This is fascinating, and I loved getting a behind the scenes look at your research. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the economy of controlling women today and the forces that are sparking a resurgence. I’m excited to read this series to process it!
Thanks so much, Elle! Lately, I've been focusing on fiction but this story came from a deep place and I thought it would be helpful even for myself to write down the thoughts and ideas that contributed to this piece.
As showcased by the Yao people, gender control can go both ways. The men in that village behaved like women are expected to behave in our society: meek, shy, submissive. There aren't inherent gender behaviors or roles, just the ones we assign to people.
I love telling this story to the C-Level guys in my company. They are quite embarrassed and incredulous. This is how I felt all my life when I was expected to 'behave like a woman'.
For me it's funny because it leaves in the room an unspoken question: Shouldn't adult women also feel embarrassed because they are obliged to behave like that? And the guys are smart enough to catch it ;).
A really fascinating post, Claudia … as I was reading about your whale research, I remembered ‘Soundings’ by Doreen Cunningham, a gorgeous book about following grey whales.
Thanks, I never know if these behind-the-scenes post will be interesting for anyone 😅. The book sounds interesting, whales are mysterious and fascinating beings.
Wow, Claudia, the breadth of your research is humbling. And yes, thank you for the reminder - the fascination and deep engagement start with us as the writer. I started a novel recently that fell flat partly because I wasn't excited enough to dive deep into the themes. In any case, a great article, thank you
Thanks so much, I get a lot of inspiration from reading stuff, especially for the details of the world. It could be said that it's a form of procrastination, but I want to be excited while I write and learning new stuff does the trick for me.
I must say that the only reason I hanged on to this secondary world for over a decade is because I was so excited about the themes and I kept on thinking about it and talking about it and adding new details. This excitement keeps me going despite the fact that writing fiction is so much work for so little external rewards.
I feel the same way. For my Robin Hood novels I filled notebook after notebook with details about the life cycle of trees and fungi and tonnes of research about Medieval times - too much research maybe, and only a fraction of it went into the books, but like you say it kept me intrigued and invested in this world that was taking shape. That's one of the great gifts of writing fiction: it requires you to never stop learning. I'm glad to have discovered your fictional world and am looking forward to exploring it more fully!
Okay, I'm going to wait until I've finished the series (sorry about the delay!) before I read this, but from the headline, I really thought you were wading into the US election. I don't know if you've heard the right-wing slogan, "Your body, my rights"? (Always spoken by a man, and now boys at an Escanaba Michigan high school, apparently.) Anyway, that was what I first thought of when I saw the headline.
It's a headline I had prepared before the US elections and I'm not American 😅. Plus, I'm not a political publication. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Sorry for being so slow getting to this properly, Claudia.
Very fascinating to take a peak behind what inspired and drove you to write Initiation. These are strong themes to be exploring.
Neuromancer and subsequent books did a lot to put transhumanism more into the SciFi mainstream, and with the TV series set to come out sometime next year (?) then I'm sure it'll be propelled further into the general mainstream.
This is fascinating, and I loved getting a behind the scenes look at your research. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the economy of controlling women today and the forces that are sparking a resurgence. I’m excited to read this series to process it!
Thanks so much, Elle! Lately, I've been focusing on fiction but this story came from a deep place and I thought it would be helpful even for myself to write down the thoughts and ideas that contributed to this piece.
As showcased by the Yao people, gender control can go both ways. The men in that village behaved like women are expected to behave in our society: meek, shy, submissive. There aren't inherent gender behaviors or roles, just the ones we assign to people.
That is such an important takeaway. I feel like people think it’s intrinsic, but it’s actually learned. How foreign to see that role reversal.
I love telling this story to the C-Level guys in my company. They are quite embarrassed and incredulous. This is how I felt all my life when I was expected to 'behave like a woman'.
I think the reactions of the men in our culture is the most telling part
For me it's funny because it leaves in the room an unspoken question: Shouldn't adult women also feel embarrassed because they are obliged to behave like that? And the guys are smart enough to catch it ;).
This is awesome. It's exactly this kind of organic interweaving of subject matter that makes this genre so powerful. And yes, the fuel is fascination.
It's my favourite thing about writing!
A really fascinating post, Claudia … as I was reading about your whale research, I remembered ‘Soundings’ by Doreen Cunningham, a gorgeous book about following grey whales.
Thanks, I never know if these behind-the-scenes post will be interesting for anyone 😅. The book sounds interesting, whales are mysterious and fascinating beings.
Sometimes we all overthink our words … the right words find the right people. Keep those words flowing.
Wow, Claudia, the breadth of your research is humbling. And yes, thank you for the reminder - the fascination and deep engagement start with us as the writer. I started a novel recently that fell flat partly because I wasn't excited enough to dive deep into the themes. In any case, a great article, thank you
Thanks so much, I get a lot of inspiration from reading stuff, especially for the details of the world. It could be said that it's a form of procrastination, but I want to be excited while I write and learning new stuff does the trick for me.
I must say that the only reason I hanged on to this secondary world for over a decade is because I was so excited about the themes and I kept on thinking about it and talking about it and adding new details. This excitement keeps me going despite the fact that writing fiction is so much work for so little external rewards.
I feel the same way. For my Robin Hood novels I filled notebook after notebook with details about the life cycle of trees and fungi and tonnes of research about Medieval times - too much research maybe, and only a fraction of it went into the books, but like you say it kept me intrigued and invested in this world that was taking shape. That's one of the great gifts of writing fiction: it requires you to never stop learning. I'm glad to have discovered your fictional world and am looking forward to exploring it more fully!
That sounds amazing and about right: so little of the research goes into the actual writing. But I have a feeling that it gives it so much soul.
Thank you, I'm also happy that you discovered my little fiction corner here and thanks for reaching out. Happy to connect!
On the topic of brain-machine interfacing and transhumanism, you might enjoy my novella, The Experiment Himself. The POV is a child's disembodied brain linked to the internet by a neuroscientist in the near future. https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Takim-Williams-ebook/dp/B0D27MZ8XV?dplnkId=41d42673-67d3-464c-b4f5-e4e92d9f307f
Can't do that yet because I have an upcoming story with a similar theme. I'll check it out after I publish the story.
Looking forward to your story!
Same here! 🙌
Okay, I'm going to wait until I've finished the series (sorry about the delay!) before I read this, but from the headline, I really thought you were wading into the US election. I don't know if you've heard the right-wing slogan, "Your body, my rights"? (Always spoken by a man, and now boys at an Escanaba Michigan high school, apparently.) Anyway, that was what I first thought of when I saw the headline.
It's a headline I had prepared before the US elections and I'm not American 😅. Plus, I'm not a political publication. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Sorry for being so slow getting to this properly, Claudia.
Very fascinating to take a peak behind what inspired and drove you to write Initiation. These are strong themes to be exploring.
Neuromancer and subsequent books did a lot to put transhumanism more into the SciFi mainstream, and with the TV series set to come out sometime next year (?) then I'm sure it'll be propelled further into the general mainstream.