This week's subject is "What do you do in your writing to smash the patriarchy?" Nothing. Not a bloody thing. I write stories. In some of those tales, I have female leads. Sometimes they are very strong and empowered. Take, for example, the recurring character SWECH, from my Seven forges series. hands down she is the most efficient killer I have ever written about, capable of slaughtering dozens of people without breaking a sweat, and surely she has the highest body count of any of the characters in the novels, which is, you may rest assured, saying something.
Do I think she steps well away from patriarchal norms? Absolutely. That is a consequence of her character, not any conscious desire to change anything. My goal is to entertain. I mean, arguably, the patriarchy helps me as I am a guy, but you know what? I don't deal with a lot of that in my business dealings. Most of my editors are female.
listen I was raised by my mother after my father abandoned the family. My mom did an incredible job of raising six kids on her own and providing for us in a time when, frankly, America as a whole sneered at the idea of women being capable of providing for a family. I am firmly in the equality camp and have no doubt in my mind that the patriarchal notion is hot air, but at the end of the day, I'm here to (Hopefully) write tales that entertain. I'll leave the political agendas to the writers of non-fiction.
Any anti-patriarchal writings are a happy coincidence.
Keep smiling,
Jim
