Maxine Sewell Is a Female Narcissist

They exist. Woman narcs are real. Ask anyone. Everyone knows at least one special bitch who is as bad (if not worse) as any male narcissist.

Ugly. Inside and out. That’s Maxine. There was a particular pleasure felt when writing such a repulsive character into my book. It was absolutely exquisite because I knew her endgame. I’d definitely do it again! (and recommend it for other writers to do to achieve a complete creative catharsis)

But when it comes to writing ‘ugly people’ into novels, hand the traits over to a man. It’s comforting and not out of place for men to be ugly. Readers don’t usually give Mr Ugly a second thought. He can cope with it. We can cope too.

‘Ugly’ traits for female characters in modern fiction are risky. Many of us want to protect femininity, not damage it. Putting a flawed female upfront defies contemporary social logic. Women need to be empowered, uplifted, not diminished. If they’re not pretty on the surface, they should be seen as an angelic force inside, rising against an outdated and cruel patriarchy. Vulgar female behaviour doesn’t really exist. And if it does, it certainly doesn’t need to be shared and amplified.

Wrong.

I’ve met vile females. So have you. They do exist. They come in all shapes and sizes. There are pretty and ugly versions. Regardless of what society thinks about the necessity of empowering women, the she-narcissist is out there — and she’s worth mentioning.

I wrote Maxine until I got her large, rounded face into life, and continued until she was dead and buried. As a nod to feminism, I designed her to be more male than female. Even her name follows this pattern. When it’s shortened, it sounds like a man’s name.

I don’t apologise for creating this royal-sized pain in the butt. I’m just glad to have written her, broken her, and used her demise to lead to a much larger story. Her corpse’s discovery becomes a path for readers to walk in a world that, in part, includes contemporary feminism and a freshly damaged masculinism.

Now, tread slowly and read carefully. Discover why I set this woman up to fail.

-Michael Forman (Author – Dark, Adult Fiction)