- Tartan 118
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- Fabled Mythic Member
Quick as a razor, sharp as a bullet.
Copypasted from Writers' Corner.
I've only ever written one female-led story, and that was Diggers, my contest entry of moons ago that won the dystopia/utopia contest. It irks me slightly that that's the only story with a female protagonist I've ever written, but usually the sex of a character is an afterthought, and doesn't play a significant role in their character and arc. If there are any women involved, their sex plays a major role in their arc, or at least that's how it's been for most of my major stuff.
Should a character's sex define much about them? In my fantasy series, women would play a slightly minor role to men, traditionally, so I don't have any major female characters right now... although Nina springs to mind, and she's a fantastic character, a kindly, old orc who helps Damon find his feet after he leaves his city, whose sex does not play an overt role in her character or arc.
This debate reminds me very strongly of a positively-discriminatory stereotype that pervades just about every art and media form these days: the strong woman. You name any piece of fiction with a female character in it, I can all but guarantee you her character traits are: headstrong, brave, fearless, but hiding a vulnerable side. I understand that this is a good role model for women to aspire to, and flies in the face of what was probably a bigger trope years before, of a weak-willed, incapable woman who played second fiddle to male protagonists. But it's just so frustratingly cliche, and the fact that it shapes most fictional women with any kind of prominence within their narratives is maddening. Stories aren't simply beacons whose Mary Sues (the trope of the flawless woman) and wise-cracking heroes are models, they are a means of analysis on a plethora of the broadest philosophical topics. It's time female characters starting reflecting all women rather than the paragons, just as male characters do.
On a final note, I think the only reason I would have a female main character in the world of The Prince would be to overcome sexist adversity. Surely that in itself is sexist, and something should be done about that. I, and perhaps we all, should strive to shatter that trope.
Thoughts?