Monthly Archives: October 2014

Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Writing One

Posted on October 31, 2014 by J. Sevick

Last time I discussed how the intrinsic elements of a wish fulfillment romance—the sexist gender hierarchy, the clichés and overused tropes—are pretty much guaranteed to be problematic. And I suppose that’s the core of my issue. If I’m honest about … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: Power Fantasies

Posted on October 29, 2014 by J. Sevick

In non-romance-centered stories, such as female-driven fantasy epics, the heroines gain their power through transformations and tragic backstories much like their male counterparts. But they very rarely begin as super-powered, famous, wealthy badasses like some male heroes (again, Iron Man, … Continue reading →

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Exploring the Wish Fulfillment Romance: The Ordinary Heroine

Posted on October 27, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve written at length about my relationship with the romance genre, as well as my perceptions of the relationship between feminism and the romance genre. The core of my fascination is the dichotomy I see within myself—on the one hand, … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: the Culture War

Posted on October 24, 2014 by J. Sevick

[This is a continuation of the previous post about online harassment and Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist media critic harassed and threatened for talking about video games. This was just an exploration of my thoughts, so it’s probably a little rough–warning … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: Anita Sarkeesian

Posted on October 22, 2014 by J. Sevick

[This post and the next begins a bit of thoughts/exploration of an issue specific to the gaming world–the harassment of feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, who recently had to cancel a speaking event because of a mass murder threat. But … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Online Harassment: Trolling

Posted on October 20, 2014 by J. Sevick

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about online harassment, given this whole GamerGate brouhaha… It seems systemic, unstoppable, and frequently dangerous, and it’s become a larger and larger part of the world as our social interactions (and public presences) migrate … Continue reading →

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Threat-Protection Storylines

Posted on October 17, 2014 by J. Sevick

In my copious notes on finding ideas, I stumbled across a type of story or plot that I have to admit I particularly enjoy. I’m not sure why… But beyond that, I think it’s a fine tool for possibly coming … Continue reading →

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Saying Goodbye to a Story

Posted on October 15, 2014 by J. Sevick

When an idea begins to come together, when it builds into a story, when you see what it could become—there is nothing more exhilarating. For me, that feeling of raw creation is why I write. But sometimes, as you develop … Continue reading →

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Couple Development Worksheet

Posted on October 13, 2014 by J. Sevick

Once all factors have been determined and calibrated, what should result is a couple that interests you and the answer to the question: Why can they not be together and happy/safe/committed? The story that you write will answer the question: … Continue reading →

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The Normal Threshold

Posted on October 10, 2014 by J. Sevick

When building a world, based in our own, but with supernatural or sci-fi elements, you have to begin with the world we know. A completely alternate world does not need this calculation; a historical world within our own could begin … Continue reading →

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