The Leaky Pipeline

[ysabetwordsmith]

Here's a thoughtful analysis of how publishing underrepresents women, not just at one point, but throughout the process.   On the bright side, this means you can pick any of the leaky points to address, depending on where you have access.

Comments

[capri0mni]

Thanks for the link... In particular, this idea:

if writers can be discouraged, they should be because writing isn’t for them

makes me want to laugh/cry; it reminds me of the notion that daily spankings are good for children because it builds character...

Yes, perhaps, but what sort of character?

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You could apply the same logic to any type of work. First, it establishes the premises that abuse is okay and only people who tolerate abuse should be allowed to work.

And then you wind up with some people who are too broken to work, because somebody made them that way; and nobody wants to take care of them. That's evil.

I feel that people should be encouraged to discover what they enjoy and do well. It's more satisfying and you get better output that way.

Re: Well...

[capri0mni]

I'd also argue that it "breaks" even the people who seem, on the surface, to survive, since it leads to the notion that abuse is not only "okay" but is the default state of human relationships. ...And when the profession in question is writing fiction (especially genre fiction like sci-fi and fantasy), this may lead to a preponderance of stories in the pipeline with a cynical and/or violent tone. Which I believe is another layer of evil, because these genres help us imagine the possible.

Re: Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> I'd also argue that it "breaks" even the people who seem, on the surface, to survive, since it leads to the notion that abuse is not only "okay" but is the default state of human relationships. <<

I'd say "damages" rather than "breaks" for those who are still functional enough to support themselves.

>> ...And when the profession in question is writing fiction (especially genre fiction like sci-fi and fantasy), this may lead to a preponderance of stories in the pipeline with a cynical and/or violent tone. <<

Yes, that's a problem.

>> Which I believe is another layer of evil, because these genres help us imagine the possible. <<

I've noticed that the more divisive, insecure, and dysfunctional society gets ... the more I focus on better alternatives. I wind up fantasizing not just about stardrives and unicorns, but healthy families and communities where people actually take care of each other.

Re: Well...

[capri0mni]

"I wind up fantasizing not just about stardrives and unicorns, but healthy families and communities where people actually take care of each other."

*nod* Indeed. I like to think that dystopias are just as impossible as utopias.

Re: Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Sadly there are far more examples -- historic and current -- of really horrible societies than really great ones.

Re: True...

[capri0mni]

But even within the really horrible societies, there are people who are trying to change things for the better -- either on the big scale of the world at large, or on the small scale of creating a kind, soft, place within their personal circle (family or chosen friends).

And it's those stories I prefer to read/watch/write.

Re: True...

[ysabetwordsmith]

True.

[(Anonymous)]

Kasan Soulblade from Ao3, yes, no account, just commenting on a few entries of yours that caught my eye today.

Nods.

Though unpublished I did dally in the industry, going to classes and combing over various writing companies, their policies, and the laws related to writing before I decided to settle for writing in fanfiction as the professional industry ruffled my feathers.

But one thing I noticed was in those classes, how many of the professors were men, how many of the students were men, even the seminars, I was often the only female writer present. And the assumption that I was a poet or wrote romance and was otherwise girly was almost omnipresent.

And also incredibly condescending.

I was quite young and in one of those classes I sorta got back at them. The professor was really stressing writing outside ones expected zone, the men were just pushing out war/action/party pieces and my classmates were nattering about how girly my submission would be. I scrapped my more balanced fantasy piece night before and penned a dark work chalk full of primal horror and eldrich abominations just to stop the comments and had the added bonus of freaking them out and opening their eyes all in one pass.

Chuckles. An evil act, possibly, but I enjoyed their expressions and the lack of "whens the unicorn piece" coming out for the rest of the semester was worth it.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Kasan Soulblade from Ao3, yes, no account, just commenting on a few entries of yours that caught my eye today. <<

I'm happy to have you here.

>> Though unpublished I did dally in the industry, going to classes and combing over various writing companies, their policies, and the laws related to writing before I decided to settle for writing in fanfiction as the professional industry ruffled my feathers. <<

I'm glad you found something that worked for you, and disappointed that the professional industry was such a turnoff.

>>But one thing I noticed was in those classes, how many of the professors were men, how many of the students were men, even the seminars, I was often the only female writer present. And the assumption that I was a poet or wrote romance and was otherwise girly was almost omnipresent.<<

Wow, that sucks.

Several of my writing teachers were women, a mix of good and bad. One of them got me more interested in form poetry -- my free worksheets are somewhat inspired by her class handouts. The men, too, were a mix of good and bad.

>> I scrapped my more balanced fantasy piece night before and penned a dark work chalk full of primal horror and eldrich abominations just to stop the comments and had the added bonus of freaking them out and opening their eyes all in one pass. <<

*laugh* Good for you. I have so done things like that.

>> Chuckles. An evil act, possibly, but I enjoyed their expressions and the lack of "whens the unicorn piece" coming out for the rest of the semester was worth it. <<

Actually one of mine was a unicorn piece, and that was back before unicorn variations were as common as they are now. At the time people were shocked and disturbed by a violent, raunchy red unicorn.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing it!