Evie
*cues up the band* Congrats! If you didn't win in this giveaway, there's another one going on over on Lyn Almodovar's Writing on the Sunny Side of the Street blog, so please feel free to visit and enter. I'll also shamelessly mention that you can check out my Estilorian short story, The Prophecy, for free on Amazon.
Okay...onto the blog. There has been so much going on this year. I can't believe that we're a week into June already. Where does the time go?? *looks around for time warp*
It doesn't promise to get any less intense as summer rolls in and school lets out. This is the time of year that I love, as so many readers now engage with authors (and other readers) since their attention can shift from textbooks to reading for fun. What's not to love about that?
Also coming up this summer from July 6-8th is the exciting first annual UTopYA conference in Nashville, TN. Yours truly will be one of the authors presenting on a couple of panels, and I couldn't be more excited! I'm so looking forward to meeting attendees and going all fan-girl because I get to work with and meet many awesome YA authors with whom I've only ever connected via social networking. What an opportunity!
One of the panels I'll be participating on is titled "Strong Woman vs. Damsel in Distress." I find this a fabulous topic. Many people complain about female protagonists who aren't "strong." It's now considered passé for a heroine to need the help of a guy to get her out of whatever drama she encounters. Gone are the days of glass slippers and dragons slain for the fair maiden's hand. Enter females who kick butt and take names later.
I tend to take a combined approach in my books. Usually, my female leads are strong enough in their own rights, but there are times when they need the help of the males in their lives. Amber Hopkins, the female protagonist in Becoming, is probably the most "kick butt" character in my books. She's a black belt in karate and isn't afraid of a challenge. She scoffs at the idea of a knight in shining armor...even if she might actually need one.
Is there a place for the damsel in distress in today's literature, though? That's my question for you, dear readers. What are your arguments for and against the female protagonist who's rescued by a proverbial knight? (Note: the best response will win some Estilorian swag)!
Hit me with your awesome comments!
OMG... I want some!!! Do I have to do some shameless begging??? I'm prepared to do so if necessary!!
ReplyDeleteOf course there's room for a damsel in distress in today's literary world. However, she should not be a weak, whimpering, annoyingly stupid damsel in distress. A strong female character who is in need of help is interesting and make for a really good story that will hook me and keep me involved. A whiny female character who is TSTL (Too Stupid To Live) just makes me want to put the book down and forget that I was crazy enough to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteI was going to write my 2 cents worth, but then realized bdulin pretty much covered the great reasons for a damsel in distress. Along...with the dislikes of a type of damsel to write of. Bravo/a on hitting the spot!
ReplyDeleteI love damsels in distress. I think we've taken a rather cynical view when it comes to fairy tales, which is probably why many of them are re-imagined nowadays. While I don't think that a protagonist should be sitting on her behind waiting for the knight in shinning armour, I don't see a problem when the "Prince" rescues her.
ReplyDeleteIt takes two to romance,so I guess I'm sort of a romantic, who likes to see the girl get the guy, and for them to build a good relationship, believable enough, that when she needs him, she'll let him in, and vice versa.