The Dumb Bitch Problem

So. My little brother watches horror movies. Lots of them. 

I'd watch them, too. But... they sort of... you know... scare me. And unless you're a horror movie that's totally brilliant and fresh and original, I'm not going to watch you. Sorry.

Going back to my little brother, though. We were discussing the overall suckiness of horror movies lately (won't name names, but YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!). For reasons I still can't figure out, I told him about The Mortal Instruments series by the ever-fabulous Cassandra Clare. I totally stood up for Clary, her protagonist, by saying she's an assertive young lady with a good head on her shoulders. 

Then I told him about another YA girl protagonist. Who is her total opposite. 

And no, it's not Bella Swan. Cut the girl some slack!

Anyway, this other YA girl does stupid things. Like walk into alleys. Alone. At night. My brother laughed, then said, "well, that's the same as with horror movies. Some people call that kind of girl the dumb bitch."

I stared at him. And stared. Then stared some more.

People referring to girls as dumb bitches? Doesn't shock me.

And that's the problem. 

Seriously, the words "dumb" and "bitch" aren't exactly flattering, right? They're what I hate most about this lil' old society we live in--labels. Labels suck. Hard. We all know this. 

So why do we keep using them?

That's only Problem #1. Problem #2 is why I wrote this post: there are authors who write about the Dumb Bitch. I don't have a problem with a character who is naive or sheltered or trusting. I DO have a problem when that naive/sheltered/trusting girl never learns a lesson. She stays her same naive/sheltered/trusting self all the way to the end. Say it with me, folks: "why???"

I, unfortunately, can't answer that. Every writer has his or her reasons for writing what they write. And they sometimes fall victim to the Dumb Bitch Problem. They keep putting girls in these little boxes where they fit nice and comfy, keeping them there until Hot Dude comes and saves the day. Or, in the case of horror movies, Creepy Psycho Killer finishes them off thirty minutes into it. Dumb Bitches must die first, after all. 

So please, folks, try to keep your girls out of this box. Or if you really want to put them there, make sure their journey isn't static and predictable. Let them take risks on a whim, but also informed and carefully thought-out decisions. Let them grow up, just like the Real Live Girls reading your books are. 

They deserve better than someone who sucks at life. 

They deserve someone who... oh, I don't know... hates labels. Preferably, ones like "dumb bitch."

Okay. Rant over. *sigh*

***Don't forget! Tomorrow is Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent Contest! Get those one-line pitches ready!! 

Post-NaNo Editing Checklist, Mystery Agent Contest And A Video!

Today I'm over @ Operation Awesome giving out revision tips for all you NaNoers out there. You can check it out here.

Be sure to stay tuned this Wednesday for another Mystery Agent Contest over @ OA!! So pretty please polish those one-line pitches, folks!! Mystery Agent is looking for YA and adult (all genres except for Christian fiction, erotica and picture books). Best of luck!

Also, I really really really wanted to share this. The fabulous Myra McEntire had this on her blog yesterday. It made me laugh. A lot.

I hope you do, too :D

Le video:

Hope ya'll had a great Thanksgiving!!

I Am Thankful For...

1) Jensen Ackles

2) Cookies. Ice cream. Cake. Cheesecake. The works.

3) Shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Supernatural,  The Vampire Diaries, Smallville, and Veronica Mars. Oh, and Fringe and Bones and... Well, a lot of shows...

4) Books like Looking for Alaska by John Green, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.

5) A brain that comes up with books that will n-e-v-e-r be as great as the aforementioned, but are fun to write nonetheless.

6) People like Katrina and Lindsay, who read said not-as-great books and somehow keep being nice to me.

7) People like you. For reading my randomness. Me hearts you.

Disclaimer: This list has not been compiled in order of importance. Just felt like talking about Jensen Ackles first. Because... you know... he's Jensen Ackles. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Yep. Shiny New Idea = Latest WIP

It's official. Yesterday I sat down, put on the earphones, and did the unthinkable.

Well, it's not so much 'unthinkable' as it is 'unavoidable'.

You see, I am a wuss. Big time. I am afraid of blank Word documents. But I am only afraid of them when I'm expected to write something on them. Like, actual words. That make sense. 

