Now people often argue about what is a well-written female character. Sometimes they cite narrator voice as a reason for why a character isn't very strong. Sometimes it's how she handles a situation and whether or not that makes her strong. There's no unified agreement. Therefor this is a topic with a lot of debates.
However - I came across this article: http://thedissolve.com/features/exposition/618-were-losing-all-our-strong-female-characters-to-tr/
The author of said article spends a lot of time commenting on female characters in children's animated movies. Only later does she bring up a movie that showcases humans: The Hobbit.
None the less: I'm going to try to NOT focus on any of that. Instead, she makes a list at the end of the article for 'movie producers' which means 'script writers' which really means 'all storytellers' - because movies and books all start the same: with words on paper.
1: After being introduced, does your Strong Female Character then fail to do anything fundamentally significant to the outcome of the plot? Anything at all?
2: If she does accomplish something plot-significant, is it primarily getting , beaten, or killed to motivate a male hero? Or deciding to have sex with/not have sex with/agreeing to date/deciding to break up with a male hero? Or nagging a male hero into growing up, or nagging him to stop being so heroic? Basically, does she only exist to service the male hero’s needs, development, or motivations?
3: Could your Strong Female Character be seamlessly replaced with a floor lamp with some useful information written on it to help a male hero?
4: Is a fundamental point of your plot that your Strong Female Character is the strongest, smartest, meanest, toughest, or most experienced character in the story—until the protagonist arrives?
5: …or worse, does he enter the story as a bumbling fuck-up, but spend the whole movie rapidly evolving past her, while she stays entirely static, and even cheers him on? Does your Strong Female Character exist primarily so the protagonist can impress her?
6: It’s nice if she’s hyper-cool, but does she only start off that way so a male hero will look even cooler by comparison when he rescues or surpasses her?
7: Is she so strong and capable that she’s never needed rescuing before now, but once the plot kicks into gear, she’s suddenly captured or threatened by the villain, and needs the hero’s intervention? Is breaking down her pride a fundamental part of the story?
8: Does she disappear entirely for the second half/third act of the film, for any reason other than because she’s doing something significant to the plot (besides being a hostage, or dying)?
If you can honestly answer “no” to every one of these questions, you might actually have a Strong Female Character worthy of the name. Congratulations!
Now! After reading her list I realized something that was a bit shocking.
Something that a lot of women probably don't believe or don't want to hear. Something a lot of erotica writers don't even want to hear.
Ana Steel - Yes - 50 Shades of Grey - is a Strong Female Character.
She carries the whole story forward. She's active in her plot, Christian's Plot, and the lives of others. She begins with a Strong, forward-moving purpose for herself (graduate - and then work in the publishing industry). She has her own solid set of values and opinions - and if she doesn't have experience with something she is apt to shape her values and opinions right quickly with first experiences. She's opinionated, headstrong, defends herself (all the time). Now, in the end of the story she makes the choice to be a stay at home mother (like millions of women - including myself - have done. It's just a temporary thing)
In fact - she's such a strong PERSON that where other women judge her negatively she only becomes more solid and sure of herself as a person.(these women see Christian as an abuser - and they want Ana to LEAVE him - and she doesn't. Instead, she stays and helps him get past some of his issues)
But yet - in another forum where this was being discussed when I dared lay out all the many ways that the much hated and much loathed Ana Steel satisfies every single argument FOR more strong female characters - people really got pissed.
They didn't want to accept that someone such as Ana could satisfy anything such as a Strong Person concept. They see her as weak - all because she helped someone who was psychologically disturbed while she stayed in a relationship with him.
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So what is it that the majority of female readers WANT?
They don't want Strong (well rounded) Female Characters - I believe (though I will continue to write them). What the Modern Female Reader wants is a Well Rounded female character who makes the choices in a relationship or situation that the reader WOULD MAKE.
I found Ana's character to be very irritating - but I liked the fact that she did stay and she helped Christian (though yes I know many women in real life do the same and suffer for it).
And many women don't like Ana for that exact same reason. Though she's well written and well-rounded, her few choices make her highly questionable. They wanted her to leave Christian and find a nice, lovely boy - like what's his name that tried to her. Yes, like him (lol)
So demanding more 'strong female characters' isn't good enough - they have to make the right choices, apparently.
And like hell I'm going to throw away a good story just to please social pressures. As an author I'm here to explore and conquer the unexplored and the unconquered. And if that means I want to write a story about a BDSM couple - and she stays - and he has moments where he's a dick . . . then that's what I'll do.