Homework #5, Kate Kosel

I finally realized I should be posting my homework here in the speculative section because I write sci-fi/fantasy, not simply fiction. That said, I don’t yet have a website or a real tribe with which to interact, but another writing workshop I took a while ago resulted in a lengthy, in-depth analysis of my most likely reader.

Unlike finding my real-life Timothy, which is advocated here, I still believe that the avatar is a good description of who the real person would be. The significantly abbreviated version is:

A (likely) younger female drawn to strong female protagonists who have a clear moral code that burns brightly within them. Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and there will be a form of judgment done by someone someday.

They are intelligent, inquisitive, and curious about the world around them, and reading sci-fi/fantasy books is their primary means of expanding their world toward farther horizons. They read for both mental stimulation and escape and love to learn about the lore of other worlds, people, etc.

Their greatest fears are not belonging and not being enough, so they read stories that show how other people who feel like them overcame their challenges and made their mark on the world, even when they did not think they could succeed at first. They are looking for love, not the romantic kind, but the “found family” kind, where they are valued for who they have proven themselves to be.

While the age range suggested for this group of women was 18-35 (much younger than I am), I can still see a lot of my younger self in the avatar… and even some now, although age and experience have brought a lot more confidence with them.

I found answering the questions from today’s homework interesting when I answered in ways I did not expect to. For example:

●        What is, in your opinion, the world’s greatest need? (Everyone’s will be different).

The world’s greatest need today is selflessness, but not in a “Pollyanna” fashion. I mean in the intentional “agape” sense. Greed and selfishness underlie so many of the world’s problems. If people were less concerned about themselves and more concerned about others, a great many unfortunate situations would improve significantly.

●        What is your greatest joy?

Being found truly useful by others and being valued for the kind of person I have worked hard to make myself into over the course of my life.

●        How do they intersect in your life right now?

I am a systems analyst/programmer/problem solver at work. Within the last few weeks, my boss told me that he had looked around the office and could not find one other person he would trust to do what I do for him/them. That was the greatest praise I could have received.

Another exercise: List your three favorite movies. (Don’t think about it; just list them.)

Aliens, Terminator, The Mummy (okay, Serenity (Firefly) makes four)

Now look over your list. What is the common thread in all three?

Aside from telling good stories, they all have smart, competent women who are placed in difficult, even life-threatening, situations and use their brains and courage to solve their challenges… even though they might not think they are capable of doing that at first.

That common thread is typically your passion colliding with the world’s greatest need. And that collision is where your tribe is hanging out.

I hope the above is true, and this truly is my tribe, because I have been writing for those people for quite a while now.