Holding out for a heroine.

If you are the crazy sort like I am, storytelling is about symbolically integrating the full spectrum of one's personalities into a whole where even the more unpleasant aspects of one's self is understood. I use "Heroine" interchangeably with the term antagonist - the one who starts the action.

The heroine/main character/antagonist has a number of jobs in a story.

First, she is who the audience will identify with. She is the gateway into the story, the one whose motivations and feelings we can understand.

Her second task is to show growth and learning. The heroine is the one who learns the most in the course of the story.

Third, she drives the action, learning how to be in control of her destiny. She takes the most risk of anyone in the story.

She is willing to sacrifice in order to learn or protect. Sacrifice ties in with a death or a death experience. These are often misunderstood as facing a literal death (which is highly effective but can be overplayed). She might let go of cherished beliefs, unbreakable habits, and or a past that holds her back.

From here, you are only limited by your imagination on who this heroine is. She can be a loner, more social, an innocent, orphan, wanderer, waif, or whatever. Once you know her functions in the story, you can write with more passion and confidence.

Archetypes: The Sage.

Finally, we have reached the last Queen Archetype from the Mopop Queen Within exhibition! She is The Sage, and what a wonderful woman to finish with.

 She's the thinker, planner, risk-taker, and philosopher in all of us. She has wisdom, intelligence, and self-reflection and uses these powers to understand the world.

Her biggest fears are being ignored or tricked by others. This can lead to her weakness, which is the seductive lure of never-ending research.

The Sage cares about the environment and wants sustainable fabrics. Her clothing invites inquiry.

 What do you wear to invoke The Sage? What makes you feel wise and able to take risks?

Archetypes: The Enchantress

We are at our second-to-last archetype from the MoPop A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes exhibition. This one is The Enchantress.

 She's the familiar seductress, vamp, and femme fatale (whose sexuality is defined in terms of her interactions with men) but also a sensualist and enthusiast. Her strengths are passion, wit, spiritual and bodily appeal. She mesmerizes but also can manipulate.

She wears clothes that entice. She is symbolized by her direct and sensual gaze, her loose hair or fabulous wigs, red lips, feathers, teeth, and flowers.

What are your favorite Enchantress outfits? What symbolizes women's sensuality to you?

Archetypes: The Explorer

In my June 26th blog post, I introduced us to the Museum of Pop Culture's Queen Within show. Today, we will explore the second archetype they discuss - the Explorer.

 She is a pioneer, adventurer, and a rebel. She's all over challenges and rejects authority. Her strengths are determination and independence, and her fears are conventionality, inner emptiness and boredom.

In this exhibit, the Explorer woman rebelled against the rigid framework of beauty and consumerism. She wore clothes that paid attention to issues of gender, race, and disability.

She is symbolized by the planets, the moon, the egg, the night, and the turtle.

What do you wear that expresses your inner Explorer? What makes you feel strong and determined?

Archetypes: The Heroine

I've  been talking about the brilliant Queen Within exhibit at MoPop in Seattle. (here)

The third Archetype we visited was The Heroine. She's a warrior and soldier. She's strongly moral and embraces challenges, especially the thrill of the chase. She's a hard worker, especially in her relationships, but can get addicted to emotional drama.

Her greatest fears are weakness, softness, and cowardice. Her tenacity, strength, and mental resolve are symbolized by the chess queen (the most powerful piece on the board), pearls, gloves, rare stones, the spear, the Mantua, and also body parts such as ears, eyes, and hands.