by Camela Thompson In the past several months, I've seen articles surfacing artwork that gender bends Disney Characters. If you haven't seen these images swirling around the Internet, check out sakimichan on DeviantArt. Because the pieces are so visually stunning, I didn't really think how the perception of the characters would differ if the gender roles were changed. My cohost, Z.D. Gladstone, brought it up again on our last podcast episode and it got me thinking. If everything was left as it is today other than the genders, how would the characters resonate with the audience? How much would the stories need to change to make them appealing? I have more questions than answers. Beauty and the Beast Concept: A man is transformed into a beast by a witch because of his horrible behavior towards others. Only the softening of his heart by true love can turn the beast and all of the castle servants back into humans. Gender Swap Issues: A physically domineering woman hurtling furniture at a man while in beast form must resonate as a 9.5 on the emasculation scale. Can you imagine the PMS jokes? The poor writers. I can picture them in a room fighting the urge to make chocolate and Midol jokes (she's a beast, so it's toxic, right? does she get carob cravings?). Belle is a gentle, soft spoken intellectual drawn to books. She's patient and forever encouraging the beast to remember his humanity. Would a bookwormish gentleman read as weak by comparison? Remember, he can't restrain the Beastlette. Asking a man to stick around and fall in love with a hideous creature who flies into rages is intriguing. The fact that women did not inherit property at this time also presents an issue. The Beastlette would not have a castle of her own. She would not rule over her servants. She wouldn't even have tenants to be cruel to. If we're sticking to historical traditions, the worst she could do is be cruel to those beneath her, such as her governess. Would this warrant the witch's punishment? The Little Mermaid Concept: A mer-woman witnesses a party with a beautiful man and is convinced he will fall in love with her if only she had legs instead of a fin. The witch gives her legs but takes away her voice. It should be noted the mermaid was already obsessed with becoming a human and collects human artifacts from shipwrecks. Gender Swap Issues: A naked guy washes up on shore with no land, no money, and I did mention zero clothing, right? Back in the day, marriages were business arrangements. While it's not out of the question that a prince could settle for a pretty commoner, a princess would be traded--I mean married off--in exchange for peace or land acquisition. It is fun to imagine a talking lobster, flounder, and seagull (all female) giving him advice. "Do pushups! More pushups! Now try squats. Remember, you can't talk. All you have are your good looks. Be charming." I really wanted to make comments about stalker behavior and hoarding, but I can't see this guy getting into the castle. He's cute, but naked and mute. Do I call the guards now or later? Cinderella
Concept: A young woman is forced into manual labor by her stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. She is granted a wish by her fairy godmother and attends a ball. Her beauty and grace capture the heart of the prince. Gender Swap Issues: I've explained how marriage worked back in the day, so I won't rehash it. I like the picture of King (now Queen in this version) insisting that the princess provide her with grandchildren. What I find really interesting is a young man forced into domestic service. Laundry. Cooking. Cleaning. All while his brothers are allowed to do what they love. I can see these jealous brats belittling Cinder's good looks. Don't worry because this guy has mice and birds for friends. Movies that Work The movies that work for me don't revolve around the concept of true love. Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, and even Frozen aren't too hard to imagine with the genders reversed. All of these stories are based on friendship and familial love. Brave doesn't work as well because the big scene where they decide not to marry her off at a young age after a contest of physical feats wouldn't have the same zing to it. Which Disney movie would you like to see with the gender roles reversed? Why? Do you think elements would have to change?
1 Comment
by Camela Thompson There has been an interesting shift in the world of monsters over the last hundred years. The creatures that started out as nightmares are becoming more human. They brood and struggle with morality. Sometimes they even fall in love with a mortal. For anyone who has enjoyed the surge in paranormal romances, this isn't a surprise. The question I'm interested in is: Why? I'm not the first person (or most educated on the topic, for that matter) to suggest that the correlation in werewolf tales in the fifteenth century and the rise in rabies are not a coincidence. Humans have a history of inventing powerful monsters to help explain things out of our control or understanding. The same fear of vampires hit the US in the nineteenth century alongside a virulent tuberculosis outbreak. Monsters reflect our fears. At some point, these monsters became less fearsome. Is it possible that our growing knowledge of biology and epidemiology have taken the fear of magic and the supernatural out of the equation? Perhaps knowing how viruses are transferred and less exposure to wild animals have made the fear of these monsters less real. Of course, zombies are still portrayed as frightening (minus Liv from iZombie), but maybe that's because we still have viruses that terrify us and can't be cured. Another theory is that time and distance have allowed us to analyze werewolves and vampires in a different light. Writers have developed extensive werewolf behavior profiles based on wild pack dynamics and canid behavior. With our increased interest in animal behavior, we're no longer viewing the animals as monsters and have greater sympathy for their motivations.
