When You Should (And Shouldn't) Sexualize Characters In Your Stories

There is a particularly distasteful trend that I've seen time and time again in books, and it seems to show up particularly in thrillers and mysteries, though no genre is truly safe from it. And while this isn't solely a male author problem, my fellow men are largely the ones I see doing this time and time again.

What is it, you ask? Sexualizing the descriptions of characters (and particularly femme characters) when that is not the point of the scene, and it often goes completely counter to the impression you want your reader to have of what's going on. It's the equivalent of watching a thriller, seeing an interrogation start in a dimly-lit police station, and instead of the tense soundtrack you'd expect to hear, cheesy funk from a porn movie starts playing.

It undercuts the story you're trying to tell, is what I'm saying.

Seriously, guys... you need to paint the right picture with the proper colors, here.

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What Perspective Are You Showing Us?

Full disclaimer here, I am in no way against sexy, spicy content in stories. I got my start on the current leg of my career writing romance and erotica, after all. However, it's important that you use the right tool for the right job, and that the words you're putting on the page are done so with specific intent.

And this isn't just Men Writing Women... but a particular subset where anything involving femme characters is inherently sexual, and that is always front-loaded in a way that undermines the surrounding story.

As an example of what I'm talking about, femme fatales are a staple of the mystery genre. Whether it's the beautiful client who walks into the private eye's office one hip at a time before trying to wrap him around her finger, or the stunning Hollywood widow who clings to our detective in a way that feels more amorous than scared, we see that sort of thing in a lot of stories. However, the role of the seduction in these stories is often a double-edged sword, meant to cloud the investigator's judgment, and to make the reader second-guess what's happening. Are these women actually interested in him, or are they trying to manipulate him? Or is it some combination of both? How can we know where the truth ends, and performance begins?

However, there are stories in this genre where every time a femme character is described, it's done so with rigorous attention to her body, and the thoughts of the male character (or sometimes just the narrator) being projected onto her. Now, perhaps this is being done to show the inner workings of a character's mind, but when this particular method of description doesn't have a greater purpose in the story, it feels exploitative. Perhaps the most egregious example of this is when we get a Tolkien-esque description of a woman's body that just goes on and on, only for us to find out she's dead, and these are the thoughts of the investigator looking at her corpse.

This sounds like an obvious no-no, but it's cropped up more than once in published novels I've held in my own hands. Because unless you're revealing that the character observing the corpse is a closet necrophiliac who is trying to do his job without letting anyone around him figure out what's going on inside his head, this is just tasteless. The same is true when we have our attention drawn to every waitress, secretary, and passing young woman on the sidewalk, getting a description that focuses only on their physical attributes, and how desirable they are in the eyes of the observer, usually breaking away from the rest of the scene entirely just to let the reader know that if this were a movie, all the background extras would be very attractive.

At best, this is distracting. At worst, it reduces your cast of characters to nothing but a collection of body parts, making it hard for readers to actually grow attached to anyone in the story they're trying to read.

She was getting handsy with me... too handsy... I lost count after seven.

They key to avoiding this is to go more than just skin deep, and to try to paint a portrait of characters we see in a way that really sticks with the reader, and that is more than just a collection of physical features and a list of their current wardrobe. Does this character have a commanding presence, are they soft-spoken, or do they have any physical tics? Do they have an accent, do they move in a way that suggests a background in dance, martial arts, or the military? Are there prominent scars, tattoos, or other things that might give a hint about who they are, and where they've come from? Are they abnormally large, or unusually small?

Most importantly, however, authors should avoid what I'm going to dub Selkie Descriptions. For those not familiar with the myth of the selkie, it's a shapechanging seal that can take on the form of a beautiful woman (there's another version of the myth where she's a swan, as well). When a man sees the selkie discard her animal skin, he steals it, and forces her to marry him. The similarity with dozens of other myths of supernatural creatures who look like beautiful women is this; they're by themselves, minding their own business, and then a man decides that her existing while being attractive is clearly meant as a temptation for him, and everything is in service to their beauty, his desire for it, and nothing else.

