A few years ago I was discussing the appeal of emo music with someone. I had been thinking about the quality of isolation so many emo/neo-punk lyricists draw on to write their songs and how that feeling of being "the only one who feels this way" is common to just about everyone. I had also been thinking about the irony of that juxtaposition.
Well, I didn't think "That's ironic." I thought "How fucking stupid are we?" Everyone feeling like they're the only person who ever had a lousy day/week/year/decade. Each of us feeling like we're the only one who ever struggles to make ends meet or love the people who love us or pursue the things we're good at (but maybe don't make any money doing). And in reality the things that hurt us or make us happy or give us hope are all the same.
(Not identical. It's not like each of you will get the same thrill from reading Gormenghast as I do. But we all have something that makes us ache and brings us to tears and laughter.)
Yesterday while writing up my Alternative Booker Award post, I threw out the comment that it's no surprise I write the way I do when you see the books I love. And I immediately thought "Duh. Like every writer doesn't say that." I felt stupid. And more than a little like a hack. Of course, the things I read will influence how and what I write. That's the most obvious and uninsightful observation I could make about myself.
In fact, I was so embarrassed by even thinking that, I almost deleted that line.
But I didn't. Because the more I thought about it, the more it wasn't a stupid thing. An obvious thing, yes. But a truthful one all the same. Because as writers, especially the ones who are narcissistic enough to talk about their writing process, we do say the same things. Not identical things. (I mean, aside from "Butt in Chair" and "You have permission to write a steaming turd of a first draft" and all the other writerly mantras that my generation of writers lives and breathes.)
We all say the same things about loving our craft. About finding inspiration. About working through the hard things. About celebrating the small things. About making time for what's important and letting go of what is not.
And those things that we say resonate. Not because we're so smart or even so very good with words. (Though, you know, we kind of hope to be since we're trying to do this writing thing professionally.) And not even because we are writers talking to fellow writers.
The things we say resonate because we are humans talking to other humans. About finding inspiration. About working through the hard things. About celebrating the small things. About making time for what's important and letting go of what is not.
So when I say something obvious about knowing my writing motives by knowing my influences, it's okay. Because you understand. And you would say the same thing.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Alternative Booker Award
J.M. Blackman tagged me for The Alternative Booker Award. In which I share my five favorite books and then pass the torch to five others.
(And yeah. Narrowing it down was abitch chore. Ask me for this list next week and I might tell you something completely different.)
In no particular order (because really, who has a single most favorite book?):
Children of Men by P.D. James - I picked this one up thinking I probably should read it before seeing the movie. The book was so incredible, I still haven't watched the movie (despite having owned it for several years now). I'm especially fond of the way the ending leaves me full of doubt whether the protagonist will actually make anything better now that he's in charge.
The Trial Begins by Abram Tertz/Andrei Sinyavsky - I have no memory of how I stumbled across this really short novel (published by a university press in the same volume as an essay - On Socialist Realism), but it blew my mind. Not only because I am still a history buff, but because it's such a surreal story about morals and politics and individuals caught in the midst of a government who fears its own citizens more than its enemies.
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo - Technically it's six novels, but whatever. You couldn't fit all those pages into one book if you tried. And it's stunning. With heavy SF themes, brilliant artwork, and a constant critique of power and it's influence on the individual and society (and the individual in society). Any time I pick up any of the six volumes I instantly remember why I love this story so much.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - When I was about fourteen I sat up all night finishing this book. The writing is lyrical, the characters both ordinary and larger than life, and it has Bradbury's own worldview so deeply embedded in the story. I love this one enough to have more than one copy of it.
Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith - I read this even before I read Bradbury. My dad had a collection of Cordwainer Smith books and I was immediately hooked. Animals with reprogrammed DNA that look human? Computers that can tell the future? Humans who live forever? It was all there in glorious detail. And Norstrilia was the biggest and best piece of that world.
(Looking at this list explains a lot about why I write what I do. It still surprises me.)
Now, to tag five other lucky folks.
1. Luke Kurtis
2. Caleb Monroe
3. Brenda Stokes-Barron
4. Alex Shvartsman
5. J. Deery Wray
(And yeah. Narrowing it down was a
In no particular order (because really, who has a single most favorite book?):
Children of Men by P.D. James - I picked this one up thinking I probably should read it before seeing the movie. The book was so incredible, I still haven't watched the movie (despite having owned it for several years now). I'm especially fond of the way the ending leaves me full of doubt whether the protagonist will actually make anything better now that he's in charge.
