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.