None of this is to say you cannot have characters, scenes, or descriptions which are sexy... but they need to be intentionally sexy. You need to decide that this is how you want your readers to experience a particular character, a particular scene, or even a particular piece of dialogue. Not only that, but often there's going to be contrast as we find out more about a character, or see them in other situations. As an example, finding out that the quiet librarian is a stripper on the weekends, and seeing the difference between her onstage persona and who she is in her regular life, should have a contrast in feeling and description, whichever side of her we meet first.

People, and stories, tend to have multiple facets. You can shape and carve them however you want to best tell the story... but consider what you're writing, and the way you're writing it, especially when it comes to the femme characters in your cast. Because no matter how solid your action, or how intriguing your mystery, if it reads like a fan service comic script, your story is going to suffer for it.

You can still do it, if that's the vision you have. Hell, you might even lean into it as a parody, or a spoof of genre conventions. But you need to be doing it on purpose, with both eyes open, rather than just falling back on sexualized descriptions and stereotypes that are just going to be sour notes in your story.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

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Your Plot Shouldn't Rely on Miscommunication

We've all seen this story before. Two characters (best friends, a couple, business partners, the arrangement doesn't matter) find themselves at odds over a rather small but embarrassing misunderstanding. Maybe the fiancé thinks her husband-to-be is cheating on her with his secretary due to suspicious-looking-but-innocent circumstantial evidence. Perhaps a co-owner of a business thinks his partner is undermining him, when in fact he's trying to save their bottom line. The list goes on and on, but whether it's a mystery, a detective story, or one of the dozens of romantic or comedic plots out there, we've all seen some version of this story.

And it's a very shaky foundation to build an entire novel on.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up, Becky!

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

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A 5-Minute Conversation Can't Carry a 200-Page Book

A common term for the situation in question is an idiot plot, best described as, "A plot that only happens because everyone involved is an idiot." After all, miscommunications happen in life, and people sometimes get the wrong idea about a situation. And when that happens there may be some immediate tension, and an awkward conversation that needs to be had to fix it.

The point, however, is that if you can fix a problem with a simple explanation, that really isn't something strong enough to hang your whole book on.

Okay, this is embarrassing, but I love you, so let me lay it all out for you...

Now, for clarity, this does not apply to situations where a person can't explain what's going on. For example, if you're writing a spy novel where part of the story is the spouse who's an intelligence operative keeping the nature of their work a secret (True Lies, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, etc.), that isn't the situation we're talking about. We're also not talking about situations where someone is deliberately lying, even if the reason they're lying is stupid. We're talking about a storyline where, rather than just asking what's going on and being honest with one another, characters just make assumptions, and cling to them no matter how obviously, ridiculously wrong they are.

As a subplot, or as a part of a larger story, you can get away with this. However, the miscommunication needs to facilitate a larger part of the plot. If it leaves someone emotionally vulnerable to make a poor decision before it can be explained, for example, then that is a functional use of this trope. But if the whole plot is, "I caught you in what looked like a compromising position with a co-worker/personal trainer/ex, and I left before you could explain things to me," that's not a load-bearing hook.

Especially if your whole cast has to keep making objectively dumber and dumber decisions to keep the charade going, instead of just laying out what happened over coffee and wrapping up the plot by chapter three.

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Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

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Readers Love Comfort Zones ("I Want Something New That's Just Like Something Old")

I didn't realize until I was an adult that there's a significant portion of the reading public out there who will read the same books over and over again. This is not a habit I have, and while I will listen to a book more than once (if I like the voice actor), the reason for that was always because I needed something to fill the silence while I was cleaning, drawing, driving, or performing some other task. Devoting myself entirely to a text that stopped me from doing anything else while I was consuming it felt very strange to me if I already knew the story and where it was going, and what the ending was. Even today if I pick up a book I've forgotten about, I'll stop reading it as soon as I remember what the ending is, and how our protagonists get to it.

While re-reading favorite books is a fairly complex behavior, psychologically, as Men's Health points out, it's at least partially connected to comfort. It takes far more energy to consume new media rather than to simply put an old favorite movie or song on and follow the familiar beats, for example. It's also the sort of desire that leads to the consumption of fan fiction when someone runs out of the initial content from the original source.

