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Strong Female

Where Are the Dragons?

April 10, 2017 by Elizabeth Drake

The current books I am writing all take place in the same world. You’ll see the same characters, but each book is stand alone and has its own romance.

To date, I have not introduced a dragon character. Do I have them in my head, you betcha. At the moment, though, the people of my world believe that humans may carry a drop or two of dragon blood in their veins, but that dragons themselves were destroyed by the god that created them.

So, I love dragons, and I want to add them to my story, but a dragon takes things to a different level. They aren’t something you can just add without potentially unbalancing the world.

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As a romance writer, if I add a dragon, I also have to have an appropriate female love interest in the story. That’s a core part of the genre. That means we need an appropriately formidable female protagonist.

I have no issues with this as I enjoy strong female characters. No suitcases, please. But, that adds another layer of complexity if I have two such powerful characters.

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But, I still want them!

Anderantamosien, who goes by Ander to us mere mortals, is all ready to make his entrance. I have a full backstory for him, his character flushed out, and a motivation. I even have an idea for his love interest. The downside is that love interest would be the daughter of two characters whose story I’ve already written. I’m not sure I want to move time along in my world that much just yet. Although, strangely, I already have ideas for the children of other characters whose stories I’ve written as well. Perhaps this is because I already know so much about them and their parents.

What I’m struggling with is giving Ander an appropriate antagonist without becoming too Dragon Ball Z. I need to give this more time, let the thoughts percolate, but I most assuredly need to bring dragons into the world.

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For the moment, I’ve established the Dragon God, a symbol of justice and righteousness. He’s part of the Holy Trinity that includes the Goddess of Wisdom and the Goddess of Mercy. There’s the Unholy Triumvirate to oppose them. There are other gods, such as the god of death, that are part of the pantheon, but not really on the side of good or evil.

So, yes, I have established that dragons once existed. Ander’s story will talk about their fall and their current place in the world.

But I still need to give him a true challenge, a true adversary that could take all he wants. And I’m not looking to retell a Beauty and the Beast tale. Ander can, and does, take human form. Still haven’t decided if that should have an impact on what buildings he can walk in  or if, you know, magic. Because if a dragon has the kind of magic to take human form, of course he can adjust his mass accordingly.

 

How about you? Ever write or read a book with something as epic as dragons? How did you or the author you read handle them? Did you like it? Why or why not? Also, if you know any good romance novels with dragons in them, please put them in comments! I have been searching for books with this done right, and it’s been very difficult to find.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: characters, Dragons, magic, Pantheon, protagonist, Strong Female

No Suitcases, Please

February 3, 2017 by Elizabeth Drake

After reading Mariah Avix’s post on Strong Women, I did some thinking.

I am a romance writer, and that’s what a read. Though some men enjoy reading it as well, Romance is geared towards a mainly female market. First time my husband read one of my books, he dubbed it “porn for women”.

Not entirely inaccurate. It’s the portrayal of a fantasy, a female fantasy, and there’s usually sex in it.

Beyond that, though, Romance does something else. It often depicts the issues women have faced and continue to face. Things such as: rape, feeling powerless, being stalked, not being good enough, smart enough, beautiful enough. The heroine then overcomes these things and finds her happily-ever-after.

I’ve heard many complain that finding strong female characters in romance is hard. First thing I ask them is when the book they’re reading was written. While Romance has been around since before Jane Austin penned her first novel, what it has meant to be a strong woman has changed significantly.

Think about it. Back in the 1800s, a strong woman is not the same as one from the 1950s or from 2017. Society changes, culture changes, and to some extent, we’re all subject to the culture we live in.

So what does it mean to be a strong woman today?

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Whenever I ask this question, I ask: does the heroine have agency?

What does this mean?  She cannot be a suitcase the hero brings along for the ride. She has to be actively engaged in her own story.

For me, it means meeting the Princess Leia criteria. It means she’s doing stuff. She’s making things happen rather than things just happening to her. Yes, bad stuff still happens, but she’s Princess Leia doing something about it rather than Princess Peach waiting for Mario.

For example, Leia takes the stolen plans and is trying to get them to the right people. When bad things happen (Darth Vadar catching her and boarding her ship), she still gets the plans to Obi Wan.

Sure, Luke and Han go to rescue her, but she doesn’t hide behind them and wait for them to get her back to the ship. I love it when she snatches up the blaster and shows them how to use it.

She saves Han Solo.

She blows up an Imperial moon base.

She leads a rebellion.

She does stuff.

Does she get captured? Yes. But she resists their interrogation procedures.

Does she lose Han to carbonite? Yes, and she rescues him.

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I think of her a lot when I think of a strong female character. She’s mostly smart, actively engaged, but she’s not invincible. Not perfect. She can’t be, or she won’t be likable.

For the longest time, all we had was her and Buffy, but that’s changing. Our culture is changing. There have been more strong female characters lately, and even Disney has gotten on board with Merida and Elsa.

But we still have a ways to go.

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How about you?  What do you think of when you think of a strong female character? Any examples in modern literature that you use to guide you?

Filed Under: characters, Uncategorized Tagged With: Female Fantasy, Issues Women Face, Princess Leia, Romance, Romance Writer, Strong Female

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