Women of character: in this world and in galaxies far, far away

One of the great debates between my son and I is this: "Who is better, Princess Leia or Padme Amidala."  The clear winner in my book is Leia.  For my son, a 12 year old who saw the Prequels first, its Padme.  

My son faults Leia for many things that were simply unrealistic for the time period she was written in (like flying an X-Wing in Episode IV).  He does not understand (nor would I expect him to) the time period in which Princess Leia was written.  I remember watching Star Wars wanting to be Leia.  For a while, I insisted Princess Leia was my name and that my parents should address me as such.  Leia could match wits with scoundrels and imperial commanders, she could be tortured by the empire and still keep her side buns firmly in place and looking great, she could engage in a fire fight like the boys she traveled with, she could pilot a space vehicle, she would choose to stay behind as imperials storm their Hoth base just to make sure everyone is evacuated, she rode a speeder bike at top speeds through a forest she's never been through before, she helped lead the assault on Endor's moon, and she kept cool under pressure as would be expected of a princess and senator in times of personal stress.  Seriously, she kicks butt!  And for a girl growing up in the 80s where the typical female movie role was to look pretty and scream while they're being saved from some dashing man?.. Leia was the toughest chic on the block, and she was a princess.  None of that Disney princess stuff either.  She's what a princess should be.  

By all accounts, you would think I'd like Padme.  She's not afraid to make tough decisions, she is a strong leader, she can hold her own in a gun fight, and she lives to serve others.  Along with many of the traits shared with Leia as mentioned above, she's got some good stuff to her name.  So what's my problem?  Episode III.  In the end, Padme "loses the will to live," even after giving birth to two healthy babies, and dies asking Obi-Wan to save Anakin because "there is still good in him."  Wait, what?  Then why did you die???  You gave up, and then you're are you asking someone, holding your baby you're leaving behind, to fight your battle for you??  This is a serious issue with me.  Despite the fact that Natalie Portman did a poor job acting in Star Wars, I believed the character could have been redeemed.  But Mr. Lucas took the easy way out and killed her without any reasonable cause.  He spent the entire prequels to that point establishing Padme as a strong leader for the rebellion, and then she... just... dies... 

In Episode VI, Luke asks Leia, "do you remember your mother, your real mother."  Leia first of all should be asking, 'what the heck do you mean by real mother?'  Clearly, that line was forgotten about when Episode III was being filmed.  I thought for sure that Padme would continue the fight for a few years to try to save Anakin but that eventually the Emperor would kill her as she pleaded for Anakin to save her.  Parallel to Luke's battle in Episode VI?  Hmmm, perhaps... Could have really been a heavily emotional scene.  However, the character of Padme was never given a chance to fight for love.  She simply gave up.  Yet what did Leia do when her man was taken away?  She walked into Jabba's palace and turned on a thermonuclear detonator!!!  And that was only to stay in character as Boushh the bounty hunter!  She ended up choking Jabba to death, probably also for exploiting her physical traits instead of her mind (stupid bikini) as much as putting a bounty on her boyfriend's head.  Padme couldn't have done a little storming of an imperial base to try to rescue Anakin from his dark path?  One disagreement and its over for you?  My son can overlook this ridiculous ending to Padme's life, but as a mother, I have a real issue with it.  I like to see strong motherly characters on screen and in the pages of my books!

When I pick up a book, its partially for the storyline but mostly because of the characters.  I enjoy reading about women in historical times overcoming odds, developing into wiser people, and finding meaning in their lives.  One of my favorite books is "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan."  There is not a happy ending to this tale of friendship, but there is a lesson that the main character learns.  It was heartfelt, it portrayed women surviving in a horribly abusive world (wait until you read about foot binding), and its about character growth.  Wow.  This book had the "it" female factor for me.  You may check out my review on my website: http://www.teasippinnerdymom.com/history-is-cool-history-book-reviews-fascinating-facts/history-book-reviews-fiction-non/snow-flower-the-secret-fan/

Another book I was excited to read was "Bitter Greens" about a female author, Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who wrote the most commonly known Rapunzel story.  It wove back and forth through three different women's lives.  Unfortunately, the book seemed to spend more time on who was sleeping with who or who was raping who than about women using their inner strength and tenacity to create something beautiful in a harsh world.  I got so sick from all the sex scenes.  There was so little characterization.  As I wrote in my review, What motivates Charlotte-Rose? What inspires a story for her? Is it something she heard gossiped, is it while she's riding horses, is it remembering her life growing up? This is what I want to read. Bed fellows should take a back seat to this. The "Afterward" shares that Charlotte-Rose wrote a collection of fairy tales. Where did these other fairy tales arise from? There was little to no exploration of Charlotte-Rose's imagination other than a story briefly told at a salon in one chapter.

