Kick-ass Girls with Guns/ or weapon of choice?????
Whatever happened to purity and innocence? Were those qualities ever realistic? Since time began a girl had better be prepared to defend herself. Let's explore the world of defense. The most obvious in this day and age is the gun. We see and read about gun tote'n-mamas all the time. Yet there are many other means of defense such as words, guile, astuteness, cunning as well as intelligence--perhaps even sex--well duh, of course sex.
How would all this apply to writing? The ability to defend can also be the same ability a woman might use to nourish and strengthen a relationship with the man she loves, her children and her friends. In 2011 readers want strong heroes and evil villains. And although I don't particularly care for villains with redeeming qualities--others do.
Ah, but as usual I wander off topic. My characters usually have a weapon of choice, but I have never really thought about the weapon before hand, or when I plot. I guess that is why the women don't have the weapon in hand at the beginning of the story. Dang it all, I'm a panster, slowly over time becoming a semi-panster. In Highland Song, Lainie always made sure she wore a small knife strapped to her leg. The hero of course thought this was rediculous and would get her into more trouble.
Do Angels have weapons? If so, Sable, Cinammon, and Amber what are your weapons of choice and how do you use them? Mine of couse is the power of the pen, words are my weapons but I've rarely found the necessity to use them. When asked once by one of my students if I grounded my children, I told him no. I don't believe in grounding because the punishment rarely fit the crime. My son told me once that he didn't want to misbehave because I made him feel way too guilty. Hence the power of the mighty word or was that the expression on my face?
Join in everybody. When you write what weapons do you give your heroine?
Hmmm. What weapons do my heroines carry? Well, it does depend on which heroine I'm writing. My dragons have the ability to breathe fire--a rather handy deterrent--and several have personalities so caustic there is usually little need for a weapon beyond their lashing tongue.
ReplyDeleteIn my faerie stories, I have several types of women characters. My faeries have magic to save themselves or befuddle others.
Tiamoon, my warrior gnome, totes an axe or sword depending on her mood and is quite adept at using either weapon.
Gitty, the night elf, is very talented with a sword although her acerbic tongue has a tendency to fend off most straight thinking folks.
In my writing, I think I arm my heroines with the weapon that fits their personalities. Sometimes making the choice takes a couple chapters to get fully cognizant of my character's personality and fit weapon and character together.
Each female utilizes her intelligence first and iron and/or steel as a last resort.
Sable Angel
Good question, Allana! I'm a detailed plotter, but don't think beforehand about a weapon of choice for my heroines. That pretty much comes out as the ladies take over the story.
ReplyDeleteWhile my heroines may not have a weapon as unique as Sable's dragons and fae folk, they do manage to defend themselves. :)
Maddie, the eccentric aunt in our upcoming St. Patrick's release, lives by sheer audacity most of the time, though she is nearly six feet tall and quite sturdy, so that combination is pretty intimidating to most of the characters she encounters.
I'm also writing a family saga series and the heroine of the first book, Marly, is pretty much fearless, but also carries a taser, courtesy of her policeman brothers.
Beth, the heroine of the second book, unknowingly uses her innocence and sweet nature so that others line up to protect her. However, when faced with a threat to her unborn baby, she responds quite effectively with a long-bladed knife from her kitchen.
In other books, Jenny the adoption activist effectively uses her automated wheelchair as a battering ram to scatter anyone foolish enough to accost her, and Phoenix teams up with a spitting llama and a smart-mouthed parrot to defend her farm.
Like Sable's and Allana's heroines, all of my heroines also use their wits and their words as weapons. If that's not enough, whatever's handy can be quite effective: an iron skillet, a scalpel, a flaming jack-o-lantern...
And when they team up with their heroes, they can vanquish any bad guy and guarantee a happily ever after!
-Amber Angel