One of the exciting things about being an author is that we get to leave ourselves and be someone else. We get to develop characters. For brief moments, we escape from who we are and jump into the skin of another person. We get to leave the reality of our current existence and be someone else, or at least imagine that we are.
Sometimes, we knock it out of the park. A character comes alive and is so believable that meeting them on the street is a real possibility. Other times, we fail miserably. Writing about characters for which we have no or limited insight is one of those places we may stumble.
Now, we’re not implicating anyone in particular, but let’s be honest, guys often come up significantly short when they create female characters.
If you need a quick tutorial on how NOT to write female characters, Eve Lynch posted an article on Bang2Write that highlights five things that irritate women about how writers craft female characters.
- Substituting appearance for personality
- Not leaving enough to the imagination
- Fixating on wardrobe
- Mistaking them for a sexy lamp
- Thinking girls only talk about boys
Be sure to check out her article, Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make Writing Women, to dig deeper into her points. You might find yourself improving how you develop your characters.
Best Book Monkey’s Insights
No matter what type of book you are working on, your beta readers and editor(s) are essential elements. While it is tempting to ask people who like you and who are like you to be on your team, you must diversify your feedback. Otherwise, you won’t get honest assessments that could significantly improve your book.
When inviting people to your beta reading team, try to find individuals who have a different life experience than you. Their insights and reactions to your writing could mean the difference between 5-star reviews and well-deserved harsh criticism of your book.
If you’ve read many self-published books, you already know that the need for quality editing is overwhelming. We’ve put together this guide to help you choose the right editor or editors for your book.
