19 Literary Heroines Who Made the Leap From Books to TV Shows
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection1/12November means it’s time for you to create your manuscript masterpiece — it’s National Novel Writing Month, which is the perfect excuse to craft the novel of your dreams. If you’re looking for inspiration from strong heroines, where better to find them than your TV screen? After all, when you’re exhausted from all that typing (or cursive in a notebook if you’re more old school), you’ll need a Netflix break to chill post-writing. These television favorites all started as book series, but don’t think that you’ve seen these characters before. There are so many differences you’ll be turning the page, anxious to see what actually happened in the original.
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection2/121. Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries (Based on The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith)
Before Ian Somerhalder was using his hungry eyes to channel Damon Salvatore, your favorite vamps were created courtesy of an Alloy book series, just like GG. The show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer combined with so many jean skirts you’ll wonder if Nina Dobrev is secretly starring in an Abercrombie & Fitch commercial. In the books, Dobrev’s Elena was blonde, had a younger sister named Margaret, and Bon-Bon was a druid ginger. In the CW show, there are love triangles, quadrangles, and pentagons, and (spoiler alert) everyone dies, just like Game of Thrones. Plus, there’s a brothers love triangle, which is v. popular on Amazon right now. Elena might be a bit basic and dress like it’s still 2003, but her chemistry with Ian Somerhalder’s eyebrows will give you love scene inspiration. She’s entirely too altruistic, and has that milquetoast, beautiful brunette thing vamp men love (see also: the entirety of the Twilight series). Despite her wardrobe, everyone is always sacrificing everything for her. The moral of her story is that true friends can see past clothing that looks like a middle school uniform.
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection3/122. Clarke Griffin from The 100 (Based on The 100 trilogy by Kass Morgan)
For aspiring novelists who’ve always dreamed of creating the next sci-fi dystopian masterpiece, look no further than The 100. Fans of The Hunger Games and Maze Runner will get major inspiration from this trilogy about rebellious teens sent to Earth after a devastating nuclear war. It’s like Lord of the Flies, only with less pigs for your teachers to dissect and more six pack survivalists. There’s even a little Lost thrown in for good measure. In typical CW fashion, there’s a love triangle, a Reese Witherspoon dopple, and Bear Grylls vibes. Clarke is strong-willed, fantastic at surviving in dire circumstances, and completely invested in making the world a better place. She’s also the first bisexual CW lead. Before you know it you’ll be creating a character who looks like a Southern belle but kicks butt like Katniss.
©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection4/123. Sookie Steakhouse from True Blood (based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris)
Whether it’s True Blood or Twilight, it’s a 100% guarantee that werewolves will be mega trashy, and vampires will be obscenely good looking. Becoming a sci-fi creature might be wildly unpredictable, but it will guarantee that you’ll be gorgeous. Both the book and show are set in northwestern Louisiana, so accents from bayou babes are expected. If you’ve decided to write a book based in the South, and love a good vamp out, you can also turn to The Originals. There’s no book series behind it and it’s certainly more G-rated than True Blood, but it will give you ideas for characters with magical powers (and great hair). Sookie starts out as a virginal Southern girl raised by her loving grandmother, but by the end of the series she’s seen it all — from maenads to Eric’s bottom. It’s a model for how characters can change over time, especially if you’re plotting a series.
©Lifetime Television/Courtesy Everett Collection5/124. Freya and Ingrid Beauchamp from Witches of East End (based on The Beauchamp Family series by Melissa de la Cruz)
Witches is a more adult version of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, without a talking cat. It’s more G-rated than the bloody/sex soaked previews might make you think, but still more grown-up than CW shows. In Witches, Channing Tatum’s wife plays a confused, but ultimately strong woman coping with finding out that she’s a witch who’s destined to die over and over again, constantly being separated from her true love. As Freya, she’s constantly questioning whether or not she’s bound to repeat her mistakes. Her sister, Ingrid, seems like she’s the buttoned up librarian the world knows her as — until it’s revealed that in past lives she was so wild she made Freya’s time as a 70s disco party girl look tame. It’s just as cheesy as it sounds, but the obscenely handsome stars will probably cast some sort of spell on you, making you binge watch until you’ve gone through both seasons.
©ABC Family/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection6/125. Alison DiLaurentis, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Aria Montgomery from Pretty Little Liars (based on the series by Sara Shepard)
If you wondered who was terrorizing Rosewood for years, re-live all of the excitement with the book series. After all, no one does characters quite like PLL — it seems like a new one was introduced every episode. There was Noel Kahn, Lucas, Aria’s baby brother, and Emily’s many lady loves. Unfortunately, when you’re reading the books you can’t see Toby shirtless, but you’ve been given enough from the TV show to imagine it vividly. PLL is perfect for plotting mysteries and creating characters that are loyal, conniving, and morally ambiguous — and even better for describing costumes, especially if they dress anything like alternative Aria. There’s Alison if you need someone constantly scheming, Hanna for all of your quippy needs, Spencer if your lead is going to be an overachiever, and Emily for athletic prowess. Despite the high school boxes they all seem to check, they’re much more than “jock” and “artist” stereotypes. If you’re planning a PLL inspired series, just make sure that your characters download the “Find Your Friends” app.
