Screenwriting : Women of Stage32, regarding female protagonists... by Robert A. Yarbrough

I wish that male writers who take great care in developing their male characters would put the same effort in developing their female characters. That is all.

I also have written an inspirational drama script with a female protagonist..Her character arc is dramatic and slow to evolve. The drama is balanced by light humor via the male protagonist and her best friend, who is also a woman in her 20's. Unlike you Robert, I did NOT grow up in a female dominated environment. In the case of our project, it just makes sense and works well but will require a very talented rising star with both acting and extraordinary music talent

When writing female characters please, please, please make them authentic, well-rounded, conflicted, funny, and imperfect. Most female characters in film are so reductive. Stereotypes. Let's see there's: the slut, the virgin, the soccer mom, the snarky single hipster, the stressed-out single mother, the hardcore fighting hottie, the crazy bitch, the victim, the forlorn love seeker, and the classic damsel in distress. I'm sure I'm missing some... Oh, YEAH, the dead or just lost/killed girlfriend/wife/daughter character for the back story of a male character. These stereotypes can certainly be bad, boring and predictable. But, give a female character full development, range, and authenticity -- as you would for all other characters -- they can be transcendent. Guys, just look at all the amazing women around you on a daily basis. Robert, it sounds like you are already ahead, surrounded by some great ladies.

In our story, the female central character represents what is construed as the status quo, or those people mired in the beliefs taught in their childhood..She is talented artistically, yet like many artists, lacks self esteem putting others ahead of herself. However, once she encounters an array of people that believe in her, her transformation begins.. She grows from a postal worker living in resignation to a shining star. As her own belief increases, she finds her power and lets go knowing that life really does begin at the edge of your comfort zone

Too often, the women in movies are very shallow, with unrealistic relationships, passions, and motivations. It makes me crazy that so few movies have female protagonists, so I'm glad that you're focusing on that! One thing that I saw someone do recently is write a screenplay for a male protagonist, and then switch it to a female role. This shakes you out of falling into stereotypes, and can result in some real humor as well.

What we've also done is add a best friend to the central character who is also a 20's girl, but more sassy and aggressive which balances the weak persona the protagonist exhibits in the beginning. The girlfriend also plays a major role in pushing the protagonist from her comfort zone along with an older man who is the other primary protagonist in the story..I feel women in many cases have a wider range of emotion and diversity which can really increase character definition and engage the audience.

This is a great thread! Writing characters of the opposite gender in a well rounded, positive, non-stereotypical manner can always be a challenge, but due to the dearth of female protagonists as main characters in the movies (think it's less than 1 in 10 movies), it's easy to see how storytellers have had their minds seeded with very constrained archetypes. I can say that I have made the mistake of creating very stereotyped women in some of my stories, and I look back with a certain level of shame at these, but I would rather recognize and improve than ignore and stagnate. I've got a few scripts written with female protagonists that I think will manage to buck a few trends. I've liked almost every post I've seen on this topic, and I think it's good to address this issue and improve on it in our writing. Keep the posts coming folks!

I also think we need to show women that are multi-faceted rather than one dimensional..people that come to grips with their limiting beliefs who are able to dig deep, transform, laugh and grow. When we balance this with antagonists with a dash of humor, inspiration and creative visuals we tell stories that are far more entertaining and engaging

Funny you say that since it's exactly what I did.. and the woman happens to be a feminist/activist type and LOVED it!

A female tech goddess who does not dress like a weirdo or act like a geek. Sojourney Wever did an excellent job potraying a tech savvy woman in Avatar.

Dear heavens, where do I start? :) Seriously, I'd start by reading this excellent article: http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2013/08/i-hate-strong-female-characters She really nails the current trend in Hollywood to use a female lead that must be all things to all people. Then read this article: http://aidanmoher.com/blog/featured-article/2013/05/we-have-always-fough... which is from a prose writer, but really nails the struggle to get out of the rut of writing the same stereotypes of female characters that we have seen over and over ad nauseum. And of course at bare minimum, make sure your scripts pass the Bechdel Test. There, that's a good start. :)

I have to say one of my favorite female characters is Lynn Sear, the mother in "The Sixth Sense," acted by the incredibly talented, Toni Collette. I love this authentic character. She has this odd child. She's dealing with things she doesn't understand. She's alone, no support. She has moments where she wants nothing to do with her own son and yet defends and comes to his aid no matter what. She's different than the other "socially normal" mothers. She dresses differently, isn't as polished. She's exhausted, angry, wary and yet incredibly loving and tenacious. I love the simple scene where she and her son are going through the hum-drum of life, leaving the grocery store, the son riding inside the grocery cart. She suddenly starts running, pushing the cart fast through the parking lot giving her son a moment of pure fun and joy, just for the hell of it. All of us mothers do that! Loved it. I was right there with her.

Very powerful writing and acting Beth.. I know what you refer to here.. This is part of the reason we have given the actor a canvas to apply their skill with. The central character at first appears like many women blinded by limiting beliefs and lacking self esteem. When she suddenly finds out that she was adopted and goes on the journey, the circumstances that confront her cause to do find her power and live the dream.. Full character arc, along with her male counterpart who's older, wiser, yet eccentric and also suffers with the need for change. I've interjected some other colorful characters and a little humor to balance the story

As someone who survived domestic abuse 40 years ago and as the mother of a rape survivor (watch Surviving Evil on 10/30 on Investigation Discovery to see our story) I want to see women portrayed as strong and smart... brave in the face of insurmountable odds. As an advocate for victims of violent crime, I meet the most amazing women. They are concrete on the outside... marshmallow on the inside.

Donna..you'll definitely get your wish once Changing Keys is produced.. The central character, Allison, does indeed rise to the occasion overcoming all sorts of hurdles physically, mentally, emotionally and otherwise .

That's my kind of story, Jonathan!