Hidden Messages

One of the reasons it can seem to be a problem that my heroines are not actively critical of behavior in the stories, is that almost all the worlds I explore have a bad message. By not throwing a fit, my heroines could seem supportive of that. But actually, the opposite is true. I make them hold back and be placeholders so we can see the world of the story around them. In short, so we can see the bad message or situation in that book for exactly what it is.

If the heroines become too active, they mess with the story and then we don’t see the characters with honesty. People seem different. If a girl is very feisty, for instance, it makes it appear that the others allow her to be opinionated—but perhaps that’s not the truth. Perhaps they are repressive of opinions and only want certain things said. By letting her throw a fit, I’d actually be more supportive of this story’s bad message (people should do what they’re told.) If she sits back, we don’t have a quite imaginary plot in which she asserts herself. Instead we have the clarity of a real plot. They never want her to voice a complaint, so she doesn’t--and when she doesn’t we know what’s what they really wanted. And that’s a terrible message if ever there was one.

Sitting back can be much less supportive in the long run than making noise. (As I know from personal experience—I tend to throw a fit, but when I let go and stop, I actually win more.) Making the heroines flashy conceals the other people and what they’re really about. Of course, the way to behave if you want someone else to be caught—make yourself less visible. People who don’t get what my stories are about are used to seeing the message obscured as it is in virtually every other book these days. But I don’t want the bad message obscured. I want it seen because it’s harmful. And sometimes the best way to achieve something is to pretend you’re doing the opposite. 

And there will be more updates.