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female protagonists

what is the most appealing type of female character for you to read from in first person? I'm asking for my YA novel

Asked by: Heidi Roberts

  1. Gilly Ansell on August 17, 2012

    I like someone who has a sense of humour, is determined, can think for herself and who is cautious about new challenges but wants to try them anyway and someone who would also behave in a way or say things that I would like to but don't have the nerve. They would have to be believable though. I also like someone I can relate to which would obviously be different for everyone as we all relate to people differently.
    Good luck with your novel.

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  2. S G Romee on August 17, 2012

    Hi, Heidi! I am a writer of a fiction novel. I would always like to portray a female character the way nature made a female, basically feminine and beautiful, with the attributes of strength of character and being virtuous. Rest depends on your plot. every person has to adhere to circumstances, irrespective of gender. Those are my opinions, every one may not agree with me, though.

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  3. Victoria Whithear on August 17, 2012

    Don't like give your girl too many like speech ticks because it's like really annoying! But to speak in an individual way is a good thing. I would also make her pretty in some way but give her a bugbear. Nothing really bad. Something the reader can identify with as a niggle about their body and something she feels she has to defend, but something the reader can easily gain perspective on and see the character is making a fuss over nothing. For instance, my 13-year-old character is the smallest girl in her class. She's easily the prettiest, but has a large degree of small person's syndrome and tends to fight back first so no one has the impression she can be walked on. I'd never thought about it but that would have been fun from a 1st person POV. It worked well in 3rd too though.

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  4. Jonathan Hopkins on August 17, 2012

    I don't write YA or first person and find it hard to write ladies so this may be of no use. Both main(ish) female characters I've done so far have been fairly strong-willed for their time period (early 19th century).

    One is Portuguese and something of a tomboy (she wears breeches, rides astride and practices with a sword in secret) while using certain feminine wiles on my MC.She has a temper, can be slightly arrogant but also sometimes out of her depth in what was largely a man's world.

    The second is English, older, instigates an affair with an MC who is of lower social class. She thinks she is prepared to suffer the indignities and hardships of travelling with an army on campaign but is pretty naive about life in the lower orders.

    That tells me I'm happy to read about stronger female characters and I'm sure a lot of males are the same, of whatever age.

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  5. Heidi Roberts on August 17, 2012

    My MC is a seventeen year old girl who is strong willed. She grew up with just her mother, and her little sister, so over time she became quite responsible, she often feels scared in pressing situations, but she's strong, and knows when she needs to do something, whether it be do the dishes, or save someones life. She quickly believes what people tell her, even though she is somewhat suspicious of them, and when she believes something she believes it whole heartedly. She's smart, but often stays up late worrying over things. She's scared of dolls, moving ones, spiders, and being alone, but in the end she will always do what's right.
    What do you think? Is she someone you would want to read about? Its first person POV.
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