Developing something out of an archetype

[Dabs]

I'm particularly curious about character archetypes.

I've had this character bouncing around in my head for the past few months, and I don't really have any ideas on how to break her out of the mold. She's based on Xena: Warrior Princess, but obviously I don't want her to just be a carbon copy of Xena. I'm having a difficult time thinking of anything compelling, though. Every back story I think of seems to be hackneyed.

Is there any particular way of thinking that will help me add some life to this character? I'm sick of drawing up blanks.

[Bowie20049]

Just gonna point out that whenever someone (I) think of a "strong female protagonist" I think of Wonder Woman or Xena. :P If you want some life, add some sort of conflict between her and something else. You can make her this super woman who is all ideological and stuff and then something challenges them that makes her think "Is what I'm doing wrong?" or "Am I creating more problems than I'm solving?"

Just my 2 cents.

[Iridescence]

I suggest showing her having to work to get where she is now. So have a really deep, compelling backstory which features a lot of hard work. Maybe she was a normal girl, and something terrible/amazing happened to her (it doesn't always have to be a bad thing that happens to influence a character; maybe something mystical or awe-inspiring occurs--something she didn't cause herself--filling her with the urge to become powerful in any way she can). Maybe she lives in a patriarchal community and is sick of being considered weak and defenseless (it's been done, but hey, so has everything else). Maybe she just wants to become stronger so she can take care of herself, because she has a deep-rooted fear of being hurt. Once you've got down her reason for becoming a warrior, set her on the path to becoming a warrior. Don't make it easy. She should totally fail at it at first. Before she can learn fancy moves and things, she has to build up her strength, endurance, and stamina, which takes old-fashioned running and weight-lifting and all that. She should sweat and ache and smell like a pig. She should be going at it often, and she doesn't necessarily need a mentor. In the rain, in the snow, in the heat. She should learn that she has to rest so she doesn't burn herself out. She should have days where she doesn't feel like doing shit. She should break bones and get sick. Does she get picked on? Do her efforts cause others to give her a hard time? Does she have someone cheering her on, and keeps on working for them as well as for herself? Her motive doesn't have to be noble -- maybe (at first) she's only doing this to change her image, so she can look cooler in other people's eyes. Maybe she wants to be the best out of vanity or jealousy.

If she has powers, she should still have to work -- perhaps even harder. Maybe they barely work and she needs to improve herself physically and mentally for weeks and weeks before she can even get a sputter. Maybe they're uncontrollable and she still has to become stronger to rein it in and focus it.

Also, give her a wide range of emotions. Don't just make her stoic, or "feisty," or "spunky," or sarcastic, or intelligent, or whatever the typical Warrior Princess emotions are. When she gets hurt, let her cry or be pissed off about it. If she's trained herself to hold in her emotions (which automatically distances her from readers, but it's up to you) then let her feel it all the same. Let it bother her.

Make her resourceful. Don't just give her super strength or super speed or super powers. Give her wit, guile, cleverness. She should try to think her way out of problems and outwit her opponents.

Let her lose. A lot. Against men, women, whomever. Let her get her face ground into the dirt. Let her get kneed in the stomach. And sometimes, don't give her a Heroic Second Wind (where she miraculously gains the strength to stagger to her feet and defeat the opponent out of force of sheer will). No, let her lie there in the dirt and pant until the pain begins to ebb.

Give her limits. Let her be wrong about people and ideas. If she grows up in an isolated community and is suddenly thrust (or ventures out) into the open world, portray her as the backwater hick she really is. She's not going to get "feelings" and have innate perceptiveness about people that are different from her, because she's been sheltered from everything. Let her walk around openmouthed and bump into things. Let her make assumptions about people that turn out to be dead wrong. Let her start fights and get owned in the most humiliating ways.

Then maybe she can start kicking ass. :P Anyway, that's just my opinion. Btw, never watched Xena: Warrior Princess, so maybe all the stuff I just said has nothing to do with what you had in mind.

[Dabs]

Actually a lot of what you mentioned is very Xena-esque, to one degree of another. It was very insightful, though. Thanks :D