Naughty Netherworld Press's Blog: Naughty Netherworld Press on Goodreads, page 77
January 6, 2021
IWSG 6 January 2020: Lazy Stereotypes
Free use image by Christian Dorn on Pixabay
This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question:
Being a writer, when you're reading someone else's work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people's books?
The thing that will most quickly frustrate me about a book and cause me to either knock a star (or more) off the rating and/or stop reading the book entirely is the use of heavy people as mean-spirited comic relief or a story where every large person is miserable, slovenly, constantly shoveling food in his or her face, and/or is an unattractive (and often envious) prop used to enhance how hot the hero/heroine of the story is. This sort of writing is lazy, boring, and lacks nuance and insight.
Back in 2019, I was listening to an audiobook by Nora Roberts. I initially liked the hardboiled female detective character, although I disliked the way the male love interest's overt sexual harassment of her was portrayed as sexy. I decided to keep listening to the story, writing this aspect off as an unfortunate and overused trope.
I stopped listening to the book and immediately gave a one-star rating when Mr. Studly Detective stopped by a witness' apartment for an interview. The witness was a heavyset elderly woman described as "having two chins and working on a third." And, of course, her apartment was full of cats.
Fuck a whole lot of that shit.
I like to incorporate fat characters into my writing, not as the butt of jokes, not as the swooning sidekick, but as heroes and heroines in their own right.
Robin Roberts and Little John Tamboli are a pair of Cockney ghouls. They were inspired by the great comedy team of Laurel and Hardy. Robin is a small, wiry fellow with a sharp wit. John is big and bucolic, a good-natured, sensitive soul. Of the two of them, Robin is the one who is more likely to be stuffing his face with gruesome foodstuff at any and every given moment.
While John's body type is mentioned to describe his appearance, it is never done so in a negative fashion. He is portly, stocky, sturdy, stout. He tends to have a rumpled appearance, but this is because he's a ghoul who came from a working-class background during his lifetime and the idea of being pressed and polished is foreign to him, not because he's fat. Comic relief moments involving John center around the fact that he is a bit naive, not to ridicule his appearance.
Being hateful towards heavy people is not funny. It is unkind and unnecessary, and it needs to stop.
The illustration at the top of the post shows a slender young woman and a heavyset young woman. While such an illustration can be used to show how thin girls develop eating disorders because they see themselves as fatter than they really are, my point in using it is to pose this question.
Why do we insist that something is wrong with looking like the larger lady?
What if nothing is wrong with either of them?
What can we tell by looking at these characters?
Can we tell how much they eat, how much they exercise, what medical conditions they have, or what medications they may be taking? Do we know what either of them eats? Do we know if either of them has an eating disorder?
We can't tell anything by a person's size except that the person is that size.
Making assumptions about people based on their size is cruel, hurtful, and harmful. As authors, I feel that we have an obligation to stop promoting hateful stereotypes.
Fat jokes are lazy as fuck anyway.
Unless you're Gabriel Iglesias, your fat jokes aren't funny. Leave them out of your narrative.
The fat, ornery owl has spoken.
Free use image from Open Clipart Vectors on Pixabay
This post was posted to these places:
http://www.naughtynetherworldpress.com
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
January 4, 2021
Readers Roost: The Story of Wobbly Willie Cranford Review and Giv...
This delightful children's book was written with the hope of showing that treating others kindly, regardless of how different they may be, can lead to a happier world. Wobbly Willie is different, but everyone loves him just as he is, and that makes all the difference!
As someone who was mercilessly bullied throughout my school years, I have often wondered how my life might have been different if only I had been treated kindly. Would I be as happy as Willie? Would I have been successful? There's no way I can know. But if this book can help change kids' minds about being cruel to their peers, then it will have done a vital and perhaps life-saving job.
January 3, 2021
Readers Roost: The Far Side of Heaven Book Tour and Giveaway
Can something good come from a terrible situation? Find out in this contemporary holiday romance.
Readers Roost: Bolder Blindsided Book Tour and Giveaway
This spirited book is just the ticket for fans of the paranormal thriller genre.I'll see myself out now.
