TO WRITERS, FROM READERS: FEMALE CHARACTERS

the coolest thing about mulan is that she does have to act like a man HOWEVER in the climax her fellow soldiers have to dress up and pretend to be women in turn for the plan to work. the moment when they show the gang in their courtesan disguises, about to scale a wall using the method mulan came up with during the training montage, as "be a man" is playing in the background is one of my favorite moments in the movie (and also probably in cinema history) bc it's such a perfect payoff both narratively and thematically. just ties the gender related themes of the movie together so well. gosh i love mulan😭

The damsel in distress can work as long as you give the damsel some character, like giving her a personality. 😂

I’m so sick of reading headstrong/stubborn FMCs…. It’s so overused and it’s frustrating to read because they refuse to take advice(usually from Male characters) and ultimately make poor decisions which lead to some avoidable catastrophic event. What’s worse, is that there usually isn’t much character development following their actions, and they will most likely not learn from their stubbornness!! I would personally like to see more FMCs be more reasonable and trusting, overall see more personal growth and relationship building.

That comment about people not knowing how to write subtle characters changes without losing the core really hit a spot with me

One of the best female characters I've read about it a very long time is Yona from the manga Yona of the Dawn. She starts out a spoiled princess, someone who doesn't care much about anything other than her hair and her crush, but she's forced very quickly to grow up and get stronger, and we see her learn so many things, like shoot a bow and arrow and lead an army. She turns into a super strong woman who also recognizes her emotions. She never loses her inner kindness, but instead learns how to turn it into a weapon. She reminds me a lot of Katara from Avatar. Highly recommend Yona of the Dawn!

A good example of a quiet healer and a loving daughter would be Sorcha from Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest." Marillier actually does "soft" women characters incredibly well throughout her body of work, especially with the heroines of "Daughter of the Forest," "Son of the Shadows" (both healers), "Wolfskin" (a priestess), and "Foxmask" (a young woman with a talent for embroidery and the textile arts). I really wish this author were more popular, and I'm glad to hear her get a mention in this video.

MORE female villains. I grew up absolutely loving Maleficent and the White Witch as some of the coolest characters of all time. That kind of character doesn't seem to exist much anymore. Instead, they are watered down just to be the real victims, and I should actually hate some guy instead? Weird modern villain requirement.

I am a male writer writing a book with 2 female POVs (3 male). I'm trying really hard to write them well an not fall into some of these cliches. This video helped tremendously, thank you so much 🔥🙏

I would love to see this for "Male Love interests/Female love interests" cause I feel like they're their own beasts.

I'd love to see more characters who just happen to be female, they do not have to be a love interest, someone who has to prove they rise above their status, someone who is a strong, or anything female. Just a normal character who just is a female and is not defined as "not male"

I think we need more female characters who are genuinely humble and/or tragic. I think of Spiderman who is struggling in his own life, but still sacrifices deeply to serve, normal everyday people. Or Harry Dresden who is extremely hard on himself, and is terrified of what he might turn into, but over and over again he makes difficult choices that cost him deeply because he desperately wants to be someone who will do the right thing, even though he doesn't always know what that means. Too many female characters keep whining about how they 'deserve' more than what life has dealt them, or how unfair society is. Give me more tragic female characters who selflessly sacrifice themselves without getting bitter about it.

My favorite female character is Nausicaä from the Studio Ghibli movie (and more importantly the Manga) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. She's is fiercly compassionate and kind towards others, and can also fight for what she believes in and to protect the ones she cares about. The movie is nice but doesn't show her full character as the manga does, i would still recommend watching it though :)

I love these long chatty videos😊 And Mulan is still one of my all time favourite movies, in large part because of the reasons you listed.

lol “end game” is the phrase you were looking for when you’re talking about who the character will be with at the end of the story…maybe lol

Not finished the video yet but shallan is such a great example of the naive character from all angles, with the growth she goes through while keeping the sunny disposition but also the things she’s gone through that maintain her naivety to a degree throughout her personal journey

The timing of this is perfect! I'm a male who is currently writing female characters and working on making sure they're primarily nuanced human beings. I agreed with most of the points brought up and it's super helpful seeing these points all laid out in one video. :)

the descent into madness/evil is exactly what my female main character is going through in the series I am writing. She starts as a hero, has a villain arc, and then has a realizaton and tries her best to climb back to good

I find personalities really interesting to explore because they are determined by both experiences and genetics. I find it really fun to see how two people, maybe siblings, are different or similar because of their experiences. I have two characters, brothers, who are both very similar to their mom, but drastically different from each other. All three are intensely loyal, but one brother is really naive and optimistic, whereas the other is cynical and pessimistic. The mom, who has more rounded experiences, is more in between and tries to see the best in people, but understands that not everyone can be trusted. Anyway.. that is MY rant; I like comparing/contrasting similar characters. It's fun.

A few years ago I read The Sword of Winter by Marta Randall and the FMC (Lyeth) was really interesting. She was a bit "I'm strong which means I beat things up and have no emotion" but it was because she had a lot of issues with trusting people and being vulnerable which was worked on throughout the book. She also accidentally adopts this boy right at the start and she grows to love and care for him without losing her whole personality to become super maternal and soft. I really loved reading her story

After watching this video you should absolutely read the Sevenwaters Triology Juliiete Marillier. It meets so many of the things you said about women of all kinds of personalities, motivations, and all aspects of strength. Not just physical strength. (TW for assault. It's explored so well though, and addresses the complaints in the video)