(no subject)
Another day, another teeth-gnashing brush-in with my mother. Today I thought it would be better if she got out of my life. When I realized that, I cried.
I've got to stop reading 50 Shades for a while. Not only do I fear it's affecting my writing what little I've done anyway (I almost typed, "and my subconcious agreed" and I cringed) it truly upsets me that this tedious creepy novel is put on the pedestal as something revolutionary, ground-breaking and feminist when it isn't. I was able to cope with it with Twilight, 'cause it's an easy comedy target and I couldn't get past the first chapter of the first book without getting bored. But I'm up to Chapter 16 of 50 Shades, and somehow it crawls MUCH more under my skin, probably due to me actually reading the material than other people's commentary/sporks/MSTs on it.
Is fandom a vocal minority? Because everything I learned about writing smut came from the Internet and fanfiction, not published novels. In fact, I often prefer fanfiction smut to "official" erotica. Usually in the former, the prose is better and between characters I was connected with and grew to know and love, not Alpha Dude and Gorgeous Virgin who have Mills & Boon sessions once every chapter. Plus they introduced me to a whole world of kinks. The bad smutfic were also easier to make fun of and laugh at for the same reason.
I guess what's really getting under my skin is that people are still under the impression that women can't enjoy porn ever (I hate the term "mommy porn"), and it makes me want to wave my arms and cry, "Are you blind!?" The people lauding 50 Shades for being ZOMG SOOOOOO KINKY!11!!11 would be fucking shocked if they were introduced to the fanfiction archives of the Internet. Even if you leave the Internet out of the equation, it amazes me how much people just don't read. Lady Chatterly's Lover? Fanny Hill? Do those books suddenly not exist anymore? The Story of O and the works of Anaïs Nin existed LONG before E.L. James stepped into the scene as "ZOMG A WOMAN WHO WROTE A FAMOUS EROTICA NOVEL!11!1!" Even shitty bestselling erotica beat her to the spot; o hai, Anne Rice and the Beauty trilogy.
When a hotel replaces copies of the Bible with 50 Shades, you know we've got a problem.
The series is spreading like goddamn HIV. This wouldn't bother me so much if everyone acknowledged this was just fantasy, but 50 Shades treats the abusive relationship between Ana & Christian as the ideal, and tons of women reading the books believe it. They truly believe Christian is this amazing and wonderful hunk because he acts like a serial killer. They think they'll be able to find their own "bad boy" and "change" him. And if he doesn't, they blame themselves because women should be responsible and obey their man.
Jesus. Either men must be douchebags to be seen as desirable by fangirls, or every single one of them is an evil rapist. I'll rant about that double standard another day.
Each time I think of giving up writing, I look up and see shit like 50 Shades and House of Night being best-sellers, and I feel like Peter Parker after he tried to quit being Spiderman in the second movie. But the way my family life has been going, I barely sum up the energy and I feel like shit. Whee.
This post has been crossposted with Dreamwidth at http://shamanicshaymin.dreamwidth.org/30241.html. Pick your poison. Mwoiiiiiiiing~!
I've got to stop reading 50 Shades for a while. Not only do I fear it's affecting my writing what little I've done anyway (I almost typed, "and my subconcious agreed" and I cringed) it truly upsets me that this tedious creepy novel is put on the pedestal as something revolutionary, ground-breaking and feminist when it isn't. I was able to cope with it with Twilight, 'cause it's an easy comedy target and I couldn't get past the first chapter of the first book without getting bored. But I'm up to Chapter 16 of 50 Shades, and somehow it crawls MUCH more under my skin, probably due to me actually reading the material than other people's commentary/sporks/MSTs on it.
Is fandom a vocal minority? Because everything I learned about writing smut came from the Internet and fanfiction, not published novels. In fact, I often prefer fanfiction smut to "official" erotica. Usually in the former, the prose is better and between characters I was connected with and grew to know and love, not Alpha Dude and Gorgeous Virgin who have Mills & Boon sessions once every chapter. Plus they introduced me to a whole world of kinks. The bad smutfic were also easier to make fun of and laugh at for the same reason.
I guess what's really getting under my skin is that people are still under the impression that women can't enjoy porn ever (I hate the term "mommy porn"), and it makes me want to wave my arms and cry, "Are you blind!?" The people lauding 50 Shades for being ZOMG SOOOOOO KINKY!11!!11 would be fucking shocked if they were introduced to the fanfiction archives of the Internet. Even if you leave the Internet out of the equation, it amazes me how much people just don't read. Lady Chatterly's Lover? Fanny Hill? Do those books suddenly not exist anymore? The Story of O and the works of Anaïs Nin existed LONG before E.L. James stepped into the scene as "ZOMG A WOMAN WHO WROTE A FAMOUS EROTICA NOVEL!11!1!" Even shitty bestselling erotica beat her to the spot; o hai, Anne Rice and the Beauty trilogy.
When a hotel replaces copies of the Bible with 50 Shades, you know we've got a problem.
The series is spreading like goddamn HIV. This wouldn't bother me so much if everyone acknowledged this was just fantasy, but 50 Shades treats the abusive relationship between Ana & Christian as the ideal, and tons of women reading the books believe it. They truly believe Christian is this amazing and wonderful hunk because he acts like a serial killer. They think they'll be able to find their own "bad boy" and "change" him. And if he doesn't, they blame themselves because women should be responsible and obey their man.
Jesus. Either men must be douchebags to be seen as desirable by fangirls, or every single one of them is an evil rapist. I'll rant about that double standard another day.
Each time I think of giving up writing, I look up and see shit like 50 Shades and House of Night being best-sellers, and I feel like Peter Parker after he tried to quit being Spiderman in the second movie. But the way my family life has been going, I barely sum up the energy and I feel like shit. Whee.
This post has been crossposted with Dreamwidth at http://shamanicshaymin.dreamwidth.org/30241.html. Pick your poison. Mwoiiiiiiiing~!