Writing Action-Adventure for Women By Kerry Chaput

Writing Action-Adventure for Women By Kerry Chaput

Unexpected female main characters have always held a particular fascination for me. I recently watched Enola Holmes with my daughters, and it fed my soul to see a young woman as a smart, resourceful fighter. and not a helpless creature incapable of saving others. Women can be fierce, active participants in the world around them. I write historical action-adventure for exactly this reason.

I have my doctorate degree in physical therapy, and have spent my entire adult life learning about kinesiology. How people move has always fascinated me. We’re trained to examine body language and how that conveys emotion, so naturally, adventure books called to me. Unfortunately, so few feature women in main roles.

Action-adventure is often geared toward a male audience. A hero’s journey is much more solitary, with women often serving the purpose of being the hero’s conquest, with the all-too-common sexualization of women’s bodies. Writing action for women doesn’t always have the goal of power and conquering. For me, these stories focus on family and sisterhood, bonding women and encouraging them to stand up for themselves. How truly refreshing to use a woman’s body for power and strength and courage, rather than to satisfy a man.

Young women have always been a quiet but persistent force in history, but their stories have been largely ignored. I write historical action-adventure to celebrate women working together as an impetus for change. Women are taught far too often to see each other as rivals from a very young age. I think this might be because women together are a force—dangerous even—to the power systems that keep women passive and quiet. I’d like to believe that when women read about trusting each other, supporting each other, and making the right choices for themselves, we can unlearn some of the toxic beliefs we’ve learned.

So much of women’s history has been hidden and washed away and minimized. Once I started searching, I discovered stories of incredible women who broke all expectations. Female acrobatic pilots and Victorian tattoo artists, women kings from the Middle Ages, survivalists and medieval entrepreneurs. Women who take an active role in their destiny and fight for their dreams have always existed, just rarely celebrated.

Maybe I’m tired of the narrative that women can’t be loud and difficult. The idea that women can’t take up space infuriates me. I want to see those daring women and travel on their adventures. I want to watch them fight and battle for what they want.

In my March 30th release, Daughter of the Shadows, 17th century heroine Isabelle mentors under a female Huron warrior, and she in turn teaches others. She fights to save her fellow Protestants from certain death at the direction of her devious husband and Isabelle learns to put her own needs aside to save everyone she cares about. The heart of action-adventure for me is a journey of the body and the mind, driven by empathy and courage.

Action must go beyond the simple pronoun + verb. Movement can show us who a character is by their body language, how they react, what they notice in their environment, and most importantly, what they’re trying to prove. Why are they traveling/fighting/running? If you don’t have an answer for that, the action will feel shallow. Understand their motivation and their adventures will have meaning.

We aren’t passive members of our world, and neither are our characters. They should take agency in their lives and discover the world around them. During their adventures, they will make mistakes, encounter new friends and foes. They’ll be forced into decisions based on their evolving world view. Even a quiet adventure can leave a tremendous impact on the reader when we remember to focus on goals and motivation.

Moving a character into unknown situations is a wonderful way to test the limits of that motivation. How far is your protagonist willing to go for what they want?

All my stories use a physical adventure to mirror the emotional journey of my protagonist. In Daughter of the Shadows, Isabelle fights the Catholics who wronged her people, but every fight is really against herself. She questions if she has done enough, lived a life that her lost ancestors would be proud of—redeemed her past mistakes. Isabelle must make amends for her earlier betrayals, and in doing so finds a physical strength that unlocks her internal power.

Writing action isn’t just for adventure. It should teach us something. Make us feel powerful and inspired. When I finished Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, I wiped my teary eyes and looked at my life. I wanted to do something heroic after reading about female WWII resistance fighters. In Code Name Verity, Julie and Maddie taught me how friendship leaves indelible imprints on our hearts. The Forest of Vanishing Stars showed me how resourceful and brave women can be because Yona remained an empathetic fighter despite her horrific experiences. In other words, adventure keeps my attention, but the characters steal my heart.

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Kerry Chaput is an award-winning historical fiction author. She believes in the power of stories that highlight young women and found families. Born and raised in California, she now lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she can be found on hiking trails and in coffee shops. Connect with her at www.kerrywrites.com.

DAUGHTER OF THE SHADOWS

“In the second installment of her Defying the Crown series, Kerry Chaput transports readers from the wilds of Quebec to Paris and the palace of the Sun King, spinning a tale of daring and danger. Isabelle Beaumont is a fighter and a fierce woman that readers will root for. With meticulous research and passion for her subject matter, Chaput beautifully conjures the haunting fate of the French Huguenots, and the indelible human drive to fight for love and freedom.” –Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post

1667 Quebec. Committed to a double life to save her fellow Protestants, Isabelle turns spy against her deceitful Catholic husband. When he devises a ruthless plan to imprison and torture her people, Isabelle learns to fight from a brave young Huron woman. Isabelle seizes the opportunity to undermine her husband’s efforts by escorting him to France. There, she plays the doting wife while she secretly works to subvert the Catholic Church and plot his demise. But Paris is full of poisons, street gangs, and cruel nobility who threaten to destroy all Isabelle has worked to protect. With her found family on the line, Isabelle must challenge the most powerful man in France-King Louis XIV.

Defying the Crown may seem impossible, but Paris has yet to meet a warrior like her.

In the follow up to the award-winning Daughter of the King, Kerry Chaput takes readers on a historical adventure where fierce, cunning women fight for freedom. Daughter of the Shadows immerses you in the dark world of Paris, where court intrigue and poisonous secrets are no match for the whip-smart heroine who keeps you guessing at every turn. Discover the action-filled saga of this stellar historical fiction series.

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