I love/hate science fiction.

[featherynscale]

So, I'm reading this book called Mockymen. It's not a good book. Let's leave aside for the moment the fact that the author took all that writing advice about showing, not telling, and decided it was so much crap. Let's also leave aside the fact that it appears to have plot enough for several unrelated novels, all jammed together in one short book (this feat largely being accomplished by taking out all the motivation and most of the transition between plot points).

Aside from that stuff, what I don't like about this book is that the main character (so far) is female, and the (apparently male) author has decided that it will make her a more realistic female character if she thinks about having a baby, and when would be the right time to have a baby, and why she and her partner haven't had a baby, and so on, about once every three pages.

Now, as you might be aware if you know me, or even if you read my journal regularly, I gave up trying to be female when I realized that a) it was sort of a crap game, and b) I was never going to be any good at it anyway. So I'm willing to believe that it's possible that women really do constantly think about having babies, and that's normal for the population. Therefore, I'm seeking further data. If you're a female-type person with female-type biology (or you used to be and/or used to have same), please enlighten me by making the clicky on the poll, below.

[Poll #1095206]

Comments

[druidevo.livejournal.com]

I clicked the last one just so I could see what the results are, or rather will be since I'm the second to take the poll.

[duriyah.livejournal.com]

If people didn’t keep asking me if I was planning to have children the thought would never cross my mind. Ever. I'm just not wired for kids.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

You know you can click "Submit poll" without checking anything, right?

Also, this'd be a fun poll to do for male-type creatures, too. I bet the answers among FNS's social circle would be largely undifferentiated by gender.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

I thought about it more while I was actually having babies. Not so much anymore. I think sometimes about whether I should have had another child, though. Thing is, the system is shutting down now. It's just not my time for that anymore. I admit to being a little wistful about that. I'm not sure whether it's the actual babies or the evidence of aging.

Shoulda made that left turn at Albuquerque...

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

Without ovaries, it's still a very regular thought for me. Especially when I've noticed that those with sense enough to pause to think if they 'should' breed are greatly outnumbered by people who aren't bright enough to realize they did breed. I wish more people who would make good families (like you and yours) decided to do so, so the grandkids I hope to have one day aren't surrounded and outnumbered only by the grandkids of those who did breed.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Thank you for vetting this for me. His other stuff looks equally weird/incoherent, so I believe I'll be taking a pass....

Aha. He also writes Warhammer 40K novels (which is not a black mark in and of itself, but does sort of illustrate a degree of variability in his quality, I'm thinking). Also, I'm thinking of discarding the Prix Apollo as a standard of quality. Fuckin' French.

[lightonthesill.livejournal.com]

I chose at least once a month... and keep in mind I know we don't intend to have any more children biologically.

I have 6 friends who are pregnant...basically, if I think of them... the thought runs through my head too about having another one...even though there is no intended follow through.

Go figure.

[project-becky.livejournal.com]

I have ovaries, but they are closed for business. Picture my ovaries as a dilapitdated building in a down at the heels ghetto 'hood where no innocent sperm or eggs would ever meet for a tryst.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I tried to add another poll to this post, but alas, LJ thwarts me.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I mean, it's pretty obvious from the frontispiece that it's not going to be great literature, but this is bad even for a book about Nazis.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Same here.

[ysathora.livejournal.com]

This is a loaded question for me, because it is most definitely NOT the right time. Nor do I have any inkling of when the right time would be. That doesn't mean that the idea doesn't appeal to me on some level. I just happen to know better :)

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

How many in FNS's social circle differentiate themselves by gender?

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

That's a really disturbing image, actually. Brings a whole new level to the "running a sewer through a playground" analogy...

Re: Shoulda made that left turn at Albuquerque...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

See, in theory, I'm all for that. Clever, reasonable people should have babies, and ignorant, fanatical people shouldn't. Where it breaks down is that I can't in any way, shape or form, hack the idea of having a baby at all. I mean, if I were pregnant and unable to terminate the pregnancy, I'd shoot myself in the head. I would want to live through cancer, AIDS, nuclear holocaust, zombie apocalypse, whatever, but if I had to have a baby, I would shoot myself in the head. I don't even own a gun. This probably lets me out of the clever and reasonable camp, though, which means I'm not obligated.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Most, I think. Not all, certainly, but most.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. :)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

But how often does that thought process happen? There's no requirement in the question for you to even make a decision about whether or not the time is now, just that the question is asked in your brain.

[project-becky.livejournal.com]

I also have PCOS, and Jim has a vasectomy. If I get pregnant be looking for a northstar and guys on camels.

sense

[rfunk.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of when I was in a bookstore recently and saw the title "Pregnancy For Dummies".

[ysathora.livejournal.com]

In that case, I can answer.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

They're gonna have a hard time getting the camels through the bayou. Maybe you could have three guys on airboats?

[project-becky.livejournal.com]

Three guys on Nutria!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

I clicked the last one even though I'm not a male-type person. But with only one working ovary, being menopausal and not so good at directions, I still thought it was my best answer.

Re: Shoulda made that left turn at Albuquerque...

[lexpendragon.livejournal.com]

I don't know about that. You certainly seem to have genes I would want to see passed on, irrational phobia's aside.