Best Advice for Writing

The best advice I have ever received, in regards to writing strong women, was to just write women.  I write stories as a hobby, but looking back at my work the main characters have predominantly been men.  Simply put, this is because they are easier for me to write; I don't feel like there is some standard I need to meet.

This is not OK.

As creators, we should not be afraid to write female characters.  We should write strong women.  Injured women dealing with their pain.  Women who cry because they aren't afraid to be emotional.  Women who don't need romance to feel good about themselves.  Women who love being in love.  Strong women.  Frail women.  Black women.  Aboriginal women.  Crippled women.  The list goes on and on...

We should be writing women who are human.


I'll leave you with this quote:

"Screw writing “strong” women.  Write interesting women.  Write well-rounded women.  Write complicated women.  Write a woman who kicks ass, write a woman who cowers in a corner.  Write a woman who’s desperate for a husband.  Write a woman who doesn’t need a man.  Write women who cry, women who rant, women who are shy, women who don’t take no shit, women who need validation and women who don’t care what anybody thinks.  THEY ARE ALL OKAY, and all those things could exist in THE SAME WOMAN.  Women shouldn’t be valued because we are strong, or kick-ass, but because we are people.  So don’t focus on writing characters who are strong.  Write characters who are people."  -- MadLori