C.M. Chang's Blog

A rant: Young woman on roller skates

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Young woman on roller skates in the city park. A stranger on skates decides to follow and flirt, won’t leave her be. When he’s not looking, she hides, puts on her shoes, and makes a quick exit.

Young woman at work. A drunk customer comes in and flirts, then a former co-worker comes in to chat. Drunk man gets jealous, assaults the co-worker. Police arrive to take the drunkard away.

Young woman at school. The #metoo movement is the talk of the day. Male teacher says, “If only women would wear burkas, we wouldn’t have all these problems.”

Young woman walking on the shopping street. Strange man turns around and asks for her number, then finds out her age.

Young woman at work. Male customer tells her how beautiful she is, asks for her number, then finds out her age.

I am disgusted. I am enraged. I am afraid.

All of this happened to my teenage daughter. And I suspect it is only the tip of the iceberg. Will a guy one day be too drunk or too high to refuse a ‘no’? And if you’re wondering about her ‘work’, it’s at a neighbourhood grocery store.

With the #metoo movement, with the attention on microaggressions and bias, I was hoping society was finally learning to be, well, nicer. Then I hear about such toxic actions taking place so very close to my heart. What is wrong with our society? Why do men feel they have the right to give such unwanted, and frankly frightening, attention to young women?

I call out to fathers, brothers, grandfathers, male friends, boyfriends. Teach those losers! Set the example! Young women — support each other!

This sad reflection of society only makes me more determined to finish my new fantasy series, working title: FISH. (Yeah, it’s been taking me ages. Pfff…) The world of FISH is a matriarchal one where the gender roles have undergone a full 180 degrees. The women gawk at the men. The women have harems of ‘familymen’. The women control the money, the politics, and have the legal rights. And what about the men? They make themselves pretty, take care of the kids, clean the house, and are considered too emotional to handle serious matters. Sure, it’s exaggerated. But, is it really?

Ok, rant over.

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Published on January 13, 2023 12:20

Check out my latest interview for Fantasize! ‘The Role of the Woman: interview with Carolyn Chang’

Hell, all, fresh off the press! I was recently interviewed by a Dutch emag, Fantasize.

Fantasize Special – De rol van de vrouw: interview with Carolyn Chang (English) Don’t worry, it’s in English.

I had a lot of fun answering Ninja Paap-Luijten’s questions. In the interview you’ll read about some of my thoughts behind the current feminist science fantasy series I’m working on (working title, FISH), my thoughts on feminist SFF, and some feminist SFF book recommendations.

Hope you like it! I would love to hear from you, whatever your thoughts.

Best, C

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Published on May 15, 2022 11:23

Dear C. M. Chang #4: Oh, you’re a writer? I’ve always wanted to write a book.

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Dear C.M. Chang,

Whenever I mention I’m a writer, I can’t tell you how many times the person replied with: “Oh, you’re a writer? You know, I’ve always wanted to write a book too.” The way they say it makes it sound so trivial, as if it’s like deciding on a whim to buy a new pair of pants.

Am I the only writer who finds this annoying?

Maybe I’m over reacting,

F.N.A.

Dear F.N.A,

I get you. Buying a pair of pants takes like, what, an hour? Even less time if you order it online.

Serious writers know that writing a book is a huge commitment. It’s for marathon runners, not idiots who buy expensive sporting gear and decide to lose weight by jogging in place for 30 minutes on one occasion. It’s for those who are willing to put in the time and effort to be able to run 60 km in one go, taking it day by day, doing the research, outlining, writing shitty first drafts, editing, getting feedback, endless editing, and then one day — hopefully — getting an agent who will — again, hopefully — sell it to a publisher. It’s no wonder many writers never finish even a short story!

This person has no clue what they are talking about. Just smile benignly and say, “You should do it. It’s so much fun.” And then laugh behind their back because they have no idea.

Honestly yours,

C.M. Chang

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Published on January 03, 2022 02:58

Dear C. M. Chang #3: Why is that writer successful?

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I cannot believe this jack-ass of a writer I know is so successful. The metaphors he uses are as cliché as you can get, the plot lines are holy as Swiss cheese, and his story is as predictable as when my dog needs to poop. Yet he’s got an agent(s!), his books are getting translated into multiple languages, famous writers are giving reviews of his ARCs. If only his loyal readers knew that he was such a pompous ass in real life. I mean, come on! Does life have to be this unfair?

Finding this really sucky,

Y. I. M.

Dear Y.I.M.,

You are not alone here, and I’m afraid it’s something you’re going to have to get used to. Maybe this writer worked his ass off kissing every agent’s and publisher’s ass. Maybe his social media activity paid off.

