forum Question

Started July 02, 2018 by @howlsmovingbrain

tune

How do you create a strong female character? I've read a bunch of books with them, but I'm terrible at analyzing character. Please help me. Also, I need a name for an aquatic villain.

VILLAN name could be something like Amelia and her villan name could be Whirpool

Don't make them act completely like a boy. A girl can be strong and still have female characteristics. For example, I'm currently reading a book,where the main protagonist is a strong girl, who mostly wears a shirt and pants, but only because they're easier to move around in. She still likes wearing gowns to balls, and she wears perfume when she's with her husband. (The book is Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson.)

Make them be either confident, or the complete opposite. There is no in between.
Confident female characters are commanding, and not so confident characters are more like assassins.

I'm personally very fond of the not so confident ones. The are suspicious of most people, and tend to sneak around at night. They don't really grow attached to people, but when they do, they will protect those people with their life.

The confident characters might still be suspicious of people, but not as much as the not so confident people. They fight in duels instead of killing people in their sleep, and tend to be physically stronger. They grow close to people, but not on the same level as the not so confident.

Of course, there are different ways for a character to be strong. You should decide if you want the character to be physically strong, mentally strong, or both. Then, I would recommend mixing my two different types. For example, you can have a character who is very physically strong and very confident, but is very suspicious of people, and doesn't grow close to people easily.

My biggest piece of advice is to be creative. Hope this helped!

Oh for sure! Everything that's been said is true. I'd like to add that a "strong female character" just means a character who has their own arc, makes decisions that affects their own story and is in fact, female.
She doesn't have to be strong at all–not mentally, physically or emotionally. She just needs to be the driving force of her story.

@TryToDoItWrite
I have to disagree. If the main character can't do anything for herself and always has to be rescued, or she's always crying, I don't think that would be a strong female character. A strong female character is basically a female character who is able to handle things on her own. In fact, there are a lot of strong female characters who aren't the main protagonist of the story.

i think you misunderstood me (that's okay, I said it pretty vaguely)
your point is my point
if a character is constantly being rescued, and saved and relying on someone else, that character is a weak character, not only from a physical view, but from a writers one too. that character is not driving their own story.
a strong character makes their own decisions and follows through–good, bad or ugly.
when I say that a strong female character doesn't have to be "strong" mentally, physically or emotionally, it means that its okay if that character is broken. its okay if she has crippling anxiety or a physical disability or just plain can't bench 10 pounds.
a strong character works through those things and emerges a better person within the character arc

A strong female character does NOT mean the tough, badass, "I learned how to fight from my older brothers" type of character. A strong female character is just a completely developed character with her own personality and her own mind. Don't make her dependent on a male character. Don't make her significance in the story centered around a male character. And don't make her always get rescued by a male character. A strong female character doesn't have to be strong in the usual sense of the word. She just has to have a solid personality, an interesting backstory, and something to set her apart from others –same as any other character. The only difference should be her gender.

A strong female character does NOT mean the tough, badass, "I learned how to fight from my older brothers" type of character. A strong female character is just a completely developed character with her own personality and her own mind. Don't make her dependent on a male character. Don't make her significance in the story centered around a male character. And don't make her always get rescued by a male character. A strong female character doesn't have to be strong in the usual sense of the word. She just has to have a solid personality, an interesting backstory, and something to set her apart from others –same as any other character. The only difference should be her gender.

I 100% agree with this. Also, she doesn't necessarily look down on other female characters that prefer traditionally "feminine" things like makeup or chick flicks.

i think you misunderstood me (that's okay, I said it pretty vaguely)
your point is my point
if a character is constantly being rescued, and saved and relying on someone else, that character is a weak character, not only from a physical view, but from a writers one too. that character is not driving their own story.
a strong character makes their own decisions and follows through–good, bad or ugly.
when I say that a strong female character doesn't have to be "strong" mentally, physically or emotionally, it means that its okay if that character is broken. its okay if she has crippling anxiety or a physical disability or just plain can't bench 10 pounds.
a strong character works through those things and emerges a better person within the character arc

Ah. I get you now. I agree with that.

Thank you all! I think I got it :)