The Trial Begins by Abram Tertz/Andrei Sinyavsky - I have no memory of how I stumbled across this really short novel (published by a university press in the same volume as an essay - On Socialist Realism), but it blew my mind. Not only because I am still a history buff, but because it's such a surreal story about morals and politics and individuals caught in the midst of a government who fears its own citizens more than its enemies.
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo - Technically it's six novels, but whatever. You couldn't fit all those pages into one book if you tried. And it's stunning. With heavy SF themes, brilliant artwork, and a constant critique of power and it's influence on the individual and society (and the individual in society). Any time I pick up any of the six volumes I instantly remember why I love this story so much.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury - When I was about fourteen I sat up all night finishing this book. The writing is lyrical, the characters both ordinary and larger than life, and it has Bradbury's own worldview so deeply embedded in the story. I love this one enough to have more than one copy of it.
Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith - I read this even before I read Bradbury. My dad had a collection of Cordwainer Smith books and I was immediately hooked. Animals with reprogrammed DNA that look human? Computers that can tell the future? Humans who live forever? It was all there in glorious detail. And Norstrilia was the biggest and best piece of that world.
(Looking at this list explains a lot about why I write what I do. It still surprises me.)
Now, to tag five other lucky folks.
1. Luke Kurtis
2. Caleb Monroe
3. Brenda Stokes-Barron
4. Alex Shvartsman
5. J. Deery Wray
Monday, March 18, 2013
Withdrawing a Story
In my short writing career, I have withdrawn a story from consideration a grand total of twice. Both times were instances of discovering a divergence of opinion on issues of race/sexuality with the editorial staff. And I haven't submitted anything to either of those markets since.
I mention this, not because I'm such a crusader for equality, but because every now and again I see someone asking about making a simultaneous submission on the sly. In other words, they have multiple markets they wish to submit a particular story to, both of which request "No Sim Subs", and one of which has a deadline/really slow response time. Usually the question is "Can't I just withdraw the story from one market if it were picked up by the other one?"
The short answer is: Yes.
Naturally, there is nothing to prevent you from sending your story to every market at once. There is nothing to prevent you from withdrawing a story from a market at any time for any reason - whether it be that you subbed to more than one market and had an acceptance or you decided it needed more revisions or because you realized the editor was anti-banana and you're pro-banana and you don't want him/her publishing your story anyway.
But there are a couple of things you should keep in mind when considering withdrawing a story. (Or considering putting yourself in a position where you might have to withdraw a story.)
Firstly, once a story is withdrawn it cannot be resubmitted to the same market at a later date. Withdrawing a story is like giving yourself a rejection notice.
Secondly, while it may seem like an editor won't know why you decided to withdraw a story there are a limited number of possibilities.
1: You submitted something that wasn't ready.
2. You submitted something to more than one market despite being asked not to.
3: You found a market that pays more/has more exposure/whatever and you want to try them first.
4. You have decided you don't want to work with the editor.
None of those possibilities is likely to make the editor/slush-crew think very highly of you. Some won't care enough to remember it the next time you might submit something (this is assuming that either #4 doesn't apply or you've changed your mind about the anti-banana stance of the editor-in-chief). Some will.
So, my rule of thumb is: Don't withdraw a story unless you have no intention of working with a market/editor ever again.
My second rule of thumb is: Don't put yourself in a position to NEED to withdraw a story.
This means, No Sim Subs (unless a market says it's okay) and Always Be Certain a Story is Ready To Sell.
I mention this, not because I'm such a crusader for equality, but because every now and again I see someone asking about making a simultaneous submission on the sly. In other words, they have multiple markets they wish to submit a particular story to, both of which request "No Sim Subs", and one of which has a deadline/really slow response time. Usually the question is "Can't I just withdraw the story from one market if it were picked up by the other one?"
The short answer is: Yes.
Naturally, there is nothing to prevent you from sending your story to every market at once. There is nothing to prevent you from withdrawing a story from a market at any time for any reason - whether it be that you subbed to more than one market and had an acceptance or you decided it needed more revisions or because you realized the editor was anti-banana and you're pro-banana and you don't want him/her publishing your story anyway.
