Female Readers and Author's Sex

[kylewhitney]

As a male reader, I have found that I have a preference for stories that I believe have been written by women. I do enjoy stories from male authors, but knowing it’s a woman behind the words adds a little extra charge for me.

I'm very curious to know if women readers have any preferences in general for male vs. female writers. And I don't so much mean in terms of content or style necessarily, but rather does just the idea of knowing a man or woman has written a particular story color your enjoyment of it.

Along those lines, does it detract from the story for you when a man writes a story with a female lead/POV, or a female author writes with a male lead/POV?

Lastly, does not knowing if the writer is male or female allow you to fill in the gender of the writer with what you prefer, or does it leave you feeling somewhat disconnected (or likely just to assume if it's a female lead then it’s likely a female writer)?

Thanks for any feedback on this, I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

-k

 

[mia_erotica]

female reader speaks out

I am a female writer if you want to read my work. I just posted a Halloween story called Dr. Cockburn's Medicine. My favorite writer is a guy and it's Jaymal. I'm in love with every word he writes. His sex scenes are very confident. I'm anxious to read his Halloween story, which should post any day now.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Look Kyle, it's like this. Men cannot write like women and visa versa. Men and women put words together differently. Women tend to more emotional and maybe even a little more viscious than men.

Stories by the two genders tend to be put together very differently. Does that mean one is better than the other? No, just different. As far as preference, I really have none. I have far more preference for the catagory than for the gender of the author.

 

[ejls]

I have to disagree. I've read several stories on another site, a woman's point of view written by a man. Some writer's can pull it off, if they're good.

I've written one story from a man's point of view, but then turned the second chapter into her point of view. I'm not sure how successful I was, but both were well received.

I really don't have a preference as to the sex of the author. It's the story, and the skill with which it was written that counts.

 

[driphoney]

I thought JJ was saying that the words men and women use, and how we string them together is different, not that we can't write a story from a different POV. I sometimes wonder if men and women enjoy writing differently, focusing on different things. Well, I think that, then I find some writer that trips me up.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

I thought JJ was saying that the words men and women use, and how we string them together is different, not that we can't write a story from a different POV. I sometimes wonder if men and women enjoy writing differently, focusing on different things. Well, I think that, then I find some writer that trips me up.

That's exactly what I said DH. If he didn't catch that, I've wasted my time.

 

[kylewhitney]

Thanks for all the great responses so far.

Just to restate, I'm not so much wondering about if men and women have different writing styles, but if the (percieved) gender of the author affects your experience as a reader.

-K

 

[girly_dew]

in the grip of good writing...

I am a female writer if you want to read my work. I just posted a Halloween story called Dr. Cockburn's Medicine. My favorite writer is a guy and it's Jaymal. I'm in love with every word he writes. His sex scenes are very confident. I'm anxious to read his Halloween story, which should post any day now.

Thank you, mia, for such good writing. I just read your story, Dr. Cockburn's Medicine. It slowly and surely (I could not stop reading) drew me into a wonderfully erotic submergence. Your story is one of those rare perfect fruit for the picking in the BDSM section on Lit, (I love BDSM stories, but find some of the BDSM stuff awfully crude for my tastes). After reading your story, just as I thought I could not take any more, I followed your suggestion to Jaymal's stories and read Danielle Bound. Danielle was not the only one bound! Oh, please tell me how am I going to get through the day of classes and study and then work after this.... Will this evening, when I can finally be by myself, ever arrive?

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Thanks for all the great responses so far.

Just to restate, I'm not so much wondering about if men and women have different writing styles, but if the (percieved) gender of the author affects your experience as a reader.

-K

That's just it, Kyle. The perception of the writer's gender has nothing much to do with it. It's the style that makes the story believable, interesting and readable. If a guy is trying to write from a woman's perspective it doesn't really work because women have a different way of expressing themselves.

 

[kylewhitney]

The perception of the writer's gender has nothing much to do with it. It's the style that makes the story believable, interesting and readable. If a guy is trying to write from a woman's perspective it doesn't really work because women have a different way of expressing themselves.

What I hear you saying (despite what you say you're saying) is that gender of the author has everything to do with it, especially when it's a man writing from the POV of a female character.

You, as a reader, know that a man cannot write from a woman's perspective, and any attempts to do so won't work. Therefore, if you see a story (presumably) written by a man, with a lead female POV character, you're unlikely to give it a try because you assume it won't be believable, interesting, or even readable. Yes, no?

Further, is the converse true? Are women author's unable to write from a man's perspective, rendering their stories with male lead POV characters as unbelievable and uninteresting as well?

-K

 

[mia_erotica]

Oh my God, Thanks!

