My theory of some things

Alternative title: I saw The Theory of Everything last week and got a bit excited.

Photo credit: Liam Daniel / Focus Features

I didn't even want to see it that much. My friend Sarah wanted to and she didn't want to go alone. Also, she has Orange Wednesdays. So I agreed to go, my expectations wavering between low and I-don't-care-much.

I was impressed with the film. I didn't know much about Steven Hawking before going in to the cinema (other than that I'm a dolt who always confuses his name with Tony Hawks - don't even ask). Now I feel like I know quite a lot about him, and a lot about his first wife, Jane. In my opinion, the film was 40% about Steven Hawking and 60% about Jane Wilde. A strong female character. Let me repeat that:

Strong. Female. Character.

In light of my viewing of The Theory of Everything, let's talk about strong female characters in writing.

They're not that difficult to create. Really, they're not. If you're capable of writing a strong male character (and I'm assuming you are), then there's absolutely no reason why you can't write a strong female character. And by 'strong', I'm not just talking about the muscle-bound, no-tears, rough housing type of character. I mean a character who is complex and believable.

What do I mean by complex? I mean somebody who is not just a stereotype. In real life, nobody is just one thing. No-one is just a mother, no-one is just a student, no-one is just an engineer. We are different things to different people - an another thing entirely when we're just by ourselves. We are a compilation of loads of different aspects of our character, and that should be reflected when writing. Try combining several aspects in one character: an engineer who is learning French and also has two kids. The next step is making that character a woman.