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. Here’s what we talk about: Words and descriptions to avoid when describing womenWords and description to deeply consider before using themGendered words to avoid or consider when writing about womenThe ridiculous misconceptions there are about the female body and how to describe the body and bodily functions rightHow the (male) author’s Point of View can skew descriptions and characterizations of female charactersMaking sure your own POV won’t get in the way of your female characters’ POVsSome final thoughts about the “strong female character” and how we should expand our definition of “strong” And here are the (re)sources we 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_627e8906e4b0eb0f0711cb80Tweet by Sabrinafon about her ex boyfriend’s beliefs about periods: https://twitter.com/Sabrinafon/status/1521981744668454913Alice 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.htmlBethany’s Editing Your Novel's Structure: Tips, Tricks, and Checklists to Get You From Start to Finish: https://theartandscienceofwords.com/new-book-for-authors/ This week’s episode page can be found here: https://representationmatters.art/2022/06/30/s3e3 Subscribe to our newsletter here and get out Doing Diversity in Writing Toolkit, including our Calm the F*ck Down Checklist and Cultural Appropriation Checklist: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r3p6g8 As always, we’d love for you to join the conversation by filling out our questionnaires. Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Writer Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/UUEbeEvxsdwk1kuy5 Our Doing Diversity in Writing – Reader Questionnaire can be filled in at https://forms.gle/gTAg4qrvaCPtqVJ36 Website: https://representationmatters.art Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doingdiversityinwriting YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHfIaeylIgbAWVy3E66lmw
