But the most important aspect of a pirate novel is probably character. Most popular stories have the captain as a man. He is also usually the protagonist. In the past twenty years a trend has arced toward making the woman the leader but, historically, these types of stories (which include Robin Hood and the outlaw gangs in Westerns) are more successful with a man at the helm.
What if you want a woman captain? Because a bestseller can appeal to only one sex, decide which sex you are writing for. If your audience is female, know what social issues are important to them. GONE WITH THE WIND hit critical popularity at a time when society questioned women in the work place. Mitchell placed a century between the story's setting (the Civil War) and her readers (1938). During World War II, books such as Catherine Cookson's portrayed women in positions of absolute powerlessness. Not until the sexual revolution of the 60's was a female character successful in a modern story. In 1968 Jackie Collins wrote THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN which took place in the nightclub world of London. Like the protagonists of Jacqueline Susann, Collins's heroine was such a disturbing figure that she had to come to a bad end. Successful powerful women in fiction didn't really come into their own until the 1980's with Judith Krantz's SCRUPLES.
Are we ready for a powerful female pirate captain in the 21st century? If social trends and the bestsellers that reflect them mean anything, then no. What are women reading today? According to literary agent Donald Maass, it's Mary Higgins Clark, whose bestsellers depict women as prey. Women of the late 1990's and early 21st century feel like victims. The invincibility of the 80's, reflected in TV shows like Dallas, Knots Landing and Dynasty, has been replaced by a feeling of social and economic powerlessness.
Go To Page: 1 2