But there are a couple of things you should keep in mind when considering withdrawing a story. (Or considering putting yourself in a position where you might have to withdraw a story.)
Firstly, once a story is withdrawn it cannot be resubmitted to the same market at a later date. Withdrawing a story is like giving yourself a rejection notice.
Secondly, while it may seem like an editor won't know why you decided to withdraw a story there are a limited number of possibilities.
1: You submitted something that wasn't ready.
2. You submitted something to more than one market despite being asked not to.
3: You found a market that pays more/has more exposure/whatever and you want to try them first.
4. You have decided you don't want to work with the editor.
None of those possibilities is likely to make the editor/slush-crew think very highly of you. Some won't care enough to remember it the next time you might submit something (this is assuming that either #4 doesn't apply or you've changed your mind about the anti-banana stance of the editor-in-chief). Some will.
So, my rule of thumb is: Don't withdraw a story unless you have no intention of working with a market/editor ever again.
My second rule of thumb is: Don't put yourself in a position to NEED to withdraw a story.
This means, No Sim Subs (unless a market says it's okay) and Always Be Certain a Story is Ready To Sell.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Tools for Selling Your Novel: The Three Sentence Logline (Or the Short Pitch)
The beauty of the three sentence logline is its structure: one sentence each for the beginning, middle and end of your novel. I can whittle almost any plot down to a single sentence, but selling a project is not always just about how few words you can use to sum up the plot.
Here's the strongest one sentence logline for The Steampunk Novel: A young magic-handler desperate to find her Da confronts conspiracy, murder and forbidden magic under the streets of 1888 London.
It's good. It covers the plot. It identifies the protagonist, her goal and the obstacles she faces. All in all, it does exactly what it's supposed to do. But, when I entered The Bakers Dozen Agent Auction in November I felt like I needed something that touched on the specifics of the story.
This is what I came up with: Magic-handler Keira Fennel's search for her father intersects with shape-shifter Lowen McCrae's hunt for a murderer in the alleys of 1888 London. When they uncover a plot to construct a mechanical heart from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly villain. She's forced to participate in the experiment or lose both Lowen and her father.
This version is also good. It covers the plot. It identifies the protagonist, her goals and the obstacles she faces. It also provides details that highlight the uniqeness of the story and the final conflict.
Is it better than the shorter version? No. Probably not. But it is capable of serving a different function. Because of the added length it is not just a logline, it's also a very short synopsis and there are times when that property will be more important than the brevity of the shorter version.
Just like a synopsis (which should have 1-2 page and 4-10 page versions) there's no harm in having loglines of different lengths one very short one to sell the heart of your story and one slightly longer one that covers the plot arc from beginning to end. If anything, identifying the guts of each act of the novel is helpful in writing both the query letter and the normal length synopsis.
So. What are the three acts of your novel? When you distill them into a single sentence each, what does it look like?
Here's the strongest one sentence logline for The Steampunk Novel: A young magic-handler desperate to find her Da confronts conspiracy, murder and forbidden magic under the streets of 1888 London.
It's good. It covers the plot. It identifies the protagonist, her goal and the obstacles she faces. All in all, it does exactly what it's supposed to do. But, when I entered The Bakers Dozen Agent Auction in November I felt like I needed something that touched on the specifics of the story.
This is what I came up with: Magic-handler Keira Fennel's search for her father intersects with shape-shifter Lowen McCrae's hunt for a murderer in the alleys of 1888 London. When they uncover a plot to construct a mechanical heart from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly villain. She's forced to participate in the experiment or lose both Lowen and her father.
This version is also good. It covers the plot. It identifies the protagonist, her goals and the obstacles she faces. It also provides details that highlight the uniqeness of the story and the final conflict.
Is it better than the shorter version? No. Probably not. But it is capable of serving a different function. Because of the added length it is not just a logline, it's also a very short synopsis and there are times when that property will be more important than the brevity of the shorter version.
Just like a synopsis (which should have 1-2 page and 4-10 page versions) there's no harm in having loglines of different lengths one very short one to sell the heart of your story and one slightly longer one that covers the plot arc from beginning to end. If anything, identifying the guts of each act of the novel is helpful in writing both the query letter and the normal length synopsis.
