Revenge Is Not So Sweet

Look at me: receiving mail again. I'm always provoked by the questions that readers shoot my way, and this 'un is no exception. In this case, our letter writer (who wishes to remain anonymous) writes:

"I always enjoy reading your stuff. [Great way to get my attention. - WB] I notice though that in almost every instance, the woman who puts on weight always winds up enjoying that fact. Have you written any stories where the end result isn't a pleasurable thing? I'm into stories where the woman is tricked into gaining weight as a revenge scheme. . . When the girl realizes she's getting or has gotten fat, to me it's better if she's not happy about it. . . Do any of your stories offer anything like that?"

I've gotten this query before, so I know that our anonymous scribe isn't the only one with the question. So for all you Revenge Fans out there:

I've read and occasionally enjoyed Revenge fantasies - stories where a character's weight transformation is secondary to their distress - but I've found I'm temperamentally incapable of writing 'em. To me, weight gain is the raisin d'etre for my FA fantasies, and I see my characters' growth as a positive major change in their lives. As a result, I want my characters to accept this change, and I work hard (sometimes too hard - when the plot mechanics become too obvious) to get 'em to the point of doing so.

Stories that use weight gain as means of achieving revenge or dominance over the gainer are contrary to my need to elevate fat beauty. I say this not to engage in any "My fantasy is more PC than your fantasy" contest because I have enjoyed this fiction in the hands of others. But when it comes to those fantasies I've held closest to my libido, revenge or regret don't enter into the picture. At this stage in my writing life, I have no desire to write such tales.

My characters may be tricked into growing fat, may even feel initial panic or distress at the fact that they've grown huge. But by story's end, she or he will not only accept their change but revel in it. For me, that's what puts the magic in Fat Magic.

June, 1999