So yesterday I sat down, put on the earphones...

and started a new manuscript.

*le sigh*

I have been outlining this latest baby for about two months (did I mention I'm afraid of blank Word documents??). The outline STILL isn't finished, but I don't care. It was just my excuse to not start writing this sucker. But I have to stop being scared. It's time to write. 

So far, I have 1k. Only 64k more to go :D

What about you? How far along are you with those NaNo WIPs? 

Oh, and quick reminder, today's my day over @ Operation Awesome! I'm talking about why you should keep going when the going sucks. Fun times.

Why I Love Harry Potter: LOL Characters

At last, we come to my Reasons Why I Love Harry Potter conclusion *sobs* This last reason is one that really takes the cake for me. I mean, yeah, Rowling's series is packed with gloom and doom, right? Voldemort is a nasty piece of work, isn't he? The Death Eaters??? Professor Freakin' Umbridge?????

That's why I appreciate Rowling's balance--she gives us the darkest of the dark, and the brightest of the bright.

She makes us laugh moments before we're forced to cry.

These are some of the best examples (to me) of LOL characters in the series:

The Weasley Twins

Naughty + Sneaky + Sarcastic = Awesome

Luna "Loony" Lovegood

She says it like it is. Believes in things/creatures everyone else knows doesn't exist. Has a heart of gold. What's not to love?

Rubeus Hagrid

A kid in a grownup's suit. With a kickass bike. And a really bad hair day... every day. 

Dobby the house elf

Refers to himself in the third person tense. Is more afraid of dirty laundry than his Death Eater ex-master.  Gets seriously. Pissed. Off. When people talk trash about Harry. Can we clone him??

There they are, folks--LOL characters top off what makes the world of Harry Potter an epic win. 

Anybody else who makes you laugh out loud??

Why I Love Harry Potter: Romance Takes Time

Romance. Me hearts it.

BUT I like my romance slow. Complicated. Full of WTF moments.

I like my romance real.

That means no blink-of-an-eye, I-just-met-you-and-you're-the-one kind of thing. Sure, people have gut feelings when it comes to meeting a person for the first time, but books shouldn't all be in favor of the Insta-Love formula. True love builds, piles on the layers, and stays strong amid the nastiest of storms.

This is why J. K. Rowling nailed it for me, friends. Because she created two characters that took. Their. Time.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

As a reader, I was c-o-n-s-t-a-n-t-l-y waiting for these two to see the light. Tons of fans responded very well to the way Rowling handled the evolution of their relationship: BFFs first, then something more. Some harmless teasing here and there, frequent arguments regarding house elf rights, the occasional love triangle with Hot Foreign Quidditch Player and Incredibly Annoying Stalker Girl, and you've got yourself a romance that spans the seven seas.

And seven books *brain explodes*

Folks, romance takes time. In real and fake life. Nothing beats reading that fateful moment where two perfect-for-each-other characters finally take the plunge. 

Why I Love Harry Potter: Severus Freakin' Snape

I've already talked about world-building in Harry Potter and how it rocks. Today I'm going to talk about something else that rocks.

Severus. Freakin'. Snape.

♫ I'm too sexy for my robes... too sexy for my robes... ♫

Hero. Villain. Readers are always wondering which side he's truly fighting for. Aside from the ever-awesome Lord Voldemort, he's the richest and most complex character in Rowling's novels. *dodges bullets from Dumbledore fans* Yes, Dumbledore is rich and complex and uber-smart and incredible, but you know from the start the type of person he is--an honest and kind advocate for justice. 

Snape? Not so much.

It might be all that black wardrobe action. It might be the abrupt ways he cuts off his students (i.e., Hermione). I don't know 100% what it is about him that appeals to fans, but I do have a theory.

He's a badass with a heart.

Deep down, there's something beating in that body of his.

Very. Deep. Down.

And that's why he's so much fun to read about--you're always looking for that moment when he'll show his heart to the world. When it happens, it. Is. Epic. 

What about you? Got some love for Snape? Or do you wish someone would Avada Kedavra his boo-tay?