So Cynthia, what else do you do?

I do have a "real job." I work in the financial sector in Toronto. In addition, I'm also an avid blogger. Some of you may know about my Shorty Stories site, which talks about being petite. Women under 5'4" (even if they are like me, of "normal" height - over 4'10") are one of the most ignored and most discriminated against sectors of society. And unlike short guys, few official documentaries have been made about us. I am also the webitor-in-chief of Prospere Magazine, a lifestyle/business blog for young women in their 20s and 30s, with career-related posts as well as fashion/beauty, food and event coverage. When it comes to fashion/beauty, it specializes in profiling up-and-coming designers. A new issue of Prospere Magazine is posted every other Tuesday.

First new post in a while - and another poll

So I haven't posted here in a while...I'm still here, though. I've been terribly busy working on my blogzine, Prospere Magazine. The third issue just launched this past Tuesday and as of April 1, it will go live every other week. Anyway, I'm probably going to start on my second novel pretty soon. I've been throwing myself a few ideas, but will probably stick to the chick lit genre.

Click Here if you can't see the poll

Also, I have a question for you:

Are the girls in Aspirations nothing but snooty rich girls?
	Yeah...and their lives are really unrealistic too.
	No. It's not like they do nothing but shop and party. Paris Hilton, they ain't.
	How are these girls "rich"? Upper middle class, yes, but NOT RICH.
	Nah...they seem like a bunch of regular 22 year olds to me.
	Other (please explain)
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My biggest fear....

People have asked me what my biggest fear is when it comes to my novel...

The answer is: Big studios (or maybe even small studios) ruining Aspirations because they want to make it suit what they believe audiences want. This probably means the girls will all be portrayed as spoiled brats. After all, that's how studios think children of successful parents are often portrayed in movies (think Gossip Girl) My bigger worry is that they don't know how to, or even refuse to make Elizabeth the way I've seen her. To the movie and television industry, a child of immigrants who is "very proper" just doesn't exist. They're supposed to be rebellious!

Article from the Toronto Star: Difficult for YOUNG Canadian writers

The Toronto Star's article about the difficulty of young Canadian writers to succeed is so true. In English class back in high school, I rarely read any Canadian book by authors other than the Two Margarets (Atwood and Laurence), Robertson Davies and Timothy Findley. We did have an authors' speaker series, which occured each spring, but they're usually an exception to the rule. In any case, many of the books were just plain...boring. The Powers That Be (TPTB), those who determine what is true Canadian literature, are usually older men, an old guard that really needs to think outside of the box.

From the article:

Setting is everything in Canadian fiction. Plots don't matter much. There are only a few plots anyway: recovering from historical or familial trauma through the healing power of whatever (most common); uncovering historical or family secrets and thereby achieving redemption (close second); coming of age (distant third place).

Does this mean I've fallen into that trap? Have the authors I dreaded in high school influenced me? Surely, I hope not! I'd like to think that Aspirations is different from your typical Canlit novel. I'd like to think that it isn't white bread boring. It's certainly not written the same way other "ethnic" writers typically present their novels. I don't even want to be seen as an "ethnic" writer, though I'm sure TPTB have put me there (hey TPTB, since when did "ethnic" writers talk about sororities and debutantes? Actually, since when did CANADIAN writers in general write about that kind of thing? It's something that southern belle writers or British writers might do...Canucks are supposed to talk about struggle!) Maybe we could blame the readers too. We seem to expect a certain standard out of Canadian writers. We expect Canadian writers to talk about small town life or struggle, if one lives in a big city (because the protagonist is overweight, a visible minority, gay, etc...) Anything otherwise is too British or too American (I've actually had someone ask me why Mel is a former deb and why Elizabeth WANTS to be like Mel...after all, Canada is supposed to be all about multiculturalism, right? Meaning, we aren't a "melting pot" like the US, and immigrants are supposed to "keep their culture" rather than assimilate. First of all, Reader, do we even KNOW that Aspirations is set in Canada? And second, maybe I don't intepret multiculturalism (whatever that means) like you, meaning I don't like putting people categories. This isn't Wal-Mart. This is a country.) But how do we change this? Can we change this? Do we even care?

