A character in the making

[annathepiper]

I don’t know who this character is yet, but she’s been lurking in my brain for a while now as I’ve thought about how to do an urban fantasy with an overweight woman as the heroine. I don’t even have a name for her, or any real idea yet of what her story is. But these words wanted out of my brain tonight nonetheless.

Right off the bat, the first thought that pops into someone’s head when they see me is oh god, a fat psychic. Not that anybody ever actually says that, but they don’t need to. I can see it in the way eyes go wide and then flick a glance up and down my frame, as if expecting that a woman of what we shall charitably refer to as “size”, a woman who also claims paranormal abilities, isn’t dressed more outrageously–as if perhaps I should be swathed in a leopard-print caftan, with an artfully arranged fruit basket on my head.

Also, hello? Psychic. In my case, that packs a double whammy. I get visions, but I get people’s thoughts too. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, those I meet don’t need to say a word to convey their doubts about me. I can pick them fresh and piping hot right out of their brains. I swear, it’s enough to drive a girl into the warm, loving company of the nearest chocolate cake.

All of which is why, when a man came into my shop on a Thursday afternoon and broadcast not the slightest hint of disdain for either my body type or what the colorfully painted sign by the door proclaimed I could do, I was absolutely thunderstruck.

I’ll see what else I can figure out about her later.

Mirrored from angelakorrati.com.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm! Man, that's got "dark and stormy night" beat with a stick! More? :)

[annathepiper]

I'll see what I can do. :)

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

i'd leave out the chocolate cake bit. not that i, person of not much size, haven't had similar thoughts, but as an intro it makes one think "oh yeah fat people take comfort from food" and that's really not true, just another stereotype.

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

And people wonder why psychics drink. :-)

[annathepiper]

Good point! I think that line came out with less overt sarcasm than I intended to put there; this chick is very, very aware of such stereotypes and I suspect she'll snark on them frequently if this story comes together. I'll think about how to reword it.

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

There's a lot to explore about how someone with those abilities can't take refuge in the usual denial mechanisms. She'd either embark on a radical program of diet and exercise, become comfortable with (or maybe just quietly resigned to) what she is, or go crazy.

There were probably many early instances of her exploding at someone who thought something particularly unkind.

[annathepiper]

Oh, if I pursue this girl's story, she's already definitely trying to compensate for her weight by exercising as she can--but it's still not working. Because, speaking as a woman who's walked regularly for most of her adult life and yet has had weight issues, sometimes "regular exercise" doesn't automatically mean you're going to be thin.

I could also see a situation where, if there are multiple stories about her, she'd eventually be in enough physical danger that she would have to start learning how to physically defend herself. Which would of course mean more intensive exercise, and probable weight loss. But I don't want her to ever be what most people would consider 'thin'. I'd ideally want her to get to a point where she'd be in very good health, strong and able to defend herself if she needs to, yet still significantly heavier than society keeps screeching at women to be.

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I am dying to read that book...

[annathepiper]

Heh, thanks! I need to figure out exactly what this woman's story is. If it progresses to the point of being an actual book, that'd be nice. Been toying with it just because of the glut of butch ass-kicking babes in urban fantasy--and a comment as well that someone made on Smart Bitches about how they'd love to see an overweight woman in a starring role.

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

Well, if it isn't a whole book but is a short story, there's still 12 days until the deadline for "Trafficking in Magic"--if you feel so inclined. So far I don't think we've had any fortune-teller stories, even though that was one of the topics mentioned in the call for submissions.

The overweight-character-in-starring-role angle is part of why I like it (something recently got me to thinking how characters on TV are so often so much thinner than their real-life counterparts would be), but really, what I love about this character is the richness (and snarkiness) of her voice. And the way you pull off a "client-walks-in" opening that sounds nothing like the faux-noir stuff I've been griping about in the "what we don't need" posts.

[annathepiper]

Your anthology, actually, is one of the reasons I'm toying with a short version of this story if I can write it in time. :) I'll let you know!

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

Kewl!