Why I love Donna.

I love it when writers craft words with passion and enthusiasm. Carefully savouring the sounds words make and selecting them like ripe plums, before weaving in their own brand of irrepressible humour as is the case with ‘Donna.’ And when writers write with such love that they become as one with their subjects that becomes very special. Particularly when that passion is passed onto the reader.

Much of my criticism of fiction stems from the fact that either it’s badly researched or offends credulity. No matter how bizarre the plot; if I can relate to the ideas and emotions expressed, albeit fleetingly, I am able to abandon myself to the writer’s spell and become as one with the characters. If the characters are implausible, or haven’t been shaped with passion, empathy, or love this soon becomes clear.

When it comes to lesbian ‘erotica,’ the Web features literally thousands of samples, much of it to a well trodden formula. Usually along the lines of:

‘Beth admired herself in the mirror. Her Victoria’s Secret lingerie highlighted her still youthful body. It was hard to believe she was a mother of two, but she worked out regularly down the gym, where her 34DD breasts got many an admiring glance from the men. She was still close to the one hundred and ten pounds she weighed when she was a co-ed.’

Of course most women reading this wonder why Beth doesn’t topple over and there you have it in a nutshell, so much lesbian erotica, no matter how well written has been written by men and it shows.

Not withstanding this Donna is special for many other reasons. Many lesbians when they write are incapable of demonstrating either love or love for their characters. Beneath their prose, now matter how gilded or beautiful there is often a subliminal anger, frequently clouded with the hatred of men which casts an ugly cloud over everything. Furthermore, they write for a niche market, one where the members do not see themselves as part of the ‘maine,’ but a society within a society. One whose cohesion relies not on joy, but often resentment of society at large.

Donna may or may not be written for women, but she steadfastly and joyfully remains part of the rich fabric of mainstream society. You can tell instantly she belongs there, her sexuality is important but it doesn’t define her existence. And therein lies the rub.

Donna lives in a world of fun and joy and her escapades are accessible and capable of being enjoyed by straight women as well as men. You love her, or engage with her not because you are of the same tribe, but because of her love of life and because she has trodden a road you have walked too. She constantly reminds you that a rich, mature society embraces many component parts each with their own legitimate claim, but still an integral part of the whole. Add to that the ingredients of empathy, experience, passion and a joy of living and you have why I think Donna is so special.