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Notes -
There seems to be something deeply, almost perversely self-centered about the heroine's story. I used to have trouble differentiating the quintessential Mary Sue who just needs to believe in herself, from the popular Male Action Hero, who is already amazing at everything he tries to do, and whose flaws usually don't impact the story much at all. What I've realized is that the heroine's story is so much more focused on an internal reality, whereas the hero's story is very external and is focused on his impact on the world.
Generally a male action hero will use clever tricks to beat enemies, engaging in lots of shootouts, manipulations, reconnaissance, etc.. Q female action hero will do the same, but the focus will be on her, how cool she is while she's doing it, how hot she is even though she doesn't wear makeup, how unflappable she is in a dangerous situation.
These are generalizations of course, with plenty of exceptions. I think the key is to remember that even though the heroine's journey looks similar on the surface, really the whole external world is just being used to reveal things about the main character. Some level of inner character development and some level of external accomplishments are good, but heroes and heroines often occupy the extremes on either side when usually the middle is better.
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