Helen Jacey is a professional screenwriter, author and story consultant. She received an MA in Screenwriting at the London Institute and her PhD from the University of the Arts London. Realizing that most screenwriting books don't address the female character, Helen embarked on her own quest to explore gender issues and screenwriting, leading her to write The Woman in the Story, now in its second edition and the industry best-selling resource for developing complex female characters. Before Helen became a screenwriter, she worked for international aid agencies, developing programs for vulnerable women and children. Helen widely lectures on screenwriting all over the world and is a story consultant for independent filmmakers. Her highly popular Writing the Heroine's Story Seminar has run in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Santa Fe, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich, Oslo and she has given talks and workshops for the international industry. Helen is currently writing a crime fiction series, Elvira Slate Investigations. For more updates on Helen's work visit [...]

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Susan Cartsonis, Producer What Women Want & The Duff
Introduction to the Second Edition by Helen Jacey
1. The Power of the Female Protagonist
Why Choose a Female Protagonist
Being Wise
The Feminine SuperThemes
2. Going Against Type: The M-Factor
Choosing a Character
Creating Dimension
The Dimensionality Diagram
Stereotypicality
Archetypality
Relatability
Credibility
Memorability
Originality
The Memorability Factor
A Memorable Story
Likeability
3. Making It Personal: Using Role-Choices
How to Use Role-Choices
Role-Choices and Maturity
Heroine
Nurturer
Dependant
Believer
Masculine Role-Choices
Case Study: Female Characters in Game of Thrones
4. The Real Heroine's Journey
The Heroine's Journey in Male Protagonist Stories
Building a Journey of Emotional Identity
Using a Phase Approach
Phases and Structure
Identity Phases
Relating Phases
Momentum Phases
Case Study: Wild
5. Women in Trouble: The Layers of Conflict
Tricky Women
Internal Conflict
Significant Other Conflict
Family and Friends Conflict
Work and Community Conflict
Society Conflict
National Conflict
Global Conflict
Case Study: Girlhood
6. Feeling Good and Finding Love: The Layers of Union
Internal Union
Significant Other Union
Family and Friends Union
Work and Community Union
Society Union
National Union
Global Union
Cast Study: Maleficent
7. Creating Female Driven Biopics
Why a Biopic?
Story Types for Female Protagonist Biopics
Researching the Character
Case Study: Saving Mr. Banks and Bessie
8. Creating TV Female Protagonists: All About the Metaphoric Wound
Meandering Female Protagonists
Finding the Theme
Wound Elements
Case Study: Orange is the New Black
9. The Unsung Female Protagonist
Uncharted Story Territory
Composite Female Characters
Pushing the Boundaries
Transmedia Female Protagonists
Case Study: Norma Bates in Bates Motel
10. Bringing It All Together: Analysis of The Hunger Games
SuperTheme
M-Factor
Role-Choices
Phases on the Journey
The Metaphoric Wound
Layers of Conflict
Layers of Union
References
Film
Television
Further Reading
About the Author