Talking about tough girl heroines and trying to write a tough heroine means that the subject is on my mind most of the time. I tried to determine why it is I tend to like tough heroines, and why I am drawn to writing them.
And, I think I came to understand one piece. I like tough girls because I am so not one. I am a big wimp when it comes to most things. So, a tough girl represents for me a kind of wishful thinking. Man, I wish I had the guts to do that.
A few nights ago I went to a baseball game with my Mom. The guy behind us was yammering on and on about how a Minnesota pitcher was in the midst of pitching a no hitter. He kept saying no-no over and over again, so loud and so obnoxious that it was just one of those things that really grated on my nerves.
So, I lean over to my Mom and say, “If that guy says no-no one more time I am going to…” and then I trail off because honestly… what am I going to do?
Which my Mom points out. “You’re going to what? Sit there and say nothing.”
“Yup. If that guy says no-no one more time I am going to sit here and fume inwardly.”
Now, honestly, the guy wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was just being loud and annoying. Not a crime. And saying anything probably would have only created a negative situation. Still, there’s a part of me that wishes I had more guts to say something in certain situations.
So, I tend to be drawn to or amused by those people who aren’t afraid to speak their mind (even perhaps when they shouldn’t). And I’m more forgiving of someone who is too brash, than someone who is too afraid to do anything… because that’s a trait I don’t care for in myself.
Nicole Helm 