And now... Here's Jimena!
What
a Bitch: Female Protagonists
Thank you so
much for hosting me, Josh! Hello, readers of Josh’s blog--thanks for stopping
by!
Sometimes it
seems like male characters can get away with anything.
The world of
fiction is full of men who win the admiration of thousands of readers and
viewers through their charm, charisma, or some other likeability factor while
committing some annoying or outright terrible acts. Sometimes it’s just basic
layered characterization, as is the case with Thorin from The Hobbit, a complex character with a lot of darkness who makes
some tragic decisions. Sometimes it toes the morality line pretty drastically,
such as Damon Salvatore from The Vampire
Diaries, who spends a lot of time murdering, raping, and mind-controlling people
and still has legions of fans.
On the other
hand, finding a female character that people won’t call some disparaging thing
or other seems hopeless. If she’s too assertive, she’s a bitch. If she’s too
kind and accommodating, she’s a pushover. If she complains, she’s whiny. If
she’s stoic and determined, she’s unbelievable. And if she’s sort of in the
middle, she’s bland.
Sure, people
complained about how whiny Harry was in Order
of the Phoenix, but it didn’t exactly hurt the book’s or series’
popularity. On the other hand, take Fire by
Kristin Chasore, which portrays the much shorter-lived (and less shouty) angst
of the female protagonist and gets criticized for it right and left.
Sadly, the
truth is that in real life, it can be a pretty similar situation. There are
some nigh-impossible standards set for girls and women to follow in terms of
looks and behavior. Just think of how many times a girl or woman is called a
“slut” for leading a sexual life that, if she were male, would be perfectly
acceptable.
So when I sat
down to write my book and discovered just how flawed my female protagonist was,
I started to worry. Would she turn readers off? Erika’s a high-maintenance,
self-centered, self-righteous kind of girl. She makes some pretty bad mistakes
that almost cost her friendships--and friends’ lives. One of her friends,
Sandra, who gets almost as much page time as Erika does, is right up there with
Erika in terms of flaws. All told, they’re both antiheroes.
Let’s consider
that word, “antihero.” Who’s the first character fitting that description that
pops into your mind? It’s probably a guy. In fact, I remember quite a few
articles on writing romance that remind you that, while it’s okay to write a
flawed hero, you shouldn’t make your heroine as flawed, because readers have
less patience with heroines in general. And I don’t think that applies only to
the romance genre.
I still think Erika
and Sandra might turn some readers off, some of whom wouldn’t mind as much if they
were boys. Sure, I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity of being their friend in
real life, but I wouldn’t want to be Thorin’s friend, either, and I still love
him as a character. I tried to portray Erika and Sandra as human beings with
real flaws that got in the way of their lives, just like the rest of us, which
gives them something to learn , something to struggle with, and possibly
something to overcome. And isn’t that what characters are supposed to do,
whether they’re male or female?
Thanks, Jimena! Now, readers, why not go ahead and add BLUE RABBIT to your Goodreads shelf? By doing so, you'll be entering a drawing to receive one of five free copies of the book!
Thanks, Jimena! Now, readers, why not go ahead and add BLUE RABBIT to your Goodreads shelf? By doing so, you'll be entering a drawing to receive one of five free copies of the book!
About BLUE RABBIT
In Knoxville,
Tennessee, there’s a bridge to another world.
When they first
cross it, Erika and her friends feel like they’ve stumbled into a dream.
Magical and mysterious, the other world becomes their little paradise, a place
to explore and escape from their everyday lives. Until one night a boy from
school, Mike, follows them to the other side--and he’s kidnapped by strange and
powerful Creatures.
About Jimena:
Jimena Novaro
always knew she would be a writer. It just took her a few years to realize that
she wanted to do it full-time, and relegate things like going into outer space
and being an opera prima donna to hobbies. She loves reading and writing
science fiction, fantasy, and YA. A self-proclaimed geeky sort of nerd, she
spends a lot of her time fangirling over her favorite shows, books, and bands
and educating herself about super-important topics such as how to survive an
arrow wound and whether or not you can shoot a gun in space. Sometimes she gets
super serious and rants about some socio-political issue or other.
She’s a member
of the awesome fantasy authors group Mystic Quills. You can find her free epic
fantasy serial, The Withering Sword,
on her website (a new chapter comes out every Sunday!). Her first book, Blue Rabbit, a YA urban fantasy, comes
out this December! Find her here:
Website: http://www.jimenanovaro.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JimenaNovaro
Thanks again, Josh! :D
ReplyDeleteAny time!
DeleteInteresting commentary, Jimena!! :)
ReplyDeleteOoh… great post, hee hee. I love Erika and Sandra:p Okay, maybe I don't want to hang out with them, lol, but they're great characters! I loved your nuanced, yet female girls who aren't boys and your nuanced male guys…. who feel real too!
ReplyDelete