Writing Women for Film & Television: A Guide to Creating Complex Female Characters

This book is a detailed guide to creating complex female characters for film and television. Written for screen storytellers of any level, this book will help screenwriters and filmmakers recognize complicated portrayals of women on screen and evaluate the complexity of their own characters.

Author Anna Weinstein provides a thorough analysis of key female characters in film and television, illustrating how some of our greatest screenwriters have developed smart, nuanced, and intriguing characters that successfully portray the female experience. The book features in-depth discussions of women’s representation both on screen and behind the scenes, including interviews with acclaimed women screenwriters and directors from around the globe. These conversations detail their perspectives on the relevance of women’s screen stories, the writing and development processes of these stories, and the challenges in getting female characters to the screen. With practical suggestions, exercises, guidelines, and a review of tired clichés to avoid, this book leaves readers prepared to draw their own female characters with confidence.

A vital resource for screenwriters, filmmakers, and directors, whether aspiring or already established, who seek to champion the development of rich, layered, and unforgettable female characters for film and television.

Anna Weinstein is a screenwriter and educator based in Atlanta. She is on the screenwriting faculty in the English Department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Anna is founding editor of the PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional book series (Routledge) and the Screen Storytellers book series (Bloomsbury).