So you hear about stereotypes

Now, this isn't necessarily about my writing, but I think it's interesting to discuss nonetheless. As a woman who could easily describe herself as a tentatively recovering hair dye addict, I've seen first hand how people's attitudes toward a woman change depending on her hair color. It's probably something most people aren't aware that they do, but it's been interesting to observe. In my personal experience:

• When my hair was blond (seen here), I was constantly described as "bubbly" or "enthusiastic." Some people stopped trying to hold intellectual conversations with me, and some went so far as to presume I didn't have knowledge on a subject without so much as asking. I was also called "superficial" a couple of times.
• When my hair was brunette (as it is naturally), it seemed almost as if the vocabulary of those around me increased by a full syllable. I was more likely to be described as "insightful" or "smart" during this time.
• When my hair is black (as it is now), I've been described as more "emotional" than rational, even if the nature of my attempt at a discussion is no different than it was when I was a brunette. I've also been told I'm "dark" by nature. It's also interesting to note that with black hair people seem to perceive my skin as being darker, despite there being no real change since I last dyed it.
• When my hair was red (as it is often), I find myself more likely to be described as "passionate" or "fiery," and when holding a discussion I tend to be told more often that I'm overreacting. I'm also described as being "impulsive." 
• When my hair was an unnatural color like blue or purple (I don't have a photo available for this apparently), I was often called "rebellious" and assumed to be artistic.

These sound like stereotypical descriptions of people based on hair color, sure, but I can attest that this was really something I observed. And I'm the same person! It's not like transitioning from blond to black makes me a different person sitting behind this keyboard, drinking my pumpkin spice tea. Yet, in all honesty, how I'm treated changes drastically.

Why am I writing about this, you ask? I feel like it makes a point about how people judge based on appearance - especially in women. In most "women's interest" magazines, there's the constant attention to the question of what hair color men prefer! According to this article from askmen.com, when men were polled on hair color in women, "the brunette was rated the highest for not only attractiveness but also intelligence." A conclusion based entirely on looks, yes? And it's not like the media perpetuates the stereotypes of the ditzy blond, the fiery redhead, the intellectual but attractive brunette, the black-haired outcast, or the free spirit with strangely colored hair.

These stereotypes, of course, are presented as related to a Caucasian woman; I have little personal experience relating to the stereotypes in correlation with other races. There are several stereotypes about the women of other races, including "Asian and nerdy," the "sassy black woman," and the "spicy Latina." I wouldn't feel comfortable addressing those in depth without a great deal of research, as I haven't personally lived through them, but to see the effects of racial issues as presented by the media I highly recommend racebending.com.

The important thing to remember is that these stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. A person's appearance does not dictate a person's personality. And this of course applies to more than hair color, and to more than woman. A man or woman's hair color, eye color, skin color, facial features, and weight do not influence what kind of person he or she is. Being muscle-bound and black doesn't make a man dangerous. Being stick thin and pretty doesn't make a woman conceited. Wearing a turban and having darker skin doesn't make a man a terrorist. Having blue eyes and blond hair doesn't make a person a Neo-Nazi. Having tattoos doesn't make a person a criminal.

A person is a person is a person. It's really that simple. If you don't believe any of these ideas are a problem, I challenge all of you to go about your day with some of these stereotypes in the back of your mind - as you walk around a grocery store, as you watch TV, as you read a book or magazine. I think you'll be surprised by what you notice.

Some small details about Chasing Falsities.

Nothing plot revealing here, just some fun facts to tide everyone over!

