“When the well is dry, for me, it’s usually more about attitude than inspiration or lack of inspiration. It seems to me so much of writing is about courage, writing something so raw you don’t want to say it aloud. That’s how I felt writing unmotherly thoughts in my first novel, and feel now writing about desperation in my second. The key to moving forward is breaking through whatever is holding me back, which is usually being a Good Girl, lined up in a multigenerational kick line with Good Daughter and Good Mother. I need to remind myself that being the mother of five in the suburbs might mean being responsible and routinized in a million small ways, but it doesn’t have to define me to the core.
The antidote is being a badass in some small way, like sitting up on our pitched roof at night, or listening to ‘Jane Says’ in the elementary-school car line. I have three leather bracelets, black and grey bands that wind around my right forearm, and when I put them on it feels like channeling superpowers. It’s important to find a small way to go off the reservation, even in the car line. Especially in the car line.”
–Nichole Bernier, author of The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. (Crown, 2012)
If someone called you a badass writer would you take it as a compliment or would you be offended? Badass writers are everywhere.
I can’t say I’ve ever considered myself a badass writer, but I like what she has to say. Writing is about courage, especially memoir writing. If we stay in Good Girl, Good Daughter and Good Mother roles (or Good Boy, Good Son and Good Father roles for that matter) we won’t write anything REAL. With that in mind, I am going to practice being a badass this week. I’m not sure what that will look like, but I think I’ll go for it. What about you? How can you practice being a badass writer? Maybe we can do it together.
I don’t know, Susan….I feel so often that I am the badass and keep stuff stirred up around me….constantly in a struggle to quiet the ego driven mind….would love to know how your badass week progressed???!!!! Love, Diana
Hi Diana,
I hear what you’re saying, and sometimes I feel like I don’t stir up enough! I am way too nice, even when I don’t feel like it. Truth is, I don’t even know how to begin to be a badass. Perhaps I need to claim this part of myself. Or maybe you could give me lessons?!?
xo
Susan
Hello Susan,
this post made me smile. I’ve just completed a short story for a writing competition. The theme is revenge and, oh, did I enjoy having my character do what I would love to do myself.
Happy bad-assing!
Celia
Hi Celia,
I like that the post made you smile. I am much more comfortable being a fictional badass than a badass in real life. Good luck with your short story!
By the way, I can’t say that I’ve ever had anyone wish me, “Happy bad-assing!” Thanks so much for that. I am the one smiling now. 🙂
Susan
You talkin’ to me…You talking to–ME?
(That’s being a badass.)
Oh my, I’ve got a long way to go then.
But I guess the character of Johnny Monroe in The Secret Sense of Wildflower was a bit of a badass, so maybe I’m not as bad off as I think. At least I can write BA. 😉
Thanks for stopping by, John. Always great to hear from you.
Great conversation going on over at Writer’s Hangout on Linked-In. I’ll cut and paste some of it here:
Comments
Rainbow Reed
Writer
Not really I think suffering and lots of life experiences helps too
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Ara Baliozian
writer
Top Contributor
in the eyes of the establishment, yes!!!!!
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Celia Smith
Writer, blogger, winelover at celiamicklefield.com
I’ve posted a reply on your website Susan, but I suppose I’ll go ahead and share it here, too. This post made me smile. I’ve just completed a short story for a writing competition. The theme is revenge and I so enjoyed having my character do what I’d love to do myself.
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Susan Gabriel
Acclaimed Author of the novel The Secret Sense of Wildflower and Professional Freelance Editor
I like Celia’s idea of putting our “badass” into fictional characters. It makes it easier on our families, at least. Great comments, all!
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Fred. Scheurer
TECHNICAL WRITER at BOEING
Hello Susan:
I have recently, more than once, been referred to as a badass. I was just wondering about your definition of a badass.
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Tim Grayson
Copy editor, researcher, and writer. Administrative Assistant.
I agree with Rainbow. I’m a bit bored by badass characters. I’m more concerned about in flawed personalities attempting to be honest about their realities. They could be badass, but that just makes writing easier, in my opinion. Conflict resolution and plot is about attempting to overcome, not necessarily succeeding at it.
