I'm Hopeless

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It isn't fair. And it shouldn't be this fucking hard.

I'm a girl, after all. So you would think that writing girl characters would be easy. Well, easier than writing boys. You would think writing girls would come naturally. You would think trying to imagine life from the inside of a boy brain would be a truly astonishing feat for me, a girl.

You would think. And you would, apparently, be wrong.

I blame being eight years old, because that's when it started, I think: my first taste of boy envy. See, eight years old is when I discovered that boys can pee standing up. Laugh all you like, but I was insanely jealous.

I mean, c'mon, let's face it -- unzipping your fly and whipping out your weiner is a whole lot more a) convenient, b) quicker and c) sanitary than pulling down your drawers, exposing your buns and 'drip-drying'.

Anyways, that's where it started. Ever since then, despite a Barbie doll phase and the occasional long-fingernail phase, I'd much rather tag after boys and do what they're doing than go shopping or do my hair.

Which leaves me BORED TO DEATH with all my female characters, while my subconscious surreptitiously starts chapters from the point of view of male characters who aren't supposed to have POV chapters all to themselves. Arrrgh!

I will learn to do it. I will. It's just going to be a really fucking difficult uphill battle. Joy.

Comments

Bethanie said…
I know, I know. If I'm bored with my characters it's MY OWN DAMN FAULT. Nothing annoys me more than people complaining in the NaNo forums about their boring characters -- characters are only boring if YOU make them that way.

Angry Note to Self: If you want your girls to be interesting, quit yer bitchin', pick up the frikkin' whip and MAKE THEM THAT WAY.
20:23
Karyn said…
It sounds, my dear, like you are trying to write girls as you expect other people to write them or to want you to write them. You are living proof that all females are not shoppers and hair-doers, therefore write your female characters as you are, as you want them to be. Or go with the guys if they are more interesting. You're overthinking again - trying to make the story into what you think it SHOULD be instead of what you truly want it to be and what it is becoming on its own. If that makes any convoluted sense. Go back to the editor switch and put it back in the off position - some evil brownie switched it on again when you weren't looking. Have faith girl - you write great women when you make them your characters instead of someone else's!
14:20
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