: Re: How to add depth to primary female character that contrasts well with primary male characters I am attempting to write a relatively complex SciFi military novel following 3 primary characters.

@Moriarity138

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Samuel Delany has excellent advice on this very question, which has to do with making sure your female characters don't exist just to serve the male characters or the plot (@wetcircuit did an great job of summarizing it here).

However, a good general piece of advice when writing any character whose experience differs from yours is to get the inside perspective from someone who more closely resembles that character. In other words, find a trusted female reader --or more than one-- and ideally one who has had similar life experiences. Failing that, do some intensive reading (fiction and nonfiction) by female authors. I'm sure a woman who has actually worked in engineering would be able to give you some good perspective and/or anecdotes that would add depth, richness and believability to your portrayal.

I've read far too many TERRIBLE portrayals of minority characters by otherwise very good writers, who made the mistake of thinking what they could build believable minority characters from the "outside in."

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