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Susan Gabriel
Acclaimed Author of the novel The Secret Sense of Wildflower and Professional Freelance Editor
Hi Fred,
Honestly, I have no idea what a badass is. I’m pretty sure I’m not one, so that was what intrigued me. I think of it as someone who is willing to break the rules. I’m not that great as a rule-breaking, although I take a lot of risks with my writing. I agree with Tim and Rainbow, too. We are all flawed. An honest, flawed character is much more compelling than a one-sided badass. My two cents. Never thought I’d ever use that many badasses in a comment.:)
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Fred. Scheurer
TECHNICAL WRITER at BOEING
Hi Susan:
Thanks for lthe comeback. I let my hair grow long and spoke of a motorcycle and a tattoo. That si when i was then referred to as a baddass. i don’t think i am one either, but as far as i know, no one has ever been awarded the Congressional Metal of Honor for following all the rules. Some times I am somewhat rebelious about the rules when something needs to get done. I don’t think that is being a “BA”. The popular community and I seem to think in different channels and at different levels. Thanks again for the comeback – gotta work now on some tech writing..
Jan Douglas Miller
Writer. Retired trial lawyer.
Top Contributor
The characters are the characters, so a writer should let them “be” however it is they “be” , and the writer must permit a character’s development to evolve consistent to the particular story, badass or otherwise, but always flawed, conflicted and striving.
It’s the author that must be the badass and write to honesty rather than to be “liked”. So many great stories, it seems to me, suffer from an obvious authorial intent to be popular herself and to write popular characters with happy, sappy predictable endings. It’s a matter of taste, of course, but my taste is for novels that strive toward honest endings rather than happy, likable ones.
Here’s more from Linked-In. Great conversation going on over there.
Jeannette LeSure
Writer/artist at consultant and free lancer
I think it’s also true that we want to avoid the appearance of being a “badass” by sticking ONLY to the ugly of our lives or a characters’ life. I think this holds true for modern memoir-writing as well as for novels. When I was very small, in the ’50s, there was a book called What Happened’ Next. Someone had written little sequels to fairy tales–rather than “they lived happily ever after.” I don’t know why I was so drawn to that, but it seems to have been a theme for me.
I struggle as I work through writing my own memoir to find the balance, to focus as much on what happened AFTER the horrors, how they worked FOR my life, not just against it. And the gifts that were given to cope with them. It is easy to just focus on how I OVERCAME, and I WAS STRONG and, well, me me me me I I I. I am drawn to novels and to memoirs that reach beyond the “badass” in the classic sense of the word. That biker renegade. Sometimes it takes bravery to focus on where I needed the help and help was given, the parts where I was a survivor of it all and, in some ways, thrived, because perhaps I was–heaven forbid–LUCKY. I had the neighbor, the place of refuge, the wonderful sister and OTHER brother, the times when my mother was beautifully and magically sober. SO many gifts that have nothing whatever to do with my being strong.
I love that idea of being honest as being truly badass, whether in fiction or creative non-fiction. Memoir, novel, biography… What a cool question to think about. Thank you, Susan.
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E.VAn Johnson
Lecturer/Creative writing/ Author/ Journalist
THe nice thing about being a writer is you can be a real bastard, even commit murder and get away with it. Something you should not be able to do in real life.
You can give your characters traits you admire or despise. They can be rich or poor, generous to a fault or a miserly swine.
The world is your oyster, go and create it.
Gook Luck,
EVJ
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Kitty Bergeron
Member at The indiePENdents.org
It depends what the writer is striving for and also what definition one uses when saying bad-ass. I have a natural inclination toward the dark side, and in order to get a fully-developed character, there needs to be more than sugary goodness. I suppose one must discover what works best for them and their comfort levels.
-Kitty
ON BEING SMART
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If we are smart, why is it that
some of our ablest men
(Zohrab, Siamanto, Sevak)
could not decipher the writing on the wall?
*
Understanding is useless
if we cannot understand
that which we must understand.
*’
Between reality and propaganda,
choose reality.
*
The ideal dupes of propaganda
are functional illiterates.
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