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I think I solved the problem about the protagonist of the new idea so she can be a she. For the most part, anyhow. And meantime made her life even more complicated, in the way that generates more plot and more difficulties for the average protagonist.
This story was kinky enough to make me want to blush before the last solution. This... complicates that, too.
_______________
On an entirely different note, I missed most of International Blog Against Racism Week by being out of town or too busy prepping to be out of town to actually get online.
Which is unfortunate for one reason above all. I recently ended up in a discussion (Started as a shouting argument, but ended much more civilly) with a friend who is beyond allergic to the idea of being Politically Correct. And who seems neither to have heard or understood the terms white privilege or male privilege; or perhaps, he doesn't believe they happen. Being on the receiving end of one and the not-receiving end of the other, I have a glimpse - not a real ken, but at least an idea - how the other works.
Still. Links. Beneath each I'll include a short excerpt (Italicized) or comments, or both, but try and read at least some of the whole things. I especially endorse Nojojojo, Justine Larbalestier, Rawles' lighter post, and Sartorias' second, very short post:
Activism and Anger
Carl Brandon Society Open letter
The use of racial slurs in public discourse is utterly unacceptable, whether as an insult, a provocation, or an attempt at humor. This includes both explicit use of slurs and referencing them via acronyms.
Nojojojo: the cost of anger
Probably the single most linked piece in my circle of acquaintances. Partly because the single most common accusation levelled at ANY activist is that they're too angry (Alternate words: Emotional. Shrill. Rude.) and the second most common is that they stir up things because they like stirring up the masses. The third most common, as far as I can see, is to claim that any time more than two people-of-colour (POC, the term chosen most often in RaceFail1) point out a problem, that they're mobbing, or sockpuppets.
But because many of the things that make me angry are topics that have a direct bearing on my ability to have a successful writing career, it's hard to tune it all out. This is my livelihood we're talking about, after all.
Karnythia: We Have Feelings Too or The Cost OF Being A POC in Race Discussions
Because if they cared about the feelings of POC they wouldn't use racial slurs, they wouldn't insist that we have no right to dictate the treatment of our cultural icons, they wouldn't say that we were too angry (By the way, who stays calm and patient when someone is shitting on their shoe?) to discuss things "rationally", they wouldn't insist that being called out on their bigoted statements is more painful than being the target of bigotry.
(Also, from the comments: It's been shown time and time again that in matters of racism, white folk will listen to other white folk before they will listen to a black person. Frustrating, but true.)
Jim C. Hines:Anger
A smart (white) guy's take on why anger isn't a bad thing.
Anger isn't something to be fixed. It's okay to feel it, and it's okay to be on the receiving end. It's there for a reason, and trying to shut it down is only going to shut down the conversation (and most of the time piss the other person off even more).
Whitewashing. Still.
Justine Larbalestier: Ain't That a Shame
Liar is a book about a compulsive (possibly pathological) liar who is determined to stop lying but finds it much harder than she supposed. I worked very hard to make sure that the fundamentals of who Micah is were believable: that she’s a girl, that she’s a teenager, that she’s black, that she’s USian. One of the most upsetting impacts of the cover is that it’s led readers to question everything about Micah: If she doesn’t look anything like the girl on the cover maybe nothing she says is true. At which point the entire book, and all my hard work, crumbles.
And she links to examples of just such responses. And why this isn't isolated.
Sartorias: Cover Cowardice
More on book covers. In this case, I have to quote a comment, not the text; the whole thread is pretty good.
From one eneit:
Now given these kids are from a rural area, in a little town, a little removed from huge amounts of cultural diversity, you'd think the chances would be high that these kids would be looking for familiar faces that they would relate to.
Not so. I asked thirty sixteen year olds, male and female, and every single one have more issues over a cover showing something that's not in the book, than the idea of a cover showing the main character, whatever race they happened to be.
Sartorias: the power of image
No actual link to text from the post itself. It's too short. Take a look for sure, though; the picture is striking. (There's a long thread in the comments started by whswhs which gives more original series context. If you can take a certain amount of frustration, it's worthwhile dialogue)
Other Aspects
A striking poll.
There Are No Words.
Guest Blog: Neesha Meminger
On why representing women and minorities in fiction matters so much to people. This is nothing like the first such entry I've seen. This is probably not even only the tenth.
Rawles: now that we've got that clear, and you know that i'm not here...
On a lighter note (But still food for thought):
OMG.
A black girl is fucking Spock.
Color Blind or Just Plain Blind?
