One Perm Short

This is not about writing, this is about women in the workplace.

Episode 5 of Misaeng is a lovely and well constructed consolidation of what women face as salarymen, not just in South Korea.

It's a gorgeous portrayal, and should be observed.

OK, I write YA, so this is something I notice other people doing but don't do myself. When I saw the 'Male Gaze' used in Misaeng I wasn't sure if I was even going to write about it, but I figured it was worth at least a mention.

For those who may not know, Male Gaze from Wikipedia:

The male gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience into the perspective of a heterosexual man. It may linger over the curves of a woman's body, for instance.

The Young Yi character introduction includes a long series of 'Male Gaze' which included her figure enhanced, her make-up overdone, and her using her 'assets' to sell a product.

In the end the show attempts a reverse by showing that the person she was modeling for was, actually, a woman. But it undermines itself by having the men in the office drooling (or being anxious, but its purpose was clear).

There's a lot of discussion among the writerly types about the Prologue. A lot of people say don't use one. Others say use one, but make sure it's doing the right thing.

I say, if you use one, don't use examples from K-Drama.

There are essentially two kinds of K-Drama Prologues: 1) All the Children, 2) The Misdirect. Both of these are not the kinds of Prologues you should put into your own writing. I'll break them down.

Yesterday I had the strange opportunity to watch Tomorrow's Cantabile with my husband. He normally avoids all things drama related (despite having a deft hand at replicating the food, but I digress.)

As we were watching the show he asked me why the characters were being so over the top. And I explained to him that the personalities in these first two episodes have to last for the rest of the season.

It's vital that Cha Yoo Jin be remembered as a grumpy, obsessive, tyrant who wants to keep Nae Il at a distance, even when his character starts softening in the next few episodes.

It's key for us to think of Sul Nae Il as a quirky 4th Dimension character with absurd habits as we learn that those quirks and absurdities have valid psychological reasons.

Now, none of this may play out, it may stay paper thin, but when a drama is well done, this is what they do. They over emphasize the personality points they need you to associate with the characters so that you invest in their growth quickly.

There's a couple other more subtle good examples of this recently:

Kang Jin Goo's one sided love in Plus Nine Boys

Park Soo Kwang's Tourette's in It's Okay, It's Love

Kim Mi Young's Mousy ways in Fated to Love You

Each of these are different ways they over-emphasized a character's personality or quirk so that it stuck with you and you rooted for them, without their having to repeat the action too often so get you bored with it.

The same goes for writing, you have to repeat something three times in order for readers to identify the point with your character OR make the scene in which it happens so memorable that the character is locked in their brain.

No doubt, endings are hard, but when your giant mysteries and fundamental misunderstandings are wrapped up in a series of conversations, typically between two people who are only peripherally involved, that is not satisfying.

In trope terms that's known as "As you know, Bob" or Maid & Butlering. Just in general, don't do it. No one enjoys it nearly as much as a dramatic incident that exposes the solution.

There are several stories that use a woman trying (to varying degrees) to pass as a man as the key element of the story line.

Here's my starting list from what I've watched:

Coffee Prince

You're Beautiful

Sunkyunkwan Scandal

K-Pop Extreme Survival

To the Beautiful You

Nail Shop Paris

Now, if you've watched these you'll know that some of them have been more successful than others. The first three are magical, the last three... less so. 

My next book is going to be one of these Gender-Benders more along the lines of Sunkyunkwan Scandal than any of the others.

If you'll indulge me, I'm gonna start breaking down K-drama tropes and story lines from the perspective of a Western author since I'm actually trying to work these elements into my story.

No My Secret Hotel or Yoo-Na's Street this week.

Instead, spend time with your families just like your favorite personalities are doing.

I did not intend to fall in love with Plus Nine Boys. I gave the opening a chance this weekend when I realized it was the TvN replacement for my beloved Married, Not Dating. 

What went from a meh show to one that I was totally invested in was how it manipulated my emotions so fast and furiously. It's also the moment I knew that I'm pretty thoroughly steeped in K-Drama Tropes.

I am the sort who falls in love with the couples more than the characters. The relationship between the two is my crack, so you'll rarely find me behaving as an alt-shipper unless the writer has failed entirely.

So here's how they got me in one episode where it usually takes 3--4.