Creating an effective main character is a complicated process, and writing a female protagonist in YA is particularly delicate work. British novelist Carol Hedges joins us today to discuss this challenge.
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"I like the
idea of being strong. I've grown up with the concept. It's in my bones and my
blood. Strong people survive. They don't go under."
So speaks 18 year old Annie, the
heroine of my new ebook Jigsaw Pieces. My genre is YA Crime Fiction, and
for me, there are two ingredients that go to make up a successful book in this
genre. The first, clearly, is a crime of some sort. In Jigsaw Pieces, set
in 1998 it is the mysterious death of one of Annie's fellow students. In my 'Spy
Girl' series, crimes vary from selling drugs to teenagers (Once Upon a
Crime) to stealing a priceless holy relic (Dead Man Talking).
The second ingredient is a strong
female protagonist. Annie Skaerdstadt, Jazmin Dawson. So what makes a strong
character? Well, it's not enough just to tell readers they are strong. Strong
characters have to demonstrate their strength, usually by being pitted against
challenging events, or other characters. Annie is taken from her birthplace,
Norway, and dumped in an English school, where she has to develop a carapace to
survive the daily bullying. Jazmin is up against an adult world that does not
want her meddling and playing detective, and is prepared to take drastic and
dangerous steps to keep her out. Through both girls' determination and actions,
we learn how strong characters function and survive in difficult situations.
But strength can also be shown in
softness: Annie has a compassionate side, shown when she bonds with the mute
World War 1 veteran Billy Donne, whom she meets in a nursing home. Jazmin is
intensely loyal to her friend Zeb Stone, even when he fancies another girl.
Strong characters also must have failings and flaws, an inner fault line that
makes us warm to them. Maybe because they are a little like us?
At the end of Jigsaw Pieces, Annie
discovers that there is still a vital piece of the Jigsaw missing from her
life. In the Spy Girl books, Jazmin is faced with the reality that she
is not cut from adult cloth - yet.
And here we see the final ingredient
of a strong character - there must alway be a sense that there is more to be
grasped, new and different conflicts to be overcome. For a strong character,
the journey is never complete; there is another story waiting to be told.
I love writing strong female
characters like Annie and Jazmin because they are so multifaceted and complex.
They challenge me and push me to my limits. I hope they do the same for my
readers as well.
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You can learn more about Carol on her blog, or follow her on Twitter
@carolJhedges
Thanks for having me, Ann. Appreciate meeting your followers!
ReplyDelete"And here we see the final ingredient of a strong character - there must always be a sense that there is more to be grasped, new and different conflicts to be overcome. For a strong character, the journey is never complete..."
ReplyDeleteThought that was a very good point, Carol.
Thanks Kate,I'm glad you enjoyed the post.
DeleteI definitely like the idea that strength can be shown in softness such as compassion.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, I think, you only get a one-dimensional character, which is not how we are.
DeleteI like strong protagonists in YA fiction, it's what I want young adults to strive toward themselves. I also like to see the young protagonist with at least one flaw. I don't like a protagonist who is too perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Strong women in fiction are so important. It troubles me that so much popular women's fiction revolves around a 'woman in peril', who rarely has much to do with her own salvation. It's such a horrible example for girls. Carol is at the forefront of those creating believable YA heroines, flawed (as are we all),but confident enough to learn and grow while taking care of their own business. I love that Annie (protag Jigsaw pieces) is not only somewhat of a prickly character, but she is not physically perfect. Letting girls know that their lives don't begin the day they're 'hot' is so important. Additionally, she grows from a girl who is unwilling to work with someone she dislikes to a person who sees that she can go beyond that initial dislike to get the job done. I know 'adult' books that don't have that kind of growth. She doesn't have to be a supernatural being to be personally strong.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, with the types of characters Carol and other fine YA authors write (Angela Lawson is another very good YA author of female characters)we are giving girls just coming into their own a model of who they can be and a reflection of their own strength.
Thanks Autumn, your comments are very much appreciated! Diane, I agree with you. Perfection is boring! It's like those patchwork quilts (which I make) there has to be a flaw so that we can see the pattern.
DeleteGreat post--makes me want to rush out and read your books!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Please feel free so to do!
ReplyDelete