Last week, I was driving to work, half-listening to a story on NPR when the reporter said something that made me laugh aloud.
“Heather, while drawn to writing about zombies, is normal-looking.”
The story was about a soon-to-be college graduate and aspiring fantasy writer who’s having trouble finding a job because she’s an English major. And that’s news? Actually, I wasn’t thinking much about that irony. Instead I couldn’t stop thinking about the offhanded description of the English major. The reporter’s implication, intentional or not, is that people who write fantasy stories must somehow be as bizarre as their bizarre interests. A college student who writes about zombies and doesn’t have cystic acne or a severe overbite? No headgear? Quick, Susan Stamberg, get me a microphone! We must document this rare beast!
