Author:
Blog About:
This blog expresses curiousity. It's NOT a complaint
Just wondering what makes the music business such a fertile field for the authors here when it comes to young prodigies.
This blog is based entirely on my memory, which is fallible, and I have certainly missed many stories. However, my impression is that the frequency of stories about a young M2F person making a splash in music as a performer is much higher than other fields with the possible exception of modelling.
I have seen stories about young M2F detectives, dancers, actors, authors, sportspersons, the odd business tycoon and visaual artist ... but only one case of each or a very few. I can't remember any Dolly Howser M.D., Joan von Neumann, Srinagarindra Ramanujan, Shelley Cooper, or for that matter Anakine Skywalker.
Since no field appears to attract as much interest as music I'm genuinely interested in learning why.
Comments
Music and
I think Detectives are well represented. But definitely more stories of musicians/theatre/and their ilk. There do seem to be more TG folks in theatre...just from personal experience. But I think writers and musicians go together. In my other interest group, horror fiction, many of the writers have also made careers in music. More than I would expect.
Music popularity
I think if you rub it down to the primer, it's basically wish fulfillment. I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying most readers here are already interested in stories where the protagonist goes from being a drab male to an attractive and desirable female. Then add that almost everyone wants to be a rock star into the mix and you have a compelling story.
Common stories on this site.
There are many stories on this site about cheerleaders, to the point that some people are sick of them. (That's OK, I'll read them for you. I love cheerleader stories.) There are lots of summer camp stories. Lots of music stories. (Hey. Cindy at Music Camp covers both. https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/book-page/77686/cindy-music-camp ). A fair amount involve dance as well.
I think there are a huge number of stories involving high school children. But my thinking that may be due to my seeking out such stories on this site.
There are also a massive number of stories here about the military and law enforcement. I think this is because many of the very best and most prolific authors here have or had a career in these fields. I particularly enjoy these stories too, much to my surprise. These authors are GOOD!!!
Talent
The music industry has advantages storywise. It is glamorous, it is protean (having many shapes), it is meritorious (talent and hard work are very valuable). Theater, modeling and sports are similarly profiled and you see a lot of those as story settings, too. It's almost mechanical, the story elements are very inviting.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Let's Start At the Very Beginning
Do - Re - Mi. . ..
Sorry, Bru, not one of my over one hundred tales involved a rock star.
Although, my all time favorite BC story is No Half Measures by Jenny Walker.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
What the world (of Young Adult TG fiction) needs is...
I do love a good cheerleader, summer camp or girl-band story
with an MtF protagonist, but this blog got me contemplating things
I haven't seen in young adult transgender fiction,
and this popped into my head:
A transgender schoolgirl gunslinger in the American Old West!
She could wear a Lone Ranger mask and live a double life;
be all peaches & cream and apple on the teacher's desk,
then taking down the bad guys as her vigilante altar ego,
maybe because the sheriff is incompetent, drunk, on the take
or all three...
She'd definitely need a trusted sidekick of some sort,
Maybe a girl she stuck up for who was being bullied
for being a "half-breed", remembering all too well what it's
like to be picked on for being different (since in the last town
our heroine and her mom lived in she wasn't living as a girl full time yet...)
and she and Halfbreed Sally could be PG-13 lesbian sweethearts.
Maybe the Eerie Saloon stories have one somewhere
but this wouldn't involve magical transformations.
Somebody else please write A GIRL CALLED JUSTICE.
I'm lazy and don't really know westerns...
~hugs, Veronica
"Government will only recognize 2 genders, male + female,
as assigned at birth-" (In his own words:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1lugbpMKDU
Definitely something missing in young adult TG fictioin
... AND incorporating the time-honoured "extra" of a secret identity! Just imagine - combining two of my secret fantasies (well, at least as a reader): Child prodigy and secret identity. (The horrible, unspeakable truth is that that statement is ...
true).
I like your western idea
Although instead of having the half breed sidekick, make it a small oriental girl trained form birth in martial arts. This way it would be a combination of the two old TV westerns, the Lone Ranger & Kung Fu :)
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Why not both..?
Although a half breed sidekick can be an oriental, native american girl trained form birth in martial arts and some shaman magic....!
Peace and Love tmf
Something like this plotted out for years
I've had this plotted out since before I started BC. It's called The Calico Kid, but it's a bad boy to good girl story. I like your version. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Three things
When I Grow Up
Music is a big draw because the protagonist has talent, gets to wear glam costumes and becomes famous overnight.
Acting and cheerleading aren't far behind.
Commentator
Visit my Caption Blog: Dawn's Girly Site
Visit my Amazon Page: D R Jehs
prodigies
This word is very often misused. Child prodigies are often confused with people who have a natural talent for something.