So. What are the three acts of your novel? When you distill them into a single sentence each, what does it look like?
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Ideas Under Words
Last week I went through some of my "archived" stories. Mostly bits and pieces of novels that I started and then shelved during a long case of Shiny-New-Idea-itis. (Seriously. It was almost ten years of moving from one project to the next and not finishing any of them. Blech. I have developed a little more discipline since then. But I still have a massive back-log of Unfinisheds clamoring for attention.)
A couple of things immediately stood out to me.
Firstly, my writing up until about three years ago... kind of sucked. And there isn't some magic point after which my stuff doesn't suck, but there's definitely a point at which I started focusing on writing better. I found a lot of earlier stuff written in squashy Omni. And some of it is not bad (for Omni which I still suck at), but most of it is just... squashy. After I began to focus on writing only one character's POV per chapter there is a vast improvement. (And this isn't to say that there is anything wrong with Omni, but I don't do it very well. At all.) And my characters got a little more personality. Not that they didn't have flaws before, but there's more nuance to the more recent characters. Some of them have downright unlikeable traits. (Like my Fey detective who compares his college-educated female partner to a stripper. Or the Marine Sergeant who is a not only a chauvinist but also a bigot through and through.)
I know why this shift in quality happened.
I started analyzing my work. I began looking for things to improve. I began writing for more than just fun. (And again, nothing wrong with writing for fun, but for me personally, it didn't spur me to grow as a writing because the only person I had to please was myself. And that used to be easy.)
Secondly, despite the lack of skill in the writing, the ideas were sound. And this, is one reason why I used to have so much trouble finishing things - I didn't have the skill to tell the story. Deep down I knew (and still know) that I'm not quite ready for the epic cyber-pagan novel I first drafted when I was fifteen. It has a scope and language that is just a touch beyond me. One of these days I'll sit down to try it again and it will flow, but for now... I'm just not ready for it. But the idea... that's been solid since the beginning which makes me think that maybe there are no bad ideas, just poorly executed ones.
I remember a few years back, when I was still in college so maybe a decade ago, I ran into a fellow in an online community who was developing an idea for a Sci-Fi story. He had a planet that was always dark on one side and always light on the other. And there was a giant bridge connecting the planet with it's orbiting moon. That, in and of itself, is a bit of a stretch but it could be feasible. HOWEVER, he wanted it to be Earth. Not just a version of Earth, but OUR EARTH. And his explanation for why one side was always day and the other always night? "The moon stopped orbitating [sic] around the Earth."
I tried to explain that the moon's orbit has nothing to do with why we have day and night on all sides of Earth. He was offended. AND he accused me of being the opposite of a "creative". He said I was *gasp* "AN EDITOR."
After I stopped laughing, I realized that he had a prime example of a poorly executed idea. Because he wanted to make it "real", but he A) didn't know enough about the subject matter and B) wasn't willing to adapt his premise.
But I digress. The point here is that even the ideas I had a memory of being awful were not so bad when I looked at them again. They do, however, need some retooling. Not bad ideas, just poorly executed. Even the stuff from my early years that I really want to print out just so I can set it on fire is not "bad" it just needs better words to flesh it out.
And that, quite frankly, is just a question of practice. In fact, that's a large part of what I do when I write - get rid of the bad words in a story and replace them with good ones. Because the idea is sound. I think, really and truly, most of them are. Maybe even all of them are. I just have to find the right words.
A couple of things immediately stood out to me.
Firstly, my writing up until about three years ago... kind of sucked. And there isn't some magic point after which my stuff doesn't suck, but there's definitely a point at which I started focusing on writing better. I found a lot of earlier stuff written in squashy Omni. And some of it is not bad (for Omni which I still suck at), but most of it is just... squashy. After I began to focus on writing only one character's POV per chapter there is a vast improvement. (And this isn't to say that there is anything wrong with Omni, but I don't do it very well. At all.) And my characters got a little more personality. Not that they didn't have flaws before, but there's more nuance to the more recent characters. Some of them have downright unlikeable traits. (Like my Fey detective who compares his college-educated female partner to a stripper. Or the Marine Sergeant who is a not only a chauvinist but also a bigot through and through.)
