I suppose many people assume that a male author would naturally create main characters that are men. Seems like a safe guess.
Then, maybe, there’s something wrong with me, because I choose the opposite. My main characters seem to always be women. Why is it? I’ve never planned it that way. Yet, in all my novels so far, women are the protagonists. Hmm . . .
Here’s how it happens. First, the general concept of a situation pops into my head, e.g., someone discovers buried gold bars. I don’t do anything with it for a while, mainly to see if it stays stuck in my mind. If I can’t remember it a few days later, it probably wasn’t so hot. If it stays with me, then I poke it a bit until a setting comes forward – for example, let’s choose a vacation beach cottage. So, now the gold has a location. Then I ask, “So what? Who cares?” Well, someone who’s desperate for money cares! Okay, then, I ask myself who would be that hungry for the gold? An inveterate thief? – a crooked cop? – somebody who lost their home in a hurricane? – a school teacher ready to retire? – and on and on. When I finally settle on the personage (let’s pick the crooked cop), I’m ready to go.
Except, I’m jumping the gun, because there’s a critical step left. And it’s the one that works my fingers to the bone. It’s the step where the personage (crooked cop) gets crafted into a living, breathing character. For me, this is where the magic takes place.
Now, seriously, ask yourself: as a protagonist, who would be the more intriguing – a bad male cop, or a bad female cop? I always seem to pick the female. Why? Because women are more fascinating than men. They’re less predictable, more sensitive, and naturally alluring. Thank God for women! They make great main characters.
