Can men write from the woman's perspective?

[ChuckWolf]

In my stories, I aim towards making female characters (most being very sexually aggressive and dominant) into complex, interesting and realistic within the limits of being in improbable stories.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

Maybe I should let this go, but I don't understand what you're disagreeing with me about, or what your point is more generally.

OP asks "can men write from the woman's perspective." I say yes, for several reasons, one of which being that there are many celebrated classics like that. (In hindsight, I see that OP wrote "woman" and I wrote "female" and maybe I shouldn't have conflated the terms, but that doesn't seem relevant now.)

You're saying... what? No, because no classics like that exist because the woman's perspective was inadequately authentic? No, because just having them present in the story isn't enough and they must specifically be a "great protagonist" or have an "authentic voice," to use two terms you introduced, or both? Yes but it's really hard? (In which case, see the following two items on my list).

I did not disagree with you. You're misreading me.
I do believe men can write female perspective.
There's such a thing called research, of course.

 

[alohadave]

Jack's character in As Good As It Gets was the most emotional, reactive, illogical person in the whole movie, but some people may have missed the ironic subtext

I watched that scene recently, and he seemed pretty autistic. I haven't watched the whole movie in a long time to see if that's an isolated thing or not.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

Theres The Scarlet Letter for one.

More modern options are things like Matilda and many of Terry Pratchett's novels (his women are VERY well done).

There's also a strong argument to be made that Lousia May Alcott would have identified as a trans man if she lived today.

I'd also add: Anything by Henlein. That guy could write compelling female characters! Constantly ignored by Academia and Intellectuals because his female characters kicked ass 60 years before the rest of the world caught on that women can be compelling characters in their own right, even in sci-fi/action/shoot-em-up genres of story.

 

[dirk2024]

I'm working on one now, not only is the main character a woman, but ALL the characters are women. So hopefully I haven't bitten off more than I chew.

 

[Burstplayer]

I've tried it once and it was very different and difficult for me. I took me a solid 3-4 chapters to get the right mindset and create more emotional depth. It also took at least 2X as long to write and come up ideas and dialog from a woman's perspective. I kept bouncing the edits off some female friends as well and that was very helpful. But overall, much more difficult than I bargained for.

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

I've tried it once and it was very different and difficult for me. I took me a solid 3-4 chapters to get the right mindset and create more emotional depth. It also took at least 2X as long to write and come up ideas and dialog from a woman's perspective. I kept bouncing the edits off some female friends as well and that was very helpful. But overall, much more difficult than I bargained for.

OK, the million-dollar question: That story was difficult. WHich of your stories is your favorite? For me it's not the ones that come easy. It's the ones where I have to think, research, consider, weigh different opinions, different courses of action.

So? How does that story compare in your mind with your other stories, for being happy with how it turned out? Difficult ones? Or easy ones?

JSJ

 

[Burstplayer]

OK, the million-dollar question: That story was difficult. WHich of your stories is your favorite? For me it's not the ones that come easy. It's the ones where I have to think, research, consider, weigh different opinions, different courses of action.

So? How does that story compare in your mind with your other stories, for being happy with how it turned out? Difficult ones? Or easy ones?

JSJ

All great and interesting questions JSJ...

For me the ones that almost write themselves tend to be more enjoyable to read and write. The thoughts almost come from my subconscious and pour out easily and I can write a 12 page chapter in just maybe an hour. When I have to really grind out ideas out, it seems forced and not as free flowing to read. To be fair, the stream of consciousness ones always have an autobiographical lean.

 

[RoperTrace]

Women write men all the time. Men write women all the time. It's your writing and your artistic expression. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Didn't Ben Franklin write newspaper articles as a woman?

 

[JenniferSmithJones]

All great and interesting questions JSJ...

For me the ones that almost write themselves tend to be more enjoyable to read and write. The thoughts almost come from my subconscious and pour out easily and I can write a 12 page chapter in just maybe an hour. When I have to really grind out ideas out, it seems forced and not as free flowing to read. To be fair, the stream of consciousness ones always have an autobiographical lean.

Very interesting. For me, it's the stories I struggle with that are my favorites. I'm alwazys fascinated by what stories a writer most likes of their own work. But so much of it is dependent on the other person, the writer, because it's not just the stories, it's the stories and the context. WHat brought these people to this place in their lives? I love that stuff!

 

[rthnck]

i have the opposite problem. I am very comfortable writing from the female POV and horribly awkward and inept when I try to write from my own male POV. Go figure. I think I do OK with my writing. At least the comments seem to agree. As a matter of fact it would appear that all 11 of my stories are with very slight exceptions written from the female POV. My stories

 

[Dnthmn_19]

I've tried twice to write from the woman's perspective, in my series "My Name is Chantal." The little feedback I received was positive. I'd love to hear writers' feedback. (I've always thought it odd that there has been more reads of Part Three than Part Two, written from the male perspective.)

https://www.literotica.com/s/my-name-is-chantal

 

[KevinandNina]

You wrote, "Or, the quiet, shy, sexually conservative wife finds herself dry humping the brass pole in the basement “man cave” after a few drinks at a friend’s Superbowl party."

I have seen this happen. It wasn't a brass pole in the basement. It was the stairway finial. She was completely drunk. No one noticed how much she had been drinking because ... she wasn't the sort of woman known for drinking to excess! I was the only one who noticed the state she was in, and I got to her first. I dragged her to the bathroom, and just in time. Because she was sick! Normally, she was the shyest, most quiet, woman. Get a few drinks in her, and ... hold on to your hats because there is no telling what was going to happen, next! Her husband didn't deserve her, and she had just found out he had been cheating since before they got married, he would hardly ever make love to her. And that one day, during that game (not a superbowl, one of the preliminaries) she got drunk, and all her unmet desires came to a head. Lucky finial! Unlucky husband. She didn't have to divorce him, he died of a heart attack 3 months later. He was easily 100pounds overweight. In his early 30's!

I'd write it up in a story, but it is way too close to my heart. She's fine, these days. Remarried, great guy, gave her three kids, all of them made it through college and got marriages of their own.

But as to your point that normally shy, conservative women never sexually act out in circumstances that could be disastrous for them? Real life has a way of putting all our assumptions to shame. But it also, almost always, offers a way forward if we're tough enough, courageous enough, hopeful enough to see it.

Yeah, that's only one example. And an anecdote, at that, further lessening its credibility. But that's life.

Alcohol didn’t make her act that way. It just lowered her inhibitors that prevented her from acting that way.

 

[SimonSex]

 

[LuridStoryteller]

I tried it with my first submission - was an interesting exercise. Don't know how successfully I pulled it off, but I haven't been slated for it, so I might try it again in the future.

 

[BriannaHope]

I do it all the time...
wink