Why I Write – Chuck Wendig Challenge

Hey all,

Chuck Wendig recently posted a challenge on his blog. http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/07/24/todays-flash-fiction-writing-challenge-is-not-about-fiction/

 

(If you’re not following his blog, you should do so.)

 

He asks a very simple question. “Why do you write?” To this I say, “Challenge accepted.”

 

Did you ever see something whether in movies, television, or books where you thought to yourself. I can do better than that. Well maybe you don’t if you’re not competitive but I am and I studied Television Production. When I see a commercial on TV that’s the wrong resolution and is a letter boxed, pillar boxed rectangle on my big screen TV, I get pissed off.

 

I look to the poor unfortunate soul sharing a couch with me and say, “Someone got paid thousands of dollars to do a sh** job that I could have done better.”

 

Now, I’m not an angry dude. In fact, I’m quite jovial. Unfortunately, that goes out the window whenever I see something done improperly.

 

In this case, my beef was with the portrayal of female characters in media. Or if you want to get really specific, Wonder Woman and female super heroes.

 

Everyone knows that female characters in film, comic books, and television are usually relegated to the support role. You’ll never see Storm without the X-Men, Batgirl without Batman, and you definitely won’t see Wonder Woman without a male hero in the lead. (This is excluding that 2009 animated Wonder Woman movie which I’ll cover in a sec.)

 

Our female heroines never get the chance to truly shine in the spotlight. They either become damsels in distress, romantic love interests, or die to motivate a male character. There are exceptions to this rule but generally women are arm candy for the bigger, more heroic male heroes.

 

This bothers me, but what bothers me more is the fact that people don’t realize Wonder Woman is also arm candy.

 

I won’t lie, I hate Wonder Woman (as a character). This is a personal preference but I think the whole concept behind the character is corny, out of date, and lacks the human element that makes her relatable. She’s supposed to be a female power fantasy and yet still somehow ends up in the shadows of Batman and Superman. (As of this writing, she is Superman’s girlfriend.)

 

In 2009 the Wonder Woman animated movie came out. It finally treated Wonder Woman with dignity and respect, right? Right? Wrong. Case and point, when Wonder Woman’s mother gives Diana her diplomat clothes to greet other countries, it’s a bustier and star spangled panties. Everyone knows that as soon as Wonder Woman takes flight her boobs would fly also. Story wise, Wonder Woman doesn’t make sense either. Why does she have an invisible jet after being outcast from the world for hundreds of years? Give me a break. This character is in serious need of an update.

 

However, it’s not just Wonder Woman who has a problem with a skimpy outfit. Look at Starfire and Emma Frost, wtf is up with running around in a bikini as a superhero? No, eff this standard that the comic book publishers have impressed upon their female audience. I don’t believe that female characters should always be drawn with massive breasts, ass hanging out, and an impossibly thin waist that no one could achieve.

 

That’s when I decided to stop bitching and start writing.

 

I write because I want to change the perception of the female heroine.

 

Whether she has super powers or not, I want to have an impact on society and force the big companies to treat their heroines with respect. Enough with these G-String costumes, the flawless always beautiful looks, and unrealistic proportions that cause girls to stick their fingers down their throats.

 

ENOUGH WITH THE OBJECTIFYING!

 

I may not be a woman but I have a mother, a sister, and a girlfriend. They are each beautiful in their own way and I can’t help but scold my girlfriend for wanting botox in her face or wanting to fry off her freckles. SHE’S PERFECT THE WAY SHE IS AND I WISH SOCIETY WOULD STOP TELLING HER OTHERWISE!

 

So I f-ing wrote about it. I created a female superheroine that suffers from body image issues, has bulimia, makes mistakes, drives the plot, and is most importantly… not arm candy. I want to see female protagonists that are the stars of the show like She-Ra, Jem and the Holograms, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many more deserving characters.

 

It wasn’t until after I wrote my book that things took an unexpected turn.

 

I realized that I had more stories in me that I had not planned on writing. For some reason, I dreamt an idea of a paranormal detective investigating the death of his wife whom everyone says never existed; a boy who lives on a beach who falls in love with the wrong girl; a successful relationship doctor struggling to save his marriage; a female vampire who goes on a journey to recover the relics of Dracula; a woman who becomes an elite CIA assassin and has to stand out in a old boys’ club . . .

 

This deluge of ideas changed everything. I thought I just wanted to change the paradigm of female superheroes but that wasn’t enough for me. I found out that I desired to excite, entertain, and connect on an emotional level through words. I want to create that one story which inspires a person to email me and say, “Your book changed my life when I was going through a tough time.” To have that one profound quote that shows up on the list of, “Most powerful quotes in literature.”

 

I want to connect to people the way other authors have connected to me. I want to make my girlfriend cry from reading something so beautiful that she’s overwhelmed with emotion.

 

But most importantly. I want to write because I’m a storyteller.

Wilmar Luna

Wilmar Luna

Couldn't be a superhero in real life so he decided to write his own. When he's not creating empowered female characters he can be found watching films, reading books, and playing lots of video games. Buy his books here: https://www.thesilverninja.com/purchase/