How to Write a Female Character

How to write a female character

Most female characters we see in TV and movies* are not fully fleshed out, 3D characters, but accessories for the plot or a prize for the hero.  They may have high powered jobs, or they may have mechanical knowledge, they may even find a clever way to help the plot or hero along, but by the time the credits roll they have been saved by the hero or have ended up standing just a little behind him for the glory shot.

While stories have come a long way from the hero untying his future 'bedroom toy' from the railroad tracks female characters still lack that special something that would give them equal standing with the hero. (Or possibly surpass them, depending on how good the writing is.)

So what can we do so that we can make 'it' into a spectacular 'her'?

It's very simple, we give her four basic characteristic traits.  And I am not talking physical ones.

The fist two traits are the ones Hollywood and most male writers use, and might just be the only ones they can actually see**, so I will list them first.

#1 Relationships (With organic lifeforms mostly)

Every screaming, crying, running, tripping female has this in common with every screaming, snarling, running shooting female, and that is a relationship with some one.

That pretty little blond tied to the railroad tracks has a victim’s relationship with the person who put her there, while she has a more grateful one towards the person who unties her.

Dorthy of Oz has the longest running relationship, and arguably the most important one, with Toto her dog. Not only does she depend on him for comfort and a little protection, but she also has to protect him from the forces that wish to harm him. Her second strongest relationship is with her aunt, who she wishes to return to.

Cinderella (from the Disney animated movie) has a troubling relationship with her adopted stepmother. In fact most Disney princesses have mother or father relationships of some sort, usually by absence or by cruelty.***

Relationships have to happen because with out them you have just one character alone, and even then they might start to pray, talk to them selves, or paint sports balls with faces and talk to them.  Point blank if you have a character you have to have a relationship with someone or something.

#2 A Job

Guys get jobs.  There are volumes of scientific research and studies on how important a job is to a man, so naturally they will write a job into any character they create. They can become depressed, or even mentally unstable with out a job to do.

Moreover women them selves feel a deep need to work.  They may chose to have a job that negates having a family, or they may chose the job of having a family and raising children and 'tending the hearth'.

The pretty blond tied to the railroad tracks?  Her job is to be the reward for the Hero's bravery, and if there was a sequel, to be the pretty little thing making him sammiches and telling him how amazing he is and making love eyes at him.

Dorthy's job was to follow the yellow brick road and kill the Wicked Witch.  It's a very straightforward job and she does it with out loosing her innocence.

Every character needs a thing to do if they want to do it or not.  It's how humans operate.


At this point, with relationships and a job, most writers put down the pen and move on to something else.  The female character has her relationships to the hero and other characters, and she has a thing to do, what more could there possibly be?  

Plenty, I tell you, the next two points are absolutely necessary for a full, 3D female character.

#3 Personality

Some of you are probably going “Oh well duh” at this, but here is a test:

Think of the last ten female characters from movies who handled a gun. Now strip them of all physical characteristics and replace them with stick figures.  Next strip them of who they are related to and what their jobs were.

Now give them one line of dialog that does not have to do with a relationship or their job.

Can you tell them apart?

Could anyone?

Personality is vital.  You can render a personality down to just one or two words if you wish, it's not shallow to do that, it's summing someone up. These one or two words describers could be:

Bubbly, bitter, nerd, slut, shy, den mother, vapid, witch, bossy, cheer leader, scardy cat, etc….

Those stick people suddenly seem a lot more interesting now, don't they?  They could almost be characters in their own right, but there is still one last thing they need before they can be full characters.

Dorthy's personality is hard to pin down but brave and honest seem to be good personality traits to ascribe to her.

The pretty little blond on the railroad tracks fails this test, unless screaming and sammich making can be personality traits, which I do not think they are.


The last one is very seldom seen, but it's possibly the most easy thing to give a character!  The last thing we need is….

#4 Passion (Or Proclivity, depending on origin)

Every one who is interesting has something they are passionate about. Maybe it's making user friendly computers like Steve Jobs, or maybe it's helping the poor like Mother Teresa.  What ever it is it does not have to be complex, in fact the more simple the passion, the stronger it is.

And, while it can add fuel to the Job, it ought not be directly connected to the job.  It should never be connected, in any way what so ever, to the relationships. In fact the passion ought to conflict with relationships because a passion comes from with in, while relationships come from without.

The railroad blond has no passion, not even for sammich making. As a character she should just be left on the tracks.

Dorthy's passion was to get home.  It is what drove her to walk that road and make those relationships with the Scarecrow, Tin-man and Lion.  It drove her to be brave before the wizard of Oz and it ultimately gave her the ability to face her own mistakes about leaving home in the first place.****

A passion must drive your character apart from relationships, and apart from jobs.  It can be enhanced by the character's personality.  Dorthy was an innocent girl, and a simple farm life was her ideal environment.  She fit that and it fit her.  

All of those stick figures you imagined in the last part, if given a passion, will now seem like a whole cast of characters independent of whatever story they were dragged from. This is the point I am trying to make.  This is the image of a strong, 3D female character.


What are some examples of characters that fit this four point system?  Lets take a look:

Codename Kids Next Door has a number of such girls so lets start there.

Kuki Sanban:
Relationships: Active member and friend of sector V, not-quite girlfriend of Wallaby Beetles (She's ten or eleven years old, too young for that stuff!), as well as older sister, and eldest daughter in her own family, as well as other relationships with rivals, enemies, and friends.
Job: Operative Numbuh 3, Medical and Distraction officer.  If it needs a band-aid she's got you covered, and if the enemy needs to be distracted she could probably out preform Pinky Pie with the flash and fancy of her defense attacks.
Personality: Bimbo tsundere.
Passion: Rainbow Monkeys, Rainbow Monkeys as far as the eye can see!  Not all of her teammates like them.

Abigail Lincoln
Relationships: Active member and friend of sector V,  not-quite girlfriend of Hoagie Gilligan, younger sister to Cree, as well as other relationships with rivals, enemies, and friends.
Job: Second in command of Sector V and den-mother.
Personality: Cool and compassionate.
Passion: She is crazy about sugar, and some times this gets her in a bit of trouble with her teamates.

Fanny Fullbright
Relationships: Tormentor to most operatives, and best friend to the supreme leader and daughter of one of the KND's most hated villains, and eldest sister.
Job: Decommissioning officer.
Personality: Witch with a capital B.
Passion: She hates boys bitterly.

Can you think of any girl characters who have all four personality points? Please share them in the comments below!

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*This article talks about block buster movies or broadcast/cable TV shows readily available to wide audiences, and excludes HBO shows, or other premium programing where characters may be better written.

**While men may not see the second two traits, they instinctively write them into their male characters a lot of the time because these are human traits and are not gender specific, though many men seem unsure how to write 3d women.  Well, now ya'll know.

*** With the exception of Tianna, I ask you Disney, please give some more powerful lessons on LISTENING to your parents and fostering GOOD relationships.  You see what happened to Britney Spears and Milly Cyrus.  That is happening to the girls who idolize them. Relationships are important, don't twist them just for the sake of plot=$$$!

****Passion did nothing to help Dorthy with the ruby red/silver slippers, and I think Glinda just used Dorthy to rid Oz of the other witch, so make of that what you will.