tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post6088359490467334950..comments2023-06-19T07:57:22.562-07:00Comments on The Sparkle Project: How am I writing? Another open thread.Ceilidhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12907094027256328115noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-32956877878892026242011-01-18T18:15:42.555-08:002011-01-18T18:15:42.555-08:00I have to second Katniss and Hermione for some of ...I have to second Katniss and Hermione for some of the same reasons another person posted. I also agree with Ella and Sophie.<br /><br />As for writing, I'm starting my new story.Meagan Elizabeth Hightowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16762758218661248849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-20053288704644727172011-01-01T19:27:55.540-08:002011-01-01T19:27:55.540-08:00My all-time favorite YA heroine is definitely Tiff...My all-time favorite YA heroine is definitely Tiffany Aching. She's one of the most capable, smart, fascinating characters out there. I also love Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (a hilarious deconstruction of the fairy-tale princess), Kel from The Protector of the Small (the whole series is pretty much her out-badassing everyone else by being ridiculously determined), and Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle. Honorable mentions go to Ella from Ella Enchanted and Aravis from The Horse and His Boy. <br /><br />As for male protagonists, one of my favorites is Kavi from Hilari Bell's Farsala Trilogy, a criminally underrated YA series. Eugenides the Thief and Artemis Fowl are also great. Sam Vimes from the Discworld series deserves a mention as well, even though it's not YA.Callienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-56087021537599857202010-12-31T21:23:20.280-08:002010-12-31T21:23:20.280-08:00It's weird that just today I was making a list...It's weird that just today I was making a list in my head of my fave heroines, before I saw this. 0_o<br /><br />Like another poster, I love Sabriel and Lirael. They're kickass but are realistic enough for me to relate to, and they undergo a lot of character development. When I was younger, my favorites were Eowyn from the Lord of the Rings, Lyra from the Golden Compass (she was kind of a brat, but very gutsy), Eilonwy from the Prydain books (her inane similes made me laugh), and Moql/Saaski from The Moorchild. The author did a great job of making a half-fairy half-human character that didn't really belong anywhere, and to date The Moorchild the only changeling-centered book I can stand.<br /><br />I also like Karigan from Green Rider and Lale from Assassins of Tamurin. Not technically YA, but yeah. In recent YA, I just read "Plain Kate" and found it, and its heroine, quite good, though her development is more subtle. <br /><br />As for writing, I haven't gotten much done since Christmas, though I had a couple ideas for future scenes yesterday and today. Getting the rough draft done is definitely my New Year's resolution.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-36370149039916076942010-12-31T09:06:47.605-08:002010-12-31T09:06:47.605-08:00In YA, my current favorite heroine is Bianca from ...In YA, my current favorite heroine is Bianca from The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Just because she's kinda fierce and didn't take shit from anyone, but at the same time, she didn't feel like a poorly drawn caricature of a "strong female character." She was real, at least to me. I also really like the narrator of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak. She also felt real to me and was strong too. <br /><br />Not in YA, my favorite heroines come from my favorite novel ever, The Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis. All three generations of women she profiles remain super strong and amazing, even after they go through some terrible things (my favorite though is Salome, probably because she's an urban guerrilla who ends up imprisoned).<br /><br />I actually finished two novels this year (both in December, which means I've done quite a bit of writing lately, which I'm super proud of) that I'm madly in love with. :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-45366429987845404822010-12-31T05:14:31.482-08:002010-12-31T05:14:31.482-08:00I'll have to second Hermione, because she came...I'll have to second Hermione, because she came instantly to mind when I think of great heroines. Ginny too - she wasn't just a love interest, but a fully formed character from the moment she appeared on the page. Sophie(Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones), George(Feed by Mira Grant), Joanne(The Walker Papers by C.E. Murphy), and Dru(Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow) are my top picks. For heroes - Kvothe(The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss), Harry Dresden(The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher), and John Geary(The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell, which is dry reading at times, but a fascinating character)... I'm having a hard time coming up with many great heroes, I guess because I tend to read books with female main characters more often.<br /><br />I like characters with agency, that Act as well as React. Characters that are clever as well as being intelligent, who use a mixture of their intelligence and strength in fights and are willing to acknowledge their flaws. I also like characters that always hold something back, because how many people really are completely up front with others? I have a soft spot for geeks and characters with interesting families and/or dark pasts.<br /><br />I unfortunately haven't done any writing today, but I have put a lot of work into my novel this week, and as well a couple short stories.Jean M. Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07439550058630754935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-36370801597727529482010-12-30T15:52:15.239-08:002010-12-30T15:52:15.239-08:00Sabriel and Lirael are my two favorite lead female...Sabriel and Lirael are my two favorite lead female characters. <br /><br />I love all kinds of heroines, actually. But I stick to mostly strong, mentally as opposed to physically. <br /><br />And 1.5k? I usually write 2k a day, but it's been hard to keep a regular schedule with my family over and me not having a nice quiet writing space.R.R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16247652936800262025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7374075192901571152.post-90268605795186856612010-12-30T15:19:26.368-08:002010-12-30T15:19:26.368-08:00Off the top of my head, Katniss from The Hunger Ga...Off the top of my head, Katniss from The Hunger Games and Alexia from Soulles come up as some of my favorite heroines (and although it's technically not considered YA, Hermione from HP is my all time favorite). I don't think too many people liked Katniss because, quite frankly, she's not a very sweet person but I totally love that she's like that. <br /><br />I think I usually look for realistic flaws in me hero/heroine, otherwise I might get bored with them. I hate it when stubborness is made to be the only flaw, because that often turns into a thinly veiled attempt at getting the reader to think that the protagonist is more than stubborn but heroic. You know those scenes in which, against all warnings, a hero/heroine repeatedly does things that the other characters consider to be stupid yet the reader is supposed to think of as brave? There are situations in which I think that's done correctly, but most YA books fail at it.fromthisgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01987558238934792092noreply@blogger.com