Things I want to See in My Genre of Choice
As many of you probably know, if you've visited my blog before, I tend to read a variety of genres. I read more young adult than anything else, in general, but of various genres within that category. The things I want to discuss are not plot lines, per se, but things that I personally want to see more.
First of all, it seems to have become the thing, in YA particularly, for their to be a "strong" female lead. While I understand that historically females have not had the best representation in fiction, at times I think this leading woman is taken too far. I guess it all depends on your definition of the word strong. Personally, I would love to see a plot surrounding a woman/girl who has to develop strength and independence without being emotionally insensitive. I'm not trying to say that all leading women in YA are, but sometimes I want to tell the women in the books I'm reading that it's ok to cry. It's ok to say I love you. Those things don't make you weak. So while that's not going to be the main plot of a story, I would like to see strong women who embrace their feelings more. That's just been lacking in a lot of what I've read recently.
More focus on friendship. This is particularly true within YA. Maybe I've just been reading all the wrong books (although I really love some of them), because it seems like most YA, no matter the genre, becomes almost entirely focused on romance. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a good love story too, but I want to see more friendship and family relationships developed. It always seems like there has to be a romantic pairing for every main character, and I want to see that stepped away from. Romance can be good, but sometimes it's overdone. I want a great plot with a good romance, not a great romance with a little plot.
Both of these things apply to fantasy, which is my absolute favorite genre. For me, plot is nearly secondary in a story. It needs to have great characters and I can love it, no matter the plot. Well, that's not entirely true. I do need the plot to be somewhat enjoyable, but if a book has great characters I'm going to like it.
So here are my scattered thoughts this week. What plots or story arcs would you like to see more in your favorite genre?
Hi Courtney!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about your leading ladies comment. I do feel like authors have made it a point to constantly give us these "strong" girls that have to be the bad ass without showing even a hint of vulnerability. I honestly feel like having that vulnerability is what makes them that much better as a character. I don't want to always have to read about a girl who is too afraid to show her emotions, out of fear of being considered weak or whatever the case may be.
I also touched upon the idea of friendship, although I focused more on the friendships between girls. I don't like all the girls fighting against one another all the time. I love reading about how friendships develop and just that aspect is always refreshing to me. Sometimes the romance isn't needed to make a a good story :)
Great post!
Thanks for reading and commenting! It drives me crazy when books imply that women who are accepting and in tune with their emotions are weak. It drives me crazy!
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