Writing Female Warriors - Things to Remember - Part 1

Jan 9

Fierce Introductions

I see a lot of posts highlighting examples of male writers getting descriptions of female characters wrong. Of male writers falling back on tired sexist tropes that place women as props in the male MC’s storyline. But in a world where it’s quite possible to read works only written by men… and I must stress here the importance of diversifying if you haven’t already… it can be difficult to know how NOT to do those things.

*A visual representation of how not to do it.*

So you’re writing a book that features a kickass woman. A woman who can hold her own in a violent world. A woman who could dispatch a seven foot Titan without breaking a sweat. That’s feminist, right? As soon as you’ve given her sword you’re there, right? As soon as you’ve integrated her into your band of heroes, you’ve done your bit for female representation… right..?

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

In part one of this four-part series, we’re looking at a couple of standard if problematic methods for introducing female warriors to your story, alongside some alternatives.

Proving Herself Worthy

So your male character is forming a team of accomplices. Say he’s a thief, or a soldier on a mission, or a warrior tasked with finding a powerful relic. It’s very common for a male protagonist to automatically accept male characters onto his team, but when the token female turns up she has to prove herself worthy and “impress the men” in order to qualify.

We see this scene play out over and over. She turns up with her sword and a prickly disposition and they look at each other and smirk. She challenges their assumptions and after a brief display of strength the men nod their approval and she joins them. She’s “one of the guys”.

Except “the guys” were granted access by default.

If you’re doing this, ask yourself why. If it’s because you think your readership won’t believe her capable if you don’t, why not allow her to question it?

“Did you ask that guy to prove he can throw a rock before giving him the job?”

Perhaps after this question all the guys have to prove themselves as well as her. Point made. Not only have you levelled the playing field, but you’ve challenged every instance where that scenario plays out in every other show/book/movie so far. Brilliant.

An example of this trope:

In Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, our acquaintance with Holga (Michelle Rodriguez) begins when she dispatches a threatening male prisoner. The entire opening setup, with the arrival of this new prisoner, the terrified reaction of the guards, the slow heavy footsteps suggesting awesome strength, is entirely for the purpose of showing the audience how awesome she is. Because a woman’s strength will never be assumed by default.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this movie, but the intent behind the setup was tedious.

An example of this trope being avoided:

In Mad Max: Fury Road, we first see Furiosa when she’s on her way to the War Rig. She is the ultimate driver. The one who has earned the right to drive the tanker across the wastes. The crowds chant her name and she observes them with calm determination. We understand her power and prowess. She’s already demonstrated her abilities and resilience to the mob in the movie, she doesn’t need to prove herself to the audience. She has a job to do. Fabulous.

If you’re introducing your female warrior and your first priority is to prove her awesomeness to the audience, consider alternative options. If everyone’s proving themselves, men included, then great. You’re good. But if it’s one-sided you might want to think about how you can make it equal or find a different way to make her strength clear.

Passing the Test

A natural follow on from the “Proving Herself” trope, that requires a subtly different counter approach, is when a female character has to pass a test in order to qualify. Except that test is massively weighted against her.

Ciri:

In season two of The Witcher, Ciri faces a dangerous obstacle course alone. Repeatedly. Nobody helps her and she’s allowed to injure herself over and over again. During their training, the male Witchers would have been coached. They would have been shown. Their peers would have been attempting the same thing at the same time, jointly failing and learning. The older Witchers forget this advantage… this privilege… this instant membership of “the guys”. They demand that she scale the mountain alone in order to prove herself worthy, despite them having help in achieving the same goal.

So sure, she's a badass. But having help wouldn’t have diminished her badassery; it simply would have leveled the playing field.

You can easily avoid this by having one or two of the male characters show her a few tricks. With Ciri they didn’t because Witchers are all men and blah blah, but the need for agility in general combat is all the reason anyone should need to recognise the benefit of her mastering the course.

You might be worried about it coming across as patronising, but you can avoid this with the insertion of a single line of dialogue:

“You think I passed this first time? You think I did it without help? We all start from zero, kid.”

