Writing Strong Female CharactersIf you are a male writer, struggling with writing and developing strong female characters—protagonist or antagonist, the easiest way is to create a character who is well rounded and not a cliché, plan the character like you would any other character. Now don’t forget she is a woman and there are some traits that are distinctively feminine, but those should not be her only traits. It's okay if your character lets her hair down once in a while and just be a woman.
For instance, Lilith is the strong antagonist in my book series, Eye of Saturn. Lilith is an immortal with impeccable powers: she can raise someone from the dead, shape-shift, teleport, wield magick, fly, disappear, and turn you into a vampire or worse. Lilith has the powers to ruin your life and your afterlife, but for all her powers, she’s a woman, a woman in love. She loves Felipe to a fault. Clearly, he’s the wrong man for her. Felipe is in love with Zaybeth and is having an affair with her. Yet, Lilith still loves him. Quick Tips for How to Write a Strong Female Character 1. Give her a strong motivation and goal. We’ve all heard that actors, while developing a character will say, "What’s my character’s motivation?” Motivations drive the character and should be a part of what drives the plot. Motivation is the character’s why. A goal is what your character wants more than anything. In Lilith’s case, her motivation is to transform Felipe into an immortal like herself. Lilith’s why, she wants Felipe’s love. 2. The next step: Take her motivation and goal to the next level, make the stakes high. Give your character story arcs. This will not only make the character stronger; it will keep readers engaged. The stakes got higher for Lilith’s character when she cursed Felipe, the man she loved. It was out of Lilith’s motivation and goals she ends up cursing Felipe into a vampire for five and a half centuries. Not only did her love turn to hate, but she also cursed herself as well. Identify the stakes: What will happen if she fails? The stakes will help you make her motivations stronger, which will in turn make her work even harder to achieve her goal. This will drive your plot forward. Example: The curse: If Felipe transforms Zaybeth into a vampire, Lilith will lose him forever to Zaybeth. If Felipe doesn’t transform Zaybeth, Lilith will still lose Felipe because Zaybeth will have the powers to destroy the vampire in an epic battle between good and evil—Felipe and Zaybeth will fight to the death when the Eye reopens. Zaybeth wins and Felipe’s soul will be cast to the Abyss for all eternity. Lilith still loses Felipe. 3. Give your female characters plenty of flaws. Everyone has flaws and your strong female characters shouldn’t be any different. Don’t be afraid to give her flaws that are authentic to the character and drives the plot. These flaws can be positive or negative—mix them up. Have fun with this. This is an exciting way to introduce conflict in your story. Now my heart goes out to Lilith—I write flawed characters and I make the stakes high for my characters. As an immortal Lilith has tremendous magical powers, yet she is just a woman in love who has been hurt and betrayed by her husband. Lilith could have enchanted Felipe and made him fall in love with her, but she didn’t want is love in that manner. Lilith wanted Felipe to love her genuinely the way she loved him. I never forgot Lilith is a woman. 4. Give her a complicated storyline and backstory. Sometimes there’s no need to reveal your character’s backstory; it becomes her inner story and is fueling her motivation. When the Eye of Saturn: The Daughters of Saturn begins, Lilith is a normal 18-year-old. She and her younger sister, Sarah, are dying from a fever. Lilith’s parents’ journey to the Temple of Saturn in hopes of healing their daughters. But when they arrive, the ancient god Saturn finds favor with Lilith and transforms her into his immortal high priestess and sacrifices Sarah. Lilith grieves her sister‘s death and feels responsible. She has all these magickal powers, but couldn’t save her sister. Lilith wrestles with this throughout the story, although it is rarely mentioned. Lilith is also resentful of the fact she was chosen to be Saturn’s immortal high priestess without her consent. This was the event in her life that changed everything. 5. Give your female characters an array of strengths. Try and avoid stereotypes. Chose some traits that are traditionally feminine and others that are traditionally seen as masculine characteristics. Remember, women can be both sensitive and assertive. Which leads to the next tip. 6. Give her conflicting personality traits. Conflicting personality traits make a character interesting. Lilith’s character is:
7. Give her character growth. Your strong female character should evolve throughout the story. Make sure she has story arcs. A strong female antagonist can have a positive growth or descend further into wickedness. Women, like all people, are always changing and evolving. Your female characters should do the same. If you are writing a fantasy or horror writer, you can take story arcs to the edge or off the map. Let your imagination soar no matter what genre you are writing. Pitfalls to avoid when writing female characters. The biggest mistake writers make when writing strong female characters is forgetting to add depth or dimension to the characters. Don’t make her one-dimensional and unrealistic. Using the tips mentioned above will give her character development and keep readers reading and rooting for your strong female characters. Helpful hints: If you are stuck, read as many books as you can with strong female characters or base your strong female characters on someone you know. Lilith is based on several strong women I know. Coming Next Month: Saturn’s Soul Trap Peace ©2010-2026 Idalita Wright Raso. All rights reserved. https://www.idalitawrightraso.com/blog
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