Dealing with politically sensitive issues in your Writing

[falafel_musings]

Two things. Firstly I wanted to say there is a Hurley character discussion posted and it's only had two responses so far. Don't forget to show the big guy some love!

Secondly, I wanted some thoughts from my fellow writers on dealing with so-called politically-charged issues in your writing. Things like portrayal of gender, race, sexuality, etc.

Comments

Response, part I

[bachlava]

Jumping right on in to this excellent set, with thanks to falafel_musings for getting the discussion going and to elliot_smelliot to making it all possible. ;)

1. Gender: I actually don't consider myself a feminist, which surprises people. On political/human rights issues, my views are typically feminist, and yes, I write my legislators and contribute time/money where I think it will be effective. (And when my grad-student self has money.) I just can't identify with the potpourri of academic navel-gazing, slacktivism, and outdated and lacklustre campaigning that too much of organized feminism has seemed to become, at least in North America.

All that said... I think I give the female characters a fairer shake than canon, but that's like saying I'm smarter than George W. Bush. Let me see... I feel like most of my slash to date has really centerd on only two (male) characters at a time, the gals don't really get a spotlight there. I'm fairly confident that I've mainly avoided the misogyny sometimes seen in slash. (Wow, I'm smarter than Sarah Palin, too!) My gen and het fic are mostly focused on les femmes Rousseau, who I really hope I've given a fair shake. In my reading, they embody both tremendous strength and extreme vulnerability, and I'd like to think that I've both balanced those appropriately and allowed them some moments of middle ground. And I do see them as sympathetic and complex - they are definitely not all sweetness and light, and I hope I've never painted them that way or overcompensated in the other direction. (I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of Kate, but I blame that on canon.)

I definitely sexually objectify male characters in a way that I usually don't female ones - the female gaze, sometimes sublimated into a fictional queer male gaze. Just as with Sawyer and Desmond in "Thicket," "Ulysses/Rome and Ithaca" definitely has a lot of Jack and Sayid sort of checking each other out (to understate the case), which is of course a permutation of my own... erm, kittens are cute! Whereas "Penitent" is very much a case of Penny being rather appreciate of Desmond. She has a very good time of it, but Desmond really is the sex object there, with Penny being the (implicitly empowered) subject in more ways than one.

I have on occasion written situations for Danielle in graphic terms, and while I really don't think it descends to the level of blatant exploitation that I enjoy writing elsewhere, I don't know whether all my readers would agree with that assesment. I did sort of make Frank the kind of guy who really gets off on giving a woman a good time, but I may leave the implications of that for someone else to unpack. (Desmond likes to make Penelope happy as well, but I'm not in his head quite as much. Hey, at least I strive for equality in pleasure!) I do draw a bit of a curtain around Karl and Alex despite forcing them to wait until they're 22/23 and 19 respectively before they can have any fun, although I also prefer to get across that it's very much a mutual, if still awkward and emotionally fraught, thing.

In terms of where I'm going, my fic plans for next year definitely include a bit of post-island Frank/Danielle with a side of rather damaged Alex, as well as reduced-mortality on-island Sayid/Shannon. It occurs to me that neither one of those relationships would start off in a way that's conventionally equitable. Post-island Danielle would, I think, remain fiercely independent in character, but in re-adjusting to living in anything like normal society, she'd need a lot of help and support that Alex wouldn't be able to provide. In this scenario Frank will have to. And when Shannon and Sayid start out - well, let's face it: he's got a lot of skills and experience that can contribute to survival, and she has almost none. I really hope I can negotiate that situation without keeping Shannon dependent and weak (Danielle would never let herself be either of those things), and that I can get her past them without making her a Mary Sue or '70s cartoon character. Stay tuned...

Re: Response, part I

[falafel_musings]

Wow! Thanks so much for a detailed response. I'll look forward to reading more.

I agree with you about organised feminism. It's not something I'm really invested in either. I've sampled a range of academic feminism and gender studies, but these days I just stick to my own concepts.

I've never heard of Frank/Danielle before but that's an awesome pairing idea! I like your scenario of the post-island life very much. It would have been fascinating to see them re-adjusting after all those years.

Danielle is an awesome character to work with in terms of extreme strengths and intense vulnerability. I wish I had attempted to write her, but she always intimidated me. Great character though.

Re: Response, part I

[bachlava]

Thanks to you again for getting and keeping this discussion going! You are awesome... I agree that academic feminism and gender studies tend to be more of a hindrance than a help to one's own mental clarity. ;)

Danielle can be pretty intimidating, but she will allow herself to be written! It requires some risk-taking and weird explorations and willingness to feed her mango slices out of your hand until she trusts you, etc., but it can definitely be a rewarding effort. In case, you know, you ever want to try it or anything. ;)

Frank/Danielle is indeed an unusual pairing, and one I haven't come across often at all. I've just got a bit of it here (which is fairly explicit) and here (which is completely tame). After all, who if not Danielle deserves a nice man with his own shiny helicopter?