Pernell Rogers – Writer

Hi all. The short story I’m expanding now has a female protagonist. I remember someone asked me how a male can write for a female protagonist. First, it ain’t easy! Usually, before I start writing, I list my character’s traits and characteristics. If I give them a biography, it helps.

How and were they raised? What was their relationship with their parents, siblings, and friends? How did they do in school and how much education did they attain? How do they deal with their spouse? Do they like their job?

After that comes mental images of what I think they look like and depending on the subject, how they may change during the course of the story. Questions and mental images are the simple part.

The hardest part is determining their personality. No one can be totally happy or totally sad all the time. Events affect their attitudes. For me, I try to recall all the girls and women I’ve ever dealt with (those I can remember). I’ve experienced many attitudes, and once again, depending on the story, I’ll smash together several attitudes and extract the personality I think the character needs.

I must admit television and movies also play a role in determining personalities, attitudes, and motivations for some of my characters. And sometimes, I’ll use my own attitudes. Take shopping. I hate it, but it must be done. By myself, I’m fine with it because I get in and out. No lingering. Shopping with someone else is absolutely exhausting for me if they decide to explore every aisle. I usually use this exhausted attitude for children who must accompany their parents to the store. How could the child’s attitude change? Tell them they’re going to McDonald’s after leaving the store. It always worked with me!

Events, locations, and expectations help me to write about people of the opposite gender. However, without their personal experiences, I feel I’m missing something, but I don’t sweat it. With supernatural horror, the events are not real, so I can afford to skip the deep details. For any character in my story, making it out alive should be their chief concern!

Take care!

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