Babel Clash

Jaye and I’ve been going back and forth about humor, heroism, vulnerability, et cetera, and I really couldn’t think of anything to add, especially after Jaye’s great latest post. To be honest, I was a bit stuck. Then I went back to square one, and began thinking about what else I think makes my Jane a bit different, as a heroine.

When I wrote Jane, I was playing with an idea that really attracted me. This idea was inspired by two things: the fact that Jane’s part selkie (a mythological creature that can be quite hedonistic), and the fact that I was a little tired of reading about women who were Much Better People than I am.

The idea in question was that of my favorite vice: Greed.

I am a very greedy girl, on a number of levels. When I like something, I want lots of it. Whatever it is, I want to roll around in it, immerse myself in it, have it till I can’t take any more. And then I want something else.

It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but neither am I ashamed. In fact, I think it’s a facet of my personality that’s at the root of some of my greatest strengths as well as a few of my greatest weaknesses. But it’s there, and I know I’m not the only one who shares a similar vice.

That said, the women in books tend to be so…good. They say no, and they say no, and they say no, until they don’t say no. But by that time, whatever it is they want (whether it’s a man, a lifestyle choice, a new job, a new adventure) has been proven to be so throughly good for them that it’s lost a little bit of the sinfulness I, for one, like lacing my indulgences.

So when I was thinking what kind of heroine I wanted to write, to shake things up a bit, I thought about writing an unrepentantly hedonistic female character. A female character who doesn’t apologize for her lust for pleasures of all sorts, or, better yet, a character who’s really never even considered apologizing.

The idea of such a woman fit in well with the selkie myths. All in all, and except for the risk of clubbing, seals seem to have a pretty good time rolling around the waves and carousing on beaches. Add in the fae element, with selkie men and women (especially the men) known for doing more than their fair share of seducing the mortals, and I had the makings of a very unapologetically sensual character.

From these ideas sprang Jane. She’s gonna eat carbs. She’s gonna have that one last drink. She’s not gonna have to be in love to have sex. And she’s definitely, definitely going to let herself have a wee moan when she really enjoys something, even if it’s not entirely appropriate.

For me, it makes Jane fun to write, because I like people who like stuff, and I love seeing other people enjoy things. We live in a weird world where everything is so abundant, and yet so bland; we have so many opportunities, yet we’re taught to fear our own capacity for pleasure. Jane’s my little black-eyed answer to such first-world demons. And I love writing her pleasure.

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