Here we take a further look at how to avoid the pitfalls of writing a female protagonist that is cliched or just wrong.

If a woman is empowered, she is often portrayed as a man-hater who resents males for their positions of power. This is simply not true; truly empowered women are those who stand up for themselves and will not allow men to step on them. This does not mean they are bitter and twisted about the male race! A great character is one who is empowered but genuinely loves male company, on her terms of course!

Give your female characters something worthy to do apart from worshiping your hero. She can be part of a successful couple and still have goals and interests outside of the relationship. You would not write your male counterpart as a puppy dog so why turn your females into simpering companions. Chances are your male character deserves better than that.

Women are not as bitchy about other women as most men would believe. On the whole, most women would not spend time overanalyzing the physical attributes of another female but are more likely to pick up on facial expressions. A sarcastic eye roll or an overly bright smile which seems false will be way more likely to cause your character to comment. Only a shallow woman would over obsess about size and shape; handy to know if you want to portray a shallow female!

Similarly, women do not wax lyrical about their own appearance. If you find yourself in a position where your female lead needs to describe herself, then avoid phrases like “midnight blue eyes” or “raven's wing hair”. There are other ways to give the reader a clear picture of what your female looks like and it can be done without involving someone else’s perspective.

So, there we have it, just a few pointers to help you write a magnificent female protagonist and if you are still unsure, check out some of these examples.

Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

An abusive childhood, an anti-social attitude and a healthy regard for violence are not the classic examples of a female lead! However, Lisbeth is a top-class computer hacker with a photographic memory and is a powerful female role model. If we can just lose the violence and get the job done some other way, we would be good.

Nancy Drew

Not an obvious choice but I wanted to point out it is not just modern gals that have a backbone. Nancy was smart, clever and devoted to solving crimes. Not afraid to get into scrapes and running the risk of kidnapping, she was badass!

Jo March, Little Women

Smart and impulsive Jo did not shy away from arguments and was fiercely proud of her family. In a time that was not geared toward strong women, she shone as a beacon for others. Her strong-willed ideas were an inspiration for all young women who read the book. She even sacrificed her crowning glory to raise money, oh, and she is a writer so obviously awesome!