiny petite white girls did-you-even-read-the-character-description wrong.
Why it would be so hard to find an althetic looking, dark-skinned young actress, I can't really understand. They're out there. They are ready for action. Just look at the cast of the British film FAST GIRLS! But for some reason we were not seeing them.
We did some anxious nail-nibbling. But then, at least, we were sent...Sophia Leonie (and what a gorgeous name that is, too):
Go ahead and take another look at my sketch. I don't want to say that the resemblance is uncanny but...it's totally uncanny, right? Eeee!
The only thing the lovely Sophia doesn't have that Frost does is grey eyes. But since she's tall and athletic and perfect in every other other way, I was happy to let that one go. We had a Frost!
Within about a day, I was told that shooting was going ahead in order to take advantage of the fine weather. And lucky you! I have some stills from the filming.
Frost flees in the darkness
Luca and Frost meet
Frost and Arian confront each other
Frost stares into the shadowsSupremely cool, right? I'm so impressed with the setting, as well. I thought I might get some fake connifers against a painted background. All in all I am over the moon with how it seems to be turning out - and you guys will be the first to know as soon as I'm allowed to set it free on the internet, I promise :)What do you think of the actors and the film stills? Are you looking forward to seeing this? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. Today's second post will be on Friday rather than Thursday this week, peeps. See you then!
June 7, 2012
InCreWriMa PRIZE DRAW!
Hello! Happy Thursday, lovely readers! Are you ready for awesome surprise gifts?
Oh, I think you are. Let's be honest - most of us are ready for awesome surprise gifts 100% of the time - we're just disappointed that the universe doesn't give us any.
So! If you remember, the terms of the InCreWriMa Prize Draw were that people had to come and take part every week, including Tuesday this week for the final check in. We've had lots of commentors over that month period, but surprisingly few actually commented on *every* post. Which means a much higher chance of a prize for those faithful few, so good for them.
Bright and early this morning I compiled a list of all the lovely readers who fulfilled the criteria, assigned them each a number and then used the random number generator to pick out two winners. And those winners are...
*Drumroll*
HELEN and RUBY97!
Congratulations, guys! I can tell you that your prizes will include a copy of the brilliant, unabridged audiobook version of Shadows on the Moon (read by Amy Rubinate) each, as well as lots of swag and other interesting things which I shall not reveal because they are SURPRISES!
Please can you each email me (using the email address that's on my website) with your full name and address? I'm going to be superbusy this weekend with various things, including my cousin's wedding, but I will try to get your prizes in the post for you sometime next week, and obviously that's much easier if I know where to send them :)
I feel like International Creative Writing Month was a success for all of us - not just because, selfishly, I got lots of work done, but also because so many Dear Readers have said how useful they found it. Most of us didn't exactly hit our targets, but I think we all spent more time writing and thinking about writing than we ever would have without it. So maybe I'll run it again next year, although it might be in a different month - it'll depend what I'm up to and what you guys say.
Have a great weekend everyone - see you next Tuesday!
Oh, I think you are. Let's be honest - most of us are ready for awesome surprise gifts 100% of the time - we're just disappointed that the universe doesn't give us any.
So! If you remember, the terms of the InCreWriMa Prize Draw were that people had to come and take part every week, including Tuesday this week for the final check in. We've had lots of commentors over that month period, but surprisingly few actually commented on *every* post. Which means a much higher chance of a prize for those faithful few, so good for them.
Bright and early this morning I compiled a list of all the lovely readers who fulfilled the criteria, assigned them each a number and then used the random number generator to pick out two winners. And those winners are...
*Drumroll*
HELEN and RUBY97!
Congratulations, guys! I can tell you that your prizes will include a copy of the brilliant, unabridged audiobook version of Shadows on the Moon (read by Amy Rubinate) each, as well as lots of swag and other interesting things which I shall not reveal because they are SURPRISES!
Please can you each email me (using the email address that's on my website) with your full name and address? I'm going to be superbusy this weekend with various things, including my cousin's wedding, but I will try to get your prizes in the post for you sometime next week, and obviously that's much easier if I know where to send them :)
I feel like International Creative Writing Month was a success for all of us - not just because, selfishly, I got lots of work done, but also because so many Dear Readers have said how useful they found it. Most of us didn't exactly hit our targets, but I think we all spent more time writing and thinking about writing than we ever would have without it. So maybe I'll run it again next year, although it might be in a different month - it'll depend what I'm up to and what you guys say.
Have a great weekend everyone - see you next Tuesday!
