Young Writers Society

Does it escape any other female writers? You need to write a scene about a guy hanging out with his friends but have no idea what really goes on there?

I know it does me!

HELP!!!!!

I too am having trouble with that one...

I'm not really sure about my male characters. They're all in the fantasy genre so I don't know if I can help with the more modern day guys, but...I can try to help somewhat.

From what I know of guys, they love to joke around, challenge each other to wrestling matches or some other thing of the sort; they talk loud, love throwing each other around (I mean kind of the 'hey what's up?' thing when I say that), and spend lots of time talking about girls they have dated/are dating, who they think's hotter, and other perverted stuff I won't mention. ^^;

So yeah--my interpretation of guys in a nutshell.

There is usually always a football present.

-Jared

How's that for a stereotype, Fanboy.

Honestly, don't let yourself slip into the stereotypes of males. They're not as "mysterious" as everyone thinks. I probably hang out with more males then females, and honestly, they're not always like "ZOMG I'M TOUGH LET'S WRESTLE."

They're just like everyone else. They're not constantly talking about sports or girls or whatnot. And if they were, the human race would be extinct, because all the women of the world would've killed them. =|

Seriously. Don't doubt yourself, and don't write annoying stereotypes. Because I will have to eat your eyeballs out with a spork. ^______^

-:pirate3:

It's not the annoying sterotypes that I'm having trouble with, it's behavior NOT like my friends (who are...very strange). Behavior like jocks and such is what I'm having trouble with, and their wording...I don't know I just wrote a peice of my male characters hanging out watching a football game and they sounded AMAZINGLY femine.

It's not terribly active, but there is a Gender Bender group for people who write characters of the opposite gender. Dunno if that helps too much?

Yeah, at least with my group we attempt to turn every word said into a "That's what she said," and, if it's guys talking over IM or something, it's about girls 90% of the time.

I hang out with guys a lot more than I hang out with girls, so it's actually EASIER for me to write about guys. Basically - guys say what they mean. All the time. Whether the subject is taboo or embarrassing or just plain rude, they'll say it. Obviously, that's not EVERY guy, but generally that's the way conversations go when you're talking with boys. And if they're upset they usually either get mad or they don't say anything. It's got to be pretty bad for a guy to just burst into tears. If the guys talking are the typical guys, the conversation will center around girls and themselves...use your imagination. If the guys are a little more decent (like my gang ) conversations can revolve around music, stupid things we did last week that almost got us killed, friends, and girls. lol. I doubt that helps, but it's something I guess...

Let me give you some examples of gender separation in speech.

Male:
"I saw her run after that dog. Looked like she was wearing almost nothing."

Female:
"I saw her run after the dog wearing a low-neck pink sweater and black shorts. I saw the same sweater on sale last week."

The male voice, I imagine, is more calluous--a little more general. Men/boys tend to ask for info in general, while female require the specifics.

I feel for you... I just wrote a short story from a male perspective and I don't know if his voice was realistic, because how am I supposed to know how guys THINK? I can observe them, how they act, but maybe that's just the part society tells them to play... maybe there's not a distinct difference from girls in the way they think?

It may help you to read some books written from a male perspective. ^_^

All the guys I know (That would be three) Talk about either Air soft guns, video games or computers. Thats just about all I here them talking about. And the assumption that they joke alot is true, weird twisted sick jokes, at least the guys I know do.

Perhaps I could help here I'm a guy...not all of us are perverted!

I would too like to know more,
I actually studying boys at my school sometimes, but usually there's a girl hanging around them
The only boys I can write about are quiet and passionate, which not alot of guys are.

I've recently learned that I love writing about male characters. Not all male characters, but just how they think, feel, talk, act around others (male and female.) At first, it was difficult, but then I realized how fun and exciting it was to feel like you were the other sex. I don't know if it's just me, but I prefer writing as a male character better than a female one. I feel that I can express what I know about males much easier if I'm writing through a male.