What do you think makes a good female character? What traits do like to see in them?
The only requirements I have for good female characters are: 1) she has to be interesting and 2) she has to be a round character (as opposed to flat) - means she has to feel real.
What I like in them is entirely subjective, so I take that as a separate question. I like many types of characters, but I guess the ones I like the most are those that are intelligent, sassy and sarcastic. Other than that they can be anything. (I don't really care what gender, either. As long as a character is intelligent, sassy and sarcastic, that's almost a guarantee I'll like them).
What do you think makes a female character "strong"?
Strong in the sense of "well-developed": well... being consistent. A character who is a quiet brooder by nature will never suddenly become a bouncing ball full of happy energy. They might grow into someone who broods less and enjoys life more, but they sure as hell won't go about it by becoming bubbly.
Strong in the sense of "being strong": Since being strong isn't really anything gender-specific for me, so anything that would make any person strong would also make a female person strong. That said, the most important trait for me would be being able to learn from mistakes. That and having integrity, owning your actions, taking responsibility.
I have to say that no person ever can be strong all the time. That's simply not possible. Which means that I regard those characters as strong who are the way I described most of the time or even just much of the time. The instant a character is all that ALL of the time, they become boring and unreal (=flat).
What do you think makes a poor female character? What traits do you dislike in female characters?
To make it simple - the opposite of what I said makes a good one xD Oh, and when they never make mistakes. Characters who never make mistakes are the most boring ones, to my mind.
Traits I subjectively dislike in female characters... when they are overly hysteric. I seriously can't stand hysteric characters. And I don't mean those who act hysteric when it's socially acceptable to act that way. I mean those who are way too melodramatic. Dunno if any of you still know "The Bold and the Beautiful" - it's a soap my mother used to watch all the time and it had Brooke Logan. Well, Brooke Logan is such an example. And it happens way too often to female characters (I'd hate male characters like that too, if there were enough of them out there). They are generally stereotyped much more than male ones (thank our patriarchy for that...). So I guess that's why I can't stand that trait. Also, I get headaches when they start screaming and hyperventilating. Reading about it is definitely easier.
What types of female characters do you like? What types do you dislike?
Actually, I see all people as people, not according to gender. Which is why I see characters the same way. For me, it's all about being well-rounded and about the mix of traits they have. Any gender can have those traits.
I like the interesting ones and dislike the boring ones. Interesting ones usually have an interesting drive / critical need.
Any other advice for writing interesting, strong female characters?
Think of them as human beings first, females second. Else you'll always write stereotypes first.






































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