So many books about historical female characters weigh heavily on women being fondled or bed frolicking, and I seriously do not want to read it!  I want to read about women overcoming obstacles using their own personal skills (and we are not talking skills is bed) and wisdom.  One reviewer on Amazon.com commented that books with large amounts of sex or religious beliefs should be labeled as such.  I agree.  I hate it when I pick up a book and then get smacked over the head with steamy love scenes.  Huh... did I pick up a bodice ripper?  I thought this was supposed to be about Juliet's nurse???  

Wait a minute... how in the world did I get from Star Wars to here?  Simply put, its all about the portrayal of women from page to screen.  Growing up when I did, I've seen a LOT of growth for women as years have passed.  There's still a bridge to cross every now and then, but its so different from the 80s where women characters offered very little to the movie plot lines in action/adventure stories.  And those were the stories I wanted!  

Will the debate go on between me and my son?  Most likely.  He will always like Padme better than Leia.  He feels she did more in the story.  That's partially due to the time the movies were filmed and the expectations Mr. Lucas was writing under.  Leia actually set the bar high, so when he created the mother of Leia and Luke, she had to be very strong willed and assertive.  Unfortunately, the story for Padme ended without any character growth.  It ended in a sacrifice that did nothing to help those around her.  And she gets the worst mother of the year award.  That's not the example of a 'strong female character' I want my kids to get behind.

So when I read about female characters in books or watch them on screen, I want a story that shows off some courage, be it courage in taking a first step to a new school, allowing yourself to be vulnerable in front of others, not giving up when all hope seems lost, or escaping a Death Star, whatever.  There are many examples of courage.  Choices are not made easily, life is hard, but through personal strength and wisdom, obstacles can be overcome and dreams can be achieved.  Did "Snow Flower" have a happy ending?  No.  I do not expect a happy ending all the time.  However, I do like something that shows growth.  Characters come out different by the end, and the journey is made sweeter when you reach that final step.  

Here's a few books other than above that I would recommend in which I feel get females right (click on the names to view my review on my website): 

Gwendolyn's Sword

by E.A. Haltom

The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen (The Legend of Sheba #1 )

by Tosca Lee 

Rebel Queen

by Michelle Moran

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

by Michelle Moran 

Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death #1)

by Ariana Franklin

Eve

by Elissa Elliott

One Night With the King (Hadassah #1)

by Tommy Tenney, Mark Andrew Olsen

Henna House

by Nomi Eve

Akarnae (The Medoran Chronicles #1)

by Lynette Noni  

(excellent teen-age main character along the lines of Annabeth Chase or Hermione Granger)

Make it so... right now.

Has anyone else noticed that we're living in a culture of "now?"  Let me give you a little background:  My daughter will often say something to the effect of: "Mommy, I'd like to learn to knit."  Typically, my response would be, "That sounds like a fun idea."  She will then reply with, "I want to learn now."  And when she says now, she means that instant.  She actually expects me to go find my knitting needles, wherever they lurk in our storage closet, and start showing her 'the ropes' of knitting... or sewing or buying her school supplies, etc.

This isn't a one-time expectation either.  I often find myself trying to untangle a web my daughter has woven around me.  She asks to do something, and its not meant as a planning statement.  There's no putting a pin in anything.  She expects me to get up that instant and "make it so."  I'll be the first to admit that some days I can be a little slow to start.  However, typically she's trying to get me to do something right now when I'm already in the middle of something like book editing or writing or reading (three of my favorite things!).

My daughter is 9 years old.  She does not have an email or a Facebook page account, but she does play on the internet.  She has a Webkinz account and some other accounts on sites recommended by her school.  Remember when we were thrilled to play the super exciting and fast-paced Oregon Trail?  Yea... you get my sarcasm...  However, my daughter learns how to navigate the web.  They work on math problems, watch educational videos, and actually have homework to complete on school-recommended sites.  I rarely find text books in her classroom.  While practice work is in a work book, research projects are rarely done via the library.  And let's face it, doing work on the web gives them instant answers.

Instant answers!  No more looking things up in the alphabetical index at the back of the book to find the page number where the topic I want is discussed and then slowly flipping over to page 65, oops - that's page 67, couple more licks of the finger and flips, and there!  My answer! 

Nope.  Its an easy search-engine answer.  Type: Knitting + *click* = Multiple links appear like magic.

I can understand why my daughter is constantly asking to do something "now."  She's being trained that if she wants something, she can click a website and find out the answer.  This too easily translates into home life.  If she wants to learn something from me, she expects it to be done now. I try to say, "I'm sorry, darling, but a skill like knitting is going to take time. Its not a quick here's what you do, here are the needles, have fun!"  It takes work.  And work is hard!!!  It takes dedication and perseverance.

