Young Writers Society

Do you think it's harder for men to write about women or women to write about men?

I'm a girl, and I don't think it's particularly difficult to write a story with a guy as the MC. Once I get to know the character it's pretty much smooth sailing from there, but I know some people struggle with it.

Thoughts?

Hey there sasalno!

Well, I myself find it extremely hard writing about men. Since I am a female, it is very difficult for me to get inside a male's head; and the key part of writing is understanding your characters and being inside their head.

Seeing as the male species is something I will never understand, then yes, I find it much easier writing about girlies. Of course, a love interest is always needed but I would never be able to tell it from the perspective of the boyfriend, I'm just not an advanced enough writer.

Oh yeah and I also enjoy READING books a lot more with female perspectives, I barely ever read books focusing on guys. No, I'm not sexist. There's a lot of male characters that are my favourites in literature, I just don't like it when they're narrating. Agh, I don't make much sense.

And male authors nearly always write about males, so yeah. I rest my case

--Sarah

I find it pretty easy to write from a male perspective actually. But then, I've had years of practice in storybooks. A lot of my favourite characters are male actually. But I do tend to write in third person as opposed to first in novels.

I've grown up knowing girls on all ends of the spectrum, from sissy know-it-alls to agressive morons, so really, I don't know boundries.

I usually just treat tougher females like guys, except they dont get into fist-fights, and I make the girly girls more emotional and less competetive. Oh, and girls like shoes and designer clothes more than guys.

thunder_dude7 wrote: Oh, and girls like shoes and designer clothes more than guys.

hahaha, true that.

thunder_dude7 wrote:I've grown up knowing girls on all ends of the spectrum, from sissy know-it-alls to agressive morons, so really, I don't know boundries.

I usually just treat tougher females like guys, except they dont get into fist-fights, and I make the girly girls more emotional and less competetive. Oh, and girls like shoes and designer clothes more than guys.

Eh, I know girls who get into fistfights, and I hate designer clothes and shoes. Don't be so general.

Apparently I can't write in guy's POV? I try, but people can't tell until I say the character's name... xD

I don't think it's harder for either of us. It just depends on the writer.

~JFW1415

I really don't have a problem either way. I've written stories from both POVs and never had anybody tell me that I got it wrong. However, a lot of my guy characters tend to meet bad ends. Don't really know why that is, but whatever.

I try not to write from a woman's POV. I'm afraid I'll make them do something that any woman would not do.

Oddly enough, I find it slightly easier to write from the perspective of a male. Though I do use females from time to time. Weird...

Oh Hardly anyone else seems to have a problem writing from the POV of the opposite sex.

I'm such a freak of nature

x

thunder_dude7 wrote:I usually just treat tougher females like guys, except they dont get into fist-fights, and I make the girly girls more emotional and less competetive. Oh, and girls like shoes and designer clothes more than guys.

*stabs obnoxious stereotype* -.-

Dude. Girls are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more competitive than guys, just in a different, more subtle sense. And girls are far from quivering baskets of unstable emotion, no matter how feminine they are. And why would a girl not get into a fist-fight, hm? I've been in plenty of fist-fights. Does it make me not a girl?

And not all girls like shoes and designer clothes. In fact, I personally hate designer clothes, and I have only one functional pair of shoes. There is nothing wrong with the clearance rack at Kohl's.

[/rant]

Anyway.

I noticed a while ago that I have a LOT of male MCs, so recently I've been trying to switch it up and try some female MCs on for size. I started with writing female supporting characters -- smaller roles than MCs, so nobody really cares if you mess them up, but it's good practise. Now, I've got two stories with one or more female MCs, and I'm hoping I can write my own sex a little better. xD

The important thing is to let go of all the rules you know that apply to genders. Gender and sex are two different things -- sex is biological. Gender is acquired -- you know, like how a girl is "supposed" to wear dresses and frilly things. That's gender. You have to let go of those rules and let the character develop him/herself. Otherwise you're going to end up with an annoying stereotype like the one I denounced above.

-:pirate3:

Not at all. Guys like leather jackets and boots and football and beer. Girls like make-up and clothes and pink and each other. Basic writing 101.