There are less facts surrounding my final theory, but my gut tells me I'm onto something. As authors, we are constantly pushed to reimagine things in a different light. People get bored with the same formulas and creatures. The perspective of a monster continues to be interesting, and a one-dimensional bad guy is no longer acceptable. I know I prefer the monster who isn't purely evil. The literal evolution of any creature isn't due to a single force. These changes are multi-faceted. Obviously, I don't have a definitive answer. Do you have a theory? Why do you think monsters have become more human? by Camela Thompson I have enjoyed my share of fairy tale remakes by various authors and screen writers. The one story that never quite works for me is Beauty and the Beast. Occasionally I'll pick up a book that comes close. I like the pace of the story, the writing is solid, but there is one thing I can't get past. Even if the Beast never lays a finger on Belle, the tirades, threats, and yelling paired with the inevitable isolation from the people she loves are hallmarks of emotional abuse. What makes it even worse: The moral of the story is that she is the only one who can fix him because of her love--because she stays with him no matter what. Do we want to perpetuate that message? Do we want to tell our daughters, nieces, and sisters that they should stick it out no matter what? I get the appeal of the bad boy. Our society has a fascination with the emotionally unavailable alpha male that runs deep. My mom happily tells everyone that I had a thing for jerks. I think she does that because she's thankful I grew up and married a kind man. And she enjoys embarrassing me, but I digress. The bad boy phase is a strange thing. I've talked to other women who were in the same boat and we all wanted someone who was rough, rude, and ripped on the outside and treated us like a princess. We wanted to be special--the one cherished above all others--the exception.
Unfortunately, that never seems to pan out. In my experience if the guy is an asshole to the waiter, he'll be an asshole at home. It may take a week or a month, but their true nature always prevails. I realize what I've just typed may enrage some people, and if you snagged yourself the unicorn of significant others, congrats. In this instance I don't mind being wrong and hope you have landed your diamond in the rough. I've been watching the latest Beauty and the Beast television series. I watch a lot of mediocre to poor television because I learn from it. For some reason the quirks and points I take issue with motivate me to imagine how I would do something differently. Sometimes this leads to great ideas. While the relationship in the show nags at me, I wonder if there's a way to turn the classic story into something that works. Can the dynamic be updated to send a more positive message? At first I toyed with flipping the gender roles, but the switch changes nothing. Now the woman is the abuser with the additional challenge of getting the audience to accept a woman who can physically overpower the love interest. We've made advances, but traditional expectations still exist. Then I wondered about putting both Beauty and the Beast into a single individual. I'm not sure how to pull it off yet. I keep thinking it's too close to Jekyll and Hyde or the traditional werewolf struggle. But there might be a way... Do you disagree about Beauty and the Beast? Do you prefer the alpha dynamic and feel that too much is being read into the aggression? by Camela Thompson I have been thinking a lot about why I write lately. It takes a lot of energy to keep writing while marketing and working a demanding day job. The magic number of five books has been bumped up to ten before a writer collects the readership necessary to have a career. At first I rolled my eyes at these numbers, but it makes sense. Getting published is easier than ever with all of the self-publishing options out there, and the market is diluted. There are authors who have a break-out book, but I don't think anyone is certain why some take off and others don't. Your initial reflex when reading this is probably, "It's simple. Better writing." Not every time. Look at the top-selling books...I've read some great books (better books) that haven't performed well. My point is that deciding to be a writer often means working to sustain two careers instead of one. If writing in itself isn't fulfilling, it can be hard to keep going. When I first started writing, I didn't have a drive to be published. I have always been a voracious reader, but I had hit a streak of books that weren't the best. I kept imagining different ways for those books to end, and eventually I decided to try my hand at writing a better story. I can say with absolute confidence that I did not write a better story that first time. But I kept at it. According to reviewers, I'm doing better than okay. A strange thing happened as my stories evolved into a more distinctive style. The writing got darker. Honest to goodness I tried to write the light romance my mother hoped for (she takes my affinity for paranormal darkness as a personal affront to her parenting), but someone would die and off I would go with my darker mystery. Or worse. *Gasp* I like to write horror. As I wrote about demons (literally) and antagonists with dark urges, painful instances in my past unwound in a safe and distant way. I could change the outcome to be fair. It was a second chance at an ending that felt much closer to what a craved for closure. Writing helped me heal.
