Hijack of "Questions about a fictional virus"

[Dekan]

I'm in the outlining stages of a novel whose plot centers around a fictional virus with some specific features........

I plan for my main protagonist to be a female virologist with the CDC who is trying to understand and contain the virus in the early stages of its outbreak, though she and others of her team are ultimately unsuccessful. I could gloss the science over by picking a character who is more distant from it, but I'd prefer not to.....

 

It sounds like a good idea, in your novel - having a female virologist as the main protagonist. That's very politically correct. It gives your book a good start.

However, this good start seems spoiled, when you go on to say - "she and other members of her team are ultimately unsuccessful"

 

Such lack of success by the female-led team, is bound to evoke invidious sexist thoughts. But the thoughts can be ameliorated, by a modification of your novel. Along these lines -

Keep the central character female. That goes without saying. But - allow her to have a supporting male character, who will be her companion. Acting as a contrast to her brilliance. Like Dr Watson did to Sherlock Holmes.

But don't overstress the companion's masculinity. Make him manly. But with a hint of gayness. Not overtly, only suggestively. That way you'll get three benefits -

 

1. Women will be appeased

2. Straight men will be reassured

3. Gay men will be titillated

 

I think that's all you need to write your novel. You can get the Science from SFN.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Dekan

[For Prose]

 

It sounds like a good idea, in your novel - having a female virologist as the main protagonist. That's very politically correct. It gives your book a good start.

However, this good start seems spoiled, when you go on to say - "she and other members of her team are ultimately unsuccessful"

 

Such lack of success by the female-led team, is bound to evoke invidious sexist thoughts. But the thoughts can be ameliorated, by a modification of your novel. Along these lines -

Keep the central character female. That goes without saying. But - allow her to have a supporting male character, who will be her companion. Acting as a contrast to her brilliance. Like Dr Watson did to Sherlock Holmes.

But don't overstress the companion's masculinity. Make him manly. But with a hint of gayness. Not overtly, only suggestively. That way you'll get three benefits -

 

1. Women will be appeased

2. Straight men will be reassured

3. Gay men will be titillated

 

I think that's all you need to write your novel. You can get the Science from SFN.

 

And maybe, if you are truly intent on having them fail, have the supporting male character be either the cause or maybe that he was unable to accomplish something the virologist tasked him with.

[Dekan]

 

And maybe, if you are truly intent on having them fail, have the supporting male character be either the cause or maybe that he was unable to accomplish something the virologist tasked him with.

 

Yes, that's right. The male character should definitely be, in some way, inadequate. Also, the female virologist must be - how should one delicately phrase it - of a minority ethnic persuasion?

 

Put both those factors in the novel, and you got a best-seller. Plus movie-rights. Can't go wrong. Just write the book, ignore conscience, and collect the bucks.

[CharonY]

Considering that the vast majority of bestsellers and movies that I can think of have a white male lead, you may want to check the demographics again. The only female scientist lead in movies that does not require saving from a male lead that I can think off the top of my head is in "Contact".

 

But I think this is heavily off-topic.

[Dekan]

There is a lack of female scientists in movies. Why that should be, would be an interesting theme to explore.

 

You mention "Contact" - unfortunately that's not a film I've seen. I've been trying to think of TV productions where a woman was the central "scientific" character. I remember a TV adaptation of John Wyndham's "Dumb Martian" - which despite the name, depicts a very intelligent Martian woman. But that goes back to the 1960's.

 

The example that most springs to mind is the character "Jill Greeley". She was the computer programmer in Nigel Kneale's TV play "The Stone Tape" in 1972. She got to the bottom of the "Taskerlands" haunting.

 

I'd like to discuss all this further. But, as you say - it's heavily off-topic! So I won't derail the thread any more, and will leave it for now.