Why Every Female Protagonist Doesn’t Need to Wield a Sword to be Strong By Annie Sullivan

Why Every Female Protagonist Doesn’t Need to Wield a Sword to be Strong

By Annie Sullivan

When people ask me for book suggestions with strong female protagonists, they always seem to mean—and expect—a book with some sort of sword-wielding warrior or skilled assassin capable of fighting with knives, daggers, and anything else she can get her hands on. And while often these heroines are full of bravery, bravado, and a distinct knowledge of deadly weapons, they represent only a subset of strong heroines. Because being strong isn’t just about the strength of your sword arm. No, strength can be so much more. 

For strength can be found within a character’s heart and mind—not just their muscles. It can come in the choices they make, the things they sacrifice, and the trials they endure. And it’s time we as readers and writers recognize that it takes more than training to make someone strong because that discounts the fortitude it takes to face every day battles. 

For example, think of the strength it takes to fight through each day with a mental illness or to stand up to a bully with words instead of fists or to step out of your comfort zone or even to learn to love yourself—flaws and all—when society says you have to change to fit in, to be loveable, to be beautiful. 

Each of these is a fight that cannot be faced with a sword, and yet they are battles that people of all ages face every day. By discounting their worth and the strength it takes to overcome them, we as a society are feeding into the idea that emotional battles are not as trying as physical ones—thereby furthering the stigma against mental illness and those who carry emotional tolls.

This is why it’s now more important than ever for the media we consume to validate characters who struggle with more than not being the best on the battlefield, and that’s why I created my protagonist, Princess Kora, in my young adult novel A Touch of Gold. 

Princess Kora is the cursed daughter of King Midas who was turned into a gold statue as a child by her father, but now that she’s been turned back into a living, breathing human being, she has some lasting side effects that set her apart—like magical gold abilities and golden skin. 

However, these side effects make her an outcast in her own palace. Rumors fly about how if you look her in the eye, you’ll turn to gold. Or, that she turns back into a statue at night. None of the rumors are true, but they, along with her golden skin, prevent anyone from getting close to her. 

But when King Midas’s gold is stolen, Kora must be the one to retrieve it because she can sense its location. But that means going out into the world that shuns her for her appearance. 

Kora has to go from being a ghost in her own palace to saving her kingdom—not to mention deal with a strained relationship with her father, anxiety about being around gold, and being bullied for her appearance. 

Princess Kora isn’t your typical hardcore heroine. But with each chapter, she learns more about herself and what she’s capable of. And she comes to realize that the things that make her an outcast, that make her different, might just be her greatest strengths. But most of all, she learns to love the skin she’s in—gold and all—because it’s part of her. 

Kora discovers her own inner strength as the novel goes on, and we shouldn’t overlook heroines like her who face issues teens and readers of all ages encounter in today’s world because if a reader sees a character overcoming a problem, they might just come out of that story a little more prepared to face that same battle in their own life. Thus, it’s all about creating new role models who overcome adversity to become stronger. 

By no longer overlooking these heroines, we can start to recognize how important it is to classify these victories as strengths, and we can start to redefine what it means to have a strong female protagonist. We can then create a new generation of readers who see themselves as strong, capable individuals, not only because they have a particular skill, but because they can survive the twists and turns life throws at them. 

Showing them that it’s normal and okay to be vulnerable, to ask for help, to let others in, and to carry emotional baggage can open the doors to a healthier society where we don’t stigmatize mental illness and are more capable of fighting our own demons—and helping others fight theirs. 

So next time you’re asked to give a recommendation—or are looking for one yourself—don’t be surprised if someone shows you a book you weren’t expecting. Because heroines come in all shapes and sizes—and with a variety of abilities. Because, in the end, it’s not about how well they can wield a sword, but how well they can relate to others and face the hardships in their lives with the courage and determination necessary to overcome them. No sword required. 

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Annie Sullivan, author of A Touch of Gold and A Curse of Gold, interview Princess Kora

Hello, Princess Kora! Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself?

Yes! I’m the daughter of King Midas—you know, the one who had the ability to turn everything he touched to gold. About ten years ago, he turned me to gold. But thankfully, he was able to turn me back to life. But that left me with some side effects—like golden skin and the ability to turn things to gold. 

That’s such an interesting power. Do you like having it?

Hmm…that’s such a difficult question to answer because it’s a very dangerous power. However, it’s gotten me out of trouble a time or two before when I had to go out and retrieve my father’s gold when it got stolen. 

Wow! That sounds dangerous. 

Oh yes. There were pirates and betrayers and thieves—not to mention the island full of brigands and the sirens we ran into. But that’s nothing compared to my new adventure. Because now Dionysius, the god who gave my father the power to turn things to gold—is after me and my kingdom. And if I don’t stop him, he’ll destroy the entire world in the process. 

Sounds like you’ve got a lot on your shoulders. How do you handle it all?

I definitelty could never handle it all on my own, so I count a lot on my friends and family. My cousin Hettie is spunky and stubborn, and she’ll stop at nothing when there’s something she wants. And then there’s Royce and his crew. Some of them may have been a little afraid of me and my skin at first, but I won them over eventually. 

What advice do you have for readers out there?

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. I used to hide away in my palace because people bullied me for my golden skin. I was like a ghost in that palace. But once I learned to love myself and the skin I was in, I stopped caring what other people thought. And that freed me up to live my life instead of just surviving it. 

Also, never underestimate the power of good communication. After my father turned me to gold, we didn’t speak. I think he was ashamed of what he did, and neither of us knew how to talk about it. It took a lot of life and death circumstances to realize that we could only learn to understand each other if we actually talked to each other. 

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Annie Sullivan is a Young Adult author from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work has been featured in Curly Red Stories and Punchnels. 

She received her Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Butler University. She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, and traveling. Her wanderlust has taken her to every continent, where she’s walked on the Great Wall of China, found four-leaf clovers in Ireland, waddled with penguins in Antarctica, and cage dived with great white sharks in South Africa.

Connect with the Author Online
Website: AnnieSullivanAuthor.com
Facebook: /AuthorAnnieSullivan
Twitter: @annsulliva
Instagram: @annsulliva

 

A CURSE OF GOLD

nCurses and queens. Pirates and kings. Gods and magic. The final saga of a princess cursed by Midas’s touch, a vengeful Greek god, and a dazzling kingdom in the balance.

After barely surviving thieving, bloodthirsty pirates and a harrowing quest at sea to retrieve her stolen treasure, Kora finds readjusting to palace life just as deadly. Her people openly turn against her, threatening to overthrow her as heir to the throne due to fear of her magical powers. When Dionysus puts out a challenge to kill the girl with the golden touch and burn down her kingdom, it’s not just her future on the throne in danger. Kora’s life and entire kingdom are now on contract.

With no other choice, Kora sets out to find Dionysus, journeying to the mysterious disappearing island of Jipper. If she wants to save her kingdom and have any chance at reversing her father’s curse, she will have to enter into a deadly game with Dionysus, the greatest trickster the world, or the underworld, has ever seen.

A Curse of Gold:

• Is the highly-anticipated sequel to A Touch of Gold by author Annie Sullivan
• Is an enchanting and captivating fantasy adventure/fairy tale retelling, perfect for fans of The Wrath and the Dawn and Cinder
• Is told from the perspective of Kora, King Midas’s daughter and a strong female protagonist
• Features a beautifully decorated cover
• Will have strong appeal to readers ages 13 & up

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing