A while back I mentioned in a post that the majority of my POV characters tend to be male. And so it is with my two most recent stories. I don’t know why this is, other than to say that the character whose point of view I use is simply the one that seems right for the story.
Anyway, a new question arises. Are there gender differences in writing? I realize that that men and women often choose to read different types of books (not all the time, I know). Do they write differently as well? The stereotypical answer would that, with respect to sf and fantasy, in general, males like to write about technology, tough characters and lots of action, while women prefer to write about personal and relational experiences.
I don’t know, though, whether this holds true, even as a gross generalization. Are there differences, do you think? Can you describe them?
In my observation, men and women readers both mostly read
anything under the sun. But when it comes to crime fiction writing, women tend to write ‘cozy’ while men tend to write
‘hardboiled’.
Good topic.
I think that some women write about men differently than other women. Some I can read and some I can not.
Some women write exceptionally well about men. Ursula Le Guin comes to mind.
Some women write men that are simply wishfulfillments. That’s fine if the book is just for women, but it leaves me shaking my head and I put the book down because it is so obvious that it is a woman writing a guy.
The same thing probably happens with male authors.
I write a mix of all ages and genders, although I have not written any POV characters that are older than forty. They exist in my story, but you can only have so many POV characters.
Dave: I’ve had the same experience with reading. I’ve read some books by male authors where the female characters were drawn so crudely that I coudn’t stand it!
Yet I admit that more often than not, I select a male POV when writing. Of course, that begs the question: how realistic are these male characters of mine? I don’t know.
Btw, why no POV characters over 40?
Honestly, I don’t know why I don’t have any POV characters over forty. Just realized it. Makes me want to go out and write a short just to remedy the situation.
I’d be glad to tell you how realistic I think a male POV character of yours is if you want to send over one of your stories or tell me where to read it.
The two stories of yours that I have read, which I liked, focused on female POV characters.
By the way, I will not just give you a yes or no type of answer. I will do my best to try and explain why I think the character is or is not realistic or rewarding to read. The Hulk, who is obviously a character of fantasy, has a realistic anger management problem. I think that a good fantasy character needs a mix of extraordinary and sympathetic characteristics.
Thanks, Dave. I appreciate it very much, and I’ll take you up on it. I suggest ANY ONE of these 4 very different stories that seems most interesting to you (all are linked to from my “short fiction” page).
Choose between:
1. The Shaman’s Brother: sort of a historical fantasy?
2. Hot Air: intended as humor, hope it is
3. Beanstalk: a newer one, sf, man has robot wife
- or -
4. Tea House Dreams: fantasy. This one has the most “iffy” male character, and most likely to annoy you, I would guess ?
Hey Diane,
Good topic. I’ve written a YA fantasy, which is a little different, but I focus on one male pov character and one femal pov character. I had my brother read portions and he had complaints about the male character, so I had to change a few things. I have to admit, though, the male character is my favorite to write.
I also kind of agree with you on fantasy. Fantasy by a woman author is a lot different than fantasy by a male author. I knew when I started my fantasy that it would be less on the action and more on the characters and that’s what it’s become.
Shari:
You’re lucky to be getting that kind of feed-back from your brother.
I tend to write more male than female pov characters, but at the same time, like you, I’m definitely more chracter-focused than action-focused. Funny how that is.
There are cultural differences between men and women, not just in what they write and read!
For example, in the US, “I’m sorry.”
Never has such a statement caused so much grief between the sexes. Yet it is so simple to debug why.
Generally speaking. when a man says that he’s thinking, “I am sorry for the bad thing that I did.” For a woman, it usually is “I am sorry you feel bad.”
So inadvertently, the man thinks the woman is being a mouse, while the woman thinks the man is being a unsympathetic.
Men and women can’t even agree what a head nod means when you are talking to someone! Again, generally, when you are talking to a man, and he nods his head, he is indicating that he understands and you can stop explaining. When talking to a woman, and she nods her head, most likely she is indicating she is interested in what you are saying, please continue.
So there you have two hapless people: The man is nodding to the woman who is explaining something technical. The woman continues. He nods. She continues. He nods. She continues.
Soon, before they know it, the man is thinking “This woman will NOT SHUT UP, OMG!”
And the woman is thinking: “This guys is dumber than a pair of mismatched socks in my sock drawer!”
So if there are differences in something as simple as a head nod and a “I’m sorry,” think of the differences in writing!
These differences, of course, are all good. There is a reason why Steven King is popular, just as why Harry Potter was so engrossing.
Recognizing the cultural diversity around readers, I think, makes for the better writer.
Okay, so I finally got to it. Actually, I tried right away, but I could not open the story about the man with the robot wife on my home computer. I had to wait until I could get out to a coffee shop and open it up on my laptop.
Anway, here’s the feedback.
What works:
Nearly everything.
I like how your stories keep building. I thoroughly enjoyed the world and the way it worked!!! Jack’s goal and problem were intriguing. I especially liked how his robot wife got into trouble. That was a nice complication.
The post was on gender, so I better focus a few comments on that. I’d say that the dialogue that was work and world realated worked very well. The big thing that works is Jack’s goal. He wants a real wife. He wants something that he can’t have. Cool! Also, Jack faces a problem and a person that is bigger than him. Story wise, that’s great. I like it.
Here’s something to consider:
The initial descriptions of the girl do seem a bit girly. It did not put me off or anything, but I think that as a guy, there would be a more physical and emotional response to the real woman. I don’t think the finger nails would be the main thing Jack would focus on. Seems like he would focus more on her eyes, because that’s the main difference between the progs and real women, not finger nails. Now, I do like that you return to the finger nails later and connect it in with Jack’s interest in the ocean and all. So, you win me over more with that. Nevertheless, I’d like more on the woman’s eyes to start with. Women (from my male point of view) convey so much with their eyes. Pupils dialate, interest is shown with direct eye contact and other nonverbals. I’m left wondering what kind of nonverbals the woman gave Jack, and how did those different (real) nonverbals effect Jack? How did she smell? Did he long to touch her, to feel real skin?
Just to be clear, great story! These comments are just meant to give you some insight from one male. Check to see what other guys think. Would they agree that a realistic male POV would include more interest in the woman’s eyes, and perhaps more physical longngs?
I’ve got to say one more thing. I think that people can really over analyze a story. I hope that I am not doing that. You’ve had success with it, and it succeeds at world building and providing an intriguing conflict. The significance of the attraction is only one thing to consider. My hope is that it does not lessen your appreciation for your story, but that you do take the idea of nonverbals and sexual longings into your next story. I’m not talking about anythng graphic, just realistic for a first encounter with a desirable, but unattainable woman.
Thanks, Dave, for the great feedback.
I think this is one of the harder things to get right, from a female perspective. All I can do is imagine how he might feel when presented with this fantasy woman, that, really, he couldn’t even see. You’re right, though, about the eyes – they are the most expressive thing. Yes, the robot is a girly program. The idea for this story came from an article I read maybe a year or so ago, saying that in the future, people will “marry robots.” Seems that some people think this will be a good thing. But I think, first of all, ICK. Second of all, how will these “false” people be programmed? And won’t it be damaging and degrading for the human in that relationship? I think this basic idea can generate a lot story ideas, but I don’t think I want to go there.