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Women In Film

The #1 Lie About Female Characters You Should Not Believe

The #1 Lie About Female Characters There’s a #1 lie I hear all the time about female characters. You may have heard it yourself, or even thought it. If you have, it’s not your fault. On the surface, it seems like common sense. After all, blogs like B2W have been warning for years that bad female characterisation is everywhere. So-called self-styled ‘gurus’ online offer all kinds of female character fixes. These may range from sensible but overlooked ones like the ‘fridged woman’ through to the well-meaning but fundamentally flawed, like The Bechdel Test. So what exactly is the #1 lie… Read More »The #1 Lie About Female Characters You Should Not Believe

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5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

How To Write Romantasy That Bites Back I was at London Screenwriters Festival this weekend just past, where I did a masterclass on writing romantasy. This subgenre has exploded in the past three or four years across all media, yet many people get it wrong on why it’s so popular. Romantasy is NOT just fantasy with some kissing. The romance angle powers the story, while giving us brutal worlds, high stakes and love that complicates everything. It is all about danger and desire, fused. Ultimately, good romantasy is all about that core promise: if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not romantasy.… Read More »5 Top Tips For Writing Romantasy That Bites Back

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6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

All About Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads It’s fair to say female leads have come a LONG way in the past 15-20 years. This is never more obvious in fantasy and sci-fi. From romantasy to sci-fi – and everything in between – these female leads exemplify sacrifice, bravery, skill and fierce independence. As a huge fan of both fantasy and sci-fi, I thought I’d put 6 of my fave modern protagonists from these genres under the microscope. Ready? Let’s go … 1) Bella Swann, The Twilight Saga A fish out of water when she stays with her father Charlie in… Read More »6 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Female Leads Who Made Their Mark On Storytelling

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Top 10 Women in Male-Dominated Character Archetypes

All About Male-Dominated Archetypes This list includes Women in fictional media whose personalities and characters are usually reserved for male-dominated roles. In recent years, writers have become more and more interested in writing female characters. However, female leads are sometimes boxed into tropes that are stereotypically ‘girly’. Yet these male-dominated archetypes do not have to be just about male characters. Writers can use them as a starting point for female characters as well. 1) Buffy Summers (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) Buffy redefines the heroic warrior archetype, which is traditionally male-dominated. As well as that, she’s shown to be ‘the chosen… Read More »Top 10 Women in Male-Dominated Character Archetypes

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Top 10 Badass Animated Female Leads You Should Know

Animated Female Leads Female leads have grown increasingly popular in animation over the past decade. While researching my book The Art of Writing Animation, I came across a few of these incredible ladies… and even met some of their creators! Out of the many animated films and TV series I watched, here are my top 10 badass female leads, in no particular order (may contain spoilers): 1) Merida, Brave (2012) Bang2writers may know Merida as a fearless female archer, but there’s more to her character. She’s the first female lead in a Pixar movie. Brave’s writer-director Brenda Chapman, wanted to… Read More »Top 10 Badass Animated Female Leads You Should Know

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Happy Pride Month! Top 10 Queer Women In Movies And TV

Top 10 Queer Women It’s Pride month, which means queer representation is on the menu here at Bang2write. My Top 10 female character rundowns are super-popular on this site, yet I realised I don’t have any about queer women. Oops! Consider my wrist slapped for this massive oversight. But before I share my faves, a disclaimer of sorts. “iT’s gAy NoT qUeEr!!” Okay, let’s get one thing straight (arf).  Yes, some older members of the LGBTQ+ community still find the word ‘queer’ painful. For them, it brings back memories of the word being weaponised in the ’80s. That hurt is… Read More »Happy Pride Month! Top 10 Queer Women In Movies And TV

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Destroy Role Models: Why Female Characters Don’t Need to Be ‘Good’

Female Characters = Role Models?? NO THANKS If I never hear the term ‘good role models’ applied to female characters ever again, it won’t be a moment too soon! When was the last time you heard a male character described as a good role model? Yeah, exactly — it doesn’t happen. Male characters are allowed to be whatever the story needs them to be. Good, bad or ugly, that male character doesn’t have a ‘standard’ applied to him.   This is especially true if the male character is white, straight, and able-bodied. Somehow, this ‘default guy’ is STILL given the… Read More »Destroy Role Models: Why Female Characters Don’t Need to Be ‘Good’

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4 Ways The Hunger Games Books & Movies Subvert Expectations Sensitively

All About The Hunger Games  I’m a huge fan of The Hunger Games. If you’ve read the 2023 update of my Thriller Screenplays book, you’ll know the first book and movie is a case study there. As an example of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ plotting archetype, the story is a good reminder that heroism is not gendered. Katniss Everdeen is also a GREAT example of a character with a ‘flat arc’ (ie. she doesn’t change). Unlike many heroes, Katniss does not go from ‘zero to hero’. Volunteering as tribute for her little sister Primose is a selfless and heroic act from… Read More »4 Ways The Hunger Games Books & Movies Subvert Expectations Sensitively

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Yes, Obviously You Can Kill Your Female Characters (Just Not Like THIS!)

NEWSFLASH: Don’t Use The ‘Fridged Woman’ Trope I predominantly write crime fiction and thriller, which means I kill a LOT of characters. Some of them, inevitably, will be female … because, *obviously* (shrugs). However, because female characters were *just* dead bodies and sidelined too long in novels, movies and TV, it matters how writers kill them. I’ll explain why. One of the most unpopular, toxic female character tropes is ‘fridged woman’. Every single time I post about the fridged woman trope on B2W’s social media, I get pushback. They’re always some variation of these two arguments … ‘B-B-But it’s not… Read More »Yes, Obviously You Can Kill Your Female Characters (Just Not Like THIS!)

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Why Characters’ Skills Are SO Important To Your Story

All About Skillsets Memorable characters often stand out because of their unique skills or talents … but these abilities must serve a purpose in the story. So, how can we tell if we’re crafting a character with a meaningful skill or just adding a random trait for the hell of it? It was International Women’s Day at the weekend. So, I thought I’d answer the question of skill and how it plays out with reference to female characters. You know the drill, Bangers: ready … let’s go! Why Skills Are Essential to Characterisation In the 2020s, nuanced and layered characterisation… Read More »Why Characters’ Skills Are SO Important To Your Story

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No, Bechdel Is NOT A ‘Low Bar’ For Female Characters. Here’s Why

The Bechdel Test The Bechdel Test (sometimes referred to as the Bechdel-Wallace Test) is frequently held up as a standard for female characterisation. You may have seen it doing the rounds, especially if you’ve read B2W’s free eBook, How Not to Write Female Characters. The Bechdel Test is based on the 1985 comic strip, Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel. It’s frequently used to measure effective female characterisation in film and other fiction.  The test asks whether a work …  features at least two female characters who have a conversation about anything other than a man Here’s the… Read More »No, Bechdel Is NOT A ‘Low Bar’ For Female Characters. Here’s Why

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#1 Error That Kills Interest In Your Pitch 100% Of The Time

#1 Error That Kills Your Pitch Obviously there are lots of ways to kill your pitch, but there’s a #1 error I see most often. This error is so widespread and so simple, you’ll kick yourself once you see it … … HIDING your story behind intangible, thematic stuff. In other words, writers go for VIBES over the actual events of the story. Instead of being overt about what literally happens, the writer will fall back on that #1 pitching error like this … A retired bodyguard faces his demons from his traumatic past as he guides a kidnapped girl… Read More »#1 Error That Kills Interest In Your Pitch 100% Of The Time

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