What is it about strong women in fiction?
I’ve always admired strong women. When I was a kid, Lara Croft was my hero. I used to dress up and run around the streets playing Tomb Raider with water pistols. I also loved Xena warrior princess and was a huge fan of the series.
I guess I wanted to be kick-ass like they were, to overcome any adversary and be fearless in the face of danger.
I love reading about strong women in fiction. I admire them and wish to have their characteristics. I write about strong women in my fiction.
But what is it that makes a woman strong? Apart from Bad-ass moves?
I read an interesting article on strong women by Natalie Whipple. She says there are many ways a woman can be strong, and women shouldn’t be rammed into the pigeon hole of ‘strong’ to be classed as a good character. I also agree with this point she raises – ‘what is more interesting than writing about a “weak” character becoming “strong”?’
I love to write about strong women but I also like to write about real women, not super heroes like Lara and Xena. I write about women with fears and doubts who struggle to do the right thing despite them and become stronger for it.
What about you? Which female characters do you admire? What type of people do you enjoy writing about?
I like Lyra from Northern Lights (she didn’t come across quite as gutsy and independent in the second two books in the trilogy). I also loved Kait from The Secret Texts trilogy. Personally I found Katniss (Hunger Games) too cold and distant. It wouldn’t have mattered whether she was female or male, I’d probably still have felt that way!
With Kiana I aimed for someone who was “weak” due to living a sheltered life, but became stronger through the novel. I don’t go out of my way to create overtly strong women. I do whatever feels right for a particular character in their particular story.
I loved the Northern lights books. I often forget about them as I read them when I was a kid. I love characters that develop over the book as yours did in Trinity.