Comments on: Strong Heroines http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/ Ten Authors. Five Genres. One Blog. Because the only thing scarier than a loaded gun pointed at your head....is writing about it. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:39:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241586 toni mcgee causey Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:59:38 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241586 thanks, Laura! thanks, Laura!

]]> By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241585 toni mcgee causey Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:59:23 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241585 Thanks, Sophie. I think one of the things that helped that perception is the quotes at the top of the chapter, where everyone sort of made fun of BF--quotes from her world, where they were gobsmacked by her exuberance, if you will. I think it told the reader, "yeah, she's over the top, and we know it and we're sort of flummoxed, too, how she keeps surviving," which puts the reader in the shoes of the observers and allays some of their concerns about her being over-the-top or using rough language. Thanks, Sophie. I think one of the things that helped that perception is the quotes at the top of the chapter, where everyone sort of made fun of BF–quotes from her world, where they were gobsmacked by her exuberance, if you will. I think it told the reader, “yeah, she’s over the top, and we know it and we’re sort of flummoxed, too, how she keeps surviving,” which puts the reader in the shoes of the observers and allays some of their concerns about her being over-the-top or using rough language.

]]> By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241584 toni mcgee causey Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:57:25 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241584 Aw, thanks, Allison. ;) Aw, thanks, Allison. ;)

]]> By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241583 toni mcgee causey Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:57:03 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241583 Jill, you're right--if she'd found what she was instinctively looking for earlier, she would have been done. ;) Jill, you’re right–if she’d found what she was instinctively looking for earlier, she would have been done. ;)

]]> By: Shiloh Walker http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241581 Shiloh Walker Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:11:17 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241581 <blockquote>and I also didn’t mean to imply that non-law enforcement heroines can’t be a team with their hero (they obvious SHOULD be in my opinion) but that they aren’t EXPECTED to. If a female cop couldn’t hold her own in a gun fight or car chase, readers would wonder how the hell she became a cop in the first place.</blockquote> Oh, you didn't... lol. I had -lack of coffee- brain, plus was rushing. ;o) I think, all around, looking at the characters as a team just seems to make it work better, ya know? And hell, no, if a female cop can't hold her own, she needs to find a less dangerous job... O_O

and I also didn’t mean to imply that non-law enforcement heroines can’t be a team with their hero (they obvious SHOULD be in my opinion) but that they aren’t EXPECTED to. If a female cop couldn’t hold her own in a gun fight or car chase, readers would wonder how the hell she became a cop in the first place.

Oh, you didn’t… lol. I had -lack of coffee- brain, plus was rushing. ;o)

I think, all around, looking at the characters as a team just seems to make it work better, ya know?

And hell, no, if a female cop can’t hold her own, she needs to find a less dangerous job… O_O

]]> By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241578 toni mcgee causey Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:06:29 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241578 There's a really terrific book called, "You Just Don't Understand," which is a documentation of how children grow up to communicate the way they do. Fascinating stuff there, because the author observed how little girls, whether they were left to their own devices or exposed to older girls, all socialized in the same way, and that is to bring other women around them into a level playing field. If one girl had something a whole lot better than the rest of the group, outside of the acceptable range of +/-, then the group tended to cut her down to bring her down to their level. On the other hand, if a girl was below the level of the group and could be "saved," then she was brought up to the level of the group with advice, insistence on doing things the way the group did them, etc. If a girl was perceived as too high or too low and therefore could not average into the group without showing everyone else up, she was cut from the group and ignored or ridiculed. Boys, however, formed a one-up/one-down culture, where there wasn't a "group" mentality. They simply measured how they did amongst their peers and tried to do better than the guy nearest them, and not be in the back of the pack. The true alpha males not only exceeded the standards of the pack, but it became his duty to take care of the stragglers and see to the needs of the group as their de-facto natural leader. [Which is why, when you think of it, you absolutely never ever see these kinds of discussions on other genre discussion groups about whether or not a male should be softened or not, by the men who write them.] There’s a really terrific book called, “You Just Don’t Understand,” which is a documentation of how children grow up to communicate the way they do. Fascinating stuff there, because the author observed how little girls, whether they were left to their own devices or exposed to older girls, all socialized in the same way, and that is to bring other women around them into a level playing field. If one girl had something a whole lot better than the rest of the group, outside of the acceptable range of +/-, then the group tended to cut her down to bring her down to their level. On the other hand, if a girl was below the level of the group and could be “saved,” then she was brought up to the level of the group with advice, insistence on doing things the way the group did them, etc. If a girl was perceived as too high or too low and therefore could not average into the group without showing everyone else up, she was cut from the group and ignored or ridiculed.

Boys, however, formed a one-up/one-down culture, where there wasn’t a “group” mentality. They simply measured how they did amongst their peers and tried to do better than the guy nearest them, and not be in the back of the pack. The true alpha males not only exceeded the standards of the pack, but it became his duty to take care of the stragglers and see to the needs of the group as their de-facto natural leader.

[Which is why, when you think of it, you absolutely never ever see these kinds of discussions on other genre discussion groups about whether or not a male should be softened or not, by the men who write them.]

]]> By: toni mcgee causey http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241577 toni mcgee causey Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:59:46 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241577 (psssst, Jill. I was told at one point to soften Trevor) I didn't ignore the note, but it made me realize that I had not shown his vulnerable side or his sense of humor, yet, so that note alerted me to that need. ;) (psssst, Jill. I was told at one point to soften Trevor)

I didn’t ignore the note, but it made me realize that I had not shown his vulnerable side or his sense of humor, yet, so that note alerted me to that need. ;)

]]> By: Jen Lyon http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241576 Jen Lyon Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:32:21 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241576 I had to think about this, because, umm, I'm not reading those weak heroines. But I'm guessing that's because a lot of my romance reading is in paranormal? Just a guess. You make a valid point about an expectation that heroines in law enforcement will have more aggressive characteristics. I had to think about this, because, umm, I’m not reading those weak heroines. But I’m guessing that’s because a lot of my romance reading is in paranormal? Just a guess.

You make a valid point about an expectation that heroines in law enforcement will have more aggressive characteristics.

]]> By: Karin Tabke http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241575 Karin Tabke Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:25:46 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241575 you are amazing as well. i'm still recuperating from spending the night at your place. i still don't know how you do it all. you are amazing as well. i’m still recuperating from spending the night at your place. i still don’t know how you do it all.

]]> By: Karin Tabke http://www.murdershewrites.com/2010/03/11/strong-heroines/#comment-241574 Karin Tabke Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:22:45 +0000 http://www.murdershewrites.com/?p=5461#comment-241574 Aww, thank you , Allison! :) Aww, thank you , Allison! :)

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