What's Up Wednesdays

[jana_denardo]

WHAT I'M READING Just finished Skin Game by Jim Butcher and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a pretty game changing episode in Harry Dresden’s life but aren’t they all? The last couple I hadn’t enjoyed nearly as much as I did this one. It felt like old days.
I just started City of Stairs as I have an ARC I need to read and review.


WHAT I'M WRITING I’m STILL editing Soldiers of the Sun my 1930s demon hunter story and not really writing anything. I also just got my first round of edits for my Advent Calendar (for Dreamspinner Press) story about Druids, The Light of Winter. I have to tear into those ASAP. I’m on a very short deadline there.
Also I talked a lot about my pending OOP stories here (and there are buy links for anyone interested in them) and I talked about reviews and what you can learn from them here as I just got a good (though in a couple places critical and not unfairly so) review and it got me thinking

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW The fact I haven’t gone on a killing spree at work should inspire legions. My restraint should be praised.

Seriously though, I’m inspired by people braver than me. Today, one another of my writing forums, they’re talking about writing transgendered characters in SF/Fantasy. There is a lot of good to be had with that, giving transgendered readers characters they can relate to (especially the YA readers). However what mostly consumed the thread was the negative side to it, the readers who insist ‘You Are Doing It Wrong!’ The crazy thing is a few of the authors relating these stories are themselves transgendered and the sheer amount of hate flung their way by people who assume they know all is downright terrifying. As if transgendered people come out of the same cookie cutter. As if there’s one right way.

I didn’t really add to the thread because I’ll admit it; it’s a topic I’ve been afraid to broach. And I say that as someone who has two very close friends who have transgendered fathers and as someone who had a good transgendered friend. Am I afraid I might not do it justice? No, not really. I would do my research but I’m also not sure I could make the character into a super-crusader for the cause. I see the dark side of this issue because there was no happy ending for any one of the transgendered people I’ve known personally. The two fathers were deemed too old and/or too psychologically fragile for sexual reassignment and the friend who was my age….20 years ago she cut all ties to her group of friends and disappeared into drugs and probable prostitution. We’re not sure if she was killed, OD’ed, suicide or if there was a light at the end of her tunnel. I’d like to think there was but I’m not hopeful.

My point is, I’m not sure I have a good story in this realm in me and if I did, would I be brave enough to withstand this? I don’t know. So I’m inspired by those who are.


WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO I went to Athens to join in the Airship Athena’s Steampunk Spectacle, including a steampunk ball. Yes, I went in full regalia. As of right now, no photos (waiting on them from the hired photographers). I had a great time. They had Metropolis playing and the music was great. Cakes, cookies, home brewed sasparilla. I haven’t gone dancing in years. Okay I didn’t really dance much thanks to my shoulder surgery hurting. Still, a good time. I also caught my friend’s talk on Victorian funerary practices and it spawned story ideas.

I also went to a poetry and photo showing for Welsh holy wells and sacred springs. Almost bought some of the art but did end up with the book. Lovely stuff. Would love to return to Wales. I really liked it there.

I’ve also had a couple good authors on my blog talking about their books. You can check them out and talk with the authors if you’d like. There’s Chris T. Kat talking about mermen and her novella Tidal Changes & L. Blankenship talking about the fantasy romance Discipline



You can find the rest of the WUW blog hop here

Comments

[miss cole (from livejournal.com)]

That steampunk ball sounds amazing! Wow :D

You never know, maybe one day you will feel inspired to write a transgender character :) I hope there was light at the end of the tunnel for the friend, too.

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

It was. I really wish they'd get the photos up.

I might be. I'm okay with it if I'm not. What I would like to see is this bizarre push-back from readers about not doing it right (I assume it comes from too many times where marginalized people are made into jokes)