Quick Tips on Writing Powerful Female Characters
Alright, I’m not going to pretend I’m not a feminist. But regardless of your stance or whatever (and I’m really not going into personal opinions, motivations, or anything like that and I will act unbiased), here are some things to think about when you write female characters in positions of power:
Consider the character’s opinion on her own status. A powerful woman will have an opinion on her gender, especially if she is filling a role traditionally held by a man, such as a ship captain, a political leader, or a business owner. (But if her opinions are too overbearing, even if it’s something the reader agrees with, it will be annoying - so don’t beat it over the reader’s head.)
What does she think of family life? Now, this is the complete opposite of my last point but really, you should know this for writing any character. Family life and living as a homemaker is often seen as the antithesis of what a powerful woman should want, but the truth is that, it doesn’t need to be that way. A character can want both. Consider that side of the character too. If she doesn’t want marriage and children, dig into why.
How does her personality play into her strength as a character? Strong women don’t need to be ice queens. Consider how their personality traits play into their strength. Perhaps her care for home and family wins support of her community. Or how her short-temper might make her just as frightening as any war-hungry king.
“She is insane.” I’ve noticed that there is a fear today to write female characters in power that fail at their jobs or prove to be insane, brutal, or too weak to succeed. It shouldn’t matter the character’s gender, but who she is as a character. If she would naturally move to make choices that would lead her to failure, let her fail.
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