Instant Hostilities

Yet another variation lies in the female character who leaps to hostilities from the get-go. And this usually happens when a male character wants to join her team instead of the other way around.

So your male character is looking for a competent assassin/warrior, and wanders into her space. She leaps out at him and attacks, ending the confrontation with a knife at his throat. It’s a classic scene. He puts his hands up, acquiescing to her dominance and they talk.

This introduction might seem like a convenient shorthand for showing a female character’s skill and independence. But it’s often undermined moments later when the male character:

Flips the physical dominance and somehow pins her, proving that if he had been there to fight, she wouldn’t have won
Saves her life by pointing out a trap she’s about to walk into or poisonous berries she’s about to eat
Provides directions. This one’s a classic. He stands there with raised eyebrows while she tells him how she doesn’t need him on her team, and he watches as she walks off in the wrong direction. Bless her. If only she was half as competent as she thinks she is.

As mentioned above, female characters often have to prove themselves worthy through an early display of skill, but that display rarely involves rescuing the male character. Because that would make him look weak. If your male character’s proof of value comes at the expense of her competence, think again.

Always remember - there should be a reason for her hostility:

Perhaps she’s been betrayed before.
Perhaps she’s seen too much of the world to go on faith alone.
Perhaps she’s in the middle of a job and he’s just put himself in the crossfire and she mistook him for her target. A stupid error on his part - he shouldn’t get in the way of an assassin.

Either way, knowing why she’s reaching for her knife before uttering a “hi, what’re you doing here?” is good practice.

A notable exception:

When Din Djarin meets Cara Dune in The Mandalorian, each believes the other is after the bounty on their head. This insta-fight escapes the aforementioned issues because everywhere Mando goes, he’s hunted. This isn’t a special case. In fact, it puts them on an equal footing because they’re both being hunted and they both misunderstand the situation.

What can you do instead?

Think about awesome characters you’ve seen and how they’re introduced. Many of them do not attack first. The most intimidating characters are often very quiet. They appear relaxed but there’s a tension to them.

If your male character is on the hunt for a female assassin/warrior, try having her appear to him with the intention to talk. There could be an underlying current of unease. He walked into her territory and she’s been aware of it the whole time, but she’s curious and if things don’t go according to plan she could cut him down anyway. It doesn’t matter. Casual confidence is more chilling than instant defensiveness and aggression. It’s subtle.

If you’re worried about whether or not the reader will believe she’s strong, well, that comes down to description.

Cold tension crackled behind her calculating eyes. Her stance appeared almost languid, but Steve recognised a coiled spring when he saw one. An unknown spring at that. If he was going to see what she was capable of first hand, he’d rather not be on the receiving end of it.

This passage is full of tension and respect. Steve wants to work with this woman, but understands the danger he’s in. No daggers necessary.

Crucially, the description is in no way related to her physical appearance. When you’re face-to-face with an apex predator you’re not paying attention to the number of stripes on its face, it’s all about the stance and the body language. Strip your focus back to threat signals and your character will be all levels of intimidating.

Crucially crucially, Steve doesn’t need to appear weak in comparison. If he’s highly trained then recognising those signals will convey competence. Strength recognising strength with respect is boss-level interaction.

If, as per the reasons for hostilities listed above, he gets in the way of a job, he could back away until she’s done and watch her at work. That would be an excellent way to show her skills while also respecting her autonomy. And, for the love of all things literary, don’t have him step in and “help”. The eye rolls could start an avalanche.

Conclusion

Power doesn’t have to be about swords and sorcery and much of this series is an exploration of just that. But when your female character is a warrior, try to be respectful of her skills from the start. Watch out for occasions when your male character makes assumptions, and give her the chance to object/challenge him. Ask yourself if the need to prove her worth comes from her… or you. Your choice to include a female warrior shouldn’t need justification, so if her first appearance amounts to just that, ask yourself why.

It’s your story, it’s her moment. Let her shine.