I’ve been thinking about writing a fantasy novel with a female protagonist for a while now. My protagonist would be a liar, a thief, a storyteller who travels around the world and gets in really big trouble. I envision her as a cross between Locke Lamora and Kvothe, only that the story gets darker, especially towards the end.
I’ve done some research on the internet though, and now I’m worried about whether this would be a good idea. In fact I’m slightly discouraged. I’m worried that men won’t read a novel with a female protagonist. I’ve also read that people expect to find romance in a fantasy novel with a female protagonist, especially if it is written by a woman.
There won’t be romance. I dislike reading romance, and I dislike writing it. There also won’t be a strong woman struggling against patriarchy and being told that women can’t do this or that. Such novels don’t appeal to me. There won’t be a woman trying to prove herself. There’ll just be a woman going on adventures. There’ll be some humour, and there’ll be some violence. There’ll also be a little bit of politics, and a lot of really exotic locations.
What do you think of this idea? If you are male, would you ever read a fantasy novel with a female protagonist?
Would a fantasy novel with a female protagonist ever stand a chance of being published, especially if said protagonist isn’t constantly thinking about having sex with (supernatural) men?
I've been thinking about how many fantasy novels with female protagonists I've read recently, and the number I came up with was astonishingly low. All my favourite fantasy novels have male protagonists ...
Anyway, what are your thoughts on this matter in general?
I’ve done some research on the internet though, and now I’m worried about whether this would be a good idea. In fact I’m slightly discouraged. I’m worried that men won’t read a novel with a female protagonist. I’ve also read that people expect to find romance in a fantasy novel with a female protagonist, especially if it is written by a woman.
There won’t be romance. I dislike reading romance, and I dislike writing it. There also won’t be a strong woman struggling against patriarchy and being told that women can’t do this or that. Such novels don’t appeal to me. There won’t be a woman trying to prove herself. There’ll just be a woman going on adventures. There’ll be some humour, and there’ll be some violence. There’ll also be a little bit of politics, and a lot of really exotic locations.
What do you think of this idea? If you are male, would you ever read a fantasy novel with a female protagonist?
Would a fantasy novel with a female protagonist ever stand a chance of being published, especially if said protagonist isn’t constantly thinking about having sex with (supernatural) men?
I've been thinking about how many fantasy novels with female protagonists I've read recently, and the number I came up with was astonishingly low. All my favourite fantasy novels have male protagonists ...
Anyway, what are your thoughts on this matter in general?