*nods* I agree strongly with what you say in #3 -- I can think of plenty of fiction by male authors that seems to "fetishize" (your word describes it perfectly) female pain, in a way that I find really creepy and gross. This makes me reluctant to dwell on the details of a woman's suffering, particularly if there's also a stronger "saviour" figure involved (male or female). Also, I like writing people I admire, especially women I admire, and one of the things I admire a lot is self-sufficiency, independence. It's way more satisfying for me to write a story about a character who goes through something tough and handles it herself.
And when it comes to romance, I'd rather read about people in a relationship who both feel like they can walk away from it -- who have no debt to each other, who see themselves as equals and who are together for love alone. When it feels like one of the characters is with the other in part because she feels obligated or indebted or something, that leaves a gross taste in my mouth.
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Date: 2012-05-04 09:21 pm (UTC)And when it comes to romance, I'd rather read about people in a relationship who both feel like they can walk away from it -- who have no debt to each other, who see themselves as equals and who are together for love alone. When it feels like one of the characters is with the other in part because she feels obligated or indebted or something, that leaves a gross taste in my mouth.