Can men write from the woman's perspective?

[AlinaX]

Well done, y'all.

 

[WCSGarland]

Damn... I just spent 30 minutes revising my WIP to alter my FMC's every use of clit...

 

[StillStunned]

A few days ago I was very pleased to read this:

Many of us, if not most, write from both male and female perspectives. @StillStunned writes beautifully from the female perspective. I prefer his writings there.

 

[yowser]

I've never quite regarded men and women as different species, and have written First person POVs from a variety of perspectives. It involves awareness and attention but is entirely educational. For males looking for how a range of women relate their sexual fantasies (and it is a good read no matter who you are) Gillian Anderson has new book Want, with accounts of women's fantasies. Might provide an interesting deep dive on the 'research' front.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

I've seen this idea popping up a lot, lately. That only men can write male characters, only women can write female characters. Absolute garbage! Heinlein, Pournelle, TONS of mystery writers, and general fiction writers portray female characters. Harlequin Romance novels has a fleet of staff writers publishing under house pen names, and 70% of them are male.

Like developing your skill as a writer, you CAN develop the skill to write opposite-sex characters. Takes practice.

The crazy thing is that after I learned to write male characters, I was suddenly able to understand my husband a lot better.

 

[AlinaX]

Does he understand you?

 

[LisaMayTurner]

If they pretend they can, sure. many guys love to think they can do anything; even stuff beyond their own lived experiences. It's called "fantasy" and a lot of it is easily described as...

 

[tristantrotsky]

If they pretend they can, sure. many guys love to think they can do anything; even stuff beyond their own lived experiences. It's called "fantasy" and a lot of it is easily described as...

Capricious, always surprising, always intoxicating.
The lure that draws and mesmerises. Ladies are magical beings, placed on this planet to entice, befuddle and beguile us hapless males. I truly believe this.
Girls were always an exotic alien species, beguiling, desirable, but forever out of reach. Guys are simpler more dull organisms, and easier to understand.

 

[calmlikeabomb]

A few "women" writing women here are actually men writing women. You are fine. Just write with a bit of flair and nuance and you'll find your audience.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

Does he understand you?

He's an electrical engineer. He can't understand anyone. No, actually, he's pretty good at understanding me. But it took a couple of years. It's funny, though, because he can understand me, but that ability does not seem to translate to anyone else. He's often left baffled by how people behave.

 

[Justplainjeff]

In an act of monumental hubris, I've done exactly that - tried to write my first very short piece from the woman's perspective. It's 'semi-biographical' in that it's based on a real-life event, but I haven't spoken with our 'third' yet about writing it - I wanted to have a crack first. It's deliberately short, I haven't presumed to delve into the emotions and the finer aspects of our friendship...yet. The key question: is it obvious that a man wrote this?

I've written a few stories from a woman's perspective. These were written with a lot of input from my wife of nearly 55 years, so that has helped me tremendously.

 

[StillStunned]

If they pretend they can, sure. many guys love to think they can do anything; even stuff beyond their own lived experiences. It's called "fantasy" and a lot of it is easily described as...

And a lot of women write male characters. Some more successfully than others, just as with men writing women. It probably has more to do with overall writing and observational skills than with the author's gender.

I mean, it would be weird if books only had characters of one gender or lived experience, wouldn't it? Or if writing credits had to include "and thanks to Luke for writing [man], to William for writing [older man], to Juan for writing [Latin American man] and to Mitchell for writing [Australian man]."

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

And a lot of women write male characters. Some more successfully than others, just as with men writing women. It probably has more to do with overall writing and observational skills than with the author's gender.

I mean, it would be weird if books only had characters of one gender or lived experience, wouldn't it? Or if writing credits had to include "and thanks to Luke for writing [man], to William for writing [older man], to Juan for writing [Latin American man] and to Mitchell for writing [Australian man]."

Right you are because we can't go having cultural appropriation running rampant in literature. People would start learning from each other!

 

[Cagivagurl]

He's an electrical engineer. He can't understand anyone. No, actually, he's pretty good at understanding me. But it took a couple of years. It's funny, though, because he can understand me, but that ability does not seem to translate to anyone else. He's often left baffled by how people behave.

Aren't we all?????

 

[Cagivagurl]

And a lot of women write male characters. Some more successfully than others, just as with men writing women. It probably has more to do with overall writing and observational skills than with the author's gender.

I mean, it would be weird if books only had characters of one gender or lived experience, wouldn't it? Or if writing credits had to include "and thanks to Luke for writing [man], to William for writing [older man], to Juan for writing [Latin American man] and to Mitchell for writing [Australian man]."

My belief is. Regardless of gender, anybody can write...
It's not skill that allows somebody to see the world from other perspectives, it's awareness. It takes an open mind, and the ability to listen...
That is the key ingredient, in my mind at least...

Cagivagurl

 

[LisaMayTurner]

And a lot of women write male characters. Some more successfully than others, just as with men writing women. It probably has more to do with overall writing and observational skills than with the author's gender.

I mean, it would be weird if books only had characters of one gender or lived experience, wouldn't it? Or if writing credits had to include "and thanks to Luke for writing [man], to William for writing [older man], to Juan for writing [Latin American man] and to Mitchell for writing [Australian man]."

So? What you've said makes no difference to what I've said. I didn't say "all" at all! There really is a lot of bad stuff here with men writing from their own imagined female perspective. And some just regurgitate porn narratives and well-worn phrases, situations, tropes, and so on. That is a fact. Not "all" but many.

 

[TheRedChamber]

"No real woman would ever do, say or think that!"

"No shit, why do you think I had resort to fiction..."

Its not exactly a trap in erotica to write people as you wish they were, rather than they actually are. Women are as guilty of this as men, although arguably the female 'wish they were' is a bit more nuanced.

 

[Britva415]

 

[Statius]

This is interesting to me. I once asked to get women to respond asking what I could do better as most of my stories are from a woman character POV, never once received a response, however, many of my stories written from such a POV have been favorited by women. Now that is not to say they approve of my handling of a woman's POV, but the story perhaps. I will offer this advice tho when writing as a male from a woman's POV. You know women in your life; you have had women friends; you have had friends who have mistreated women, co-workers, or even just aquaintances. Have you ever had a woman friend tell you about a relationship, good or bad? Ever hear one talk about sex? Take these in consideration when writing a woman character and just do your best to keep your character in line with the personality and perspective you developed.

 

[Statius]

Oh and yes keep in mind women are people, like the meme above my comment states .