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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46144
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46144
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

"Strong" isn't always about having the biggest muscles, and not all conflicts are physical. (Likewise, giving a male character the ability to lift heavy objects doesn't mean he can't be whiny and annoying.)

There are plenty of traits you can use to make your character effective: the creativity and intelligence to find solutions, the foresight to plan ahead, the charisma and people skills to win friends and allies. But most importantly, she needs a backbone (and if she's the hero, a moral compass).

She doesn't need to be a martial arts expert, she just needs to be willing to take charge in a crisis. There's no reason people can't admire (real-life example I saw a couple of months ago) the manager's wife at the coffee shop, the one who's not afraid to throw out a crazy customer who's 1) about 2 feet taller than she is and 2) _extremely_ angry about their coffee being made wrong... while her useless, whiny husband (personal motto: "I don't want trouble") hides in his office and pretends nothing's wrong. (Everyone there knows who's _really_ in charge, and it's not the guy wearing the "Manager" tag.)

Personally, I'd recommend focusing on the "competent and reliable" part and less on trying to assign "traditional" gender traits. It's up to you, though.

Original score: 9