How to Write TV Fiction

by Rachael Robbins

© 1996, Transgender Forum & Rachael Robbins


In my checkered career as the Queen of TV Fiction, a title that is self-bestowed but nonetheless accurate, I've noticed that many girls out there have a burning desire to write serious TG literature. (At least I think it's a burning desire, but it may be a burning something else . . .) Anyway, in my never ending quest to help my fellow whatever, I have put together this primer on transgendered fiction.

I just want to give something back to the community. Honest.


There are three sections to any well-formed TV tale. We'll call them Initialization, Realization, and Denouement.


Initialization

This is an key section of the story, because it establishes both the Protagonist (aka our hero) and the situation from whence the action flows.

1. The Protagonist

There are two main paths here, both offering rich possibilities for characterization. The protagonist should be a male (strangely enough, I haven't seen a lot of Drag King fiction) who is either:

2. The Situation

Difficult to write, but critical to the artistic success of the piece, this sub-section introduces the Antagonist and sets up the Hot Action to follow. Our choices for Antagonist are dependent upon that of the protagonist.

Whatever the protagonist/antagonist mix, the scene must be set for the fun to follow. This involves a fortuitous congruence of circumstances (say that  ten times in a row) that conspire to make the resulting Hot Action possible. In other words, a coincidence. Coincidences are much-maligned (though oft-used) in mainstream fiction, but absolutely mandatory in ours. How many times in real life has a nebbishy loser's Secret Desire to express his inner femininity coincided with his girlfriend's need to explore her emerging lesbian identity? Or a boss' invitation to the harried secretary to "work late" (nudge-nudge, wink-wink) coincided with her having vinyl clothing handy?

But, I digress -- you see the point. Now, on to the pivotal action segment.


Realization

This section can be problematic, because the writer must take her audience into account. What is Hot Action to one TV is so much chopped liver to another. For example, some of our sisters get (ahem) literary pleasure from scenes of crossdressing alone, followed by breathy sighs of feminine fulfillment. Others, on the other hand, aren't happy unless the story involves butt plugs and nipple clamps. But, never fear -- I have identified three elements that are essential to any serious work of TV fiction. All the others are mere filler.

1. The Transformation

Well, this is where it's at, isn't it? Critical to the plot, the transformation scene must be described in lovingly excruciating detail. There must be lots of creamy-nylon-encased-thighs and soft-curls-bouncing-around-bare-shoulders here. Optional, but effective, are sneers and exclamations of "how does that  feel, Sissy-Boy" from the Antagonist. The actual costume of our hero can vary, but must involve a tight miniskirt, garter belt, and pumps. Gotta have the pumps.

2. The Look in the Mirror

Another essential element, the mirror-look occurs when the Antagonist forces the Protagonist to examine his feminized image in a full-length mirror she just happens to have around. In this scene, the Protagonist is dumbstruck with wonder at what a pretty/sexy/alluring woman he sees, despite the fact that this is the very first time he has ever been dressed up. Of course, the conscientious writer will have prepared the reader for this plot point by sprinkling earlier prose with descriptions of the protagonist's "slight build" and "almost non-existent beard."

This brings up an important point -- TV writers shouldn't worry overly much about Mother Reality at this juncture. She's been gagged and hog-tied since the opening paragraph.

3. Expression of humiliation/gratitude/fear/bliss

This one's tricky, but absolutely necessary. Again, it depends on the writer's purpose (well, her secondary purpose) and the nature of the Protagonist/Antagonist relationship. A nebbishy loser must initially feel humiliation, which gradually turns to gratitude and bliss. The male chauvinist pig feels humiliation, quickly turning to fear and loathing, and sometimes even tinged with secret excitement. Got that? Seriously, it's difficult to get the correct mixture of pathos and bathos, of pain and pleasure, that conveys sensitivity to the delicate nuances of the Transgendered Experience. But hey -- we're all artists here, right?

This brings us to the final section of our piece of literary immortality -- the strong finish.


Denouement

From the time of Greek tragedy, writers have known that stories must have three parts -- a beginning, a middle, and an end. Curiously, the latter is often left out in TG literature, perhaps because the writer is so gratified at having finished the first two she runs off to follow other, uh, pursuits. Nevertheless, the strong finish provides a sense of closure to our tale, not to mention a way to get the author away from her word processor and back to her day job. It need only be a few sentences, but must assure the reader that all is well in the world. In the case of the male chauvinist/oppressed female example, an appropriate ending would a be total and lasting reversal of roles. The nebbishy loser, on the other hand, gets the assurance that he can semi-permanently be a woman, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof.

My personal favorite closing scene is one in which the wife lovingly tells her transformed hubby:


Well, there you have it, my darlings . . . every thing you ever needed to know about writing TV fiction. Just follow my simple rules, and you too can be a TV fiction queen.

Or, rather, a princess -- never try to knock off the Queen, honey.


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