Young Writers Society

I was just curious. Do you guys find it easier or more difficult to write from the POV of character of the opposite gender? Do you enjoy it? Which one do you write in the perspective of someone of the opposite gender or your own gender?

I was just curious because I usually right from the female perspective but lately not so much.

I don't know why, but my MCs are always guys. That's just how it goes! I could write women, but I never have ideas where women are my main characters...? So it happens occasionally, in passing. For the most part though, I write from a man's POV.

Hee hee. I'm sure Samichan will come and make her own comment, but with her, she can't write from a female POV. Of course, she's become a lot better with that in the past few months, if I can put in my word, but it's still kind of funny. I'm not sure why either of us write men more than women, haha.

I've done both, but I usually don't do stories. I'm more of a poetry person, but I did a few short stories for a class last semester and I like the way the male-perspective ones turned out. A guy even wrote that it was good.

Also, I would say it partially depends on the aspect of the story you're trying to tell. Take a story with this (stupid, but it's just an example) plot:

Boy meets girl.
Boy asks girl out.
Boy and girl date.
Girl dumps boy.

You could either write about how the boy really liked the girl and was crushed when she dumped him, or you could write about the girl, how she liked the boy at first but then things went downhill, and why she dumped him.

Suzanne's right--I'm really terrible with writing for girls. I don't know why. I have a thing for either really butch girls or feminine boys, which is really strange, but then again, so am I. It's just the way I characterize people. Traditional sex role is for noobs. XD

And like Niteowl said, it's got a lot to do with the kind of story that I'm trying to tell. If it's a very plot-oriented story, I'll pick a boy--but if it's all in the surroundings, I'll probably pick a girl. That should say something of my complete inability to not do anything with a crazy plot.

I find boys a lot easier to write, for some reason, but I do girls pretty regularly, too. Glad I'm not alone in this!

I find it easier to write from a girl's perspective. Guys' minds are a mystery to me Though of course, as everyone else has said, if the story calls for it, writing from a male perspective would not be completely out of the question.

Hums. I usually write from a girl's perspective. I guess I feel I can do more with a girl, because there's more chances for conflict (in my mind) and being a girl, I get them a bit better. I don't think I've ever written a story (finished, anyways) with a male POV. It would be an interesting challenge, I shall do that sometime.

Because I am male, I can identify more with my male characters and so usually write from their POV. However, when I write scripts obviously there have to be female cast members too. But I don't write stories from the perspective of the opposite sex. Maybe I ought to do it more often.

I find it so much easier to write from a female perspective (although I find myself being careful not to do a Mary Sue...). I hardly really try to write from a male perspective as most of my stories are aimed primarily at girls.

I think I just don't understand guys as much as I do girls when it comes to writing. I think I get annoyed with my characters when they are male as I try to make them as unique as possible but end up stereotyping.

*Shrugs*

I'm working on it.

Alainna
xx

Well, I'm kinda both. I understand where the guy's coming from, but I'm a girl myself so I know how I (or girls like me) would react to certain things better than how a guy would (though I have a bit of an idea). It's harder when the character's not as much like you, but I don't really have enough experience actually creating characters not a whole lot like me (I know, bad author, bad!) to say if it's easier to write from the POV of any of my non-author-like characters--either boy or girl. [Did that just make any sense?] However, I can (and do) write from the guy's POV. I just don't how how good a job I do presenting their side.

*shrug* I just write their actions/reactions per their character.

I find it interesting how mostly girls responded here!

I actually prefer writing from a male POV. I think part of it stems from being a tomboy when I was younger, hanging out with guys all the time, etc. When I write women, I tend to write the stereotype, or I basically write myself with a different name. With guys, I'm forced to create a new personality, with different characteristics. But then, I'll write both. In storybooks, I usually have a female character, mainly because storybooks are basically RPGs. (Well, I know Dono and Grif would argue with me, but I'm saying at the very basic level, that's what you get.) I have a male character in Banished, and I have to admit it felt awkward to make a male character. Still, it should be fun. Hey, I finished a novel with a huge cast of male characters, and only one female was mentioned.

So either way. *realizes she's rambling*

It's funny actually, I used to write a lot from a girls POV, but everything I've written in the last few years even has been mostly from a guy's perspective. I have no idea why.

I'm happy with both really, I only have to have a character that interests me and it's no problem what gender they are. I slightly lean towards preferring guys, because they seem simpler to me.

I just read a book about the differences between men and women, and us girls seem to have very complicated brains so maybe that's why I write more about guys these days.

I usually find it rather awkward writing in the female POV, which is why I don't often do it. I don't think the writing itself is particularly bad--though it might be, I dunno--but it just feels odd. Might have something to do with the fact that I'm male myself, of course, and all (seriously, all) of my close friends are guys.

But I'm sure I'll get over it. I just need to write more female POV stuff.

I have difficulties writing from the male point of view. I've tried once, because Ryan challenged me to write this amazing scene. (a pg-13 scene). I wrote it from the female point of view absolutely perfectly -- I loved and adored this piece. Then I tried to write it from the male point of view....*cringe*. 'T was bad.

Most of my male characters, if the story is from their view, sound gay, or bi. Or, if the reader didn't know better, the male counterpart in a lesbian relationship. Yes, that sounds slightly odd, but that's how it works.

...perhaps I'm just insane...

I've never tried writing from a guy's POV unless you count a few third-person scene's revolving around a guy.

I've always written about girls, I don't know why. I just have. But in my new novel 'm going to try a guy's POV.