Would You Like A Side Order of Misogyny, Prejudice, or Homophobia With That?

by | Aug 25, 2020 | Articles | 0 comments

I didn’t intentionally set out to write a new novel addressing the rampant intolerance, Islamophobia, and racism in America today. I really didn’t.

My novels always start with a character, or characters. Sometimes their actions get pretty hectic right out of the gate; other times, there’s more of a slow burn. But character is first and foremost, and I’ve even written a blog post on that subject. I’ll start new projects with snippets of dialogue, or interior monologue, belonging to an as-yet-undefined character.

Such was the genesis of my latest WIP—that’s Work-in-Progress for all you non-writers out there—a novel tentatively titled Hot Scenes. Before I had a title or even a theme, I had J. Edgar Schnatz, an obnoxious, fully-realized Hollywood director with a potty mouth and a truckload of politically incorrect opinions. In fact, I might more accurately say he had me. Well, he had my attention anyway.

 

It’s Still Annoying to Use the Word Zeitgeist, Right?

Okay, I won’t start this section off with it, but something in the air right now must have influenced me to move forward with Hot Scenes and J. Edgar’s unholy adventures. It’s ironic, too: prior to delving into the first and second chapters of the manuscript, I didn’t even have an opening. On the other hand, I had over twenty pages of a historical novel that’s like nothing I’ve ever done before. Somehow, that book would have to wait.

One of the weirdest things about writing a blog post discussing a WIP is I haven’t discussed it with anyone else. The only thing I’ve shared about this novel is some dialogue, which I read to an old college friend. (It’s hilarious…and yes, he laughed.) So I find myself in the awkward position of writing about something I don’t know much about, this developing novel.

Of course, I’ve mapped out a general plot line, and I’ve created some character sketches of people whose roles I don’t quite understand yet. I’m sure, as time goes on, more will be revealed. That’s the creative process.

 

Is One Theme Overarching?

I don’t have an answer to that question, although I have my suspicions. But I thought I’d throw it out there today as the theme to this week’s post—which is a day late, I know, owing to a little WordPress problem. And the question for you, the reader, is this: do you think one of our many cultural problems is most in need of being urgently addressed above the others?

Systemic racism, personal prejudices and bigotry, misogyny…these all play their parts in my upcoming novel. The trigger warning, if I were inclined to write such a thing, would be longer than most short stories. But is there one theme, above all others, you’d like to see addressed—no matter how painful it might be to read?

And there’s the rub, as it were. This novel is undoubtedly going to be filled with some of the ugliest human behavior around. Not physical violence, but violent language, rudeness, insensitivity to the sensibilities of any decent reader, really. That’s sort of the point. It’s satirical, and the characters’ bad behavior shows them in their truest, least flattering, light.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

collection

A Free Short Story Collection

Last week I wrote a bit about the upcoming Rides From Strangers short story collection, as I finally got the completed cover design. Today’s post is related, but with a little twist. As I mentioned a week ago, I’m offering this e-book free to anyone who joins the...
holidays

Happy Holidays from Mike Sahno – Author, Speaker, Publisher

I suppose I’m courting controversy right out of the gate just by using the phrase Happy Holidays. I get that. But I’m also pretty sure it won’t upset most of my readers! My wife Sunny and I would like to wish a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Solstice, Kwanzaa,...
stars

Working on Novels

This week I’m back to blogging about the love of my life – no, not my lovely wife, Sunny, although I must admit she’s the true love of my life. I mean I’m blogging about my fiction again. People know me for a few different things: author, speaker, publisher. And since...
cover design

The Importance of Cover Design and Interior Design for Novels

I think I could be forgiven for not being an expert on either cover or interior design. After all, I studied neither in college. So I hope I'll be forgiven by anyone thinking I have expertise in these subjects. Still, in a world where employers regularly place ads...

