Strong Women in Story – by Kristina Stanley
When Connie invited
me to guest blog on the topic of strong women, my mind raced with
possibilities.
She asked what does
the phrase, “Strong Women” mean to me. I had to think about that. Strong
physically? Strong emotionally? A combination of the two.
My gut reaction was
to say a strong woman is independent. By that I mean, a woman who can take care
of herself. Not that she should do that all the time, or that she shouldn’t
rely on others, but that she can if she has to.
This led me to
think about the protagonist I write about. Kalin Thompson is the protagonist in
the Stone Mountain Series. She first appears in DESCENT.
She’s in love with Ben
Timlin but has a life of her own. She relies on him but doesn’t need him. She
cares for him and for their dog, Chica, sometimes at the expense of herself and
sometimes not.
When Kalin Thompson
is promoted to Director of Security at Stone Mountain Resort, she soon
becomes entangled in the high-profile murder investigation of an
up-and-coming Olympic-caliber skier. There are more suspects with motives than
there are gates on the super-G course, and danger mounts with every turn.
Kalin’s boss orders her to investigate. Her boyfriend wants
her to stay safe and let the cops do their job. Torn between loyalty to friends
and professional duty, Kalin must look within her isolated community to unearth
the killer’s identity.
Strong female characters are smart.
Kalin is a director at a ski resort in change of security and human resources.
To do this job well, she must use her brains.
Strong female characters are proactive.
Kalin actively searches for the killer of a skier who was murdered at
her mountain. Even though her life is in danger, she tries to do what’s right
for the murdered skier, her friends, and her coworkers.
Strong female characters stand up for others
who aren’t as strong.
Kalin looks after others at the resort who are in need of her help.
She’s kind when required and tough when she has to be.
Does that mean women
in real life who are smart, proactive and stand up for others are strong? You
tell me. I’d love to hear in the comments what you think the characteristics of
a strong female protagonist are.
BIO:
KristinaStanley is the best-selling author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her
first two
Her short stories have
been published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and The Voices From the
Valleys anthology. She is the author of THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO SELLING BOOKS TO
NON-BOOKSTORES.
As the co-founder and CEO
of Feedback Innovations, a company started to help writers rewrite better
fiction. She loves the self-editing process and wants to help other writers
learn how to do a structural edit on their own work.
If you’d like more
self-editing tips, you can find out more about her and Feedback at www.FeedbackForFiction.com. Connect with her @FictionRewrite.
