Reading stuff...

[agilebrit]

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to the moms on my flist! :)

So, they say read the genres you're writing in, right? So I've been poking through the "Story Collections" section of the library, hunting for short SF and Fantasy, when I came across this book:

Women Writing Science Fiction as Men.

So, I picked it up, and I've read it. And it's fine, I suppose. But now that I'm done with it, I find that the premise rather annoys me--especially since women have been writing science fiction as men for as long as women have been writing science fiction. It feels like a step backwards.

And the thing is, I don't see what's so remarkable about a woman writing a story from a male viewpoint. This may be because I've been doing it since Day One, but, dude. Not that hard. Really. Of course, I realize that what may be second nature to me might be tougher for other people, because me /= everyone else--but, we're science fiction writers. Getting into the head of someone of the opposite sex should be easier than getting into the head of an alien, right?

So, I just discovered (via the Amazon search I did for this book) that the same editor did a collection of stories where men write science fiction as women. And it's sitting at my local library. I shall plan on going and getting it tomorrow.

Erm. *eyes stack of books* Maybe...NEXT time I'm scheduled to go to the library. Yeah.

I also grabbed a werewolf anthology published by the good folks at Asimov's SF magazine. So, that means they take werewolf stories. Therefore I can send the Werewolf Fic to them. Yay for a market I hadn't actually considered for the thing!

Speaking of Asimov's, I should be hearing from them soon on the BeagleFic. I keep chanting "Contract! Contract! Contract!" at the mailbox...

Comments

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

That book would be much more interesting to me, if it was an anthology of classic SF women authors writing as men (i.e. Leigh Brackett, C.L. Moore, Andre Norton, James Tiptree Jr. etc).

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

"Contract, contract, contract!"

*thought I'd help intimidate your mailbox*

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Strangely, I find it harder to write female characters.

Keeping my fingers crossed for a contract for you.