While I hope that my stories entertain people and transport them (and maybe get that justice they crave), I write for me, too. Why do you read? What motivates you when you write? by Camela Thompson This week my health challenges have been extra challenging, so I'm trying to embrace my resolution to take it a little easier. This is something I'm not good at. While "relaxing" I managed to finish a painting that needed work over the past couple years, wrapped up editing and formatting to get Visions of Blood and Bone over to the publisher, and have been finalizing year end reporting at my day job. Yep. I'm really getting a hang of this slacking off stuff. Annie is a tireless assistant. I have never been one for meditating or sitting still for long. Being still stirs up my brain and puts it on hyperdrive. I've been trying books on tape while coloring, and that seems to help. I also find escapism on crappy television and pleasure reads (for me this is paranormal suspense with a little romance). Watching Bitten, reading Patricia Briggs, and spending time with Annie has given me some balance in an otherwise hectic week.
The highlight of the week was an intense game of Cards Against Humanity. It really is a game for terrible people, and my sides were sore from laughing by the end of it. The Seahawks had a great game, but it may have set me back in terms of my stress level. I feel terrible for the Vikings kicker, but I'm thrilled he missed. My feed blew up with Ace Ventura references immediately afterwards. What do you do to relax and keep balance in your life? by Camela Thompson I find alphas interesting, but I feel the male alpha has been overplayed, particularly in Paranormal Romance and Erotica. Is there room for more? Of course. People obviously eat it up. But in my opinion, there are times when the alpha male goes so far that the line of consent is blurred and I end up with a very uncomfortable reading experience. It's not my thing. I'll spare you the twenty page rant because stories shouldn't be censored even if I don't agree with them. And it's cool if you enjoy them especially because it's fiction. What I have been enjoying lately is the alpha female. She's hard to find, but she exists! I've been binge reading the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Biggs. I love that our good-hearted and sometimes martyr-like heroine kicks major butt and no longer needs to be rescued by the time the rescue committee shows up. Love it! And I have a soft spot in my heart for women who are bossy. I have no idea why that would be... She is alpha in the most literal of senses, and I dig it. Another interesting find was Bitten in the Otherworld series. I had some issues with the book, although I liked it overall. Then I stumbled onto the Syfy television series. Bitten has the high quality CGI that one should expect with a Syfy series. I realize sarcasm doesn't work well in the written word so I'll explain that these wolves are amongst the most anatomically incorrect creatures I've seen. The legs are just odd. The gait from the side view is wrong. The acting wasn't stellar. But I watched season one in a weekend. I think I'm fascinated with the series for a few reasons.
In lieu of Nipple Shot, I give you arm porn. If one were to create a Bitten drinking game based on nipple shots and man booty, one would die. Plus it's horribly immature and possibly sexist. I'm a hypocrite. But I can't stop watching the drivel.
