Here are some roleplaying exercises to help you get into a female mind-set preparatory to playing a female character. Note that you should first have a good idea of who your character is, their background, etc...
1. As a woman, you would be likely to seek out a female role model growing up. Who was that person? Was it your mother? Another woman from the community? Some heroine that you never actually met but only heard stories about? How did that person impact your life?
2. Young girls tend, as a general rule, to play with other girls, rather than boys. Was this your experience? If it was, what did you think about the boys at that time? What were your favorite memories of time spent with the girls of your community? If this was not your experience, did others think of you as a tomboy? What did you learn from playing with the boys? What did other girls in the community think about you?
3. Puberty is an important time in a girl's life. It can be embarrassing to go through the physical changes of puberty and not realize what your body is doing. At the same time, you begin to fully realize the responsibilities of being an adult, including the ability to create new life, to have children. How did your character change going through her teenage years? How did she take on or avoid that new sense of responsibility?
4. Being a part of the community, you saw many other women around you leading normal lives, not the life of an adventurer. They had their own home and place in the community. They may have married and had children. They may have followed a trade, or been farmers or merchants. Do you feel like you are missing out on some of these things by pursuing a different path? What do you feel like you have gained instead?
5. Love is a big part of who were are. Have you ever been in love? Would your character ever consider marriage? What kind of guy (or girl!) are you looking for in a relationship? Would you ever consider having children? If so, what would you hope for them?
6. Your society may treat men and women very differently, presenting them with different career choices, and holding them to different standards of behavior. Do you agree with this? Does your character attempt to conform to these rules, or does she rebel against them? Does your character think about what others would say before taking a particular course of action that might be perceived as too masculine?
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Now, for women who are playing male characters, take the same questions above and change the pronouns to masculine
We really aren't as different as you may think, it's just the way you look at things.
Balsamic Dragon