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Women by Women

pmmg

Myth Weaver
If you are trying to write a type of divine feminism, I would probably skip the women by women approach, and look more spiritual sources. Less in the how do they write fiction, but more along the lines of what has been presented about it in many cultures, and what can be gleaned from it.

A creature which tends to represent the ideal qualities of the feminine would encompass things like compassion, empathy, nurturing, beauty, social intelligence, sensitivity... A deity that was to embody some ideal form of the feminine would not likely be involved much with changing feminism in various nations at various times. They would more represent something eternal, and beyond the squabbles of people.

Since I think you said you wanted an evil goddess type, I would shoot for taking those qualities and turning them on their head. Seductive, but only in selfish ways, having great intuition but able to turn it around to take advantage. Able to relate to and understand others, but using it to gain her own ends.

I'm gonna go back to, I bet if you started to write this, it would not seem so hard or unreachable.
 

Elaichi

Dreamer
In my opinion, the best way to write a good female (or male for that matter) character is to simply write a person. Don't think of one of your characters as "this is the strong female character who does X" but rather "this is the character who does X and happens to be female."

If you frame it this way, you'll stay away from the cardboard characters who are only there to fulfill a certain role. Instead, you'll more likely end up with a rounded character who has her own wants and needs, desires and flaws, and everything else.

Being female (or male) isn't the one big defining trait of your personality. It's part of who you are for sure. But no two females are alike simply because they're female. I've got 2 daughters, and they're very different personalities. One is very much a girlie-girl, who likes pink and cute stuff, and dresses and all that. The other is a lot more interested in dragons and playing with a football and doing crafts. They've had the same upbringing and yet they're very different personalities. They're also both very clearly female.

Well, I might split some hairs with you there, but I think I will ask instead...

Do you have a woman of a particular era you are hoping to write?

And less that question, and more, who do you intend to write anyway, and what is the difficulty with it?

Cause a smattering of woman written woman is not likely to shine much light on the issues between Mr. Doyle, and Mrs. Christie.

I think you can read a lot of books, but the characters of other people will not likely lend themselves much to your own.

I could pop out a lot of traits, but they would make little difference to any individual character. Any character is not any one thing. They are a product of themselves, and the world around them. They cant be one without the other. General....women tend to be like this, wont help.
Like someone said up in thread, how Dickens wrote some sexist women, in response how women then wrote women.
That is what I'm looking for, Not women of particular era but how women respond to any particular era. I don't want to write a single female protagonis but a larger than life female deity who is also a corrupted antagonist, and why I want clear distinctions because in our culture and country, there is and interesting distinction , not n individual level but like on a larger scale that of deities, like a whole sect around divine trinity of feminism, and as I wish to draw parallels and impart much of teachings I too need to understand this distinction,
therefore I am looking for such works to draw understanding
 

Elaichi

Dreamer
If you are trying to write a type of divine feminism, I would probably skip the women by women approach, and look more spiritual sources. Less in the how do they write fiction, but more along the lines of what has been presented about it in many cultures, and what can be gleaned from it.

A creature which tend to represent the ideal qualities of the feminine would encompass things like compassion, empathy, nurturing, beauty, social intelligence, sensitivity... A deity that was to embody some ideal form of the feminine would likely be involved much with changing feminism in various nations at various times. They would more represent something eternal, and beyond the squabbles of people.

I'm gonna go back to, I bet if you started to write this, it would not seem so hard or unreachable.
Now on similar lines, that is what I'm looking for but in more actionable way but yes you got the gist of what I'm looking for
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Like someone said up in thread, how Dickens wrote some sexist women, in response how women then wrote women.
That is what I'm looking for, Not women of particular era but how women respond to any particular era. I don't want to write a single female protagonis but a larger than life female deity who is also a corrupted antagonist, and why I want clear distinctions because in our culture and country, there is and interesting distinction , not n individual level but like on a larger scale that of deities, like a whole sect around divine trinity of feminism, and as I wish to draw parallels and impart much of teachings I too need to understand this distinction,
therefore I am looking for such works to draw understanding

Well, you have a lot of reading to do, if you are looking for a true cross-section, And at the end. it will still be you, and how do I write this?