So, with all that in mind, I think it's important for all of us writers to admit something. We're far more likely to succeed if we can give our readers a new story that feels like a story they already enjoy.

It tastes the same, but has a unique kick to it!

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Now then, let's get to it!

More of The Same, But Different!

If I had to pick a concern that a lot of writers and authors alike seem to have, it's worrying that their work is going to be too much like something that's already on the market. Someone writing a high fantasy trilogy may find that being compared to Tolkien puts a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders. Others may worry that their novel about a team of teenage superhumans is going to just be X-Men with a different color scheme. And I've seen some writers tie themselves in knots trying to find some way to avoid their stories about vampires being compared to everything from Dracula to The Strain.

So today I wanted to remind everyone out there of something very important; most readers aren't looking for some totally fresh, unique take. They're looking for something they already know, and already like, but presented in a way that might feel new to their palate.

Put a different way, there's always going to be those people who are looking to explore food in all its forms. A lot of people are going to want to try something new every now and again. But you're never going to go wrong with promising your audience a classic taste that they already know they like, even if your version of the burrito, cheeseburger, or pizza promises to have a zest that will make it their new favorite iteration of this staple.

Speaking of the same menu item prepared a hundred different ways...

As Alice Liddell points out, the entire romance genre (one of the most lucrative genres out there) is based on providing the same experience to readers in different ways. The ending is already something of a foregone conclusion, it's just the journey to get there. Anyone that's a fan of Warhammer 40,000 has seen how Games Workshop cannibalizes sci-fi and fantasy properties alike, ensuring that whether you want big stompy robots, heroic soldiers fighting alien wars, space wizards, or tech knights, they have covered every, possible base to appeal to an audience who loves everything from Alien and Terminator to Judge Dredd and Mechwarrior. There are dozens of Conan lookalikes slaying monsters and laying maidens in their pages, and probably hundreds of books that present new mysteries and adventures around Lovecraft's terrifying mythos.

It is a lot harder to sell a reader on something outside their experience or comfort zone than it is to get them to try a story that looks like something they already know and like. I say this both as someone who has sold books at cons and shows, as someone who's surveyed a lot of fellow authors, and as someone who's checked the buying habits of readers out there according to marketing data.

So, for all my fellow creators who are wringing their hands because they're worried people aren't going to like their book because it's too similar to this-or-that property in aesthetic, style, story beats, etc., just stop. As long as you've told a good story that's interesting to read, people are going to want it. Period.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Horror Blends Well With Pretty Much Every Genre

Since we're coming up on the Halloween season, most people's minds are turning to spooky stories and terrifying tales. Even if you're not a proponent of the horror genre as a lifestyle like some of us are, this is the season where everyone gets in on the fun. However, I had a conversation earlier this week that bothered me because it's a sentiment I've come across several times both as an author, and as an RPG writer. That is, essentially, that horror simply can't be mixed with other genres.

So I wanted to take a moment to make a very simple statement, and then to get deeper into it. Because horror can be combined with practically any other genre you choose. And if you can't fathom how you could weave some of those dark threads into this or that genre, then I would suggest you need to dream a little bigger.

Oh my, my... how did THAT get in there?

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Also, if you're in the mood for some short, snacky scares, don't forget to check out my 50 Two-Sentence Horror Stories. And if you like it make sure you spread the word, and leave a tip. I'm thinking about doing a follow-up, but I go where the reads lead me!

Horror Really is a Universal Spice

I know that not everyone out there is a lifelong horror fan the way I am. However, the more I've talked with people in the general populace, the more often I come across folks who have very specific ideas of what horror can be, and even more important ideas of what it cannot be. But before we get into debating this or that particular scenario, I would suggest folks take a moment to watch something from Scaredy Cats, as this channel has perhaps the most succinct definition of horror that I've ever come across.

It's those three, simple requirements that I think can solve a lot of issues when it comes to discussions of horror. While I don't necessarily agree entirely with the first (that the piece of media must be fictional, though inspiration and retellings are fictitious enough to pass the smell test), the second two standards (it must concern the macabre, and the characters in the story must be scared) are actually very useful indeed.

And if more people looked at horror from this perspective, I would get into a lot fewer fights on the Internet.