I know why this shift in quality happened.
I started analyzing my work. I began looking for things to improve. I began writing for more than just fun. (And again, nothing wrong with writing for fun, but for me personally, it didn't spur me to grow as a writing because the only person I had to please was myself. And that used to be easy.)
Secondly, despite the lack of skill in the writing, the ideas were sound. And this, is one reason why I used to have so much trouble finishing things - I didn't have the skill to tell the story. Deep down I knew (and still know) that I'm not quite ready for the epic cyber-pagan novel I first drafted when I was fifteen. It has a scope and language that is just a touch beyond me. One of these days I'll sit down to try it again and it will flow, but for now... I'm just not ready for it. But the idea... that's been solid since the beginning which makes me think that maybe there are no bad ideas, just poorly executed ones.
I remember a few years back, when I was still in college so maybe a decade ago, I ran into a fellow in an online community who was developing an idea for a Sci-Fi story. He had a planet that was always dark on one side and always light on the other. And there was a giant bridge connecting the planet with it's orbiting moon. That, in and of itself, is a bit of a stretch but it could be feasible. HOWEVER, he wanted it to be Earth. Not just a version of Earth, but OUR EARTH. And his explanation for why one side was always day and the other always night? "The moon stopped orbitating [sic] around the Earth."
I tried to explain that the moon's orbit has nothing to do with why we have day and night on all sides of Earth. He was offended. AND he accused me of being the opposite of a "creative". He said I was *gasp* "AN EDITOR."
After I stopped laughing, I realized that he had a prime example of a poorly executed idea. Because he wanted to make it "real", but he A) didn't know enough about the subject matter and B) wasn't willing to adapt his premise.
But I digress. The point here is that even the ideas I had a memory of being awful were not so bad when I looked at them again. They do, however, need some retooling. Not bad ideas, just poorly executed. Even the stuff from my early years that I really want to print out just so I can set it on fire is not "bad" it just needs better words to flesh it out.
And that, quite frankly, is just a question of practice. In fact, that's a large part of what I do when I write - get rid of the bad words in a story and replace them with good ones. Because the idea is sound. I think, really and truly, most of them are. Maybe even all of them are. I just have to find the right words.
Monday, January 28, 2013
January Update
I know it's not quite the end of the month yet, but it's close enough.
As of today I have four short stories in the nebulous realm of "forthcoming".
The Collections Agent and Caught are forthcoming from Stupefying Stories. At some point. I blame the delay on the fact that one is just smidge over 7k words, the other just about 500.
In the Cool of the Day is forthcoming from Abyss & Apex. They have a new fiction editor which has resulted in a bit of a shuffle. (And Ms. Dalmater had never given me a solid publication date, so I'm practicing patience.)
Legacy is forthcoming in The Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls - edited by Jennifer Brozek. I believe the anthology is scheduled for publication later this summer.
I also wrote a short story this month. One of the first shorts I've written in a while. (The last one was Legacy.) This means I met my Write 1, Sub 1 goal for the month and gave me four stories I needed to get out to markets. As of this afternoon I have the following sitting in slush at various markets (including a few new-to-me like Waylines, Kalideotrope and One Story).
Made - contemporary paranormal featuring vampires, sex and magic (This is my January story)
Mother - literary
The Weather's Always Fine in Paradise - cyberpunk noir
Call-Center - contemporary not-a-zombie story
Love Like Dysphoria - dark contemporary flash
The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer - sword and sorcery featuring a thief who talks to bugs
The Hardest Kiss - dark fantasy retelling of Hades/Persephone with steampunk elements
Not my best month for sending stuff out (although I did send four of those seven out this morning) but still, not too shabby on the short story side.
In noveling news: I've been querying The Steampunk Novel since early December.
So far I've sent out 40 queries (in small batches).
I've had sixteen rejections.
20 queries are still pending.
3 partial requests.
1 full request.
That's not too shabby either. :)
As of today I have four short stories in the nebulous realm of "forthcoming".
The Collections Agent and Caught are forthcoming from Stupefying Stories. At some point. I blame the delay on the fact that one is just smidge over 7k words, the other just about 500.
In the Cool of the Day is forthcoming from Abyss & Apex. They have a new fiction editor which has resulted in a bit of a shuffle. (And Ms. Dalmater had never given me a solid publication date, so I'm practicing patience.)
