Author
Things are strange right now in the human world but Nature still moves forward. If you can get to a park or other outdoor spot, go for a walk today and look for new growth. Listen to the birds chirping. Enjoy the greater hours of daylight that are about to begin. Remind yourself that nothing lasts forever.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and healthy Spring (or Autumn, for those in the Southern Hemisphere) ♥
Some writers work for money. Some work for the sake of the art. But if there’s one thing just about all writers expect in return for their work, it’s credit. Unfortunately, this basic acknowledgement of a person’s contribution to the world isn’t always accorded to women.
The French writer Colette’s first husband, after encouraging her to pursue writing, went ahead and took credit for her work. At one point, when she refused to write more stories for him, he locked her in a room with nothing but a typewriter. Although Colette eventually divorced him and got back credit (after his death) for her popular Claudine series, her husband owned the copyright and she never saw a dime from the books, the stage adaptation, or the extensive Claudine-themed merchandise.
“Anonymous,” a published author, recounts how at a meeting in Hollywood with actors and a showrunner (all male), her story was casually taken, altered just enough, and used for their own benefit without consideration or credit to her. They profited while she got nothing for her work. She is now forced to write as Anonymous because her ex-husband, also a writer, has been violent and is a threat.
Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), has a reputation as a free-spirited (some would say wild) flapper who ended up “crazy.” As it happens, she was also a promising writer whose celebrated husband stole entire passages of her work, letters, and diaries to use in his own novels (he also helped himself to his friends’ words and experiences, and accused Zelda of writing about their marriage in her book before he could do the same in his). He may have spread rumours that she was mentally unfit and likely intentionally pushed her to a nervous breakdown. Today Zelda’s writing is hardly known, while F. Scott’s is required reading.
Sadly, these are only three examples of women not getting the credit they’re due. Throughout history women’s work– writing, as well as every other kind– has been diminished, ignored, sometimes destroyed. Men take credit for it without hesitation, as famously happened with scientist Rosalind Franklin. The women who create get buried and forgotten. On this International Women’s Day, take a moment to think of all the women throughout the centuries who have had their legacies taken by men who felt entitled to their credit.
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Further Reading
The Life of French Writer Colette
Colette Only Shows a Sliver of Colette’s Eventual Love Life– Here’s the Rest
The First Flapper: Zelda Fitzgerald
#ThanksforTyping: the women behind famous male writers
16 Brilliant Women from History Who Got No Credit for Their Groundbreaking Work
11 Overlooked Women From History
Smashwords’ 11th Annual Read An Ebook Sale ends tonight. It’s your last chance to get Love Lies Bleeding for only $1.50 (Tooth & Claw and Blood Magic are FREE).
3. Support hard-working authors by buying, reading, and reviewing their books.
2. Love Lies Bleeding has great reviews. Check them out here, here, and here.
1. Where else can you be entertained for hours for only $1.50?
Get Love Lies Bleeding here.
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
Smashwords’ 11th Annual Read An Ebook Sale is now live! Get Love Lies Bleeding for only $1.50 (Tooth & Claw and Blood Magic are FREE).
3. Support hard-working authors by buying, reading, and reviewing their books.
2. Love Lies Bleeding has great reviews. Check them out here, here, and here.
1. Where else can you be entertained for hours for only $1.50?
Get Love Lies Bleeding here.
Sale ends March 7th.
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
This challenge was posted by Annelise Driscoll.
1. Copy and paste the questions into a blog post.
2. Answer the questions.
3. Leave a link to your post in the comments section below!
Bonus! You don’t have to be an indie author to do this challenge. All writerly types are welcome!
City, all the way, especially in a city like Toronto, where we have tons of trees, green space, and wildlife– it’s the best of both worlds (my only complaint/regret is how few stars you can see at night because of all the light pollution).
Right now it’s the couch with my laptop, but anywhere comfortable and quiet will do.
My writing is fuelled by iced coffees and matcha lattes.
Silence. I’m too easily distracted by anything else (and the rhythm of music throws off the rhythm of my writing).
Probably Pinterest. But I can’t procrastinate too long before my anxiety starts ramping up and I have to write or edit to shut it up.
At the moment it looks like a bunch of pieces, unfortunately. It seems to have been broken in the last move and I haven’t wanted to unwrap and look at it to find out for sure. Since we’re about to move again, it’s time I finally face it and figure out what to do next (anyone know a good carpenter?)
Fiction is arranged alphabetically by author and then book title (although I will keep series in order, rather than sorting by title). Non-fiction is arranged by topic/genre and then alphabetically by title. Boring, but it’s easy to find what you want.
I decided to go indie when I realized that being well known is more important to traditional publishers than being a good writer.
I’ve read some good ones, and I enjoy dedicating my books, so I’m all for them.
It would be disappointing if I said anything other than vampire, wouldn’t it? Luckily that’s always been my monster of choice. Although vengeful spirit is not without its charm…
How about you? What kind of monster would you want to be? Share your answer to this or any of the other questions in the comments…
Cheers,
Aspasía S. Bissas
