In which I explain the facts of genre writing life.

Salty on a Monday, and it’s not even 8:30 AM.

This is one of those things that sounds clever, until you unpack it. As somebody who's written a couple of these, I will deign to explain.

Middle age: in the genre, youth = incompetent.
Good shape: nobody wants to read three pages about how much it hurts to run upstairs. https://t.co/SUKm4ovgOM
— Ogiel (Moe Lane) (@Ogiel23) August 14, 2023

Always attractive to younger women: okay, that one is actually a problem sometimes. I mostly handle it by giving my hero age-appropriate romantic foils. Read his adventures here! With a third to follow probably next year.https://t.co/mEseMp2ZWv
— Ogiel (Moe Lane) (@Ogiel23) August 14, 2023

Note that there are exceptions to all of those, sure. But the conventions are there for a reason. Which is to sell books.

4 thoughts on “In which I explain the facts of genre writing life.”

mgarbowski says:

August 14, 2023 at 10:02 am

I don’t remember why but I have muted Zeitlin and this confirms my good judgment in doing so.
Luke says:

August 14, 2023 at 10:20 am

As someone who is out of shape, pretentious, unable to throw down, and unattractive to all women, he resents the lack of representation.
(Among protagonists. His attributes are extremely well represented amongst villains and comic relief characters. Usually not all at once, though.)

Very few people are going to spend their time hanging out with a character that’s unlikable.
In fiction, or in real life.
Rockphed says:

August 14, 2023 at 2:53 pm

Po from Kung-fu Panda was out of shape, bad with women (albeit we really only see him talk to one in the movie), and a coward. The movie is him getting the chance to change most of that.
Towering Barbarian says:

August 14, 2023 at 9:11 pm

“Attractive to younger women”. Writers identify with their heroes and upon occasion give their heroes qualities they themselves wish they had. Moreover, there *is* an element of Truth In Television to this. Many younger women are attracted to older men, many younger women are attracted to action heroes and a detective who works a lot of cases is going to run into all sorts of women and will encounter younger women of both sorts sooner or later.

There’s a bit of truth in television in the other requirements as well. For example, detectives aren’t selected for stupidity. The classical hardboiled detective is about as dumbed down as they can get and still be viable and a close examination of the genre shows that they aren’t very dumb either. If there’s going to be action then the ability to fight is a survival trait and natural selection works in favor of those who do it well and know when *not* to do it. And so on. It is the exceptions to this framework rather than those who adhere to it who would require explanation. 🙂

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