It's not a one-woman show

The following is excerpted from a real G-chat conversation with my BFF/sometimes co-writer/current editor of the Olympus series, Robyn Fleming.

Karen: So I'm stuck on a story thing if you have a minute

Robyn: Sure. I'm heading to bed but I can brainstorm in between hygiene activities and whatnot.

Karen: Fabulous.

Karen: So, Heph needs to take Aphrodite on a date, because it's his turn to organise it

Karen: And Aph is following my "do only half the work" policy1

Karen: But, much like Heph, I am stumped

Karen: What is a weekend activity that- oh it's the zoo

Karen: OKAY, problem solved!

Collaboration

For me, writing is a collaborative activity. It’s true that the majority of the work on my books is done by me and that all the words on the page are mine (no AI for me: not now, not ever). But, crucially, I don’t do it alone.

I have multiple online writing communities, and I check in with them daily. We moan. We celebrate. We side-eye a publisher acting badly, or discuss career next steps. If I’m stuck, I talk to Robyn, and as you can see up there, even the talking can jar things loose.

Today, I’ve shared a snippet with a friend and gotten the “yesssss” reaction that got me to the next scene. I’ve discussed co-writing business relationships and clarified whether I can claim a particular expense on my taxes. If you want to write, my first recommendation is to read. My second recommendation is to do the work and get those words on the page. And my third recommendation is to find your people, because this doesn’t have to be a solo act.

Are there writers who never show anyone anything and never ask for help or advice? Of course. Are there writers who actively need to avoid talking about their work to others, because once they tell people the really cool idea they lose all impetus to actually write it down? You bet.

But I think most of us benefit from having people around us, bouncing us out of our own skulls and into the wider world of writing. After all, reading is a collaboration between the author and the reader. I like the reminder while I work.

Catwalks

My background research into the weird world of fashion for Aphrodite Unbound continues. I read Amy Odell’s Tales from the Back Row, which is hilarious and very helpful, and also includes brief accounts of two uncomfortable encounters with Harvey Weinstein. It was published in 2015, before Weinstein’s reprehensible abuse of women became widespread knowledge, but I can imagine Odell—or her persona in the book—being not at all surprised when she learned about it.

Prompted by one of her essays, I then watched the 2018 Victoria Secret Fashion Show, which is fun and theatrical and incredibly bizarre. It starts with the models answering the question “What is Victoria’s Secret?”

“It’s empowering!” “Strong!” “Fierce!” “Sexy!” “Successful, confident women!”

I don’t discount the power of clothing, fashion, and style. What you wear can really  make a massive difference to how you feel. I have a long black cardigan with a fur hood that I call my “evil sorceress” look. I made a red and blue skirt and blouse ensemble that makes me feel like a retro superhero. I have ambitions to make my perfect swimsuit, one that fits both my abundant chest and flat butt, with no spillover or flappy gaps anywhere.

I, too, know the glory of the sexy bra.

But how, exactly, are girls empowered by missing school to pick cotton? What possibilities for success are opened for women sewing bras for .04 USD per garment? And what strength is there in encouraging starvation?

It’s true that there are no innocents among the consumers of late stage capitalism. I make most of my own clothes (a luxury of time), which means that the labour is mine, but I can’t as easily avoid the horrifying practices used to produce those textiles.

I guess what really gets me is the hypocrisy; not of the models, but of the industry that moulds them. Don’t pretend to be empowering the women who wear your clothes when you’re actively disempowering the women who make them.

But that’s Victoria’s Secret: it’s all playing pretend.

Book Stuff:

• Reminder! I’m turning on paid subscriptions at the end of the month. If you’ve pledged a subscription you will get a monthly post with fancy spreadsheets and money talk, as well as my fervent gratitude.
• I’ve been talking a lot about Aphrodite Unbound because that’s the current work-in-progress, but don’t forget that Persephone in Bloom, the first of the Olympus Inc. books, is available for pre-order! (Amazon US. Amazon Australia/NZ. Other places!)
• Soon, so soon, subscribers are going to get Penelope Pops the Question, my free Olympus Inc. novelette prequel, featuring no-nonsense protag Penny, wily trickster Odysseus, and the gigantic familial clusterfuck of the Worst Wedding Ever. If you know someone who would be interested in that kind of shenanigan, please share this newsletter with them, and encourage them to subscribe!