Well said Child of the Seventh Age! Personally, most of my works, including my current project, is not exactly a middle earth world. It is not modern, ie- bows and arrows & swords, instead of M-16s, but there are things that are traditional fantasy creatures except they have a twist. (Shape-shifting Unicorn becuase of its status, half centaur half man, gets to choose shape.) So, why should I use sterotypical characters at all? Especiall based on gender?
My half centaur character is a male. But he's torn between two cultures much like animagrant (sp.). He doesn't have to be the fighting, or thoughtful man. He's going to be a different character by the middle of the book, and completely different by the end. He will have the chance to develop, and be a three-diminsonal character.
Sterotypical characters MUST grow and change in the story to be believable. Example- The spoilt kid from the Narnia series. (I can't remember his name- He was in the Voyage book) He started as the typical spoilt brat, but he became the noble hero type. If he had stayed as he was in the begining, by the end of the book, you'd want to chunk him out ofthe story, never mind if he's central to the plot.
My point is even if your world is more mideval, put a twist on it. That's what makes stories worth reading and becoming a favorite. I believe that the whole point of writing is to be original; even if its already been said, say it a little differently. Its the hardest thingin the world, but I love every minute of it.