An answer.....

In a reply to an earlier post, Miss Bivigou asked me why I decided to make Katie the protagonist in Aspirations rather than Elizabeth. I mean, the story DOES have "ethnicity" in it and talks about Elizabeth's issues (it's a major secondary plot), but it's still told from the POV of Katie. Should I have done that? Or should it have been swapped? At the time I was first writing the novel, I was a graduate student, studying the History of Education and writing my Major Research Paper (can't call it a thesis because it's not long enough. Theses are around 200 pages. This paper was more than half that) on middle and upper class women's education in the English speaking world. My research plays some part in the book. Again, it would not make too much sense for Elizabeth to be the central character if I wanted to apply this research from a historical (in the sense of family) point of view. Writers write what they know, and "women and accomplishment" was fresh in my mind at the time. I just decided to spin it around and modernize it. Also, Katie and her friends were suburban-raised young women, not different from how I grew up. I don't think writing about young, 20-something "uptown girls" is really writing "outside of the box" at all. In any case, if I made Elizabeth the central character, would it mean that the typical person of Chinese descent could relate to her? There is no one Chinese immigrant/child of immigrant experience. And in any case, the publishing industry, especially the industry up here in Canada, expect all immigrant or child of immigrant stories to be about struggle (and by "struggle," I mean "dirt poor, but will dig out of the dirt to make it" struggle), not a suburban raised woman who plays tennis at the country club.

Aspirations.....supposed to be a "refreshing" change

People have asked me why I bothered to write a book like Aspirations, and why my characters are the way they are. Simple answer: I wanted to be a little different. There aren't too many books out there where the protagonist is in her early 20s AND living with her parents. It's simply a reality for many these days. Someone recently posted in her blog that Katie, my main character, is "doesn't seem to be on a path to an exciting life." Well, do all fictional characters have to have an exciting life? Bridget Jones' life isn't 100% super exciting now, is it? What about Carrie Bradshaw? Hmmmmm....writing an advice column on relationships, shopping for shoes and chasing after a guy you can't ever have.......not really. And I did make my novel a little different. I didn't think I needed to bring this up again, but really, how many novels, television shows of movies have characters like Elizabeth? In the world of fiction (and often in real life, too), ethnic minorities are supposed to be poor or disadvantaged. If they are middle class or upper-middle-class, they are often portrayed as the middle class version of the nouveau-riche...you know, kind of like the stereotype of the Jewish American Princess, and they usually like their lifestyle. Rarely, would you see someone like Elizabeth. Sure, you might say that she's sort of social-climbery, but is she really, if she grew up in that lifestyle? Do you think writers don't really want to acknowledge this? Or, are many writers trying to dumb things down for the general public (I've noticed this in movies and television shows)? Or is the general public just umm...dumber today than twenty years ago? Katie, Elizabeth and the other girls are supposed to be suburban-raised, somewhat-sophisticated young women.

In the same blog, the original blogger indicated that she was "offended in fact by this 'don't "off" people at liberal-arts colleges creep you out?' underlined message you've put forth in that poll on your blog" (i.e. the previous blog entry) and asked "what the hell do you go to liberal-arts colleges for??" Well, personally, *I* went to a liberal arts school to get a good education. And I had to deal with people, both students and professors, who were "off" like that. Traditional views don't seem to be very welcome in many departments these days. I was hoping that this book would let the world see my point of view, and that because the book is slightly cleaner than most other chick lit novels (little sex, little swearing....trying to stay PGish) would be a welcome change, and clean enough for younger girls to read (i.e. this book is cleaner than Gossip Girl).

Aspirations Poll # 1- Katie's Crazy Classmates

Katie Hill has some crazy classmates like Tara and Kelly. Have there been people like that in any of your classes? How do you deal with them?
	Yes, I'm a liberal arts major and there are tons of "off" people. I just ignore them.
	Tons of "off" people in my class. I usually challenge their views.
	Most people in my class have similar views, so I really haven't had experiences like Katie's.
	School was a long time ago. I don't really remember much.
	I don't think Kelly and Tara are all that weird.
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Please Click Here for the poll should you not be able to see it on screen.