I love a good heroine, don't you?
Of course, writing one is easier said than done. Especially as what makes a good heroine is so personal to each reader and it's so easy to do one wrong thing and then *poof* there goes the reader's sympathy.
I've had a few different types myself - the young, trying to find out what it's all about, Alfie, heroine, the older I'll use my wiles to get what I want heroine and a I won't be told, damn you heroine. My latest heroine is my favourite though. Josie is--well she's a lot of things; smart, sassy, sexy, hard to catch and a danger to anyone who crosses her. She was also a complete blast to write.
Anyway, it got me to thinking about where I got my ideas for heroines, my influences. I can remember the first female character that really made an impression on me. Servalan. Which may seem a little odd because she was actually the Bad Guy, er, Girl. Supreme Commander of the Terran Federation no less. Pretty impressive for the Seventies. What impressed me most at that tender age was that she wasn't just the Bad Girl - she did what she wanted, when she wanted to, and she had fun doing it. Blake's 7 was pretty good to its female characters. Jenna was second for me-smuggler and one of the best space pilots in the galaxy, she had a cool head in a crisis and in fact the only one who could fly the ship when the computer conked out. Dayna was a weapons expert and famous dissident, and sexy as hell.
In fact the whole series made a big impression on me (not just that it gave me my love of snarky anti-heroes in Avon *swoon*) despite the wobbly sets and shabby special effects. I grew up watching these women, seeing that they were as capable (or more so sometimes) than the men, but were still sexy. I think it's safe to say that those women helped shape who I am, because all of a sudden it seemed possible for women to be like that in real life too. It never occurred to me to be anything else.
So, who were your heroines growing up? What influence did they have on you?
Julia Knight writes fantasy with excitement, adventure and dollops of romance. Her latest release, Ten Ruby Trick, is out today from Carina, and is a tale of pirates, magic and mayhem. You can find out more about Julia here.
I remember loving both Wilma and Ardala in Buck Rogers. They were both strong women, though in very different ways. Also, the women in V (the original V), both human and Visitor. I've always liked seeing women in positions of power in fiction. Especially if the story allows them to keep at least some vestiges of their femininity LOL.
ReplyDeleteEmma Peel (the Diana Rigg version)from "The Avengers". Tough, smart and oh so femme fatale. Everything I wanted to be but wasn't.
ReplyDeleteThe Avengers, oh yes! Honor Blackman and Joanna Lumley weren't so shabby either :D
ReplyDeleteI like a heroine who evolves. Maybe she doesn't recognize her own strengths, but she'll grow into them as the story progresses. I like a heroine with a sense of humor who can laugh at her own foibles. These same characteristics hold true for a hero as well. I wanna see characters with some complexity, depth, soul . . . Easy to say, not always easy to get across to a reader!
ReplyDeleteI remember discovering Elizabeth Peters' heroines as a teenager. I still rank Amelia Peabody as an awesome heroine.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, when I was four, I wanted to be Wonderwoman -- who didn't?
Wonder Woman. LOVED Wonder Woman! Great luck with sales on Ten Ruby Trick. I'm off to get it on my Kindle right now.
ReplyDeleteI had Wonderwoman underoos when I was little. TMI?
ReplyDeleteIn books, I think Bujold and Briggs write some of my favorite female characters. Ten Ruby Trick looks great Julia. I've been looking forward to reading it.
Eleri- My mom had this metal gold belt that I would pretend was my lasso. I would jump off the couches and fight bad guys. It was AWESOME. In fact, I wish I was doing that right now. O_O
ReplyDeleteSeleste, OMG, I was just going to say Princess Ardala. LOL! I thought I was the only person who even watched that show. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnother heroine who changed the way I thought about what a woman could be was Jaime Sommers...the Bionic Woman. She was strong (and not just because of her implants), smart, and didn't really need a man to be complete.
Ooh I love all these examples. I never got to watch the Bionic Woman :(
ReplyDeleteNo gold belt for me, but I do remember spinning round and round in circles. "Wonder-wonder-wonderwoman!" All that dizziness probably explains how I ended up a writer ;)
ReplyDeleteJulia, I remember the Bionic Woman. Didn't she at one point have a bionic dog as well, and I think I remember the Bionic Man, before he became the Fall Guy :)
{thoughtful look}
ReplyDeleteI think the heroine is one who fits the story. Wonder Woman is great when you have some tricked out criminals who need to be caught, or innocents saved from a fire or something... but she's out of her element in a medical drama. For that, you're better off with a doctor, nurse, paramedic, or something similar. Cherry Ames would be a lot more use in those stories than Wonder Woman, because it all depends on the story. {Smile}
Despite that, some day I'd like to find a story where an action heroine (or hero) finds themselves in a story where all their strength, speed, and fighting prowess can't help. I've never seen that. I've seen the reverse, where a quiet type suddenly has to tackle action, but not where an action type has to face non-physical problems. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
Good points Anne.
ReplyDeleteI like to put my heroes and heroines in positions where any choice is a bad one :D
I worked that out when some folks were ohhing and ahhing over the song "Holding out for a Hero." I was trying to understand why they thought it was so perfect... and why I felt it was anything else but. I never did work out the first part, but I realized my life just doesn't fit the fellow who sweeps in and takes you away from all that. Most of my problems are handicaps and medical conditions that can't be left behind... not as easily as the gadgets and the people I rely on. {lop-sided Smile}
ReplyDeleteWorks the same way with heroines. Their talents have to fit the circumstances. {Smile}
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin