tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post4914385350463814310..comments2023-09-07T07:16:10.305-04:00Comments on Flights of Fantasy: Sexual abuseMarian Pererahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-68888768292836796202008-11-28T04:53:00.000-05:002008-11-28T04:53:00.000-05:00Hey December,But yes, your character sounds a lot ...Hey December,<BR/><BR/><B>But yes, your character sounds a lot like mine, in that they don't know how to handle actual emotion/a real emotional connection with a man. </B><BR/><BR/>Yes, that would be it. I like novels where the characters have realistic hangups and issues; not so keen on ones where the heroine is still a virgin in some way (never had good sex, never had oral sex, etc).<BR/><BR/><B>And I too hate books where it feels gratuitous and just there to make the character "interesting".</B><BR/><BR/>I just thought of another reason some authors use sexual abuse. I've read a few Danielle Steel novels where the beautiful, innocent young heroine is raped early on in the story, but since she never becomes pregnant, contracts an STD or has any difficulty relating to the hero, the rape seems to be intended to make her more sympathetic to the readers.Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-40466651629473461852008-11-28T04:43:00.000-05:002008-11-28T04:43:00.000-05:00Hey Spartezda, thanks for commenting! I like your ...Hey <B>Spartezda</B>, thanks for commenting! I like your blog, by the way.<BR/><BR/>I checked <A>Doctribne of Labyrinths</A> out on Wikipedia and it sounds interesting. I'll see if I can find the first book in the library.Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-3979797908108011462008-11-25T05:23:00.000-05:002008-11-25T05:23:00.000-05:00Thanks Marian. I hope it works; I tried very hard ...Thanks Marian. I hope it works; I tried very hard not to use it as window-dressing, but to make it clear that all of the choices she makes relate back to that experience; but also not to make it overpowering so it's just heavy-handed and depressing. So we'll see (oh, and there is a male character who was abused as well, though that hasn't been delved into yet.)<BR/><BR/>But yes, your character sounds a lot like mine, in that they don't know how to handle actual emotion/a real emotional connection with a man. Mine runs from it and sabotages it, sadly.<BR/><BR/>And I too hate books where it feels gratuitous and just there to make the character "interesting". Like I said, I just hope readers agree that I haven't done that. :-)Staciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07969399927758009095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-25918122751726599382008-11-23T20:35:00.000-05:002008-11-23T20:35:00.000-05:00Of everything I've read, I could count the number ...<I>Of everything I've read, I could count the number of books in which a male character is sexually abused on one hand. </I><BR/><BR/>This is one facet of Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths quartet I really enjoy; both male MCs suffered serious sexual abuse in youth, but in very different ways, and both are very differently shaped by it. It's fascinating to watch the psychological effects and complications play out.Spartezdahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05484696208117881540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-72985054449508003252008-11-23T14:28:00.000-05:002008-11-23T14:28:00.000-05:00My last novel dealt with this subject in what I fe...<B>My last novel dealt with this subject in what I feel is an interesting way.</B><BR/><BR/>Hey colby,<BR/><BR/>That sounds interesting! What's the title of the novel, and what's it about?Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-62377652538560646162008-11-23T14:27:00.000-05:002008-11-23T14:27:00.000-05:00That was one of the things I loved so much about F...<B>That was one of the things I loved so much about Farscape- and now Battlestar Gallactica.</B><BR/><BR/>Hey Tasha,<BR/><BR/>I've heard some good things about those shows. The next time I have a long vacation I'll see if I can find them on YouTube. The different races of Farscape are interesting too.<BR/><BR/>About a character being a rape survivor, I once read a review of a Western film featuring a gang of runaway prostitutes taking on a gang of bandits (yes, it was more cheesy than an explosion in a Velveeta factory). But there's one scene where it's implied that the bandits have just raped one of the women. The reviewer said,<BR/><BR/>"...rape is not an issue you play with in a film. In an era where it’s still a huge problem and a subject that raises powerful emotions, you either handle it very carefully and you handle it right, or you don’t handle it at all. You can’t just juggle it like it’s some vaguely interesting concept."<BR/><BR/>Those be wise words.Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-13071278621321208442008-11-23T14:18:00.000-05:002008-11-23T14:18:00.000-05:00December: I have a character who's a bit like that...<B>December</B>: I have a character who's a bit like that. She's a woman kept for the use of the nobility in a medieval world, but although she doesn't have a choice about which man asks for her, they haven't <I>all</I> been selfish or abusive. As a result, she knows that sex can be pleasurable and knows how her body works (I can't stand those scenes where the heroine has her very first orgasm ever with the hero and looks at him with wide-eyed surprise). <BR/><BR/>Her problem is that when she's interested in a man (rather than vice versa) she's unsure how to convey her interest. And since the hero is both sexually inexperienced and conservative, he finds it very difficult to show her that he's very attracted to her, so they tend to sidestep around each other.<BR/><BR/>I thought that was a more interesting situation than the heroine being frigid. And the heroine of <I>Unholy Ghosts</I> sounds original and realistic. She's reacting in a way that seems in keeping with her personality, rather than because the plot requires her to be untouched in some way for the hero.Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-2075104671314298702008-11-22T22:52:00.000-05:002008-11-22T22:52:00.000-05:00My last novel dealt with this subject in what I fe...My last novel dealt with this subject in what I feel is an interesting way. I agree it can be done very poorly if not used in deeper context than just to give the character a "haunting past."colbymarshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14056535503422186623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-85389176760331788572008-11-22T18:15:00.000-05:002008-11-22T18:15:00.000-05:00"*That’s one reason I like Joss Whedon’s Firefly. ..."*That’s one reason I like Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Three of the four female characters were very comfortable with their sexuality and the expression thereof. They could conduct business/kick ass and enjoy themselves in bed."<BR/><BR/>That was one of the things I loved so much about Farscape- and now Battlestar Gallactica. No female sex guilt crap. And no frigging punishment for enjoying sex without the guilt crap... (don't get me started!)<BR/><BR/>Speaking of sexual abuse in novels- I certainly don't mind if an author wants to explore the subject. But unfortunately, instead, I've come across too many novels of late where it's just thrown in as an afterthought. "Oh, how do I make my two-dimensional character more interesting? Oh, I know! She'll be a rape survivor!" Same thing with alcoholic characters. It's become a clutch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125325709844932289.post-17328968990493400442008-11-22T07:33:00.000-05:002008-11-22T07:33:00.000-05:00Thanks for these last two posts, especially. My UN...Thanks for these last two posts, especially. My UNHOLY GHOSTS heroine is a drug addict, and grew up in abusive foster homes; it's very much a part of her character (and very much why she's a drug addict). But she's promiscuous, rather than scared; sex means very little to her and she's never had a real sense of her body/her sexuality as being something special. She doesn't really respect or like herself, in other words. But she's capable of enjoying sex, certainly. The abuse colored how she sees herself but not her ability to be an adult, if you know what I mean. And I hope I haven't been gratuituous or unrealistic with her past, or her future. :-) It's just something there, part of her character, but it's not what the book is about, if you know what I mean.Staciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07969399927758009095noreply@blogger.com