I'm posting this on my blog instead of the story comments because some of my readers would probably regard this post as a spoiler. I still won't be disclosing exactly what condition Taylor has. Any spoilers will be mild, but I know some readers don't want any author hints at all. If so this post is not for you. Also if you are reading my story and haven't read through Part 14 yet, then you'd probably consider this post a major spoiler.
Spoiler Alert! Readers of The Taylor Project beware
I just posted The Taylor Project - Part 14. When I did so, I added the 'Intersex' tagging to the story. I know that the 'Intersex' tag is a hot button for some readers, so I'd like to address why it is added to the story now and not earlier.
For my perspective this isn't any different from when I added the 'Gynecomastia' tag starting in part three. Before part three Scott didn't know he was growing breasts. Adding the 'Gynecomastia' tag would have been a spoiler. As soon as Scott became aware I added the tagging. I didn't even mention it when I added the tag because I didn't think it was controversial. On the other hand, the 'Intersex' tag is.
I think a large part of that is due to the intersex trope as distinct from the real world intersexed medical condition. In TG fiction there is a common intersex trope where the protagonist discovered they're intersexed, in fact a true hermaphrodite. While there is usually some mental stress involved after a minor surgery the protagonist to her true gender as a genetic female complete with working womb and ovaries.
I like some of these stories. In fact I'll give a shout out to Tiffany Shar's Bears Know Best as an example of this trope handled well. (Not to mention another protagonist named Taylor :-). However, in other cases I've felt a bit cheated and that the author handwaved a lot of the real world difficulties of transition. So I understand why some people roll their eyes and go 'Oh noes, not the intersexed trope again'.
So while it is a bit of spoiler let me state that I've added the 'Intersex' tag at this point in the story because it has been suggested that Taylor has Kleinfelter's Syndrome (XXY). I'm not confirming or denying whether Taylor has KS. Doc Buford has correctly identified KS as the most likely scenario as it happens in 1 in 500 males. That doesn't mean he's right. For that, read and find out. Regardless, Kleinfelter's Syndrome is an intersexed condition and that is why I've added the tag at this point in the story.
If I were to write a story that used the intersexed trope, be assured that I would have tagged the story as 'Intersex' on post one. I know people use tagging to select the stories they want to read and I'll also state that 'Chemical Induced Change' is truth in tagging. Taylor may or may not have an intersexed condition, but she would not be experiencing many of the changes she is experiencing now if she wasn't taking the mystery pills.
This isn't to say that I'll never use a red herring. I'm certainly capable of letting readers mislead themselves. However, I do apply Chekhov's Rule:
"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."
Comments
Good Post
I have a feeling I know where you're taking this story, and look forward to seeing it completed. I must confess I keep coming to the ends of each part and want the screen to keep scrolling down! I understand completely what you're saying about the intersexed cliche... Most of the time it's not what it is in fiction! I did a lot of research before I wrote Bears and in the end came up with a quasi possible truth that might have a 1:999,999,999,999,999,999,999,999 chance of occurring ;-). I just couldn't find something liked to explain things. KS being one of those that looks right on the surface of things, but side effects don't work. The truth is that any chromosomal abnormality generally is not going to result in a 'normal' person. There will be some tradeoff somewhere for it.
I think it all comes down to human nature to dream and hope that there is some possible way we could be ourselves.
I really am enjoying this story. I appreciated the fact that the drug Taylor is on still hasn't been revealed to a medical professional. I suspect that it's going to be a major malpractice moment when it does! Thanks again for sharing!
Good post
I love it
Love And Hugs Hanna
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Blessed Be
Free with facts
Speaking strictly for myself, I have been a little loose with my medical situations in my stories. I justify it to myself by saying that I'm not writing a medical textbook, I'm writing stories to (hopefully) entertain people. As such, the tropes are but a means to an end, a way to get from Pt. A to Pt. B smoothly. There is a story about one Star Trek (TOS) author who turned in six pages of incredibly detailed maneuvers to get the Enterprise out of Space Dock. It was replaced by one line from Kirk, "Take us out, Mr. Sulu". That's how I feel about most medical procedures in stories.
That said, there are some tags I do take very seriously. Things like Suicide, forced, most all stories tagged as having children or infants, brain washed, and the like.
In the end, you have to write your story in a way that pleases you. Then see to it that sufficient tags are used or warnings given that the reader isn't upset. Suddenly dropping rape into a story about two teens with no warning is very likely to get a response, for instance, if the story had previously been all sweetness and light. But you do what you gotta do as a writer. If I know what I'm getting into then it is my decision to read or not.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Well, it seems to me that
you are doing a great job. Have fun with the story.
May Your Light Forever Shine