The Power Of Strong Women

Over the past several days, I’ve been confronted with something beautiful and amazing.

I’m surrounded by strong, amazing women.

I’m in that part of my growth cycle where I’m taking stock of what I have and what resources are available to me. I’ve had some of the most amazing conversations. We’ve been able to be vulnerable with one another. We’ve looked at each other with expressions that said, “I see you.” I’ve become visible and what I say and how I say it matters in a way that hasn’t existed before.

Overcoming Obstacles

My future is terrifying right now. I’m literally going into this world without a life raft, something I’ve had in place for the past two decades. I’ve always ensured that I had a solid Day Job to bring in the money. I’ve always had a formidable plan in place to make sure we had what we needed. And I don’t have that right now. I currently am sitting at three clients and a bunch of books that are selling without any marketing whatsoever.

And as I’m fretting, the formidable women around me are telling me to get out of my own way and thrive. They’re treasures.

There is an undeniable beauty in the presence of strong women – not just physically strong, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually resilient women who walk through fire and come out tempered like steel. Their impact on the women around them—like me—and hence on society, is like sunlight on plants; it's nourishing, it’s uplifting, and it's vital for growth.

For the first time in my life, I’m beginning to truly comprehend how strong women change the caliber of the women they touch.

Strength In Fiction

I’ve devoured women-led fiction for decades now. I remember when most books I picked up had male leads. I remember saying I wanted to write more female-led books, and I remember being cautioned against it. Yeah. That really happened.

A lot of books I pick up state that the female is a strong female lead or a snarky woman, but when you boil it down to the basics, they’re being snarky and lippy without any… meat. I didn’t realize that until I started writing Victoria’s story in comparison to Dannika’s. They’re both strong women, but one is stronger than the other. You’d think the louder one, Dannika, would be the strongest, but Victoria, I think, is the more powerful one. She has people in plural who stand up to her and give her honesty without fear. They’re not bracing for impact. They’re not waiting to be torn down. My favorite line of this last chapter is:

“I’m okay,” Rosa said.

Victoria needed her to be. “I’m not.”

“Then, find a way to be,” Rosa said with a gentle fierceness, “okay because I need you to be.”

The power of that moment is incredible and it shows so much fortitude in them both. This one scene absolutely shredded my soul when I went back and re-read a scene I’d already published in October Eclipse.

Which, coincidentally, brought to light a little note error. When I’d first created Victoria’s wife, her name had been Lana. For whatever reason, I’d changed her name to Rosa, but forgot to update my notes. If you’ve read to this point, Lana and Rosa are the same person and I’ve cleaned that up.

More Coming

I am absolutely loving these developments in the book, and I’m loving the real world conversations I’m having even more. My intent is to share this with you as I continue. I think we need more strong women and the relationships they build together in our fiction. I’m not saying these stories don’t already exist. They do. And I’m intent to find them. But I will also be showcasing this in what I write and what I share.

This matters and I love it.