My truth is an uncompromising, individualist, feminist one. My protagonists are tough, professionally-qualified, competent women making successes of their lives. Bottom line : they don't believe in romance, and often not in the value of sex either. But this rejection of traditional "family values" and "sexiness" has not been welcomed by the so-called speculative fiction magazines that are supposed to examine different futures.
Yes, I speak my truth, and yes, that might well make my work unforgettable. But only if someone gets to read it. And in order to reach those readers in any numbers my stories need to pass the gatekeepers who edit the magazines.
I ask myself who they worry about. If the magazine has subscriptions, then I'd argue that its' subscribers are the main concern. If most of the people who pay to keep the magazine going are white and male, the editor is going to think twice before accepting a story that challenges their dominant world view, and maybe offends a few readers.
Anna Banness talks about "people who write very beautifully but have very little to say because they're afraid of exposing themselves." Yes, but we have to weigh this against the oft-given advice: write for the market.
Okay, so we never really know if the market will want our work until we submit it, but there's still a tension here. If the SF market is perceived as predominantly white men who think that sex is okay then there's very little chance of a woman writing about a world where women don't rate sex getting her stuff published. It's too much of a challenge to the status quo.
In the past I have been afraid to expose my real beliefs, my innermost thoughts. But no more. And if that means I have to wait a while longer until the world is ready to accept my world view, then so be it. I'm done with pulling my punches.
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