This month promises to be challenging. I've got a healthy work schedule and I'd like to get book three of The Hunted to the editor. My wonderful beta readers have been providing great feedback, so it's time to cut back on all of the reading I've been doing. Which is a shame, because my Goodreads list has gotten a much needed boost. What I do plan to make time for is The Revenant. Fortunately I've already figured out that there will be no actual revenants featured in this film. That would have been a major let down. Maybe there's a remake in the future.... Do you have any alpha female reads or shows you'd recommend? by Camela Thompson
No spoilers. Go see it - preferably in IMAX. I appreciate my coworkers. They are thoughtful people who made an effort not to spoil The Force Awakens. In a sea of die hard fans who scrambled for the early ticket purchases, I was the jaded individual who decided to wait until a consensus was reached. Would the newest film do justice to the original trilogy? Or were we fated to relive the horror of the three that shall not be named? I was a little nervous about J.J. Abrams' involvement. I enjoyed the newest Star Trek movies, but they weren't canon. The alternate timeline is a convenient device best left alone. On the other hand, Disney's involvement didn't bother me (can you say "budget"??) and the lack of George Lucas was an encouragement. He had proven a menace if left to his own devices. The remaking of the originals (4-6) were unnecessary. The grandiose but lackluster build in 1-3 plus the addition of some exceedingly annoying secondary characters made for a disaster. People looked for the magic from the original movies to carry over into the prequels. It didn't happen and generated speculation that Lucas was lacking the counterbalance to reign in his creative vision. Perhaps we needed 1-3 to lower expectations. It was okay that The Force Awakens wasn't epic. I had no problem with it following the same formula as Star Wars. I'm a big fan of the saying: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The behavior of the original characters was consistent with the previous movies. There was enough overlap to bring back the old nostalgia that was missing from the prequels. I appreciated the updates and a female protagonist who wasn't helpless. The best part? The deaths (minus the red shirts) had purpose even if the one on my mind was really, really sad. Was it perfect? No. But it was close enough. Did you love The Force Awakens? Were you disappointed? What do you hope to see in the next? by Camela Thompson Some people really get into the holidays. They get up on their ladders and staple blinking lights to their houses and wrap bright strings with bulbs to their banisters. Posts fly down my Facebook timeline with pictures of gorgeous trees, gatherings with happy faces, and the symbols of Chanukah. Usually we're out of town for the holiday and I can get out of getting a tree. I fought it as long as I could, using photographs of pets destroying decorations. On Saturday I caved and bought a rosemary bush clipped to look like a Christmas tree because 1. I love cooking and it would come in handy and 2. It was more robust than the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I'm not sure where the apathy stems from. I love giving gifts, particularly to my nieces and nephews. Sometimes these gifts are more devious than others, but there is an undeniable joy from seeing a happy expression on their faces. I joke that it's the darkness. There's probably more truth to that than not, but even my Bah Humbug heart is warmed by some of the scenes I've seen. Two men rushing to catch their buses stopped when an elderly man fell. Both took the time to help the man up and make sure he didn't need further assistance. It would have been so easy for them to look away and scurry past as so many others had. Even though they didn't spend more than a few minutes of their day, it gave me hope. Tired and sore, I limped through the grocery store pushing my cart and nearly ran into a man. Twice. Instead of being irritated, he shot me a wide smile and gestured for me to continue on my way. My husband made me a ridiculous amount of soup when I didn't feel well. It was delicious and appreciated. Acts of kindness are so much more important than what gets checked off the to-do list for the day or even getting home on time. 'Tis the cold season. I've been using my sluggish energy level as an excuse to binge read. It has been wonderful. It also has me questioning what all I can take on next year. Full time work, writing, marketing, and podcasting is taking a toll and it may be time to cut back. I struggle each time I sit down to blog, and find myself stressed out over finding something interesting to say. I have stories on shelves waiting to be edited because I've read all of the advice out there that extolls the wisdom of blogging, vlogging, and podcasting in an effort to increase my footprint. I'm not putting the effort into shouting (honestly, that's what most "marketing" efforts feel like to me--shouting) about the podcast, vlog, or blog.
