Me and My Heroines Continued
Since I’ve stated before that I’m NOT my heroines and I'm not writing about myself, perhaps it would be best to examine what those heroines are actually like. What’s important to remember about my heroines is that most of them are not independent thinkers. They aren’t particularly intelligent and go with the flow, locked into a social circle, often a family unit or something traditional from the past. They never question this circle’s attitudes and behavior.
They never seem to be critical or to have many of their own ideas. If they show criticism, like Faye with Mr. Rivers, it is one already expressed by someone else in their circle, especially a man.They are usually shown as ignorant. Guys, even boys like Ryan and Don, are far more likely to be critical and other women, as well as men, are often in the know whereas the heroines are not.It’s easy for them to embrace bad ideas, like Essie and Alyce. Ryan is more skeptical of this whole adventure than Essie, and he should be. Alyce (in the shorter stories) is tolerant where she should be firm, and resigned where she should be angry.They never initiate a plot. The plot is always dictated, set in motion, and defined by somebody else, and the heroines are just moved around and play along. They have virtually no power over their own lives.Focus and moral direction are usually lacking. Because they tick along from day to day without questioning, broader issues like worldview, right and wrong, and situational awareness are weak for them.The heroine is never in charge. Family members in particular are important to characters like Victoria and Sekana, creating the whole framework that causes things to happen to these girls. But in every story, other people are in charge. The girls never pilot their own life.Reading this you’d see why I wouldn’t be pleased at being viewed as "writing about myself" when I write about these girls. Being dominated by family, maneuvered by other people, and lacking much moral clarity or focus of their own is what my heroines mostly do. So saying I’m like my heroines would be saying I am those things. Which I'm certainly not.
A couple of heroines break this mold a bit and aren’t quite as dictated by other people. Violet in The Amulet of Renari and Jenny in The Test of Devotion come to mind. And Essie, while often showing these qualities, is a little bit on her own thing. But whatever my heroines are like, I Do Not appreciate any smug or disrespectful treatment or inference towards me based on the people I show.
And there will be more updates.
They never seem to be critical or to have many of their own ideas. If they show criticism, like Faye with Mr. Rivers, it is one already expressed by someone else in their circle, especially a man.They are usually shown as ignorant. Guys, even boys like Ryan and Don, are far more likely to be critical and other women, as well as men, are often in the know whereas the heroines are not.It’s easy for them to embrace bad ideas, like Essie and Alyce. Ryan is more skeptical of this whole adventure than Essie, and he should be. Alyce (in the shorter stories) is tolerant where she should be firm, and resigned where she should be angry.They never initiate a plot. The plot is always dictated, set in motion, and defined by somebody else, and the heroines are just moved around and play along. They have virtually no power over their own lives.Focus and moral direction are usually lacking. Because they tick along from day to day without questioning, broader issues like worldview, right and wrong, and situational awareness are weak for them.The heroine is never in charge. Family members in particular are important to characters like Victoria and Sekana, creating the whole framework that causes things to happen to these girls. But in every story, other people are in charge. The girls never pilot their own life.Reading this you’d see why I wouldn’t be pleased at being viewed as "writing about myself" when I write about these girls. Being dominated by family, maneuvered by other people, and lacking much moral clarity or focus of their own is what my heroines mostly do. So saying I’m like my heroines would be saying I am those things. Which I'm certainly not.
A couple of heroines break this mold a bit and aren’t quite as dictated by other people. Violet in The Amulet of Renari and Jenny in The Test of Devotion come to mind. And Essie, while often showing these qualities, is a little bit on her own thing. But whatever my heroines are like, I Do Not appreciate any smug or disrespectful treatment or inference towards me based on the people I show.
And there will be more updates.
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