Legacy is forthcoming in The Beast Within 4: Gears and Growls - edited by Jennifer Brozek. I believe the anthology is scheduled for publication later this summer.
I also wrote a short story this month. One of the first shorts I've written in a while. (The last one was Legacy.) This means I met my Write 1, Sub 1 goal for the month and gave me four stories I needed to get out to markets. As of this afternoon I have the following sitting in slush at various markets (including a few new-to-me like Waylines, Kalideotrope and One Story).
Made - contemporary paranormal featuring vampires, sex and magic (This is my January story)
Mother - literary
The Weather's Always Fine in Paradise - cyberpunk noir
Call-Center - contemporary not-a-zombie story
Love Like Dysphoria - dark contemporary flash
The Spider-thief and The Sorcerer - sword and sorcery featuring a thief who talks to bugs
The Hardest Kiss - dark fantasy retelling of Hades/Persephone with steampunk elements
Not my best month for sending stuff out (although I did send four of those seven out this morning) but still, not too shabby on the short story side.
In noveling news: I've been querying The Steampunk Novel since early December.
So far I've sent out 40 queries (in small batches).
I've had sixteen rejections.
20 queries are still pending.
3 partial requests.
1 full request.
That's not too shabby either. :)
Monday, January 21, 2013
Strong Female Characters
I must admit, I'm a lousy feminist. Why? Because I like female MCs that are strong and smart and funny, but apparently some feel that's just taking the qualities displayed by male MCs and putting them in a feminine body. Apparently in order to be a strong woman you have to be something other than the things that strong men are.
Whatever.
Just to be clear, I don't buy into the whole idea that when women do certain things they're demonstrating girl power and when men do those same things it's just stereotypical. I don't think I deserve extra credit for being a woman who knows how to replace the battery in her car. This is not a skill that should be more extraordinary when one gender does it compared to the other. (Of course, these days it's hard to find anyone who knows how to do basic maintenance on their car themselves, no matter if they're male or female.)
So I get a bit, well... pissy when someone suggests that in order for a woman to be a "strong female character" she has to have more depth than a "strong male character". I even start to twitch when it's suggested that "true strength" encompasses more than physical dexterity. Are you kidding me?
OF COURSE "TRUE STRENGTH" ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN PHYSICAL DEXTERITY!
But this doesn't mean that a female MC needs to be less kick-ass. And it doesn't mean that a male MC needs to be all sensitive and caring and shit. It means that all main characters need a certain level of complexity. Regardless of gender. Or sexual orientation. Or boob-size. It means we need to stop fretting over what it means to write "strong female characters" and focus on writing "strong characters" period. Better yet, let's just strike that whole concept of "strong" from our character formation vocabulary and focus on "complex" or "real".
Whether they use their brains or fists or boobs or smart-ass humor or really big guns to get what they want. Complex characters.
That is all.
Whatever.
Just to be clear, I don't buy into the whole idea that when women do certain things they're demonstrating girl power and when men do those same things it's just stereotypical. I don't think I deserve extra credit for being a woman who knows how to replace the battery in her car. This is not a skill that should be more extraordinary when one gender does it compared to the other. (Of course, these days it's hard to find anyone who knows how to do basic maintenance on their car themselves, no matter if they're male or female.)
So I get a bit, well... pissy when someone suggests that in order for a woman to be a "strong female character" she has to have more depth than a "strong male character". I even start to twitch when it's suggested that "true strength" encompasses more than physical dexterity. Are you kidding me?
OF COURSE "TRUE STRENGTH" ENCOMPASSES MORE THAN PHYSICAL DEXTERITY!
But this doesn't mean that a female MC needs to be less kick-ass. And it doesn't mean that a male MC needs to be all sensitive and caring and shit. It means that all main characters need a certain level of complexity. Regardless of gender. Or sexual orientation. Or boob-size. It means we need to stop fretting over what it means to write "strong female characters" and focus on writing "strong characters" period. Better yet, let's just strike that whole concept of "strong" from our character formation vocabulary and focus on "complex" or "real".
Whether they use their brains or fists or boobs or smart-ass humor or really big guns to get what they want. Complex characters.
That is all.
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