No matter how much time has passed and how many drafts later I am, it still hurts getting negative feedback on "White Tiger."
How I look forward to seeing my latest reviewer flip out when the pages disappear and there's no ending...
I think I kept my story on fictionpress so I'd have proof in that one author tried to get rich off my story... just as a bit of insurance, but it really isn't fair to be on full display when I know I'm not at my best...
Nonetheless I still feel a little self-conscious about it.
;sigh:
I'm self-conscious about a LOT of things.
But after reading and hearing some encouraging words from Zooey Deschanel, my looks might be one thing I'll be less worried about in the future.
Supposedly she wrote a letter to Vogue when she was 17, stating how they should use their platform to promote beauty instead of giving girls a picture of what "ideal beauty" should be. And saying something to the effect that girls need all the confidence they can get.
***
Having that to think about, I really hope that my story isn't construed from the wrong perspective...
It isn't as if I'm promoting or okaying prostitution as an occupation or lifestyle.
My thoughts on the subject is that life is hard and they shouldn't be reprimanded or thought of as second-class citizens.
Now, that thought pattern might not go for everyone in that business. I'm just saying that they shouldn't automatically be looked down on for living life as they do.
Why am I taking it upon myself to send that message?
I'm not entirely sure.
It's not as if I knew anyone in those shoes or I saw a movie specifically about that.
"Suckerpunch" is something I'm drawing influence from, but it isn't a direct homage..
The idea started with music. Seeing choreography to some energetic music.
Kinda putting my love of dance, my imagination when I listen to music.
Then it became about women being comfortable with their bodies and flaunting their sexuality. And building on that, it was about overcoming less than pleasant circumstances to become stronger individuals.
Gaining confidence in themselves and feeling empowered in making people happy entertaining with their varying routines.
I guess the way Talia tells it, anyone with an open mind would believe as she does.
I listed a couple of the big questions I wanted to answer about her and came up with an interesting one.
If she got so bent out of shape after what her stepfather put her family through, why does she dismiss the thought of him from her mind... yet she still hangs onto the beliefs he bestowed on her over the years...
you'd think after such a betrayal that anything he said to her would have no hold over her.
He spent all those years having her believe he loved her and what they had was perfectly all right. How she was gullible enough to believe he loved her and their relationship (physical and otherwise) was perfectly okay?
The main difference between her story and the Rasmusen twins (Scarlet & Ruby) is that her stepfather seduced her. He didn't force her into anything, he manipulated her and had her believing everything he said.
Hmm... maybe the Montiels caught up to him and rubbed him out because he'd done it a few times before...
make a family fall in love with him, take them for suckers money-wise and move on... only one of those times, he did it to someone in their family... perhaps someone whose money went into the business... either that or Talia helps out because she sees its in dire straits.
I'll have to take that done for future reference...
given their mob-like mentality, it does make a lot of sense...
I hadn't had any thoughts about Talia for a while, but the few times I had, it's me wondering why the story is about her :-P
But after listening to some Nelly Furtado, I had a few thoughts about her motivation behind why she turned to this type of business.
Then after coming to those conclusions, what did Carmen (soon to be Amber) and Scarlet think of her?
I see Scarlet being in awe of her (much the way Emilia will be when the actual story takes off), admiring her attitude about how she turned things around for herself, and wanting to follow her example.
Carmen spent a long time (not sure how long yet, whether it's a few months or years) trying to improve Scarlet's morale, but Talia somehow turns it around quickly.
She just happens to be the right person... at least that's what my thoughts are at the moment.
Carmen leaves that life and name behind under the impression Talia bewitched her best friend away from her the way she had with Alejandro...
also, after hearing her reasoning behind why she's in this business, Amber thinks she's a bit of an idiot for dealing with it the way she has.
Which brings me to the "great reveal" in Amber's life... why she truly hates the idea of prostitution.
Originally, I thought it was because she was assaulted regularly at the group home where she grew up. But her hatred stems from the fact it ruined her mom's life.
I will leave it at that. I've given too much away already.
I have this whole plot line set up where Emilia is victimized because Amber encouraged her into the risqué part of the business.
Now, the story is that Amber didn't mean for it to get as out-of-hand as it got... just that she wanted to make a point to prove to Talia that the business has its dangers and shouldn't be approached as half-hearted as she believes she does.
So I guess the message I'm sending is that I'm against the business to a certain extent. It just shouldn't be a fallback position for a long-term commitment because you don't know what might result and the list of regrets aren't worthy having to go through.
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