Thank you, mia, for such good writing. I just read your story, Dr. Cockburn's Medicine. It slowly and surely (I could not stop reading) drew me into a wonderfully erotic submergence. Your story is one of those rare perfect fruit for the picking in the BDSM section on Lit, (I love BDSM stories, but find some of the BDSM stuff awfully crude for my tastes). After reading your story, just as I thought I could not take any more, I followed your suggestion to Jaymal's stories and read Danielle Bound. Danielle was not the only one bound! Oh, please tell me how am I going to get through the day of classes and study and then work after this.... Will this evening, when I can finally be by myself, ever arrive?

Thank you so much. Your comments mean a lot to me. Please read Jaymal's Halloween story, Gabrielle and the Devil. It's so sexy.

 

[CWatson]

I'm with JJ on this one. Women think differently than men, concentrate on different things, place importance on communicating different things. And, as a male writer who more often than not ends up writing from the perspective of his female characters, I'm keenly aware of those differences, and the fact that, a lot of the time, I probably don't get them right.

For that reason I'm also with Kyle: when I find stories that are verifiably (such as it is) written by women, I pay attention, to see what I can learn. Yes, I imitate; yes, I steal. I want to be a good writer, and that means copying from the people who do it right until I can do it right by myself. (Whether the method of improving is useful is a matter on which I'm not interested in discussing. I mean, aside from reincarnation, I can't think of any other way to do it.)

Will I succeed? Maybe. Maybe not. If JJ is correct, probably not. But I know this: I will certainly not succeed if I don't try.

 

[michchick98]

I agree with some of the others. I've read great stories here written by men and women. The styles are different, but the stories themselves are still enjoyable. I don't pick something to read based on gender, I pick it based on the description and the first few paragraphs of the story.

Of course, if it's a book, I choose based on what the synopsis is for the book, not the author.

 

[Texienne]

Personally, the individual author's skills make a lot more difference to me than the gender of the author. I do tend to see a difference in the way men and women write, but there is a lot of overlap. (For years I thought Piers Anthony was female, for example. One day I actually bothered to read one of those 'about the author' blurbs.)

As far as Author gender-bending goes, it's important to me that the author convince me that the character really is the gender claimed. Women often write men who are total chatterboxes, for example. I'm sorry girls, but it isn't a stereotype; we talk more. Make sure your men don't. And guys, we talk more. Make sure your girls do! That's only one example, and of course individuals vary, but in general, you need to make your audience believe in your character.

My theory for the original poster is, maybe it is the voice that you are interested in. You like hearing erotica from a woman's voice. I can understand that. Most straight guys don't particularly care to have other guys talking dirty to them. In that case though, a man writing a woman's POV and doing it well would probably work for you.

Anyway, I just got my first Lit.com story posted! If you like girl-girl stuff, then check it out! (link at the bottom of my signature.)

 

[Epmd607]

That's just it, Kyle. The perception of the writer's gender has nothing much to do with it. It's the style that makes the story believable, interesting and readable. If a guy is trying to write from a woman's perspective it doesn't really work because women have a different way of expressing themselves.

Believability of a plot/character isn't important in most erotic fiction, lit stories are usually about ridiculous people in silly situations. I've read countless stories where an author has written from both perspectives expertly. Reading your stories I assumed you were a male writer, are you a dude? I've had people email me and sympathize with what I was going through(men thinking they were talking to a woman author) and my stories are pretty amateur. Most readers assume that the narrator's gender matches the author's, and some people like the OP get off on the idea that a woman is sharing her fantasy.

I think women and men express themselves differently in the real world. But people write in accord with what they've read their whole life, and most literature, poetry, non-fiction was written by men. You write how you've read.

 

[jenniferbaby]

I don't have a preference for male or female authors. I'm more concerned about the quality of the writing, and members of both genders can write well and also write horribly.

I personally like reading a female POV from a male author and vice versa. Sometimes I get confused, remembering that it's a male author and assuming that he's writing from a male perspective, but if I keep both perspectives straight it can be an interesting exercise thinking about how well the author portrayed the other sex. I especially like books or stories where an author switches gender perspectives within the same story. Those authors are especially good at stretching boundaries of identity and personality.

Not knowing the gender of the author can be confusing and I like to be clear about the author's gender when reading something. It gives me a rudimentary picture of what the person is like and where he or she is coming from, and that goes far toward understanding the nuances in the story.

 

[itumaudlin]

when i wanted to know the difference

i wanted to know if there was a difference between male and female writers. i started reading a lot of romance novles (hardcopy and online from the library). a lot of them are either written by women or men with female pen names. i wanted to know if there was a difference. i picked a male writer who was known by the romance novel circle - i found his writing a little different where his treatment of romance was a bit harsh or should i say closer to reality and he never really gave his characters as emotional depth as those writers that i thought were exclusively female. now it could be the theme of the novel--which was nineteen century bastard son losing inheritance with his wife betraying him, so i tried another one of his stories - still very different from my usual writers - i found it harder to make an emotional connection to the characters.
i still wanted to try and find a male author writing romance - i wanted to know if what my female romance writers wrote about the male characters from the male perspective was true- here i eventually ended up reading gay literature written by men for men. here i am at a middle ground - in going back to my female romance writers, their men can be very believable if they are good enough, and male writers can have all the emotional ups and downs as any female writer -- Ken Nitsua here on this site is one example. It all depends on how good a writer they are, but because I love hearing about a man's perspective I tend to read a lot of gay literature- the men are hot and they love the same things I love - men!
hmmm..that probably opens a lot of other things i need to look at....anyways happy reading!

