Me, Having Opinions!

[anicalewis]

. . . and werewolves! If only.

I've been thinking, again, about women in fiction. Probably most or all of you are familiar with the Bechdel Test, but if you're not, it's a test for movies that can also be applied to books. To pass the Bechdel Test, a work must:

1. include at least two female characters (sometimes taken to mean "with names/lines

Comments

[toastedcheese]

I think affirmative action gender casting in non-historical novels is really important. It always makes the story richer and more interesting. And if you're writing about a world where female roles are limited by the culture, you still always have to be able to answer the question, "What are the women up to?" They're half the population and unless your story is very limited in scope, their experiences should matter and have an impact

[anicalewis]

Yeah. Honestly, I think this makes for an exciting new frontier in gender casting in this sort of novel. Including women significantly in your fantasy, besides being interesting (and easy if you just remember to think about it), puts you on the cutting edge!