In this episode of Doing Diversity in Writing, we—Bethany and Mariëlle—talk about writing better female characters. This is the second part of a two-part episode on the topic.
Listen to it here on Podbean or find us on your favourite podcast app.
What we talked about
- Words and descriptions to avoid when describing women
- Words and description to deeply consider before using them
- Gendered words to avoid or consider when writing about women
- The ridiculous misconceptions there are about the female body and how to describe the body and bodily functions right
- How the (male) author’s Point of View can skew descriptions and characterizations of female characters
- Making sure your own POV won’t get in the way of your female characters’ POVs
- Some final thoughts about the “strong female character” and how we should expand our definition of “strong”
(Re)sources mentioned on the show
- “In response to boob plate” by Sam the Sword: https://samanthaswords.tumblr.com/post/62968403257/in-response-to-boob-plate
- “Women are sharing how little the men in their lives know about reproduction” by Brittany Wong: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/women-are-sharing-how-little-the-men-in-their-lives-know-about-reproduction_l_627e8906e4b0eb0f0711cb80
- Tweet by Sabrinafon about her ex boyfriend’s beliefs about periods: https://twitter.com/Sabrinafon/status/1521981744668454913
- Alice Oseman’s work: https://aliceoseman.com/
- Kana Akatsuki’s Violet Evergarden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Evergarden
- “21 words we ONLY use to describe women” by Nadia Khan: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/21-words-we-use-only-describe-women-nadia-khan/
- “Shrill, mumsy, bossy…” by Roshan McArthur: https://togetherband.org/blogs/news/words-that-describe-women
- “11 words we need to stop using to describe women” by Suzannah Weiss: https://www.bustle.com/articles/150273-11-words-we-need-to-stop-using-to-describe-women-because-housewife-doesnt-capture-anyones-job
- “Everyday misogyny: 122 subtly sexist words about women (and what to do about them) by thaliakr: http://sacraparental.com/2016/05/14/everyday-misogyny-122-subtly-sexist-words-women/
- “7 words you should avoid using about women in the workplace” by Hayley Gleeson: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-01/words-you-should-avoid-using-about-women-in-the-workplace/7467848
- “Don’t say I’m ‘dramatic’” by Jessica Bennett: https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/feminist-fight-club/almost-z-list-words-avoid-when-talking-about-women-sexist-language
- “Half of Brits don’t know where the vagina is – and it’s not just the men” by Victoria Waldersee: https://yougov.co.uk/topics/health/articles-reports/2019/03/08/half-brits-dont-know-where-vagina-and-its-not-just
- “I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” by Brit Marling: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html
- Bethany’s Editing Your Novel’s Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors/
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