Because it is this broader definition that really showcases how flexible horror is as a genre mixer. You can take horror and mix it with comedy, and get something like The Addams Family or Krampus, for example. You can mix horror with science fiction to produce something like Alien, Event Horizon, or large swaths of the Warhammer 40K universe. You can mix it with melodrama in order to make something like Dark Shadows, you can swirl it into sword and sorcery to get adventures of characters like Conan, Kull, or Solomon Kane (or my own novel Crier's Knife). You can put it into high fantasy to create something like the Midnight RPG setting, and you can blend it into a coming of age story, a period drama, and nearly anything else you feel like.

The Thousand Faces of Horror

This might be a bit of a soapbox topic, but for fans of horror like myself, this is something that I feel folks need to stop and think about. Because so many people will either assume that horror A) has to be something that they would personally find frightening or uncomfortable, or B) that it can only concern certain topics, and that if those topics are absent or rendered moot by another element then horror cannot exist.

Rather that singling any one person out, though, I wanted to discuss some of the conversations I've run into, and why I find them so infuriating. And, hopefully, the responses I have to them will help show folks a broader perspective on my favorite genre.

I've got a lot to choose from, okay?

"Fantasy can't have horror in it because death isn't permanent."

This is a paraphrase of part of the most recent conversation that started me off on this topic, and it refers to how in traditional high fantasy RPGs players usually have the ability to be resurrected from the dead to continue the adventure should they meet an untimely end. The idea that if death isn't permanent then what do you have to be scared of exemplifies the kind of mindset that only thinks of horror in terms of a single facet. Because surely dying is something people are scared of, even if it can be undone? Especially since, in these settings, heaven and hell are very real places. If you know you weren't a good person, and you wound up in hell (even for a few moments) what would that do to your mind? Especially since (in most settings, at least) you're still going to die eventually... barring become a lich, a vampire, or some other eternal creature.

Which, in its way, makes those monsters even more frightening. Because for every power mad duke or arrogant wizard, there's going to be someone who would rather live a tortured, eternal half life than face what lies beyond the coil of their mortal flesh. And if that's not horror, I don't know what is!

"This isn't a horror game because it doesn't make me uncomfortable."

Vampire. Werewolf. Mage. Changeling. I've had this conversation about fully half of the World of Darkness RPG setting with my fellow players, and it never ceases to baffle me. Because make no mistake, these games as they're written are horror games through and through. Whether it's questions about whether you can cling to your humanity for eternity, about whether you can control the violence surging through you to keep those around you safe, about whether your hubris will be your downfall, or about not being able to fully trust your own mind and the world around you, these games all deal with a variety of different flavors of horror.

Something that I feel needs re-iterating is that horror doesn't have to scare you. Most of the time that's not what it's going to do. It doesn't have to leave an impression of lasting terror, either. It can, but that's not required for it to still be horror. And while a lot of horror will leave you asking hard questions (What does it really mean to be human? What will people do when driven to desperate measures? What makes someone a monster?), it's not required to be harrowing or to include elements you find distasteful.

"That's not a horror story, it's just dark X/Y/Z."

This might be something of a controversial opinion, but people will go to ridiculous lengths to avoid stories they like being associated with horror. Up to the point that I've seen it said several times that the film category of "psychological thriller" was invented by the Academy Awards to ensure that no movie labeled a horror film (like Silence of The Lambs would have been) won prestigious awards.

In my opinion this is where a lot of stories, books, and games will label themselves as a "dark" version of a particular genre instead of just admitting they're mixing in horror elements. Dark fantasy has questionable themes and monsters more familiar to the horror genre. Dark thrillers go further than normal thrillers do, punching up the stakes and usually including deeds that would be more common in an Argento film than a John Grisham novel. Dark romances touch on sensitive topics that can be as titillating as they are triggering, and so on, and so forth.

Horror gets around, and like a flexible wine you can pair it with practically any meal. It might go better with some than it does with others, but it's everywhere once you learn to recognize the flavor.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Use National Celebration Days (And Months) To Boost Your Book's Signal

As I've said time and time again, the thing you need in order to sell books isn't a perfect cover, a butt load of talent, or an amazing story no one has ever read before. Those things help, but what you need is buzz. Attention. An audience that is tuned-in, and interested in the product you're trying to sell them.