Nonetheless, use your angry energy to fuel your own writing and your own career. Focus on being your best self as opposed to thinking about that crappy writer. Believe in yourself. Remember why you got into writing. Don’t give up!

Honestly yours,

C.M. Chang

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Published on December 20, 2021 12:12

Dear C. M. Chang #2: Waiting for my muse

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Photo by Plato Terentev on Pexels.com

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I cannot write unless my creative muse is with me. So many times I’m waiting and waiting until I feel inspired.

What am I doing wrong?

Inspirationless,

O. G.

Dear O. G.,

Are you living in Ancient Greece? The muses are a myth!

What you need to do is simple. Sit your ass down and start typing, writing, dictating — whatever your medium requires. Even if it’s garbage or doodling. The key is to be doing it!

Otherwise the hours, days, years will pass by and you’ll have nothing.

If you’re in first draft mode, music can help. Wine perhaps. But, maybe not when you’re editing.

Honestly yours,

C. M. Chang

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Published on December 05, 2021 07:50

Dear C. M. Chang #1: No time to read

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I’m a writer, but I have no time to read books. Work, writing, my attention-starved spouse, and my annoying little dog take up all my time. They say that writers should read, but who has the time? I don’t.

Sincerely,

I. Toobusy

Dear I. Toobusy,

This has gotta be one of the dumbest things I’ve heard a writer say.

If you were to repeat this, say, to an agent or publisher, they would probably consider it a big red flag stuck right in your eyeball. It’s like saying I’m a musician but I have no time to listen to music. Or I’m an actor and I have no time to watch movies.

How are you going to get better if you don’t know what’s out there?

How are you going to learn if you don’t read good examples of writing?

How are you going to recognize crap writing? (Yours probably, because you don’t read.)

No time?

When you’re sitting there waiting to see the dentist or for the train or in a long line at a shop, you’re probably looking at your phone. Get a reading app and read an ebook instead of playing Candy Crush.

If you’re a writer, you love reading. If you don’t… Omg.

Honestly yours,

C. M. Chang

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Published on November 27, 2021 08:14

Dear C. M. Chang…

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Dear C. M. Chang,

I’m a writer, but I have no time to read books. Work, writing, my attention-starved spouse, and my annoying little dog take up all my time. They say that writers should read, but who has the time? I don’t.

Sincerely,

I. Toobusy

Dear I. Toobusy,

This has gotta be like one of the dumbest things I’ve heard a writer say. If you were to repeat this, say, to an agent or publisher, they would probably consider it a big red flag stuck right in your eyeball. As a sister writer, I’d just shake my head and probably never speak to you again. It’s like saying I’m a musician but I have no time to listen to music. Or I’m an actor and I have no time to watch movies.

How are you going to get better if you don’t know what’s out there? How are you going to learn if you don’t read good examples of writing? How are you going to recognize crap writing? (Yours probably, because you don’t read.)

No time? When you’re sitting there waiting to see the dentist or for the train or in a long line at a shop, you’re probably looking at your phone. Get a reading app and read an ebook instead of playing Candy Crush.

If you’re a writer, you love reading. If you don’t… Omg. I have no words.

Honestly yours,

C. M. Chang

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Published on November 27, 2021 08:14

Luxury stress

Tomorrow marks a year of working from home. One would think that working from home would lend more time to personal pursuits. Totally the opposite! Work has been nuts. But I can’t complain. I have a job where I can work easily from home. I am healthy. My family is healthy I have a great home.

Yeah, it sucks not being able to see friends or my family overseas. It sucks not being able to go out out an eat, see movies, go shopping, see my colleagues in person. But it’s all what I call LUXURY STRESS.

I try to focus on what I have, because it could be a lot worse. I could be in a job where I am continuously exposed to C19. Or lose a job because it involves face-to-face contact with people. I could have C19. Someone in my family or close friends could have C19. I’ve been lucky. * knock on wood *

I’m not saying it’s easy for everyone. But I’m trying to focus on what is good. Otherwise I will be miserable.

Luxury stress. I’m fine with it.

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Published on March 14, 2021 04:45

Witches, Beer, and Toxic Male Culture

This story really intrigued me. Every wonder how witches with pointy hats got started? It connected with beer! It was a way for the female beer sellers to be easily identified at a market. So when the men decided they wanted a bigger cut of the action, they labeled these female beer sellers as witches, and the pointy hat became their symbol. Sad, yet fascinating. You can read more about it here.

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Published on March 14, 2021 04:34

Real Amazons kept both breasts

I’m always on the look out for articles and books on ancient feminist culture. I have recently started reading Adrienne Mayor’s ‘The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World’. Then just today I ran across this article in my Google News feed from National Geographic. A fun appetizer for her book.

If you’re interested to know what I’m reading, Friend or Follow me on Goodreads.

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Published on July 29, 2020 07:09