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@sarah-inkdragon

Haha I actually love writing female characters! I think it’s because I like stories that are differently-heroic and female characters offer lots of variety to show strength in different ways.

I agree with @the-fledgling-artist in that so far, your character sounds obnoxious. In general, when I try to create characters that I hope readers would like (not just find interesting), my rule of thumb is to make sure my character is someone I personally (and hopefully the average reader too) would like (or at least won’t mind) to hang out with, work with or talk to on a regular basis. Your character so far sounds like she’ll be annoying instead of fun to be around because she seems to lack emotional maturity (which could be a genuinely interesting flaw provided it is played out seriously and your character has a postive change arc to improve over time).

A couple of things I would like to know:

#1: How old is your character? I can usually tolerate immaturity in characters provided that they are too young to really know better but since your setting is evidently NOT a modern society (which allows some people to be coddled too much) and your character seems to be already taking on adult responsibilities, I would expect her to be more responsible and mature than the average modern teenager. I am not sure what being Heir to the Eastern Throne and pirate princess means but if she is someone who has had to lead and take care of others and deal with high stakes situations regularly, I wonder whether it makes sense for her to still be rash, stubborn etc. unless you are telling me that her butler’s the one who’s been handling all the work.

#2: Regarding her being immune to insults unless they hit some specific sore points… I don’t see that making sense since her ‘sore points’ seem rather… petty (e.g. I am even shorter than 5’ 4” and I will only say that taller people should give their height to me as a joke. Usually I try to befriend tall people so that they will help me get things off high shelves 😛 . I do find it annoying when others try to tease me about my height but it is more likely to prompt an eyeroll than an outburst since it gets old super fast. I don’t think my height is that big of a deal especially since there’s less social stigma against short girls than short guys). Are you saying that she’s perfectly fine with someone calling her a whore (maybe because she’s desensitised to those kinds of insults already) but will take offence if they criticise her swordsmanship or say that she is not a ladylike? She strikes me as a very insecure individual if her ‘sore points’ are so petty. If anything, she should be immune to those insults as well since she has probably already heard them many times before.

#3: What unique skills do your character have that make her a valuable asset? Is she the most reliable fighter? A genius strategist? A good healer? A social butterfly that can charm and befriend everyone for information gathering? A great cook (this is very important)? If she is someone your other characters depend on greatly, readers would likely also want her to be around and come to like her because she is a helpful team player.

#4: What are her relationships with others like? How does she interact with them? Does she have female friends that are both similar to and different from her? For her banter, does she have an conversation partner that she can trade barbs with as equals (giving wit to both sides and not just one is important!)? Readers are likely to find a character likeable if there is a dynamic which the characters enjoy. To make sure your dialogue is actually witty and funny, show it to someone else and see whether it makes them smile or laugh when they read it.

#5: What is the character arc and development you have planned for the character? It is my belief that the reason why many female characters are regarded as boring is because they are being used to make social/political statements more than anything else. As such, writers make them too perfect or fall back on stereotypes based on their preconceived notions on how girls and women are/should be. I think female characters should be, like male characters, unapologetically themselves based on their basic nature, their upbringing and the social influences around them. If her society and lifestyle is such that she has learnt how to wield a sword from young, then have it such that she knows how to wield a sword. If it makes sense for her to be boy crazy, make her boy crazy even if you personally detest girls who are boy crazy. If she is someone who would pick her nose in public, then have her pick her nose in public. Once you have her personality down, put in as much care in planning her growth and character arc as you would a male character. For example, her rudeness and stubbornness could be compelling flaws if written well. Perhaps she insults someone the group of heroes needs help from and because of that, that person refuses to help and the rest of the team is angry and pissed at her since their job has become much harder. Then, because of her stubbornness, she refuses to apologise and acknowledge her mistakes and this causes conflict in her relationships with them until she learns better.

Overall, I don’t think you should worry too much about making sure your female character is liked the same way I think you do not worry about all your male characters being likable. As long as the character is interesting, readers would enjoy reading to get to know the character. I have read stories before where I can literally feel the author’s intent seeping through the pages telling me, “ISN’T SHE CUTE? ISN’T SHE AWESOME? ISN’T SHE GREAT?” and that made me actively dislike the character. The key is to make your character intriguing and true to herself. Not everyone will love your character (something we writers have to accept) but if readers don’t feel that they are obliged to like her, they are more likely to fall in love on their own.