In his blog last week, author Scott Gilmore spoke to the avoidance of the “Mary Sue” characters, particularly as relating to female protagonists. I don’t disagree with him at all: the main character of a book should struggle, and grow or evolve in the process, to overcome the obstacles blocking her from that happily ever after. Otherwise, what’s the point? Readers can’t identify with perfection.

This leads to the cliche of the strong female character. And, yes, it’s become a cliche–a trope–in several genres. A quick Google search brings up several articles addressing this, such as:

• ​”Strong Female Character Cliches to Avoid (In Writing and Beyond)” by Hanna Bauman
• “Write Strong Female Characters Without Being Cliché” by Writer’s Relief
• “It’s Time to End the Cliche of the “Strong Female Character,” and Just Write Women” by Elisabeth Sherman.

The stereotype of the strong female character has been addressed before and by many, but it persists even as literature offers slight adjustments. One of the more recent variations on the cliche is the female protagonist who’s too stupid/stubborn to live. Pigheadedness has become conflated with strength, something to celebrate rather than regard as a fault. I call it terminal stubbornness.

That trait makes my teeth itch.

The female main characters I write oftentimes exhibit excessive stubbornness, but to such an extent that it ought to get them killed. Instead, they suffer the consequences which forces them to evolve and adjust, just like real people do.

In Triple Burn, Ursula quickly learns how and when to pick her fights. Some reader responses indicate that they think she capitulates too soon and too easily. But consider the overwhelming circumstance: she is physically altered. Adapting to those circumstances makes her smart, not weak. (If my very DNA and flesh were altered, you can bet I’d resent what happened, but I’d also adapt, because the alternative is permanent.) Excessive stubbornness wouldn’t have endeared her to me and would have condemned her to a harsh doom on a planet she was not equipped to survive.

In The Barbary Lion, Chloe retreats into herself, becoming compliant to her captor’s will until the moment arrives at which time she takes full advantage of it and flees for freedom. She adapts, using the supernatural skills learned from her captor to evade him and the hunter he sends after her for two decades. Of course, this is a romance and reconciliation must occur, so she negotiates impressive concessions from Atlas Leonidus, a character whose defining trait is his utter refusal to break his word.

The ability to recognize futility and adapt is a strength rather than a weakness. It’s a skill we must all accomplish to some degree, or we don’t survive very long in a society and world determined to crush us.

In avoiding the Mary Sue protagonist as well as one who’s too stupid or stubborn to live, the author must imbue the character with at least one fatal flaw and perhaps several more minor flaws. (This goes for heroes as well as heroines.) In Hogtied, Melanie’s has two major flaws that feed on each other: she’s hot-tempered and impulsive. She’s also determined to make her way in the world and, when circumstances become more than she handle, she seeks help like any rational person would do. In short, her flaws don’t annihilate her intelligence–they just blunt it occasionally. After all, that’s human, too.

A main character exhibiting the spectrum of virtues and vices that make him or her human–even if the character isn’t human–becomes relatable to the reader. The Mary Sue character has either no flaws or her flaws are so minor that they don’t matter. Those tiny flaws seem to enhance rather than obstruct. Gilmore noted the current trend in fiction preferences for Mary Sue heroines. Perhaps that’s because, in these days of an ill-managed pandemic and civil unrest, we need something perfect to inspire or comfort us.

I don’t know the answer. I do know that I don’t like Mary Sue protagonists or the strong female character cliche.

Tiger in the Snow ​

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n n nn n n n

n nHealing from a deserved drubbing at the hands of Atlas Leonidus, Siberian tiger shifter Dmitry Alkaev travels from Cairo to Virginia. The strange compulsion leads him to his mate and a fearsome rival. Faced with a modern woman’s determination to remain independent, Dmitry unleashes charm and ruthlessness to claim her and, he hopes, redeem his honor. n nTessa Hart’s romantic Valentine’s Day weekend ends in utter disaster. Fate drops her into the arms of two big, handsome men who both assert their ownership over her. She wants to remain independent, but finds herself inexorably drawn to Dmitry. He’s tall, sexy, overbearing, and absolutely certain that she belongs to him. The choice, eventually, is hers. Accepting him means the end of life as she knows it and the beginning of a life she cannot fathom.n n nKindle Price: $0.99 Buy on Amazonn n

n

n

n

n

Excerpt

n

n​Tessa heard huffing behind her and halted in her tracks. She slowly turned around. As cold, hungry, and tired as she was, slowly was the only speed of which she was capable. A squeak of fear escaped her mouth, which would have hung open were she able to stop chattering and shivering. 
n
nThe hulking bear walked toward her, its stride purposeful, its gaze focused upon her. The flight or fight instinct froze her muscles, not that she could have fled anyway. Her body just wasn’t capable of it. Perhaps if she crumpled to the ground and curled up as tightly as possible? Might that convince the bear that she wasn’t worth its time or trouble? 
n
nClose enough to open the channel for mental communication, Dmitry contacted the bear, using the mind-to-mind path open to all shifters. 
n
nYou’re frightening her. 
n
nHe felt a mild sense of surprise from the bear, but the shifter answered without breaking his focus on the woman, She smells ripe. She’s mine. 
n
nShe’ll die of exposure and be no one’s if we don’t take care of her. 
n
nWe? There is no “we,” tiger. The woman is mine. 
n
nDmitry paused to deposit his duffle and then emerged from the cover of the winter forest. The woman’s brown eyes widened even more with terror. She groaned as with the realization that she was dead, either from animal attack or hypothermia. Death was certain. Escape was futile. 
n
nJust as hungry for a mate as the bear, maybe even hungrier, Dmitry tried for rational control one more time: The woman is terrified and near to death from cold. We must take care of her first before either of us stakes a claim. 
n
nShe’s mine! 
n
nShe’s dying, you fool! 
n
nIndeed, the woman had crumpled to the ground and she lay ominously still. n

n

n

n

---

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n

n n nnnn n n

n n nnnn n n

n

n

n

n

n

nn

n n

n

n

Tiger in the Snow ​

n