I have been a screenwriter for around 12 years, an avid reader for 23 years, and a writer for various mediums for 16 years. After a while, you start to notice patterns in the material you come across. The most recent pattern I have noticed is in Teen Fantasy Books.
I released my first fantasy novel, The Golden Sword, in September 2016. It is book one of a series called the Chronicles of Drenyon. While writing it, I was professionally advised to research the fantasy book market and read as many books in my genre as I could find. I was looking forward to it. I thought that Fantasy would be an exciting thrill ride because it is, in theory, the most imaginative genre. Even science fiction is usually rooted in some background of real scientific principles. But with Fantasy, the sky is the limit. You can make any rules you want. It doesn’t have to be grounded in realism, and as long as your rules are consistent, then you can create your own world.
Instead, this is what I found.
I found Cinder, Ella Enchanted, the Woodcutter Sisters Series and a ton of other books along the same lines as these. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with these popular novels in and of themselves. But what do they have in common? They are all feminist re-tellings of classic fairy tales. Cinder is the steam-punk version of Cinderella, Ella Enchanted is the personal development version of Cinderella, and Enchanted, the first book of the Woodcutter Sisters series, is a combination of the Frog Prince, Cinderella, and a hodgepodge of other fairy tales. In a genre that could foster a lot of unique creativity, authors are telling the same tales over and over again.
Why? Obviously, it sells. But I think there is a deeper reason, especially when it comes to female authors writing for female readers. These fairy tales have values that reflect an earlier era and somewhat outdated values. Their original tales have many damsels in distress and describe marriage as the end-all be-all to life’s happiness. I can understand and relate to the strong desire to teach the new generation of young women that they are more than mere damsels and that there Is more to life than romance.
But let’s change our tactic, shall we?
The big push in the U.S. during the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s has been to prove that women are just as capable, intelligent, driven and powerful as any man can be. We have been fighting that battle for a long time and we have been fighting hard. I know there’s still work to be done, but all in all, I think we have made our point. Stories with a strong female protagonist are no longer in the minority. In real life, we have women billionaires, women running for president, women directors, you name it.
So let’s change our tactic in the writing world. I don’t think it’s necessary anymore to re-write the past for our nieces, students and daughters. If we keep doing that, then our girls will not realize how far we’ve come to reach where we are now.
Let’s write new stories, and explore other types of empowering strength: emotional strength, integrity, consistency of character, shrewdness, and humility. Let’s start celebrating Woman as Individual instead of Woman as Competitor to Man.
NLJ is an author, screenwriter, inspirational speaker, and former children’s educator. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production from the University of Southern California, and furthered her education to include children’s literature, personal development, and psychology. Her debut book, The Golden Sword, is book one of her four part series, entitled the Chronicles of Drenyon. Her hobbies include daydreaming, exploring, and eating chocolate.
To learning more, visit http://www.chroniclesofdrenyon.com