I like this...

[sleigh]

Borrowed shamelessly from supergee, here are part one and part two of an article by Justine Lee Musk about why writing like a "bad girl" is a good thing. I like her perspective; I'm going to recommend that my Creative Writing classes (of whatever gender) read this.

Comments

Bad girls

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I agree completely that this should be read by boys and girls, men and women. However, there are some men who will not shrug their shoulders to be called selfish. I consider it a mortal insult. In the same direction, I think it might have been very, very important to me to learn to be a "bad girl" (and how does this differ from "bad boy"? I'm still thinking about this, though I am not ready to share my thoughts-in-process) rather than try too hard to be what everybody around me wanted me to be. Even in a heavily male-dominated culture, it is still just a bit too easy for male rebellion to be condemned, or (worse?) to be condemned as just a phase. We need to reinforce, to push for, *everybody* being self-defined -- not just girls, and not even just girl writers. If I push forward with this train of thought, it will get very muddy, but for now, there is still a lot to think about.

Nate

Re: Bad girls

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the comment, Nate -- I do think there are portions of her advice that can apply to any gender.. and I think it's something that everyone should ponder a bit.

[ontology101.livejournal.com]

Years ago I saw a woman wearing a tshirt that I see more regularly now. The front said "Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History." (Laurel Ulrich). At the time it spoke to me on several levels. I hope it speaks to your students. Party on Steve....

A.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

That's a lovely T-shirt sentiment... though well-behaved men don't make much history, either; they just have a better shot at it.

Sorry we couldn't be at the Gourmet dinner!

[ontology101.livejournal.com]

Gourmet dinner was really cool! Given the project was a thanksgiving menu we devised a guest list of foodie folks who were less likely to have family obligations. We would like to do it again...different theme, different time of year. It would be really great if you could join us!

[fireun.livejournal.com]

fantastic article. so very relevant and honestly important for folks to read, regardless of gender. definitely got me thinking, and looking at my own habits and work.

passing it on to my f-list as it is rotten with writerly types over there. here's hoping we get a good discussion going. thanks for sharing the links!

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the article definitely made me think (and nod my head several times). Definitely worth reading and pondering!

[lexcade.livejournal.com]

this article is right on. you have to break out of the mold if you want to even fantasize about having a writing career. there's a lot of selfishness involved, but any person with creative interests has to be selfish to get anything done. i write at work, i write while my boyfriend plays xbox, i wrote quite a bit during college classes (not yours, of course!). and any of that could be misconstrued as selfishness. or maybe it was.

as far as the bad girl thing goes, i keep thinking about the story at the beginning. what i took from it is that to be the person your family (or society) forces you to be is the beginning of the end, not just of creativity but of your life. my family wanted me to be...something, to do something. when i told them i wanted to write for a living, my sister told me i'd be living in a cardboard box. whether she meant it as a joke or not (leaning toward the latter all these years later), it made me think. i could either give up then, or i could prove her wrong. so that's what i've been trying to do for the last 8 years or so. i hate a desk job, so i work at a hotel where i get to interact with people. i don't make much money, to my sister's chagrin, but i love my job. that's my little rebellion.

every person who's even toying with the idea of writing needs to read this article. because you get ripped apart by those closest to you before you even reach an agent. only my mom knows what my book is about. everyone else just knows that i'm revising the manuscript.