What do you look for in a female character?

I've realized that in my time on the vine, I haven't really done any original female characters. I was wondering what do you look for in a female character? What characteristics attract you to them or repel you from them? What things improves their character? What should writer's avoid when writing female characters?

Any answers on this would be helpful.

Well, if you must create a female character, your first realization is that you can't please everyone. To make a character a decent character, you must keep facts straight, and adjust as you see fit. In a few of my own stories, I've added a few original female characters. Those stories are posted on fanfiction.net. That aside, if you plan for the character to act as a link between scenes, it does not require much. If they are liked, people will respond. I had a female character in my King's Quest fic whose purpose in the story was to be the vessel for the one villain to return to human form. A fan of the story said in their review that they were sad to see the character go, but were glad that the character had gotten a say in things. That all being said, my suggestion is this. Try to avoid the Damsel in Distress stereotype, at least to the extend where the damsel is always in distress. It really doesn't help in developing the character. I'd also say avoid the extremes, on both ends. Don't do a character that is always in need of help from someone else, so much that they can't do anything. As well, don't do a character that would make a misandrist (sp?) (a woman with a hatred for men) shudder. Both extremes should be avoided at all costs, in my opinion.

Depends on the character and their role. If it's a lead, or maybe a supporting-lead role, then I usually prefer them to be independent, strong, and just generally a well thought out character.

What repels me is the usual fanservice. Stuff like costumes that look at bikinis. A lead female character shouldn't dress very differently from a male lead. The character has to be interesting, but she also has to be feminine in her own way. She has to be easily distinguishable from male characters.

Any good writer will avoid the norm and do their own thing. Make your character the way you want her to be. I personally love writing female characters. I find them so fascinating. They tend to have more dimensions than male characters.

The trick is to just write her as a character who is female. It's when you start writing a "female character" that you start falling into traps and cliches. Give them a personality of their own and then just write them like you would anyone else.

Same thing I look for in a male character except they have lady parts instead.

Interesting is interesting, I don't care about gender.

@awesam: Good points. Lead roles should be strong, no matter the gender. As for costumes, they definitely don't need to be bikinis, unless they choose to wear them when at the beach or sunbathing. Seriously, what sort of protection does a bikini give from weaponry. However, if a character has an ability that takes a toll on uniforms, maybe a bikini isn't a bad idea. I mean, how many uniforms do you think Paige Guthrie has gone through. Besides, Hulk only wears pants because the transformation wrecks all other clothes, except for those amazing pants that never shred.

@joygirl: Good point, Joy. Good point.

Thank you all for your input. I'll try to incorporate it into my upcoming projects. I think you'll like her once she debuts.