tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post8829538453786758641..comments2024-03-29T06:59:38.914-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Choosing Another Word for Strong Women?Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-4539919939770680202020-02-14T15:35:04.531-05:002020-02-14T15:35:04.531-05:00I like your word "agency." Superheroes m...I like your word "agency." Superheroes may be entertaining, but the heroines and heroes that truly move us are those who effect positive change in the face of adversity. Congratulations on the new series!Gay Yellenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03563945979041377280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49902602077764034992020-02-13T21:18:20.405-05:002020-02-13T21:18:20.405-05:00Thanks, Sally! I love hearing all these stories.Thanks, Sally! I love hearing all these stories.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5791718112866228032020-02-13T18:15:14.524-05:002020-02-13T18:15:14.524-05:00Yes, and I thought it was fascinating.Yes, and I thought it was fascinating.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90924848046940541712020-02-13T17:35:55.252-05:002020-02-13T17:35:55.252-05:00My grandmother was widowed in her twenties and was...My grandmother was widowed in her twenties and was a housekeeper to support my mother and her sister. When they were teenagers, she remarried. My mother worked about ten years before she got married at 30. She was church secretary during some of our childhood and went back to work to put my brother and me through college. Your book sounds interesting.Sally from PAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03649707016754971847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20833233237145880722020-02-13T16:42:04.681-05:002020-02-13T16:42:04.681-05:00Liz, thanks! I think she was the wife of a servic...Liz, thanks! I think she was the wife of a service member.Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7766481848832690282020-02-13T15:41:09.060-05:002020-02-13T15:41:09.060-05:00Thanks, Kathy - I hope so!Thanks, Kathy - I hope so!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-91706701509804528772020-02-13T15:40:58.068-05:002020-02-13T15:40:58.068-05:00Thanks, Deb!
Are you talking about this one? http...Thanks, Deb!<br /><br />Are you talking about this one? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/sunday/brit-marling-women-movies.html<br /><br />Powerful article. And very on point.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14123207336804021612020-02-13T14:41:11.182-05:002020-02-13T14:41:11.182-05:00Congratulations on your new book and series, Liz! ...Congratulations on your new book and series, Liz! I'm a big fan of stories with women being the main character in WWI and WWII settings. Betty sounds like great, and I'm predicting this series will be a popular one. Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69037105209045562792020-02-13T13:53:08.827-05:002020-02-13T13:53:08.827-05:00Hi Liz, and huge congrats on your book! I just bou...Hi Liz, and huge congrats on your book! I just bought it on Kindle and can't wait to read it. I've been thinking a lot lately about female fictional characters and how they fit into stories, and "agency" is the perfect word to describe what I would like to see in my female characters. Here's a fascinating piece I read the other day by Brit Marling in the NYT about women's roles in film. I've been mulling over it ever since as I think it applies to novels as well. <br /><br />Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-83964502955575321672020-02-13T13:08:55.942-05:002020-02-13T13:08:55.942-05:00Oops, this comment belongs above to "edmoulto...Oops, this comment belongs above to "edmoulton."Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-58120016079775981502020-02-13T13:08:30.417-05:002020-02-13T13:08:30.417-05:00Thank you so much!
My grandmother was a Depressio...Thank you so much!<br /><br />My grandmother was a Depression child and I think she had the same "I"ll never be hungry again" thing. She would not have Caro corn syrup in her house, because so many meals were spaghetti and Caro when she was growing up. She always had plenty of food in the house and she never told us "no" when we asked for some.<br /><br />Your grandmother sounds like a hoot!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8204184279575148522020-02-13T13:06:19.956-05:002020-02-13T13:06:19.956-05:00Thank you, Susan!