 

[ketalia]

Thanks for all the great responses so far.

Just to restate, I'm not so much wondering about if men and women have different writing styles, but if the (percieved) gender of the author affects your experience as a reader.

-K

Only if the writer telegraphs their gender through their writing. While some writers can convincingly write from a different gender's point of view some people can't. There may be a disconnect between the story being told and the "voice" it's being told by. It's like listening to two women at the nail salon doing the mani-pedi thing while talking about one's hot date last night. Women sound like women; if they start talking like construction workers it would be odd.

 

[wanderwonder]

Maybe it's me

I don't think it's entirely impossible for a man to write like a woman or vice versa. I had my gender blank in my profile for a long time, and received a surprising amount of feedback referring to me as, "another woman," "girl," or, "girlfriend." Then again, I'm writing the basic equivalent of gay romance and the gay male top lists are currently dominated by female authors.

If you want to test your determine-the-author's-gender-just-by-reading skills, look at the lesbian and gay categories. The author has to write from a woman's perspective (if it's a lesbian story) or a man's perspective (if gay), and there are plenty of authors of both sexes who submit. On that note, I think that women do write about gay male interactions much differently. The men in their stories emote, faint, tremble, and giggle quite a bit more than real men do (or are supposed to. Some of us are just more emotional than others, that's all. Leave us alone).

Just my opinion.

I tend to read for what I'm in the mood. That, and sometimes I read male POV by women authors just for some perspective. What do they think I'm thinking when I try to get into their pants? Hello, Romance and Nonhuman sections.

 

[Isis56]

Why you squeal on me?

I don't think it's entirely impossible for a man to write like a woman or vice versa. I had my gender blank in my profile for a long time, and received a surprising amount of feedback referring to me as, "another woman," "girl," or, "girlfriend." Then again, I'm writing the basic equivalent of gay romance and the gay male top lists are currently dominated by female authors.

I already apologized for that, assmonkey. You wound me.

I agree with wanderwonder, though. It depends on what I'm reading. I read gay stories written by men, romance written by women (save for a select few), and the other categories are a toss-up. I like reading witty banter between girlfriends, and I think only women really know how women talk when men aren't around. If only you knew how often we discuss our periods…

Forgot to mention that the nature of the story matters more than the character POV. If I read a nonhuman story for the romance factor, for example, I'll usually go with a female author no matter the POV. I relate better to how female authors portray romantic relationships. If the author has no gender specified I usually read more analytically. And now I sound like a sexist bitch. Damn. Hoping to keep that under wraps for a little longer.

 

[randallangdon]

Yes!

Completely agree with you!

 

[SharaLumiette]

Speaking from a female reader's perspective, I absolutely do want to know who my writer is.

To be crude, I want to know that as a male he's sensitive but has an erection as he's writing.

As a female, I want to feel as though she IS me.

The problem with male writing styles, in my opinion, is that they're too porno-lit, too penis oriented with expressions like "hard cock" and "wet pussy".

The problem with female writing styles is that they don't offer better alternatives, replacing pornographic terms with lame rom-lit expressions like "his manhood", "her sex".

 

[Andrianya]

For me, I think it depends what I want to read. If I'm feeling like a good Dom/sub story I want to read it from a man. One that I feel is controlling me thru the story. If I feel more like a good fucking story, I'll genenerally look for a woman writer. One where I won't have to assume that each story starts with a woman sucking a man's cock. I don't mind reading that, it just gets repetitive.

 

[PacoFear]

Read & Listen

I'm a guy and I've enjoyed flipping over to write stories from a girl's point of view that have done OK here - "Peaches & Honey" hovers around the top ten. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me who writes the stories so long as the voice is right. As folks have pointed out here, that takes reading and more reading to develop that sense. I also think it helps to do some patient listening. Seriously, I spend a lot of time listening to how my female friends/relatives/co-workers talk and what they talk about. It's entertaining and it's also good research. Just don't let 'em know you're studying them. Or why. -PF

 

[sr71plt]

There's no great divide between male and female (all males on one side and all females on the other) in either emotional temperment or writing style/approach. There are women who slough over into what we generally consider male approach and men going the other direction--and then a pretty good size bunch of writers good enough with writing to cross the divide at will. And the tagged name on a story is no hard-edged guide to the gender of the author.

Just another one of them thar sweeping generalizations not able to hold water.