Managing that is by no means easy. However, one thing you can do is to tie your marketing efforts into a holiday, or observance. It makes for good synergy, and if you can perk someone's interest with a celebration they've never heard of before, then your book is going to be right next to it as a way for them to participate.

National Hot Springs Reading Day? Huh, I didn't even know that was a thing!

Promote The Day, Promote Your Book!

For a lot of us, this isn't exactly something new. After all, every October I always share around my  50 2-Sentence Horror Stories link around, along with reminding folks about collections like SNAFU: A Collection of Military Horror, as well as American Nightmare which have some of my work in them.

If you write romance, then you remind people about your releases around Valentine's Day. If your book is Christmas-themed (whether it's a steamy holiday love affair, or an end-of-year murder spree), then you make sure to crow about it when that time of year comes around. And so on, and so forth.

Is this the romance, or the murder? Get a copy to find out!

However, there are a lot of other celebrations going on throughout the year that you might want to check out. Not all of them will be for every author (though you can sometimes stretch and bend in order to fit your work under certain umbrellas), but some of the more interesting ones I've come across include:

- National Short Story Month: May is both National Short Story Month, and the month my birthday happens to fall in. It's why I always remind people that if they haven't grabbed a copy of New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam, and this year I'll mention The Rejects as well, it would be a great present for me, and for them.

- National Science Fiction Day: While unofficial, this day is on January 2, the birthday of famed writer Isaac Asimov. A solid day for anyone from cyberpunk to space opera to make a play for attention.

- National Poetry Month: April is National Poetry Month, and if you're having a tough time moving your books, this would be the time to get people to sit up and take notice!

- Romance Awareness Month: While not specifically book-themed, Romance Awareness Month is August. And if you feel you have a book that sets a good example for people to follow (or that provides a great escape) this is a solid time to let folks know. You might even go so far as to suggest a book exchange, and evenings spent together reading with your significant other for the month.

- Free Comic Book Day: May 2 every year, this one is usually only celebrated in comic book stores. Still, if you have superheroes in your book, or you actually put together a graphic novel, this would be a great time to boost your signal.

- Free RPG Day: Taking place in June every year, this one is great for folks who write roleplaying games, or whose books are Lit RPGs.

- International Fairy Day: June 24 every year is dedicated to celebrating these little creatures. And if you have fairies in your book, or just the fey in general, this would be a good time to let people know.

Don't Forget To Sweeten The Pot!

Whatever holiday or celebration you're using (and there are plenty I didn't list out), it's important to remember that just opens the door for you to make a pitch. It gets people's attention. However, it's a good idea to give them a little more. A reason to click-through, and to snatch a copy of your book right now.

Well, who could say no to that?

Perhaps the best thing to do is to pair a discount, or a giveaway, with an appropriate day/month. Because cheap/free books are always great, but if you're doing it to make an occasion, suddenly it feels like something a little extra special!

So keep an eye on your calendars, and ask what days would be ideal for a thematic offer. Because if you can hook them with one book, they'll come back for more. They always do.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Consent on The Page (Nipping Problematic Depictions in The Bud)

Emily panted, pressing her back to the wall. She was wet from the rain, and her breath tore in and out of her lungs. Richard stood over her, warmth radiating from his body, his damp mane framing his face. He leaned closer, then stopped. He held her eyes, a playful smile on his lips.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked.

"Your permission," he said, a rough purr in the edge of his voice.

She said yes.

I've mentioned in previous posts on this blog how I started off my career writing romance stories for open anthologies. I also edited a few of them, too. Something I found during that period of my career that was both perplexing, and a little frightening, was how behavior that belonged in a horror novel (or at least in a psychological thriller) showed up again and again on the page. It was supposed to be sexy, but it set my teeth on edge just trying to get through the scene.

And since I've had this topic on my mind for a bit, I figured I'd get up on my soap box this week. Because if you want a scene to work between characters, you need to make it clear where the lines of consent have been drawn.

