Characters Quote by Seanan McGuire
“I am a cisgender woman who has always had a lot of female friends. While many of us have traits in common, none of us will ever be exactly the same. So it's enormously important to me that my female characters be people, and be allowed to be whatever they need to be.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Locus Magazine, 2020
Female characters should be portrayed as diverse individuals, not monolithic stereotypes.
In simple terms: Write varied, authentic female characters.
Key Takeaway
Write diverse characters.
Themes
representation
diversity
authenticity
Mood
reflective
empathetic
Type
literary
inspirational
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- screenwriting
- role‑playing games
- media criticism
Key Concepts
gender studies
character development
literature
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you avoid tokenism?
- What traits make a character feel real?
A Different Perspective
Balancing authenticity with narrative needs can be challenging.
![“For [people] to be like "So what it's like dealing with female characters who are completely disgusting?" I don't think they are - does that make me weird? I made a very intentional choice to not care about that stuff, and go like "I don't care about it, I'm just gonna tell my truth and see what…” quote by Leslye Headland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1cb/leslye-headland-34776_care_for-people-to-be-like-so-what-it-s-like_283469.jpg)
