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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/39350
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

As writers we create characters and a tale would seem odd if all characters were of the same gender. Others have said it before, but know who your character is and that gender is a characteristic but need not be a defining one.

I have characters of both genders and before I write them in, I ask myself who this person is. What are their likes? Dislikes? Dreams? Fears?

Your Celeste is who she is, none other. She thinks how she thinks and can be surprised to find herself attracted to this man she barely knows. The idea of the story told to their children is also something that one holds onto to aid them in acquiring the future they desire. A story to tell the kids is one way of saying of course I will return to my time.

One character I have has such a great dichotomy between his personal and professional life that he has come to think of them in entirely different ways and almost becomes a different person depending on what he is considering. That works for him, but has others wondering if he might not have suffered a psychotic break.

You might have her conclude that her current feelings are influenced by the simple fact that he is the only one from her time and therefore the only one most likely to understand her. Upon their return, she could realize that the nice fellow who runs the lab has more interests in common and is more interested in her opinions than Marko might be. She could return to her plan A of postponing family and such until her professional life is secure and her life has taken her where she hopes.

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