When working on my first novel, there were times I was frustrated with a writing block or a plot point I was having difficulties resolving.  A few times, I just wanted to call it quits for a few months!  However, there was a VeggieTales skit that kept running through my head about perseverance (we like VeggieTales at our house).  It was the silent film skit about a piano delivery man trying to carry a piano up a ginormous flight of stairs.  When I began to get frustrated, I replayed that skit in my head.  It helped me keep moving.  Honestly!  It just took a simple recharge with some humorous entertainment.  Even if I could not solve something right away, I made a point to at least work on something - whether it be another scene, research, or reviewing publishing options.  I kept my eyes on the prize.  And it worked!

Onto teaching my kids... wow, its quite an uphill battle that they do not want to undertake.  Remember when our parents talked about the uphill journey to school and back from school - both ways?  Parents of today face this challenge with getting our kids to work at finding an answer and to engage in things that are not instantly resolved.  On top of teaching them that mommy's tasks cannot be instantly set aside for something they want which is not urgent (like a bleeding limb or homework due within an hour or tickets for Episode VII that went on sale)... but that's another topic!

Not everything can be answered simply and quickly.  Many answers come by thoughtful musings and personal discoveries.  This is a skill they will need to practice.  They will also need to see it modeled through me.  I talk to them about my writing and how hard it can be (even now with book 2).  I hope that I can give them a focus and determination to work past the "now," past the google-quick answers, and past the simplicity. 

Maybe we should all start teaching our kids to write a book!  It takes a lot of work, re-work, and research.  It takes time and effort.  But the end proves to be incredibly rewarding.

Keeping those quackers from getting lost

I recently read an interesting article on a CreateSpace blog.  Here is the link: 
https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/community/resources/blog/2015/07/14/writing-tip-keep-a-synopsis-as-you-go

The gist of it: To avoid getting lost within your own creation, create a chapter-by-chapter synopsis that you update as you progress.

Isn't funny how when you read something, a light bulb goes on.  I couldn't put it into words before, but now that you say it...  But in truth, I've noticed my own difficulties in keeping my story straight.

I keep a timeline of events for my historical fiction so my ducks stay in a nice neat line, especially since I'm working in B.C. time and the years work themselves backwards.  However, I can easily forget which chapter I placed a certain event.  I have the year for an event on my timeline, sure, but did I remember to put it in this chapter from 1341 or that chapter from 1341?  Did I foreshadow an upcoming event or not?  Momma duck is losing her ducklings and fast! 

As if I need to write a story to realize how easily I get confused!   Its easy to get so far ahead of yourself that you begin to lose your way.  So poor little gray duck, purple duck, and polka-dot duck cannot find the path I took as I'm no longer in their line of sight (its duck-duck-gray-duck, not duck-duck-goose!)

I definitely need to start doing this.  Here is the synopsis for Aten's Last Queen's first two chapters.  Perhaps it will be a good guide for you as well.

Chapter One: Both Shadow and Light, 1341 B.C.

The story of Tutanhkaten’s birth is retold by Ankhesenpaaten as it has been told to her. Nefertiti claims the title of Mother of Tut, and his birth mother, Henuttaneb, is erased from the record.  Nefertiti’s fears are briefly shared.  Ankhesenpaaten’s older sister, Merytaten, appears to be the heir to the throne, and Tut is placed in the care of a nurse named Maia, who has lost her husband and a child previously in an accident.

Chapter Two: Let Not The Heart Be Troubled, 1340 B.C.

Ankhesenpaaten and her sister Meketaten are playing together and discuss how they envision their futures. 

Time moves forward to 1338 B.C.  Merytaten’s role as future heir has become more intensive, and the only time Ankhesenpaaten shares with her is at school.  However, they come to love a song performed during one of their classes that brings tears to their eyes. 

One of Pharaoh’s wives, Kiya/Tadukhipa, has her father visiting.  There is a festival taking place in the palace to celebrate his arrival.  Meketaten insists on buying a good luck charm for their Mother who is pregnant again.  Ankhesenpaaten meets a Canaanite boy at the market stall.  They share stories of their lives, and she feels attracted to him.  But she is rebuked publicly by Meketaten for it. We are also quickly introduced to Marahkaten, one of Pharaoh’s lesser daughters.

As there is a lot of world building and character identification in the first few chapters, some synopses will be longer than others.  However, I am going to have to go back and start this.  I can see how beneficial this quick-reference tool would be.

Do you have other methods to your madness?  Please share!  Anything to help keep my little quackers from getting lost in the momentum of the story.  Because if they get lost, I'm guessing the reader will also get lost.  And that's definitely something as an author I want to avoid.

First live appearance!

What a blast!  I was able to promote and sell my book with a group of local authors.  There is a weekly city event that hosts food vendors and artists from around the area.  This week I got to be a participant with the Rochester Authors Group booth!  And there are a lot of great books out there too.  Check out some of the talent: http://readingminnesota.blogspot.com/

I have never actually sold my book "live" before.  Typically, I just wait for a Bookbaby update on my sales.  But being able to speak with customers and autograph their purchases (personalizing them and everything) was so thrilling!

