On the subject of Rape and Writing
I don't know how many on my f-list have been following the discussion about rape and writing female characters so I'll synopsise what I know about it. A fan asked Seanan McGuire when she was planning to write the rape of one of her three fantasy heroines. Not if. When. She replied never. The fan responded that that was unrealistic, that any woman who chose a high-risk, battle type lifestyle should expect to be raped at some point (shades of FOX News!) and the fan even suggested possible scenarios.
The paragraph below is Seanan's final comment on this subject and ... it cracks me up. In a good way. The other point I'd like to clarify is this: I've had a few people say that sexual violence should always be on the table simply because it's so realistic for male villains to want to use that against female heroes. Well, in my two primary universes, I have feral pixies living in a San Francisco Safeway, and frogs with feathers. If a lack of "I will dominate you with my dick" is all that makes you think I'm being unrealistic, I want some of whatever you're having.
The paragraph below is Seanan's final comment on this subject and ... it cracks me up. In a good way. The other point I'd like to clarify is this: I've had a few people say that sexual violence should always be on the table simply because it's so realistic for male villains to want to use that against female heroes. Well, in my two primary universes, I have feral pixies living in a San Francisco Safeway, and frogs with feathers. If a lack of "I will dominate you with my dick" is all that makes you think I'm being unrealistic, I want some of whatever you're having.