Yes, it's very hard to like...Thank you, Susan!<br /><br />Yes, it's very hard to like a character when they don't make choices for themselves, isn't it? Male or female, but it seems it happens so much more with women. And so many times, women (at least of previous generations) don't realize they CAN make their own choices until middle-age and they learn something of life. Fortunately, that doesn't describe the younger generations at all. Well, not much.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8159356123884494332020-02-13T12:52:01.141-05:002020-02-13T12:52:01.141-05:00I am going to buy this book! It sounds wonderful....I am going to buy this book! It sounds wonderful. I grew up with a woman who had great strength. She survived the Depression and it marked her with a fear of poverty. She identified greatly with Scarlett O'Hara's "I will never be hungry again." She wasn't and neither were we. She was competent, hard working, trustworthy and loyal. She was much happier working outside the home than staying in and she took some gruff for that. By example, she taught us that we could be whatever we had the ambition to be. We didn't need to be mothers if we didn't want. She was raised by her widowed mother and a widowed aunt who supported themselves as telephone operators in a Colorado mining town in the 1930s and '40s. My grandmother was a tough irreverent broad who swore and smoked and gambled and loved us like there was no tomorrow. She was quite the role model. c d moultonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17899545521206329219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42963683005908502052020-02-13T12:37:25.826-05:002020-02-13T12:37:25.826-05:00The new book sounds great, Liz. I look forward to ...The new book sounds great, Liz. I look forward to reading it!<br /><br />Your comments came at a perfect time for me. My book club just read Elizabeth Gilbert's "City of Girls," and I felt pretty strongly about how I didn't actually LIKE the protagonist until she was about midlife. And the reason I didn't like her was that up until then, she took no agency for her own life. That is exactly the word I used at book group -- agency! So I feel very affirmed by your comments. Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08292993485984273172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36996482759623878332020-02-13T11:19:57.675-05:002020-02-13T11:19:57.675-05:00Thank you and you're welcome! Both my grandmot...Thank you and you're welcome! Both my grandmothers were Depression-era kids. I have no doubt that contributed a lot to the women they were as adults.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49365473246891468602020-02-13T11:18:35.586-05:002020-02-13T11:18:35.586-05:00Thanks, Diana! But that wasn't me traveling. P...Thanks, Diana! But that wasn't me traveling. Perhaps you're thinking of Jenny Milchmann and her "world's longest book tour"? My kids are teenagers. I think they'd revolt if I proposed taking them away from their social lives for a year! LOL (And if you haven't, check out Jenny's books. They are fabulous.)<br /><br />As you might expect, I'm not fond of the phrase "nasty woman" when used to describe a woman who is standing up for herself and others. Now, if she is not a nice person, that's a different story. :)<br /><br />Yep, Arlington. That means she was either a service member or the wife of one. Do you remember which? Either requires a great deal of strength.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-15231352377485328082020-02-13T11:13:28.110-05:002020-02-13T11:13:28.110-05:00Thank you, Margaret!Thank you, Margaret!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-73888628991298231232020-02-13T10:02:00.021-05:002020-02-13T10:02:00.021-05:00This book resonates with me since I grew up when w...This book resonates with me since I grew up when women were taking charge and managed their families and lives with strength and understood deprivation. My grandmothers were very young widows who raised families because they had to work in order to survive. My mother and aunt were depression era children who had nothing but values and principles with which to live by. Many thanks for this wonderful introduction to a captivating and memorable series. petitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05326383614079568432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-9368083235210641952020-02-13T09:58:50.958-05:002020-02-13T09:58:50.958-05:00Liz, congratulations on your new book! I remember...Liz, congratulations on your new book! I remember you wrote about travelling around the country with your family for a year in a van or a camper? <br /><br />Regarding strong women, I never thought of that until you explained why you are not a big fan of that term. I feel the same way when I see that term "nasty woman', which gets my back up. I remember being surprised that a female relative was buried at the Arlington National Cemetry (sp?) My father said that there are many strong women in his family. When I see "strong women", I think of women who had the strength to deal with trials and tribulations. My mom, my grandmother, aunts and female relatives are all strong women in different ways.<br /><br />Agency in that definition is new to me.<br /><br />DianaBibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-71011281257366492522020-02-13T09:53:45.281-05:002020-02-13T09:53:45.281-05:00Congrats on your new release! Congrats on your new release! Margaret S. Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07810307017440257313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33851522689632409172020-02-13T09:34:18.644-05:002020-02-13T09:34:18.644-05:00Congratulations! This book is a treasure which I w...Congratulations! This book is a treasure which I would cherish, read and read again since it is important and profound. My mother and grandmothers had lives filled with trials and tribulations but they were strong and managed to raise productive families and never complained. travelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06191803578622949052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79389993036812565582020-02-13T09:27:49.478-05:002020-02-13T09:27:49.478-05:00Thanks, Jenn. Yes, for all the work there is still...Thanks, Jenn. Yes, for all the work there is still to do, I wonder sometimes if girls like my daughter take agency for granted. They see inequality, but they can't imagine a world where a woman doesn't make her own choices and where that was considered "normal." My girl wants to be a lawyer and the phrase "women don't do that" simply does not compute.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-1004900131732277372020-02-13T09:24:38.134-05:002020-02-13T09:24:38.134-05:00Annette, you're making me blush. Thank you - I...Annette, you're making me blush. Thank you - I couldn't do it without you. You've got more than a little agency yourself!Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-73787768274574285862020-02-13T09:23:19.012-05:002020-02-13T09:23:19.012-05:00Thanks, Judi! It's tough on kids, who might no...Thanks, Judi! It's tough on kids, who might not understand why a mom needs, or wants, to work outside the home. When you look back, you realize, "Of course, that's who she was." Kudos to her for staying true to herself.Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85347924028256549632020-02-13T09:21:06.760-05:002020-02-13T09:21:06.760-05:00What a great post, Liz! Agency is the perfect word...What a great post, Liz! Agency is the perfect word for a female lead who...wait for it...leads the way! I feel that my generation (mostly) takes this agency for granted. When I look for a "strong" female in my lie, it's definitely my mom, who was born in one generation but forged her own path, scraped off (aka pissed off) the patriarchy, and carved out an amazing life for herself - she ran a local TV studio, traveled all over the world, and now in her golden years, enjoys living a life of her own determination. We should all be as bold as Sue McKinlay! Looking forward to following wherever your Betty takes us!Jenn McKinlayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13589365995413467367noreply@blogger.com