Thursday, April 16, 2015

N is for Nerd: A to Z blogging challenge


If you know me now, then it's not that surprising to you if I announce that I am a nerd. I'm not apologizing, just acknowledging. I'm comfortable with who I am now. But, like many a middle-aged nerd-girl, I spent my teenage and early adult years trying to hide my nerdy-ness.

Teenage Me, circa 1987ish
I tried to dress like an 80s pop princess (I was bad at it), even though I really wanted to wear Converse sneakers and ironic teeshirts with jeans. I pretended to be engaged by teenage romance novels, when really I wanted to read science fiction and fantasy. I pushed the comic books under the bed when my friends came over so I could pretend I was interested in hair and makeup.

I don't know who I thought I was fooling.

As a college student, an English major even, I was a victim of my own snobbery.  I was convinced that the books I enjoyed weren't capital L Literature, and tried hard to develop a taste for postmodern cautionary tales and experimental theater. The then-husband was a bit of a culture snob, too--though the chip on his shoulder originated in other ways.

I'm not sure when I stopped pretending to like things I didn't really like just because I thought I should like them.

What I really like are superhero stories. Not just for the powers, though those can be pretty awesome. No, it's more about that human element, that huge broad, dramatic canvas to explore issues that might otherwise seem mundane. I want an underdog to cheer for. I want a character who doesn't get it right the first time out, but you know they will eventually.

There are a lot of those stories out there, but, mostly, they're about men. So, I wrote Going Through the Change, a nerdy little superhero book for me and other women like me. Women who are fully grown up, with all the problems of adult life. Women with messy, real sorts of lives. And, of course, superpowers.

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This posting is part of the A to Z blogging challenge, in which bloggers undertake to post every day in April, excepting Sundays, which amounts to 26 postings, one for each letter of the alphabet--preferably along a theme. My postings will all be about my debut novel and my experiences writing it and seeing it published.

Blogging A to Z is a great opportunity to connect with some excellent bloggers and interesting people. I encourage you to check out other participating blogs, too!
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click the image to preorder on Amazon!



10 comments:

  1. Nerds FTW! Superheroes are brilliant :) I think I was lucky as a teenager since I had my twin and we were both into fantasy and sci-fi we never had to pretend to be anything else to fit in with the crowd.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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  2. Was in a similar situation in my youth. Now my nerd is free to roam. :)

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    1. I think it's better for my children. Geeky pursuits are more mainstream, and they are less likely to find ridicule for them.

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  3. Great post!
    Don't think I ever was, or am now, a nerd, but I have children and grandchildren who are and I love it!

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    1. I'm glad to hear that the nerds in your life have your support and love.

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  4. My beautiful fifteen year old daughter, embraces her nerdiness in wonderful, free wheeling ways.

    I gave up a long time ago caring what anyone thought of me or what popular culture thought was right. "It's my thing, I do what I want to do. They can't tell me, who to sock it to."
    Visit me at: Life & Faith in Caneyhead
    I am Ensign B of Tremps' Troops
    with the A to Z Challenge

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    1. It took me a little while to get there, but now I'm like Popeye. I yam what I yam.

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  5. I grew up very nerdy...my classmates called me Xerox and Computer (this was in the 70s). For a long time I felt bad about who I was, but now I am grateful! I am proud to be smart and tech savvy. Though I will say, when I gave up on Literature, I found fun with women's contemporary fiction, and those are my go-to escape books. I never saw that coming!

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    1. It definitely helps to tech savvy in the 2010s! And us nerdy girls have a leg up on that now.

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