Strong Females...

Everyone has their idea of what a strong female character is in writing.

It can be Buffy from the series, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It can be Xena, the Warrior Princess. It can even be Princess Leia from "Star Wars".

Of course Princess Leia is like, the toughest Princess I know. Unless you count Princess Vespa from "Space Balls".

But some people feel that Bella from "Twilight" is a strong female character. While I have to beg to differ, like I just said, everyone has their idea of what a strong female character is.

So what would be some guidelines you could follow if you feel like you don't have a strong woman, but want one, as a character?

First of all, start looking for all the Tom Boys in your family and friends circle. Then ask them what makes them tick.

Ha! Kidding. That would take FOR. EVER.

Okay, so here we go with some serious guidelines.

A) Don't let her be afraid to throw a baseball or change a flat tire. But do allow her to break a nail during the tire change.

B) Don't make her primp every five seconds. While this is a good "girl trait", tom boys (a.k.a. strong female characters), like to throw their hair into a ponytail once in a while.

C) Let her yell and scream, threaten other people. But when she's hurt, let her cry.

D) She's still a girl, and people call women "the weaker sex", sometimes. A strong female character can throw a punch, but she's not going to slam a guy to the ground with a single punch.

There is a fine line between being a nice, sweet, frail girl and a strong woman who, quite frankly, resembles a man.

The girl who wears the short skirt with the frilly blouse can still be wearing some kick ass, platform, knee-high leather boots. Find the balance. Find the Yin to the Yang. But most of all, don't try too hard.