I write in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Therefore, quite often I will create female characters that are, for lack of a better term, quite uber: mega strength, powerful magic, highly skilled in combat, etc. I love all my female characters, because they are all unique and special. They are alive to me in how they behave in their own minds, and how they interact with other characters in a story. Depending on an arc or a moment, many woman will be center stage, because guess what SJWs….it’s their part of the story as a CHARACTER, not just because they are a woman.
So you know what I don’t do? Put them on a pedestal, make them mary sues, or have them replace the men. They are still women with all the normal character strengths and weaknesses you would expect. I love women. Women are beautiful, but they are not interchangeable with men. Even my strongest female character, who I hope to one day introduce everyone to, who was born with full knowledge of her destiny and the power to achieve it is a universe far from perfect even though she’s treked all over it. As her personal arc moves through all my series, she reaches heights of power that are incredible, but do you also know what she goes through? Jealousy. Heart break. Desire. Depression. True Love. Heart shattering loss. She is a wife, a mother. The world threatens her children, and she threatens the world back.
Make ’em strong. Make ’em earn it if it’s a heroine that fights the big battles. Don’t mary sue them or Abby Smash them.
Women can be powerful when portrayed as women. They do not have to be men, take the place of men, or belittle men to be strong.
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