Several people have told me that in both of my children’s books, City Girl and The Heritage Keeper, the main (female) characters have strong personalities. It always surprises me.
I’ve just come across “The Bechdel Test” which is apparently being used to advocate for better representation of girls and women in literature. The three steps of this test might be the yardstick these commentators are using. If so, it’s pitifully skimpy! In “Girl Talk” on page 8 of the July/August 2018 Writer’s Digest, Laura Zats states that a book or film that passes this test
- Has two women in it …
- who speak to one another …
- about something other than a man.
Since this happens everywhere around me, why would I conjure up a story in which it didn’t? Or is it that in my world, all the women are strong?
A Writing Place 