And lastly, a dry but actual essay on how racism hasn't left us with the advent of civil rights; it's gone either underground, or subconscious.
This story was kinky enough to make me want to blush before the last solution. This... complicates that, too.
_______________
On an entirely different note, I missed most of International Blog Against Racism Week by being out of town or too busy prepping to be out of town to actually get online.
Which is unfortunate for one reason above all. I recently ended up in a discussion (Started as a shouting argument, but ended much more civilly) with a friend who is beyond allergic to the idea of being Politically Correct. And who seems neither to have heard or understood the terms white privilege or male privilege; or perhaps, he doesn't believe they happen. Being on the receiving end of one and the not-receiving end of the other, I have a glimpse - not a real ken, but at least an idea - how the other works.
Still. Links. Beneath each I'll include a short excerpt (Italicized) or comments, or both, but try and read at least some of the whole things. I especially endorse Nojojojo, Justine Larbalestier, Rawles' lighter post, and Sartorias' second, very short post:
Activism and Anger
Carl Brandon Society Open letter
The use of racial slurs in public discourse is utterly unacceptable, whether as an insult, a provocation, or an attempt at humor. This includes both explicit use of slurs and referencing them via acronyms.
Nojojojo: the cost of anger
Probably the single most linked piece in my circle of acquaintances. Partly because the single most common accusation levelled at ANY activist is that they're too angry (Alternate words: Emotional. Shrill. Rude.) and the second most common is that they stir up things because they like stirring up the masses. The third most common, as far as I can see, is to claim that any time more than two people-of-colour (POC, the term chosen most often in RaceFail1) point out a problem, that they're mobbing, or sockpuppets.
But because many of the things that make me angry are topics that have a direct bearing on my ability to have a successful writing career, it's hard to tune it all out. This is my livelihood we're talking about, after all.
Karnythia: We Have Feelings Too or The Cost OF Being A POC in Race Discussions
Because if they cared about the feelings of POC they wouldn't use racial slurs, they wouldn't insist that we have no right to dictate the treatment of our cultural icons, they wouldn't say that we were too angry (By the way, who stays calm and patient when someone is shitting on their shoe?) to discuss things "rationally", they wouldn't insist that being called out on their bigoted statements is more painful than being the target of bigotry.
(Also, from the comments: It's been shown time and time again that in matters of racism, white folk will listen to other white folk before they will listen to a black person. Frustrating, but true.)
Jim C. Hines:Anger
A smart (white) guy's take on why anger isn't a bad thing.
Anger isn't something to be fixed. It's okay to feel it, and it's okay to be on the receiving end. It's there for a reason, and trying to shut it down is only going to shut down the conversation (and most of the time piss the other person off even more).
Whitewashing. Still.
Justine Larbalestier: Ain't That a Shame
Liar is a book about a compulsive (possibly pathological) liar who is determined to stop lying but finds it much harder than she supposed. I worked very hard to make sure that the fundamentals of who Micah is were believable: that she’s a girl, that she’s a teenager, that she’s black, that she’s USian. One of the most upsetting impacts of the cover is that it’s led readers to question everything about Micah: If she doesn’t look anything like the girl on the cover maybe nothing she says is true. At which point the entire book, and all my hard work, crumbles.
And she links to examples of just such responses. And why this isn't isolated.
Sartorias: Cover Cowardice
More on book covers. In this case, I have to quote a comment, not the text; the whole thread is pretty good.
From one eneit:
Now given these kids are from a rural area, in a little town, a little removed from huge amounts of cultural diversity, you'd think the chances would be high that these kids would be looking for familiar faces that they would relate to.
Not so. I asked thirty sixteen year olds, male and female, and every single one have more issues over a cover showing something that's not in the book, than the idea of a cover showing the main character, whatever race they happened to be.
Sartorias: the power of image
No actual link to text from the post itself. It's too short. Take a look for sure, though; the picture is striking. (There's a long thread in the comments started by whswhs which gives more original series context. If you can take a certain amount of frustration, it's worthwhile dialogue)
Other Aspects
A striking poll.
There Are No Words.
Guest Blog: Neesha Meminger
On why representing women and minorities in fiction matters so much to people. This is nothing like the first such entry I've seen. This is probably not even only the tenth.
Rawles: now that we've got that clear, and you know that i'm not here...
On a lighter note (But still food for thought):
OMG.
A black girl is fucking Spock.
Color Blind or Just Plain Blind?
And lastly, a dry but actual essay on how racism hasn't left us with the advent of civil rights; it's gone either underground, or subconscious.
