Why Couldn’t McGyver Be a Girl?
Female protagonists often take on one of three equally unsatisfying personalities – WonderWoman, Nerd or Clueless. Why don’t we see more girl McGyvers?
McGyver wasn’t an action hero – he was an overcomer. But he wasn’t a geek, just resourceful. And he was neither a fool, nor a brainiac. Aren’t there girls who fit the same mold?
Making a female McGyver – that’s what I tried to achieve with Sarah Sue Morgan, the protagonist in LINCOLN’S DIARY – a novel. If you’ve read it, let me know if I came close.
Strong Female Characters
As I created Sarah Sue Morgan for LINCOLN’S DIARY – A NOVEL I hoped she’d become a strong female character. One of my readers called her a “female MacGyver.” Hopefully, that means I came close to the mark. But since my next novel includes a female protagonist, I decided to do some additional research on the subject.
I think I struck pay dirt when I came across an article on overthinkingit.com. The flowchart probably overthinks the question a little, but the trail that runs along the top of the graphic provides a pretty good recipe for creating strong female characters. All you have to do is answer the following questions in the affirmative. Let’s see how Sarah scores.
- Can she carry her own story? [check]
- Is she three dimensional? [more concrete – does she have internal conflict? check]
- Is she more than a flag bearer for an idea? [check]
- Does she have any flaws? [and we’re talking ditz here … check]
- Does she survive the second act? [check]
Bingo! She’s a strong female character.
Of course that’s how I see it. The trick is making her live that way on the printed page. If you take the time to check her out, please let me know if I hit the mark.
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