Let me explain. A child prodigie in the music business for example, is someone that can pick up any instrument and master its use in a very short time simply because they have the ability to remember every single note of its sound in their head. These are NOT very common. Actually quite rare. Victor borja was one such prodigy. He preffered to use the piano but he actually was able to play any instrument from a young age.
When it comes to singing it is even rarer. Julie andrews is quite remarkable in her own right but is sadly not a prodigy. Actually at the moment I do not believe there is a prodigy singer. The closest to a prodigy singer would have been Mel blanc. Due to a wierd voicebox he could do many many many different voices, including female, that were near perfect copies of other people. He was most famous for the many cartoon voices he did over the years.
"perfect ear" refers to the ability to remember every tone of music or voice and many artists have it. However only a prodigy can reproduce it, though most of them cant read or know how to read sheet music.
Like is said real prodigys are exceeding rare. However common slang has this being used to describe people with a natural talent for something with training. Ie child prodigy guitar player from japan could do poison guitar playing from the age of nine. However what is not said is that the child practised that song many many many times before he played it in front of other people. He has a natural talent for the guitar for sure, but he cant hear a song and reproduce it in one shot like a real prodigy does. Nor does he play other instruments.
It is unclear if Paul McCartney is a prodigy or not. While he can play many instruments, and quite well, it is not known if this was due to natural talent or massive self training.
Hawking was considered a math prodigy. There is a russian chess prodigy. The list goes on. most of these are due to natural talent rather than being an actual prodigy.
But yes i have to agree with you on one thing. There is a number of stories where boy a sings like a girl then dresses like a girl to be a rock star of some type. Plausible? no, but that makes it something nice to read since its fiction. I don't particularly like that some authors like to write something that you barely get to read and they delete it before its finished with the idea that they can publish it as it is even though it is not finished.
Seven million and two
I'm always surprised by comments that talk about trends or predominant themes here. How on earth could anyone know? On the home page, there are 80 stories listed under "Quick Cuts." Judging by the titles, only three have a musical theme.
No offense to anyone, but I'm not going to read all 80 of those stories. Right now, there are approximately seven million and two stories posted here. What are they about? Has anyone read them all? There are a couple of authors that I follow religiously, several others that I frequently return to, and others that I happen upon. They write about all sorts of subjects: soldiers, fantasy, space, office work, homelessness, vampires, ... There was a particularly nice one recently about a t-girl with a rescue dog.
There are some tropes, sure -- or, you could see them as classic themes that we all have to try our hand at.
Personally I haven't noticed that many musical prodigy stories, but I suppose it fits with the way a lot of us feel: of wanting that alternation between the spotlight and dark introspection. That might be part of the appeal.
- io
Never listen to Music?
Music is a universal language. It spans the races, the sexes, and dampens the hatred. One of the biggest music stars in the Muslim nations was a Jewish girl, Dana International. Her songs were forbidden in almost every muslim nation and yet the most played. Oh yes, she's trans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv83u7-mNWQ
The list of transgender-transsexual singers is pretty strong considering we are the smallest majority of the human population.
https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-transgender-singers/lgbt
I'm not a musician, nor a singer. I started playing the guitar at seven, and singing a couple years before that. Our poor livestock had to put up with it as they were a captive audience. Momma played the harmonica. She and I would always be singing, harmonizing, and on trips the rest of the family had to put up with us. Again captive audience. Sadly non of the rest of the family joined in.
Art imitating life or life imitating art? We never were on a stage but we were better than just good. I miss her and the funny part is we fought like cats and dogs. Not physically but verbally. Music was the bridge between us. Now every time I start singing, Mindy gets in my face. Not sure if my singing is that bad or it hurts her ears. Every cat is a music critic!
hugs love
always
Barb
Life is too short to take seriously. Poke at it and have fun.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Fish heads
Try Fish Heads all of my cats seem to like it. They sit in the sweet spot for the sound system an bounce up and down and sway side to side in time to the music.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
The arts
I wonder if music and drama lend themselves to TG stories because it is readily accepted that the public persona is different from the private person. They are also areas where (in the performance at least) the blurring of genders is accepted by the public. For example the glam rock bands of the 70s, British pantomimes with principal boys and pantomime dames, and to some extent drag queens. Generally in life, the performer leaves the character in the dressing room but in the stories the author is able to let the two sides to merge.
