Something remarkable has happened. Or rather, I have done something remarkable.
I have made up a female character who is not remotely evil and who I unambiguously like.
Her name is Jane (haven't figured out a last name yet). She's a journalist, and she likes to "investigate" in her spare time (e.g. if anything is "off", in her opinion - like if people start acting funny or something that normall
I have made up a female character who is not remotely evil and who I unambiguously like.
Her name is Jane (haven't figured out a last name yet). She's a journalist, and she likes to "investigate" in her spare time (e.g. if anything is "off", in her opinion - like if people start acting funny or something that normall
y happens does not
happen - she considers it her job to figure out why.) She's kind of a
ditz, in a "smart person acting stupid because they actually like acting
all happy and random all the time" sort of way. She's very smart,
though. She loves animals (especially pets) and actually knows a fair
bit about them beyond "oh my goodness cute kittens adorable little
hamsters pretty fish look at this stuff". She always wears something she
calls "the vest of prepared" (which resembles a fisherman's vest and
has a whole bunch of pockets, in which she puts a load of things that
she thinks could possibly be useful).
She's fun. And she's female. This doesn't come into the story much (other than the fact that one of her first appearances involves one of the male protagonists trying to date her - they don't form a romantic connection, but they remain friends for the rest of the story.) There's a bit of a mystery element to the story, and her plot function is mostly that of finding evidence (and going to great lengths to do so - she's a determinator, so to speak, especially if the situation interests her). The character could be male and fill the plot role just as easily. I just decided to make her female.
Most of the female characters I write are either slightly bland (because, in honesty, I don't know very many female characters in fiction who I actually like who aren't really love interests for the male characters - and I've decided that, if there's romance in my stories at all, it will be either plot-relevant or strongly downplayed) or villains (because I don't see an awful lot of female villains, either, but the ones I do see are often very cool and I love cool villains).
Jane's a good guy through and through (which doesn't mean she's perfect, of course, but you don't have to be evil to be flawed), and she's not a love interest (beyond the one date that I mentioned, which, again, is plot-relevant because it's her introduction). Okay. As my planning of the story goes on, the male character who dated her once may develop a crush on her (unrequited; she's not very interested in romance), but if so, it'll just be there to add drama and maybe emotional impetus for him to get involved in the case that she and the other main character (also male, explicitly non-romantic) is involved in. (And as the story goes on, there will be a very good reason that she shouldn't get romantically involved with either of the guys.) And she's not the boring "love interest girl" that I'm so guilty of writing (because I'm so guilty of reading), nor is she a villainess. She's - she's just a female character who happens to be female and is pretty fun. Hooray for triumphing over my literary misogyny!
She's fun. And she's female. This doesn't come into the story much (other than the fact that one of her first appearances involves one of the male protagonists trying to date her - they don't form a romantic connection, but they remain friends for the rest of the story.) There's a bit of a mystery element to the story, and her plot function is mostly that of finding evidence (and going to great lengths to do so - she's a determinator, so to speak, especially if the situation interests her). The character could be male and fill the plot role just as easily. I just decided to make her female.
Most of the female characters I write are either slightly bland (because, in honesty, I don't know very many female characters in fiction who I actually like who aren't really love interests for the male characters - and I've decided that, if there's romance in my stories at all, it will be either plot-relevant or strongly downplayed) or villains (because I don't see an awful lot of female villains, either, but the ones I do see are often very cool and I love cool villains).
Jane's a good guy through and through (which doesn't mean she's perfect, of course, but you don't have to be evil to be flawed), and she's not a love interest (beyond the one date that I mentioned, which, again, is plot-relevant because it's her introduction). Okay. As my planning of the story goes on, the male character who dated her once may develop a crush on her (unrequited; she's not very interested in romance), but if so, it'll just be there to add drama and maybe emotional impetus for him to get involved in the case that she and the other main character (also male, explicitly non-romantic) is involved in. (And as the story goes on, there will be a very good reason that she shouldn't get romantically involved with either of the guys.) And she's not the boring "love interest girl" that I'm so guilty of writing (because I'm so guilty of reading), nor is she a villainess. She's - she's just a female character who happens to be female and is pretty fun. Hooray for triumphing over my literary misogyny!
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