It’s not hard to write strong female characters, but for some reason, poorly written female characters seem to be the default for many screenwriters.
I suspect that it’s because most writers have probably absorbed and accepted much more culturally reinforced sexism than they realize. Believe me, we see a lot, lot, lot of this sexism in our day-to-day reading scripts here at Screenplay Readers, and we try to point it out to the writer as much as we can.
The good news is there are ways to consciously counteract any gender bias you may not be aware of in your screenwriting.
Here are a few quick basic things you can do to write strong female characters, despite those culturally-induced biases, and at same time write a better story and a better script overall.
Write strong female characters by not objectifying them
You’d be surprised how often otherwise-professional screenwriters (and amateurs as well) dish up female character descriptions like this:
JANE (20) — is incredibly hot but doesn’t know it.
What does this mean? If you ask me, it’s the equivalent of:
JANE (20) — hot, but might still sleep with the writer writing this horseshit.
Another variant of the same scenario might be something like this:
JANE (20) — pretty but with intelligent eyes.
Which is basically the writer telling us that the most important thing to know about this character is that this character is pretty. But more telling is that the writer is also warning us not think that just because this character may be pretty doesn’t mean she’s stupid. Yet when you think about that for a moment, the question becomes: why would there be any reason in the world for a reader to assume that just because a character is pretty that they also must be stupid?
So this is essentially making you, the writer, look real hard dumb.
Let’s take it a step further so you can see how stupid it looks. When was the last time you read a character description like this:
JOHN (20) — incredibly hot but doesn’t know it.
or
JOHN (20) — handsome, but with intelligent eyes.
My best guess is you’ve never read a line like that for a male character. But hey, even if you have, it’s still bad screenwriting. Here’s more on the subject.
Write strong female characters by not commenting on their beauty but their choices
This is his wife JANE, 35, a fading beauty who’s still attractive for her age.
Did you just cringe? Because I just cringed. In fact, I think I threw out my back cringing so hard.
The movie industry caters to a mass audience. As such, it often reflects and reinforces some of society’s most repugnant, backward views on women. And one such view is that women over the age of 30 (and definitely women over the age of 45) are, by default, considered unattractive. I’m no expert on gender demographics but I’d hazard a guess that a mathematical majority of women would vehemently disagree with such a viewpoint.
So instead writing about her beauty, how about we find out something else about Jane, such as how she feels, or who she is?
What could Jane be? What are her likes? What makes her tick? What motivates her? What has she conquered? What does she want? The answer may surprise you:
JANE (35) — practically-dressed but with her mind always off dreaming of elsewhere.
Or
JANE (49) — perfectly turned out, watchful as she enters the room.
Hair, make-up, and wardrobe can also tell us a lot about character, but often the best way to convey a character is by what they say or how they behave or move the first time we see them.
The point is, descriptions can be physical but should rarely be a value judgment. And they shouldn’t be what’s the most interesting thing about your female character.
Write strong female characters by not making them appendages of the male ego
A female character needs their own journey. If everything in their story is related to the male hero’s story, seek ways that the male story changes them in a meaningful way. At all costs, avoid “awarding” the girl or woman to the guy as some kind of prize when they start behaving better, win their sports match, solve the crime, take over the cartel, or all of the above.
It’s been done to death.
Write strong female characters by writing them as leads, not just supporting roles
Why bother writing a male main character’s wife if she does nothing interesting and says nothing interesting?
Try writing your next lead as a female, instead of defaulting to male. See what happens. See what new avenues open up and what new synapses form.
For example, if you’ve come up with a story about a cynical, damaged police detective who finds a way to care about their work again when they have to solve a crime that resonates with them in a painful and personal way, consider making that classic noir archetype a woman, rather than a man.
The same applies to every character in your story. Choose. Don’t default. The result could well be a more interesting screenplay.
Write strong female characters by making their dialogue meaningful
Does your script include
1. at least two women
2. who talk to each other
3. about something other than a man?
If so, it passes the “Bechdel Test,” but there’s more to the story than that.
It also matters very much how much women get to speak, and whether what they say is meaningful. In 2016, women spoke only 27% of the dialogue in the top-grossing films of the year. Does this mean films in which women speak will fail? Probably not. It’s more likely that they were all written from a male point-of-view. About 7% were directed by women and only 11% written by women.
Coincidence? Unlikely.
It all boils down to this: women make up half the population but too often, female characters in movies and tv series don’t get to be real people.
While writing is largely about instincts and imagination, challenge yourself at every turn. Original and attention-grabbing storytelling isn’t an accident. It’s partly about making a different and sometimes less obvious choice in terms of how your characters convey universal and eternal life truths.
Don’t be afraid to make those choices.