Gender balance/strong women

[pbnesbit at msn.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 15036

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Kimberly" <moongirlk at y...> wrote:
> This thread has been interesting to me, as I tend to take 
characters 
> as they are.  I can't imagine, for example, Flitwick being a woman 
or 
> Trelawny being a man.  They're who they are.  By extension I can't 
> imagine that, having created a Flitwick or a Trelawny (or any of 
the 
> other characters), an author would decide to scrap them in order to 
> make room for a character of a different gender.  I guess it could 
be 
> argued that she should have created more of the characters as women 
to 
> begin with, but, well, do imaginations work that way?  If you want 
to 
> create a good, solid character, can you start with something 
like "I 
> need a woman, because I already have 3 men.", or for that matter "I 
> need a person of X race, religion, orientation, physical trait, 
etc. 
> to balance it out."?  It seems like an artificial way to create a 
> character.  
> 
>
I can't write by formula.  The characters tend to spring, full-blown, 
into my subconscious, where they scream at me to let them out by 
writing about them.  

IIRC, JKR has said in chats that Harry came to her much the same 
way.  I don't think she would then say, OK, I need so many women, so 
many men, etc.  

I find, too, that my characters won't let me have them do something 
out of character (that sounds funny) either.

Peace & Plenty, 

Parker