The Line Between Romance and Horror

I've said this before, but if you had to pick two genres out there that are uncomfortably close it's going to be romance and horror. The reason why I think they're so similar is in the execution; both require build-up, tension, and intimacy in order to really work. The audience has to agree to let you in, whether it's to be scared or titillated by the scenario you're laying out for them.

The difference is context. Because, as the old saying goes, there's nothing wrong with talking a moonlit walk with someone you love... if she doesn't know you're there, though, then this scenario just went from sweet to terrifying in a big damn hurry.

Case in point.

A mistake that a lot of writers make is to assume consent in any given situation unless it's taken away... but if you're not sending clear messages to your audience, then it can be tough to tell which of the two above fonts you're supposed to be reading a scene in, so to speak.

And for those of you out there who are sputtering about how forcing characters to state their desires in dialogue can feel forced and hackneyed, I want to point out that body language, tone, and action can convey your character's consent just as (if not better) than putting it in quotes if you can't find a good way to make that work for your scene. Because all you really have to do is show a character willingly participating in the action of the scene. If your love interest gets kissed, show them returning the kiss. If someone touches them, even if they didn't ask permission to do so, show what the reaction to that is. Are they turned on? Angry? Disgusted? In fear for their safety? What signs are they showing us as the audience, which we could assume the other participants in the scene also see?

That is what's going to make the difference between something feeling like it should have a smooth jazz soundtrack, or menacing cellos threatening to eat you.

Playing With Consent

Now, having said all that, sometimes the whole point of a scene is to play around with consent. The audience feeling unsure about whether the actions they're viewing are wanted or not is not a flaw, that's the feature. This builds a sense of anxiety, and it can be a vital and useful tool in stirring up the reader's emotions to ensure they are experiencing mixed messages; desire for more, but repulsion that says to stop. Feeling guilty, but perhaps wanting to have the decision about moving forward taken out of their hands.

You can still write those scenes. In some stories, that kind of scene is absolutely the right tool you need for the job. However, you need to make sure you're doing it with intention, instead of by accident.

"A perfect punch!" Well, I just sort of closed my eyes, swung, and hoped for the best.

Consent on the page is one of those things you need to fully internalize and think about before you start upending expectations about it. And whether your signals are overt or subtle, readers are going to pick up on them when they're present... and they're also going to notice them when they're absent.

To paraphrase another quote, "If both of the guys in the ring didn't agree to this, it's a crime, not a boxing match." Put another way, if you want your audience to have a certain interpretation of the action on the page, then you need to understand what they're going to pick up on. And, just as importantly, what is going to cause them to walk away with a very different impression than you intended.

Some more examples I've come across, both as a reader and an editor, for those who are curious:

- Depictions of characters (usually feminine and female-identifying ones) purely in terms of their attractive features, turning them into something of a fetishized doll. You see a lot of this in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books, and it feels both overtly misogynistic, and really creepy. It clearly colors all the actions the protagonist takes, and taints interactions that might otherwise read as neutral or positive.

- The focus being placed mostly or solely on one party. There is a lot of this in scenes where traditional male leads are pursuing a lover. Descriptions that are all about the man's sensations, his pleasures, his desires, etc. come across as extremely objectifying, and strip the other character of personhood. Share the spotlight, and show us that everyone's enjoying this scene, if that's the impression you want us to have.

- Ridiculous actions being excused in the name of love. Everything from the full-tilt stalker behavior in films like Say Anything, to the controlling attitudes and expectations in books like Twilight and the 50 Shades series are, at the most generous, extremely tone deaf. If you want to show a character's interest in someone else, depict their interactions in a positive light. Show them acting like a human being, starting conversations, finding common ground, and showing respect. You will get a thousand times more mileage out of one character remembering how to make his love interest's ideal cup of coffee than you will out of big, sweeping gestures or actions that could easily be decisions of a dangerous obsessive if you're looking for a burgeoning relationship.

For more on the subject of consent in storytelling, I recently covered a great gaming supplement over on Improved Initiative. If you're interested, check out Consent in Gaming (If You Haven't Downloaded This Book Yet, You Really Should). It's well worth the read, especially if you enjoy collaborative storytelling.

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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife!

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