Inspired
While nearly everything I've written was either inspired by or developed through my love of music.the only music BY my characters has been in their everyday expression through singing to spouses and mates and lovers. By parents to kids and siblings in ordinary church or school choirs. The only professional I've ever featured regularly was my Jazz pianist Maired Kiernan. And her music is an extension of who she is. Her singing isn't a stretch because her range goes from tenor to alto... like mine. My police women and nurses and doctors and military personnel all love music. And most of my teens love to sing. Because music isn't just what they do but an integral part of who they are.
Love, Andrea Lena
Guilty
I am one of those authors that have written a story about a Music Prodigy. Why did I do it? I didn't set out to do it, but it was just too easy to make her a prodigy. Originally she was just going to be a kid at music camp. Having a prodigy is a good story element to have. Music is very common. A huge amount of individuals in the world have gotten instruction on how to play an instrument at some point in their life. Many of them dreamed of being good at it. At least, until they realized they were not a prodigy and it would take a LOT of work to be famous. As a kid, I had lessons to learn the recorder, violin, and piano. I can not play any of them currently.
When looking on here, there is another factor in the works. One story topic leads to another story on the same topic. Even if they never read the first story, just the title or picture can trigger something in a person's muse and suddenly another story is created. When I started Cindy at Music Camp, I believe I was the only one writing about music, but when I ended it, there were several.
I have written a lot of stories over the last 20 years. Only my Cindy at Music Camp involved a Music Prodigy. It was a sequel to, Mom! How Could She? which was about a 20 minute scene on the first day of music camp. Those are the only two stories I have ever written that involved music, and the first one only used music as a setting for the story.
Keep Smiling, Keep Writing
Teek
Guilty
Guilty? Of what writing a good story.
Have a good day and enjoy life.
Thank You for Your Feedback!
Your comments were quite informative. I now have a better understanding of the issue. I'm very grateful.
I was also reminded of couple of things.
1) You can never be clear enough. I should have been clearer in that what I was asking about was the sub-genre of young person being outstanding/having great successs within a field. Not Young Adult Transgender fiction in general. I also admit that my use of the word prodigy was sloppy and inexact.
In other comments, not this thread (please note this), I've seen that if it's possible to misunderstand, someone will. In particular: If you write something that you think is obviously tongue-in-cheek inevitably someone will assume that you are dead serious.
2) I'm once again reminded of how weird I am. I've debated with myself whether to stick out my neck, and thus setting off an avalanche of ostracism, or not. Well, well-advised or not, here we go. I don't really like music. I don't hate it, at times and when in certain moods I even like it. Or more specifically certain variants of music such as some classical composers and classical ballet music. Not that weird so far, right? Then add bag-pipes (preferably Galician), traditional Spanish student songs and traditional Polynesian music (not Hawaiian). A bit out of the ordinary? However, most of the time I find music at best distracting. In particular when curled up with a riveting book such as "Anglijos kapitalas ir Lietuva 1919-1940" or for that matter re-reading an Alex Rider book (returning to the theme of young person performing extraordinary feats). At other times music just plainly induces panic in me.
Once Again, Music the Universal Binder
This song was number three on the top billboards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZF9rsgKZHw
Dominique" was No. 1 for the four weeks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bD10bNuJYA
Why did I bring up these two when there are literally millions of songs that have been since God gave us life? Because if anyone has lived long enough, there will be A song that will bring about every emotional kind of feelings a person may possess. We laugh when a song is playing. We feel happy, sad, and sometimes just content. And there are song that touch so deeply into our heart and soul we cry, or quite literally we bawl. We are reminded of those we have loved and lost. Sadly, some our happiest most blessed moments in our lives can become our saddest when they are gone and no longer possible no matter how much we pray or wish them back.
Thus songs, music, life is intertwined in our lives so deeply, whether one wishes or not, there is the deep feeling of many to put that in their stories along with other deeply held or even secret emotions.
You know I love you hon. If you wish to talk, send me a PM and I'll send you my number. I'll call you. No matter what training or life experiences we have had, sometimes life hands us a speed bump it almost wrecks the kart. I don't have any answers but I do have a wide soft shoulder to cry on.
A little girl, young lady, I thought of as my sister as we have known each other all our lives, lost her parents, her husband, and her mobility along with most of her health. She hasn't ever quit. She gave me the strength to carry on. Sometimes the strongest comes in the smallest packages.
"If the little girl can do it. I can too."
The world is going to have to put up with me for awhile yet.
And you?
Love you
always
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
I grew up with a completely
I grew up with a completely different musical rendition of "The Lord's Prayer". But in one public school that i attended for a year, they did sing this version in music class. "Country Roads" became a huge hit around the same time. And who gets paid when an advertising jingle becomes a top-requested song?
And of course, this song is approaching five billion YouTube hits: https://youtu.be/XqZsoesa55w .
-- Daphne Xu