Writing Strong Female Characters

Even though I'm a guy, I like to write female leads. Maybe because my older sister and mom made sure that I always respected women. I treat them like ladies regardless of how they really act.

So I think that is why I like to write from a female 3rd person POV. It's also challenging because I'm male and have to personal experiences as a woman. :)

The possibilities of making a strong female character in my sort of stories, supernatural, are fun to play around with. My current project I have a few female characters, but one of the protagonists is a telekinetic. It is a strong power and at the start she isn't strong enough to control it, and it controls her more and more until she gets over the barrier of no return. I have another story where my female character is a cat burgler who is possessed.

So one of the things that I think makes a strong female character is the vulnerability that they can start with, not that men can't either, but I like to watch them grow and become self confident. Someone to be reckoned with despite them being female. I also enjoy writing them having an older brother or father that continues to treat them like "their little princess" which they shatter by the end of the story.

What are some of your favorite strong women characters? What makes them appeal to you?