One of my pet peeves as a reader is the way labor and childbirth are depicted in fiction (anybody willing to guess why I’ve been thinking about that lately? *grin*). On one hand, you have the spectacular Hollywood labor, beginning with the woman’s water breaking dramatically in an upscale store, followed by a mad dash to the hospital, lots of screaming and cussing of the unfortunate spouse or partner, until baby makes its appearance. On the other, there’s the Fantasy Prologue birth in which an exhausted white-faced woman has just given birth to the Prophesied Child, whereupon she will quit life, leaving the midwife and the old sorcerer to figure out what to do with the kid. (And these women always labor in bed–something I have never been able to do. Hello, stand up and walk around, let gravity give you and the baby a helping hand!)
Neither of these two scenarios does justice to the range of emotions and experiences of labor and birth. That is a shame, because emotions can and do run high, there is pain and euphoria, laughter and intensity, tragedy and comedy and even mundaneness (picture me dressed in hospital gown and bedsocks, reading a book while in “labor”). Relationships are tested and connections forged in the shared experience. And then there are all those emotions when a mom holds her baby for the first time. There is so much story potential in this universal human experience, but it has been left largely unexplored in the lives of fantasy female protagonists.
But then, you don’t see too many fantasy female protagonists with children (children happen later once the character is retired from their leading role–apparently moms are not allowed to have any adventures) which is a rant for another time.
Now, your turn. What are your reader pet peeves?
I can understand where you are coming from on the labor front, but maybe one of the reasons that more time is not spent on it is because it is rarely–the actual labor, I mean–a focus of the story, at least I’ve never encountered it to be so. That being said, it still doesn’t excuse the writer from seeking out a bit of originality or a different angle. Another thing is that childbearing seems to be one of those things that it is hard to get right from a mother’s POV because the mothers who give their versions always say something different and they can be pretty argumentative if you try to say it can be another way. I know. I’ve gone there before with mothers. I’ve had mothers act like they know THE way birth goes and don’t you dare try to tell it differently. So the childless and the men will stick to what is considered safe just because it has been done, done, and done again.
But then, you don’t see too many fantasy female protagonists with children (children happen later once the character is retired from their leading role–apparently moms are not allowed to have any adventures) which is a rant for another time.
Srila, one of the POVs in my WIP, is a mother. 🙂
I know. I’ve gone there before with mothers. I’ve had mothers act like they know THE way birth goes and don’t you dare try to tell it differently. So the childless and the men will stick to what is considered safe just because it has been done, done, and done again.
That’s interesting, because as a mom of three, I KNOW that all labors and births are different. All of mine certainly have been, and I’ve read about and listened to enough birth stories to know that all women labor differently. Don’t let those other women boss you around. 😀
Srila, one of the POVs in my WIP, is a mother.
Good for you. 😀 I look forward to reading this story once you’re done!