I had every intention of writing an article exploring Joss Whedon’s treatment of sex in his various works, and then I started doing some research online. When I write articles like the one I was envisioning, I worry about unintentionally copying someone else’s ideas, so do a bit of searching to make sure that I still have something new to say. Sometimes I find that someone else has put out an essay that says exactly what I wanted, only better, and I’ll simply abandon my idea. Other times, I’ll find an article arguing the opposite of what I want to say, but in a way that allows me to write my opinions as a rebuttal (this worked really well for my Star Wars prequel analysis). It’s important to read a variety of opinions, because challenging ourselves is the best way to grow, both as a writer/blogger and as a person.
But something different happened to me when I started searching for articles about Joss Whedon and sex. I still have a lot to say, and maybe I’ll write that analysis soon, but for the moment I’m giving up on it. Continue reading