•  Chasing Falsities is an indirect sequel to Chasing Faith, following Faith's cousin Cheyenne a few years after the first book's events.
• There are cameos from at least three characters from Chasing Faith, of varying importance to the plot.
• All of the last names in Chasing Falsities are pulled from my favorite book, The Great Gatsby. This rule doesn't apply to cameo characters from Chasing Faith, however.
• I may have decided on one of the character's names because I thought Cheyenne and Pepper sounded an awful lot like cayenne pepper, and it amused me.
• Maddox's name means "little fortunate one," but his luck is far from fortunate.
• Pepper's appearance is loosely based on an article I read years ago about a pair of black parents who had twin daughters, one of which was white, blond, and blue-eyed. This result can apparently have three basic causes - albinism, a genetic mutation, or a white ancestor. The latter is the explanation for Pepper's situation. 
• Chasing Falsities contains more cursing than Chasing Faith due to some focus on bullying.
• Aakif, Aisha, and Kareem Ismay are Islamic and Arabic siblings, raised by a single father.
• Some of the events from Chasing Faith carry over into the plot of Chasing Falsities.

That's just a little bit of information I can provide without being too revealing. I'm roughly 28,00 words into the story so far, so stay tuned!

The balancing act that is real life.

As of late my life has seemed somewhat full. Work, housework, friends, pets, and my marriage have been taking a lot of my time, and the rest has been filled with planning for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (I like to be ahead of the game, thank you). When the hustle and bustle finally wears down, all I want is to curl up on the couch with my husband and do something that doesn't really involve thinking.

What's a writer to do?

My answer: I keep a handy dandy notebook and a pen on my person at all times. It's the best idea I've had. Whether I'm at work or at home or stopped at a red light, I can always jot down little inspirations and ideas whenever they strike me.

A peek at what's in that notebook right now:

• A list of names I liked that I overheard while working
• The phrase "valley of ashes" from The Great Gatsby
• Bits of song lyrics I heard on the radio
• A small grocery list (not everything can be inspirational)
• "Write something with herons."

 Obviously it's not all gold, but when I have little time to just sit down with my words, every little bit helps.

Getting into a character's skin.

I'm going to start this post out with a link to the Racebending website. It's dedicated to highlighting racial inequality in media and what changes should be made to make equality a reality in the entertainment industry.

Now then. It's recently come to my attention (it wasn't pointed out to me, but I noticed it myself, rather) that some of my stories could be considered "whitewashed," or lacking in racial diversity.

My best explanation is that I don't consciously think about it. When I think back to my friends from high school, it never registered that I had an African-American friend or a variety of Asian friends. They were my friends. It was that simple. Even when I had to describe them to someone, it usually sounded something like, "Oh, she's about 5'7" with black hair, skinny, with a pretty face and sort of smaller eyes...oh, and I guess she's Asian." After high school, my white friends were actually in the minority. Then I married into an Asian family. I have no excuse for the lack of diversity in my writing considering the diversity I've been surrounded with for most of my life.

When I was writing Chasing Faith, it never even occurred to me. Admittedly, I have a favored look for my female protagonists - small stature, sort of pale, with black or reddish hair, and with green or hazel eyes. Most of my protagonists fit that bill at least somewhat, and Faith is no exception. However, I don't know why most of the other characters wound up being white. I think it was laziness, honestly. Blond hair and blue eyes? Not much need to describe further.

Of course, part of reading is in interpretation. Even some of those who read The Hunger Games were surprised (or even outraged) to find out that a few notable characters were black in the movie, despite being described that way (or ambiguously) in the book. Often times, readers imagine what they'd prefer. In Chasing Faith, Consuelo and her siblings were explicitly described as Peruvian; however, Raven and her family were implied to be at least partially Hispanic. Did anyone pick up on that? I don't know. I imagined Drake as African-American as I wrote him. Did he come off that way? I don't know. I'd be interested in feedback on that.

In my new project, I've been focusing a bit more on diversity. One problem I'm facing thus far is that every single last name is pulled from a book written about the upper-class lifestyle in the 1920s...and as such all of the book's characters were white. It's making things a tad bit frustrating because, to me, the names don't seem to match.

Then there's the question of what extent I should pull in cultural references (and thus do immense research for fear of getting it wrong), or if I should make the characters more "Americanized." This is the problem I'm facing when writing the trio of Arabic siblings. It would be wonderful to reference Islam in ways that aren't a stereotype - for instance, having the sister choose to wear a shayla or hijab as part of her faith, rather than having it viewed as an oppressive restriction. But then, what if I get everything wrong?