I love talking about my book and ancient Egypt and the writing process.  Today was fun.  Granted, standing for almost 3 hours was hard on the feet (it reminded me of how my feet hurt after the first day at Disney World!  That's an ache!), but it was so gratifying.  

I cannot wait for next week. If you're in the area, come on out!!! 

To Pen Name, or Not To Pen Name…

I recently had an interesting conversation with fellow authors in my area.  I was asked why I chose to go by a pen name: J. Lynn Else.  It’s a good question.  Why do we choose the names we do?  That is, if you do!

One of the authors said that when he sees initials in a name, he felt it looked very scholarly.  He felt initials gave off an air of knowledge.  That, of course, made me smile.  Of course it’s because I’m so smart!

I actually wanted to go by a pen name because, well, Jessica is not all that exciting a name.  As one of the 2 most popular first names in the 1970s, I’ve heard it a lot.  I was always surrounded by either Jennifers or Jessicas.  So I wanted to pick something that stood out, like I want my writing to stand out.

I actually called upon my friends on Facebook and asked their opinion on a number of possible pen names with various forms of initialed or non-initialed aliases.  There were J.L. possibilities, Jessica Lynn possibilities, and then choices of maiden or married name.  In the end, J. Lynn Else was one of the choices with most votes.  But most importantly, it was also the name I felt most drawn to.  It felt right – like the way I wanted to be represented.  Getting feedback certainly helped, but the end choice was mine. 

So what’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.  While a true sentiment, Juliet, for your Romeo; however, as an author, its one of the few things your readers will see on your book’s cover.  You get the title, your name, and a pretty picture.  It’s just one piece of a larger puzzle in your efforts to build an audience.  

So what name represents YOU?  Perhaps you have an awesome first name as unique as the style of clothes you wear.  Perhaps not.  But whatever you decide, its just one way readers view your book. 

That person sounds well-educated by their name.

That name is so classy!    

That name is so very ordinary.

That person sounds they come from a rich family in the Hamptons!

Obviously, I’m not option #4.  But I would not mind options #1 or #2.  

So…  to be, or not to be pen named?  That is the question. And what dreams may come once you’ve decided!

Are you a hater and or a shaker?

Its always a thrill to get a positive review.  I just checked Amazon.com and found a new review posted which gave me 5 stars.  Wow.  Totally raised my spirits for the day.  The reviewer even left a brief positive comment.  I always appreciate when reviewers put into words what touched them. 


However, as an author, you are going to get the negative reviews too.  I now realize, after reading a few of my own, that when I review a book, I should not only be more sensitive but also more specific.  While negative reviews are hard to read, they can also be very helpful when the reviewer points out what did not work for them.  Was it a character choice?  Was it the editing (which usually is out of your control as an author)?  Was it the setting?  One reviewer of my book stated that they felt the internal dialogue was too mature for my characters.  I appreciate their honesty because I did actually struggle with that during the writing process.  I wanted to show the main character's maturity develop.  However, for that reader, some parts of it did not work.  Another reviewer wrote that I used the occasional American slang and specifically referenced in my writing that I called siblings "kids" instead of "children."  Much appreciation!  Now I know to watch for that as I develop book 2.


As an author of historical fiction, some dictation is obviously too modern to use.  However, words like "kids" is not one that would occur to me as being overtly American.  I remember looking up many different reference words to ensure they were probable ways for an ancient person to express themselves.  If I found words that originated in England during the middle ages, I looked for a synonym.  So again, there was another example of a review that was somewhat negative but also extremely helpful.  I could have taken that personally.  No one else has commented on that before.  But I knew it was not about me.  And the reviewer did give props to the research done. 


And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate....


However, there have been some craptastic reviews.  One person stated how my writing was at the level of a junior high student's ability.  Ouch!  That one took a little time for me.  The comment was definitely directed at me as an author. 

So how does one overcome such words?  A cousin of mine put it well.  He told me that its very easy to write an anonymous review and criticize something.  And he's right about that.  There's no ownership or responsibility associated with it.  He also said that its much harder to write a book.  And that's what I remember when a low-star review is posted. 

Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake...

Say it a few times:

I wrote a book. 

I wrote a book! 

I wrote a 500+ page book, baby!!!! 

I feel good about that. 

You should feel good about your work too.  Realize that you're not going to please everyone.  Not even Harry Potter pleases everyone.  Are you happy?  Do you feel you did your best?  For me the answer is a definite: Hell yes!  So be proud.  You should be.  And as Taylor Swift would say (sorry, my son is a huge fan):  I shake it off, I shake it off!