Can I vent here for a second?
So I get approached by this site to pitch column ideas. And they're even offering to pay me, etc.
They approached me and said, basically, "we looked around us and saw that we didn't have any female writers. So we are coming to you because we are looking for a column from a female perspective."
And so I initially thought, "well, fine. that's cool."
And from a marketing standpoint I simply knew they were looking for "Ms. Sassy Female's Female Comic Book Female Female Reviews Comic Book Grrl!"
And you know, I just didn't want to give them that pitch. I mean, I wanted the money and all. But there was just something inside me that resented it.
So I gave them a totally gender-neutral pitch, saying that while the views in the column would of course be from a female perspective (me being female), that's not what the focus would be on.
No dice. And why should it go over? If you have an entire slate of male writers, and you are approaching me because you want to fill that lone female slot (oh, is that a pun?), you damned well better get some estrogen, right?
No, approach me because I am a talented writer, because I kick ass with my writing. Because my writing can be, on occasion, witty. And if you don't feel that way, and you don't think I have the chops, don't $##$%@ approach me so I can be your token female!
You know, in my other industry (the one that pays me money), I get hired and retained based on the amount of hits and links I generate for my client. It's a veritable science. There are charts and numbers. And you know, I like that. I really, really do. Because my gender doesn't factor into it. My skills are what matter, the results I generate.
But I don't want to be a token female. You know how those action figure lines would have that one token female? And she would either be really butch or a total half-naked victim/princess? I don't want to be that action-figure.
Dudette, you go back there and beg them to give you a second chance! Let them give you money and in return you give them fiction! Yes, hone your fiction skills by writing those columns as if you're writing from a character you've created's perspective. Heck, use a fake name too so it won't sully your good name. If they are big enough dumbasses not to realize just your thoughts are good enough without any sort of gender bias applied then they deserve to be soaked. Give them titles like 'why can't men be sex objects too' and 'are comics too rough for a girly sensibility' and laugh your ass off as you cash their paycheck...
ReplyDeleteI cannot find an email link, so I'll mention it here. You might want to check out Randy Milholland's filler comic today (just the image, or the homepage).
ReplyDeleteSecond Rebecca's comment to check Randy Milholland's filler comic out. I was just over here to tell you about it myself. :)
ReplyDeleteDamn straight Val! Tokens are for subways and video games.
ReplyDeleteI find it extraordinarily fascinating when something like this happens. They approached you without even knowing a thing about you, didn't they?
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