January 2, 2021
Readers Roost: Gumbeaux Love Guest Post and Giveaway
I like the friendship between the women in this fresh and fun novel. It's a nice escape from the stresses of modern times.
December 30, 2020
Changes 2021
Free use image by Gerd Altmann on Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/illustrations/new-year-new-year-s-eve-new-year-s-5798330/I don't do New Year's resolutions. New Year's resolutions and anything with the phrase "New You in 52" makes me want to throw stuff. January 1 is an arbitrary marker for changing things up, and I'll use it that way without any statement of resolution.
Regarding blog hops, I don't know how some of you people do it, but I become overwhelmed and feel like a failure. So I'm going to divide the "Big Four" into once a month stops rather than trying to do all of them weekly because I consistently fall flat on my face when I try to make weekly stops.
The first hop of the month will be MFRW Book Hooks. I'll publish the post and put it on the Linky list on Tuesday, as the list closes on Wednesday.
The second hop of the month will be MFRW Steam. I'll publish the post and put it on the Linky list on Monday as the hop is every second Tuesday.
The third hop of the month will be Weekend Writing Warriors. The post will be published and put on the Linky list on Saturday as the hop happens on Sunday.
The fourth hop of the month will be Snippet Sunday. This post will also be published Saturday and we'll go to the hop on Sunday.
By doing this, I should be able to consistently visit everyone on the list, comment, and share their posts on social media.
I'm continuing to work on my fantasy/sci-fi WIP, The Key of Eidolon, and hope to have it ready for publication by my birthday, February 15. I'm not one of those "never ask a lady her age" people. Fuck that noise. I'll be 56. Ageism is bullshit and needs to die.
After reading The Erotica Handbook by Emily Baker I've been inspired to try writing and publishing erotica shorts (around 3000 words each) again. If you've ever been interested in trying your hand at erotica, this book is a pretty good guide. If you buy it through the following link, I'll make a small commission.
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B01BXR40AO&preview=newtab&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_wAg7FbHSB5WEW&tag=ciethehuntr07-20
I vehemently disagree with the author on the assertion that you need to write 2500 words a day or else. If you can do it and want to do it, more power to you. For me, that sort of daily word count goal is impractical and leads to burnout and shitty writing. It would be like NaNoWriMo every day which to me sounds like hell. No thank you.
I write an approximately 3000-word segment for whatever WIP I'm working on every week and will now be writing an approximately 3000-word erotic short every week, plus I want to keep working on my poetry and other crafts. That is quite an ambitious enough undertaking for me.
A lot of people swear by newsletters, but I've never been able to pull the trigger on doing one consistently. I guess they can be effective, but I know that I have a bunch of newsletter subscriptions, and I never open them. I'm playing with the idea of doing a monthly zine featuring all the work I've done over the previous month, which can either be bought as a one-shot on LBRY or will be part of the $5 and up subscription tiers on BitPatron, Ko-Fi, and Patreon.
I'd love to see some income for my efforts in the coming year.
It's now 5:30 A.M. and I still haven't slept. Even if I have no other friends, insomnia will always be with me.
~Cie~
December 28, 2020
Readers Roost: A Refuge Bay Christmas Book Tour and Giveaway
A lovely m/m holiday romance with a $10 Amazon giveaway. Don't miss out on this sweet story as Nathan and Og try to help their daughter overcome her troubled past.
Mes crazy expériences: WeWriWar 336: The House at the Crossing 42
I'm with Nancy on this one--it was quite enough for me to raise one child. To suddenly have three of them--yikes! Of course it is right for her to think of their well-being, though.
December 27, 2020
Dreamers, lovers, and Star Voyagers: WeWriWa: EU57
That would certainly be frustrating. I hate having people look over my shoulder when I'm trying to work. It makes me nervous and more likely to make mistakes.
Readers Roost: A Stroke at Midnight BDSM Romance
Tied down by guilt and separated by quarantine, Mateo and Deja decide to free themselves with a New Year’s Eve night of passion. But will it destroy their family and friendship?
https://amazon.com/dp/B08QJQ817M
#bwwm #bdsm #HolidayRomance #quickread #shortstories #kindleunlimited
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