The Feminine Question

I think one of the worst things you can do as a writer is to write from an inauthentic place. You see this a lot when folks try to go somewhere different with their stories -- say, a comic-book nerd tries to write a protagonist who comes from an urban background. The dialogue often rings false at best, and can descend into outright racism at worst. (Note: this is not a pre-emptive strike against Ultimate Spider-Man. I've got more faith in Bendis than that.)

However, it's really tough as a writer to stretch out if you're forever telling stories with the same kind of protagonist. You don't really get fulfillment just writing about what you know. The drive is there to imagine what it's like on the other side of the fence as it were, to take the life of someone radically different and try to find common ground. Or at least explore the differences. The temptation is there, I know. And I try not to knock someone for at least trying to think outside of their box, even if the results of their artistic exercises tweak me the wrong way at times. After all, there really aren't that many stories being told about people like me -- a gay black Buddhist who really likes his modern fantasies.

It wasn't until I thought about stretching out with one of my own protagonists that I really thought about why. I'm interested in writing a medieval fantasy from the perspective of a post-teen girl (around 19 or 20) because, well, it's a good vehicle for me to explore my ideas about the mythology of the feminine and how they can be applied in the messy reality of the 'real world,' so to speak. We've explored the masculine ideal through superheroes and anti-heroes and fairy tales and all kinds of other things, but...the idea of the feminine, the specific attributes that the female gender role brings to the table, is woefully under-represented. At least from what I've seen.

I don't need to talk much about what a minefield this idea could turn out to be. Just reading the words "feminine ideal" might be enough to cause most of you out there to cringe. It might even be automatically offensive. How would I feel, after all, if some white guy were to write some collegiate bullshit about the "mythology of the black experience"? Add to that the fact that I'm coming to this idea from a place of relative ignorance. I left my mother and sister behind over twelve years ago and fell in immediately with the gay crowd. I'm a gay man, and almost all of my friends are gay men. Regular, frank contact with a woman almost never happens.

That being said, all dialogue has to start somewhere. If a white guy who's lived in the suburbs all of his life wanted to write a story about a black man living in the ghetto, where would he start? Should he even be allowed to try? I almost guarantee you that his first stab at it will feature misconceptions that will lead to subjects that are uncomfortable, even painful, to talk about. It definitely wouldn't be an easy process. But I think it's absolutely necessary to tell a story that even has a whiff of authenticity.

I have a feeling the same goes for me and that same desire to tell a story through a woman's eyes. Not only that, but to have a story where what we've come to think about women features heavily. There's likely to be a lot of things I get wrong. There's probably going to be a view I hold that is just...sexist by its very nature. I'm quite worried that even having the audacity to say "This is the female hero I would like to read" could come across as belittling or trivializing that experience. That worry isn't going to stop me, though. At least not at first. I'll be putting up a few vignettes of stories in the coming days and weeks to see if I can get a handle on my protagonist. Constructive criticism and honest feedback is welcome, of course. As are suggestions.

But honestly, what do you guys think? Is it possible to tell the story of a minority authentically if you're not a part of that group? What's necessary for it to ring as true as it needs to?