©CW Network/Courtesy Everett Collection7/126. Serena Van der Woodsen and Blaire Waldorf from Gossip Girl (Based on the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar)
If you’re looking for the ultimate heroine inspiration, Blair Waldorf has your back (just be careful, because she might stab you in it). In the book series, based on the author, Cecily von Ziegasar’s time at an upper crust New York boarding school, Blair was far more vulnerable, Nate was too stoned to function, Chuck was best friends with a monkey, and Vanessa Abrams was punk rock and bald. If you’re so GG obsessed that you dream of waking up on the Upper East Side (preferably with your very own Dorota to lead you through life), you need to re-visit the book series.
If your M.C. (main character, not to be confused with #MCM) is still taking shape, there are important questions to ask yourself. Is she a Jackie or a Marilyn? A Betty or a Veronica? A Serena or a Blair? While Blair Cornelia Waldorf might have seem slightly buttoned up, by the season finale, there were four men at her wedding and she had hooked up with all of them. For the Marilyn fans out there, SVDW and her vast collection of Herve dresses will be your literary muse (although it’s unclear if Serena has ever read anything).
For those who love the hijinks of GG but are looking for a mental vacation from NYC, try its sister series, The It Girl. While it was never made into a show because TV Jenny left for far darker pastures (eyeliner-wise, anyway), it’s about her boarding school drama. Once you’re done binge reading GG, there’s The Clique (Gossip Girl in the ‘burbs) or The A-List (Gossip Girl in L.A.).
©ABC Family/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection8/127. Emma Becker and Sutton Mercer from The Lying Game (based on the series by Sara Shepard)
The secret twin trope is a tale as old as time. The Lying Game is a watered down version of Pretty Little Liars with less murder and intrigue, but the same amount of secret family members. It’s another Sara Shepard creation, which means you can expect lots of secrets and high school hijinks. In the show, Cordelia from Buffy stars as a mom, and all of the parents are vaguely murderous. It’s about a foster child who learns she has an identical twin sister who grew up in a completely different world than her.
Class issues, parental problems, and serious scheming are the mark of any solid YA debut, so prepare to find your muse if you’re going for a modern version of Caroline B. Cooney’s The Face on the Milk Carton. If you’re still searching for your main character, Emma is sweet and simple, while Sutton is so conniving she makes A seem naive.
©MTV/Courtesy Everett Collection9/128. Lindy Sampson from Eye Candy (based on the book by R.L. Stine)
This MTV show stars Victoria Justice, a New York twenty something with an apartment so enormous it makes Carrie Bradshaw’s look sad. Justice uses an app called “Flirtual,” that’s like Tinder, only creepier, but with more handsome options. It's based on an R.L. Stine novel, so prepare to be thoroughly freaked out and sleep with the lights on, just like you did way back in elementary school.
Linda is a cyber supersleuth who dropped out of MIT but still manages to make mistakes that even the Liars would laugh at. She swipes right on a murderer/stalker/sexy sociopath worthy of his own Law and Order: SVU episode. This is a must-read if you’re writing a mystery about what happens when app dates go wrong (and honestly, there are plenty of options when it comes to mysteries about dating—and horror stories).
©HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection10/129. Carrie Bradshaw, Samantha Jones, Miranda Hobbes, and Charlotte York Goldenblatt from Sex and The City (based on the book by Candace Bushnell)
Can’t get enough of Carrie Bradshaw? If your greatest goal is to live in Manhattan with a closet full of shoes, best of luck — IRL Carrie would have to literally live in her closet to make rent. But, she is the best possible writing spirit animal, because she won’t make you feel weird about thinking out loud in front of your laptop. The SATC crew would be interesting to re-visit for the millennial generation. Imagine Samantha on Tinder (she’d have to pay for Tinder Plus since she’s over 30) and Charlotte decoding what “Netflix and chill” really means. Miranda would be exactly the same, obviously — except her son would be far more organic—but she and Steve would still move to Brooklyn, Magda in tow.
©E! Network/Courtesy Everett Collection11/1210. Ophelia Pryce from The Royals (based on Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray)
If you loved to hate Elizabeth Hurley when she played Diana Payne, Chuck’s maybe-mom and Nate’s sometime paramour, you’ll be obsessed with her turn as the Queen in this scripted show for E! and have the perfect protagonist for your first novel. The Royals is what would happen if Keeping Up With the Kardashians had a ridiculously attractive baby with Game of Thrones. When the Prince Harry types brother (deemed “Britain’s beloved son” — no pressure) unexpectedly dies, he’s suddenly in line to be King, despite his wayward ways. The Royals is loosely based on YA favorite Falling for Hamlet; both have their own Ophelia. As the American daughter of the royal’s head of security, she’s thrust into their family drama and the spotlight — think Princess Mia (not to be confused with Princess Pia Mia) of the Genevan throne. Grab your fascinator while writing and prepare to fantasize even more about becoming Kate Middleton (or just marrying Prince Harry, especially if you have a thing for redheads).