Perhaps that was the energy level talking. Or maybe I'm ready to work on new ideas. I sat with a friend talking about horrible writer revelations (and then spun that off into some really disturbing story ideas, but that's just how my brain works). One of those revelations comes about because someone has written something very similar to your own project. Is it better? Is it too late? Is there enough room in this world for both books? The other comes about because you had a brilliant idea, didn't act on it, and now something similar is rolling out to the theaters. That bad feeling isn't because someone else had success. It's because it really was an excellent idea but that's all it ever was. I don't want to miss out on the next book. I don't want miss out on things I enjoy, either. I work, go home, work more, and then get up early on the weekend to podcast and work some more. Maybe it's time to make some different resolutions and stop scrambling to cram as much productivity in this lifetime as I can. Enjoy your holidays. Tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Read some wonderful books and laze in front of the television. Do something that doesn't involve checking a to-do off your list. by Camela Thompson I had an exceptionally ranty post about the prevalence of ultra-alpha males and related lack of exceptional heroines in paranormal writing (yes, I realize it's not universal, but it's common), but chickened out when it came to hitting the "Post" button. I've given myself the week to walk away and think about things. You're welcome. Instead, I thought I would talk about some of the great things I've seen and read lately. Pan's Labyrinth I am confused by del Toro. The Strain frustrated me and struck me as inherently misogynistic (a few interviews I stumbled across didn't help that perception), but that flies in the face of much of his other work. I loved Crimson Peak, and I finally watched Pan's Labyrinth. I adored it. It's just as depressing and dark as it is beautiful, but it's worth every minute. We'll be discussing the movie this week on Shadows on the Sound with Elise Stephens. The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires (book 1 of Half Moon Hollow) After reading several books fueling my aforementioned rant, this book was a breath of fresh air. The main character may not have been extraordinary, but she was smart, very sassy, and kicked major butt. I laughed out loud many times, and that just doesn't happen. Jessica Jones I enjoy Marvel despite growing frustrated with flouncy illustrations and fridged women. So far, this series has been a very pleasant surprise. I am enjoying the reign of Netflix awesomeness. My other favorite things at the moment involve food and puppies, most definitely enjoyed very separately. On that note, I'll leave you with a dose of adorable evil mastermind: What have you seen or read recently that you loved? Are there paranormal books with strong female protagonists you would recommend?
by Camela Thompson There are few rules around NANOWRIMO (NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth): Start a novel from scratch and write at least 50,000 words throughout the month of November. If you hit your word count, you win. When it's broken down to a daily target, 1,667 words doesn't seem so hard. It's less than the average chapter length for a novel marketed to adults. The problem is that most of us write in our spare time, forcing our brains to cooperate with a scene after a long day at work. Life gets in the way. Migraines happen. Sometimes the words won't form. Forced on a consistent basis, 50k words a month will lead to burn out and a severe lack of editing. If forced word count leads to burn out, why would anyone participate? The main reason I participate is to force myself into finishing a piece of work I've already started. This goes against one of the rules of NANOWRIMO, but since most of my work ends up around 80,000 word mark, I can easily add another 50k to a novel I've already started. The starts are always the most tedious part as I tend to rewrite them over and over, getting sucked into an editing loop that wouldn't end if I didn't force myself into a different work pattern. NANOWRIMO helps me achieve that new pattern. I've written in the past about my tendency towards perfectionism. This doesn't mean I feel my writing is perfect. Far from it. It means I will never view my writing as good enough. On the up side, this means I will always strive to improve. On the downside, I'm neurotic.
During NANOWRIMO, I give myself permission to blaze forward without editing. I make rough notes where I feel there is a deficiency and force myself to move on. I surround the notes by characters I wouldn't normally use in my writing to I can easily pick them out. When I go back through my work, I see notes like <<describe emotion instead of stating>>, <<make prettier>>, and <<Would she do this?>> If you want to participate in NANOWRIMO, I have a few recommendations based on what has helped me out:
I'm lucky I have a spouse who will pick up the slack during November. I don't cook, clean, or participate in many social functions. When I'm not at work, I'm writing. Fortunately, football is in full swing and Lance doesn't seem to mind that I'm furiously typing beside him rather than watching the game. While NANOWRIMO is a great tool to help me hit a deadline, it's not the normal pace I can work because I grow tired and miss my friends. And that's okay. Have you tried NANOWRIMO? What did you think? Is there something you would suggest to help others? |
Camela ThompsonFreelance writer and Dark urban fantasy author featuring vampires with bite. My BooksCategories
All
Archives
July 2020
|