Cover Reveal: Rides From Strangers

Rides From Strangers is coming! Today’s post is a reminder about the upcoming publication of my new short story collection, which is indeed called Rides From Strangers, after the first story in the book. For those of you already on my email newsletter list, I will be...
cancel

Anyone Else Thinking about Canceling Cancel Culture?

Ordinarily, I’m on the side of the poor, the beaten-down, the marginalized. In short, the outsiders. But this week, what’s on my mind is something a little on the opposition side, or what I’d like to think of as the middle. Most everyone who knows me would describe me...
new author

Top 3 Suggestions for New Authors

Today is one of those days where I can't possibly get everything done that I was planning to get done. With a doctor's appointment coming up in an hour, I'm even more pressed for time to deliver my regular Monday blog post. So here's a little spin on what's typically...
annoying

Top 10 Most Annoying Words or Phrases for 2023

In 2018, I published a post called Top Ten Words or Phrases That Make You Cringe. I only included eight because they were so annoying. There was no need to torture readers with more.  Over these past few years, some of the worst offenders have fallen out of favor. And...
radio shows

Radio, Radio

Normally, when I've done radio shows, it's been related to promotion of a novel, or of my novels in general. This week, it's something completely different. (If you got the Monty Python reference, kudos. If not, Google them after you read this post. Then thank me in...

But What If I’m Sick?

Last month my wife and I went to Thailand for a two-week vacation. This was my first real vacation in over two years, and my wife Sunny’s first visit back to her family in her country of origin in even longer. So we really needed and, I think, deserved it. And...
self-promotion

What’s The Problem With Shameless Self-Promotion?

While I still find it somewhat hard to believe, I've been on Twitter for almost eight years. I know this not only because Twitter shows Joined March 2015 on my profile but also because, even if they eliminate that feature, I use a tracker called Who Unfollowed Me? If...
MLK

MLK Day 2023

Here’s wishing everyone a safe, sane Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For many of us, today is always something of a day of mourning: not only mourning the loss of a great civil rights leader, but also mourning the turn our great nation seemed to take in recent years....

Twitter Tips for Authors in 2023

If you follow my blog, you probably connected with me via Twitter, whether you’re a fellow author or not. In 2020, I wrote a post about Twitter for fellow writers that got a good response. Three years later, the landscape has changed, but some Twitter best practices...
rails

Going Off The Rails (But Not On A Crazy Train)

Last April, I wrote a blog post called Back on Track With a Work-In-Progress. Part of that post was to talk about the difference between a “plotter” and a “pantser” (and to describe myself as a hybrid of the two, a “plantser”). Another, less obvious motive, was to...
French

Those Tricky French Authors and Their Obsessions

Today’s blog post was originally going to be Write Whatever the @#$% You Want, Pt. III. However, after seeing parts I and II lined up, I decided to call an audible and make it something less repetitive. Somehow the SEO gods have gotten into my head. As I’ve mentioned...
scared

Write Whatever the @#$% You Want, Pt. II

In last week’s post, I mentioned a pretty well-known author who has publicly reported his publisher “wouldn’t touch” a new release, in part because a character in his novel referred to herself as “fat.” I heard this story on a podcast, and I remember thinking, “Wait...
censorship

Write Whatever the @#$% You Want

I’ve been stewing on this for a while. It’s been brewing for quite a while. I could probably write a song about it (how about a rap?), but I don’t think I will. This is more of a blog post topic, and it might even deserve a series. And that’s the title and topic of...
gratitude

Should Every Month Be Gratitude Month?

When I was a kid, I loved Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. I read it daily and collected nearly every paperback volume of the cartoon, so I could see what I’d missed since the comic strip’s inception in 1950.  Certain things stuck: quotes like “happiness is a warm puppy”...
robot

More Thoughts On Robot Writers and The Tech Dystopia

A couple of months ago, I wrote a blog post here called When Will the Robot Overlords Replace Us? Apparently, I’m fairly obsessed with this stuff, because every time I come here and empty my brain, it seems to come up again. Today is no different. Part of the reason,...