I think I'm reading far too much into this right now. Faith in myself and I can deliver, right? Anyways, here's a sneak peek at some of the character descriptions for my current novel, which is what got me thinking about this to begin with. Hope the payoff was worth the rant.

Maddox Buchanan: Half-Hispanic (Mom), half-white (Dad). Less dark than his older brother, Markus, since he spends less time outside. Often bullied.
Kareem Ismay: Arabic. Mom left the family years before. Older brother Aakif is a bully (see above), and younger sister Aisha holds more to their faith than the boys. 
Pepper Gatz: Both parents are African-American, but since Mom's grandpa was white Pepper got a throwback gene and appears to be white, with light skin, brown eyes, and chocolate brown hair. Still marks race as African-American. Less favored by her parents than twin sisters Shanda and Chantal, who actually look like their parents.
Holly Quinn: White, but fake-and-bakes. Light brown hair and blue eyes. The not-so-nice girlfriend of Kareem. Her brother Hector is blond with blue eyes, and isn't so nice either.
???: I can't tell you everything!

Homophobia is gay.

As some of you may know, I've been working on a "super secret project" since last week, and, while I'm not about to tell anyone what it is quite yet, I'm going to announce one of the major issues it confronts: homosexuality.

Or, more accurately, homophobia. Because homosexuality isn't an issue.

Why did I choose this theme? For one, I owe it to my friends and family, no matter their sexual orientation. Chances are that somebody in their life is gay, and what they face shouldn't be swept under the rug. Furthermore, it seems that many people remain willfully ignorant about homophobia and the effects it can have.

How many people are aware of the connection between self-mutilation, suicide, and sexual orientation? Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths are four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peer. Why is this? There is of course confusion with themselves, but quite often it is due to the rejection of their families or the bullying and ridicule they face from their peers. In 2009, notably, there was a large number of LGBTQ suicides that made headlines throughout America. The problem hasn't disappeared.

On a related note, what of the violence against homosexuals? In some cultures, homosexuality is punishable by death. People from those cultures who emigrate elsewhere often take those values with them nonetheless; if someone in their family is outed as homosexual, they may take that punishment into their own hands. Sometimes it is a matter of family pride and shame. Others, and probably more often, the violence is perpetrated by outsiders - homophobic people threatened or horrified by the idea of homosexuality enough to assault, rape, or murder. Some women on the Project Unbreakable website report their rapists saying "Now you're not a lesbian" after the assault - they took it upon themselves to change them. Likewise, men can be raped as well, and women can be rapists. It goes both ways.

I know the concepts of rape, murder, and homophobic violence often make people uncomfortable. That's exactly why I write about them. You should be uncomfortable knowing these problems exist in the world. I write to tell a story, sure, but there are real problems at the heart of it all. I can only hope my readers see that and take it to heart - maybe they'll be the ones to come up with a solution.

A little social networking never hurt anyone, right?

I've wasted many hours of my day today setting up my authors' pages. Why? Because you have to get your name out there somehow, right? You can now find me on Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Now leaving the world of the internet and entering the world of writing.

I've been a bit busy looking for a day job as of late, but I'm happy to say I've been finding more time for writing again. All the projects in progress used to have titles, but in my revising and rewriting I've decided to scrap all of them, so bear with me.

Number one is a short story about an alternate universe in which women are sold into slavery on a police-supported black market. I really enjoy this story, and it may evolve into a novel if I have anything to say about it.

Number two is a novel about relationships and how they influence the life of a person. It contains a great deal of father-daughter drama, alcoholism, and other traumas and events that can change someone forever.

Number three is a fantasy novel. I can't say much more as of yet, but I'm extremely excited about it.

I'm also currently writing poetry and pulling my current poems together with the thought of publishing a poetry volume in the future.

My freshman novel, Chasing Faith, is still on sale for both the Kindle and Nook.

That pretty much covers the general information. Future posts will be more specific, I promise.