No matter what you pick, and how much of it you read, it will still be less than the whole, and much of it would be less than a true portrayal as well.
 

Elaichi

Dreamer
Well, you have a lot of reading to do, if you are looking for a true cross-section, And at the end. it will still be you, and how do I write this?

No matter what you pick, and how much of it you read, it will still be less than the whole.
Now it sounds more difficult when you put it this way, I will try . but yes the universal feminine qualities are one step to go
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I might look for a book on world mythologies and start looking at the stories in those for the portrayal of goddesses.
 

Elaichi

Dreamer
I might look for a book on world mythologies and start looking at the stories in those for the portrayal of goddesses.
Well let me know if you get your hands on them, a informal question but are you in any way in creative or content field like writing , music or any such stuff
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I mean.....this is a writers site.....

I have been very creative. I play several musical instrument, write stories, was in theatre, and used to draw and paint a lot....

Not sure how to fill out that question. My current artistic endeavor is writing, and maybe second playing a guitar. One gets more energy than the other.

I've always been more on the creative side than the spectator side.
 

Elaichi

Dreamer
I mean.....this is a writers site.....

I have been very creative. I play several musical instrument, write stories, was in theatre, and used to draw and paint a lot....

Not sure how to fill out that question. My current artistic endeavor is writing, and maybe second playing a guitar. One gets more energy than the other.

I've always been more on the creative side than the spectator side.
Bingo, and for you know like to fill bread are you a full time artist
Also it may sound direct but I really have few questions for you , would help in my story
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
I will answer in a tricky way.....

I make my living doing computer stuff. I spend my energy on artistic stuff. Which do I do full time? I put a lot more energy into the artistic stuff. It does not pay my bills.....yet....
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Well, I tend to answer most questions directed to me.

But I am one voice among many. And here, probably a minority. So, i'll just say, if you ask questions dont be surprised if others answer as well.
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
No, I work on computer networking and office support. Servers...swtiches...routers.... The boring, crap I really have to know all that book stuff, stuff.
 
Perhaps I should have posed my questions in a better way
The reason is, while writing deities, they have to be disassociated with mortal matters so as to be corrupted and grow in darkest phase, what remains are their intrinsic motives, usually stemming from the identity proses. In Greek Mythology, Gods were scandalous but you see there was a stark difference I prank and scandals they were involved in when gender is brought into the picture, Power and Lust, arrogance and ego, Abuse of powers while keeping in mind they should also be roaming the mortal lands
This would seem irrational out of context but is helping me in building character and world
This then goes on to really know women around me in a better way
But thanks anyways this thread is sure helpful, would love to talk to you guys more on this topic
Greek Goddesses are a good example I would say for your female deity because of how true to life they were depicted. They were immortal and had powers but were also subject to oppression which probably reflected Ancient Greek culture between men and women.

Feminism is always going to be a difficult one to unpick because of the many different interpretations people have of it. To me, it’s about freedom of choice and equal access to human rights for women.

When writing female characters in fiction as a male author, you may end up writing in some of your own personal experiences and biases, but that’s a given. Don’t be preoccupied with potentially offending anyone, as long as you’re not glorifying the oppression of women, then you’re probably good to go.

It doesn’t mean you can’t sexualise a female character or have them be shallow or frivolous if that is true to their character, despite those traits often being used to stereotype women generally.
 
I've said this before but...

As long as your character (of any flavour) has an impact on the plot, they will feel like a real character (depending on any outrageously revelatory words/actions regarding the author's own predilections).

People won't much notice a character's gender if they matter to the plot.

In fact I've often been complimented by women readers on my female characters but I had a slight disappointment recently when a beta (one I value highly) said she thought my new book was very much written through the prism of a heterosexual male. I was quite shocked because, to my mind, the two main females are very strong and both initiate sexualised situations with the MC. They're the ones in control. (They get a lot of the best lines also.)

That doesn't matter, said the beta, because those situations clearly reference the male fantasy playbook (even if the situations are extremely unusual).

That was a tad unfair, I thought, and she agreed there wasn't a lot I could do about it. And she stressed how much she'd enjoyed the book and had good insight into its satiral nature, so that was OK.

I still felt rather admonished though.
 
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