Today, I will be talking about something that is a major topic, not just in the writing community, but all around. And that is strong female characters.
What Is A Strong Female Character?
A strong female character, to put it simply, is a three dimensional character who is female. This character is more than just a pretty face taped to lamp post, this is a unique character with her own personality, her own desires, her own story.
She works for or against the plot, and is irreplaceable. She is essential for the story (if you take her away, the story will change). A strong female character is not one you can take away, and have the story run exactly the same.
She is a character first and foremost. Then a girl.
How To Write A Strong Female Character
As I said before, she is a character first and foremost. To write a strong female character, you must develop her like any other character. She must have the same level of depth as any male character.
That said, it leaves the question, if a strong female character is just the same as any other strong character, how do I write a strong character?
Writing Strong Characters
A strong character is one that is fully fleshed out, developed to the point that they could be a real person, and not just fiction. Think about what makes everybody the same, deep down. What does everyone have?
Everyone has a personality, for starters.
Give Your Character A Personality
Everybody, character or no, has a personality. It is what makes a person unique. You have a personality, I have a personality. No personality is exactly the same, just as no one looks exactly the same. Even identical twins have something that distinguished from each other.
So, to start building your fully fleshed out character, give them a personality. What are their quirks? What are their fears? What are their dreams?
On that note…
Give Your Character Desires
What does your character want? What do they want more than anything else, that they would be willing to fight for?
Desires are the driving force of plot. If your character has no desire, than why are they doing what they are doing? Your character can’t fight the antagonist without any reason to do so. Every character should have a desire aside from the plot. Even the smallest character should have a desire, because that desire fuels the actions they make.
If I want water, I am going to take actions to getting me that water. If a character wants their friends to be safe from a threat, they are going to take actions to making sure their friends are safe.
What is driving your character to do what they do?
Give Your Character Fears
Fear, as much as desire, is what drives people to do things. Fear often leads people to making decisions they regret later. But more than that, everybody has fears, and it shapes them. What does your character fear, more than anything else? Do they have more than one fear?
Fear is what makes us human (whether actually human or not), so what do your characters fear?
Give Your Characters Emotions
Everybody has emotions. Everybody feels anger, and pain, and frustration, along with joy, sadness, fear, and disgust (think Inside Out). Characters aren’t any different. Each character should feel emotions and react to them in their own way. This is another thing that shapes a person.
I should also say, not everyone feels the same emotions about the same things. Nor do they feel them at the same intensity as everyone else.
Give Your Character A History
Everyone has a history, every person, every character, so give yours one as well. Give them a story beyond the plot, make that history effect the way they act, the way they talk, the way they think. Even if no one else knows their history, you should. You should know their backstory.
How do you build your strong female characters? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day!
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