Can men write lesbian stories?

[Chimney Sweep]

Well obviously they CAN - not like there is a law against it - but are they any good?

I've been basing all my erotic fiction on my own life (well, significantly "porned up" for sure) and from my own point of view so I haven't put much thought into writing from other points of view yet. I am interested in writing a lesbian bit, probably as a part of something larger, but I'm rather unqualified (daddy parts here.) I'll probably fore ahead and try it at some point, but I'm curious about what the community thinks on the subject.

Men - do you write that stuff?
Women - are they any good at it?

Thx!

 

[gauchecritic]

Sex is sex, tongues are tongues and fingers are fingers. From the opposite end, anal sex is anal sex.

Some commentators on the boards are of the opinion that in order to write for a category all you have to do is throw in mother/son or mixed races or handcuffs and what you end up with is sex: incestual, interracial or bdsm. Patently untrue if the story is anything other than sex. (some are, some aren't)

Following this train of thought, all you have to do to write lesbian sex is have neither partner posessed of a penis. (or both, for gay)

So, disregarding 3rd person, what follows from this is that your question is better answered regarding point of view (POV). Can male writers write convincing female POV?

I haven't the faintest clue. It's quite possible that I have read males writing as females and had no idea. Lots of authors here have been praised in feedback for their opposite gender viewpoint.

On the other hand, it may well be, that a male writing from a female POV lends the fantastic male perspective to the character and is thereby 'hotter' because the female in the story acts and reacts how a male thinks she would. The same may be true for females writing males. I'd guess in this case that the 'hotness' would arise from same sex readers as writers.

I've only ever written one female POV story, got average scores for it and no dissent. When I read it the girl seems very very masculine in her sexual outlook. Maybe it's just me.

Gauche

 

[whispering_surrender]

Not surprisingly, I fully agree with Gauche. However, I do have one small suggestion. If you do decide to forge ahead with your project, I would suggest finding a female (or four) with at least an above average ability to describe things and above a third grade grasp of adjective vocabulary to give you some guidance. They can help you get at least some idea of what sensations surge through women in the throes of passion.

Possibly not necessary, but I'm giving you my two cents anyhow. *grin*

Whisper

edited because I hate homophones....*sigh*

 

[Dirty Slut]

A little research here would be profitable..

Most men think that they are wonderful lovers, and most women wonder what rock men crawled out from under when it comes to sex. The main problem as I see it is that men think with their penis in these situations, and thus are ruled by the pleasure nodes of said appendage. Women on the other hand are each in their own way turned on, but not centered on just their vagina the way men are on their penis. All of our senses are involved in lovemaking, not just touch, or sight, sound, and smell the way men are either. And each of us has this other sixth sensual sense that men have no idea exists. LOL

DS

 

[whispering_surrender]

*chuckle* DS, I wasn't even going to go there!

Whisper

 

[raphy]

I've written two stories from a 1st person female PoV - Neither were erotica. The feedback I've recieved has ranged from the neutral to the positive (Concerning my portrayal of the female protagonist)

 

[Guest]

I've only ever written one female POV story, got average scores for it and no dissent. When I read it the girl seems very very masculine in her sexual outlook. Maybe it's just me. [my emphasis]

Fine insight, Gauche, and pertinent to the matter. My first reaction: I've always thought I had a masculine mind and a female soul, the opposite of Richard II, with which I know you have a familiarity.

My brain I'll prove the female to my soul,
My soul the father; and these two beget
A generation of still-breeding thoughts;
And these same thoughts people this little world [V.v.]

Writing as the opposite gender to one's self, or as a dyke or gay guy if one is not, requires, as you note, more than plot circumstance or the appropriate genitalia. I think a lot of substantive research would be needed for a male writer to convince me his characer was a lesbian outside the aforementioned accoutrements of plot and setting. It isn't just how they fuck that makes lesbians who and what they are as persons. That is what is usually missing in a serious piece of writing, even if primarily erotic.

I've written female characters who fuck like men but are very definitely women. I can do femmey gals too. It's what I know.

The character of R2 (not the droid) as Shakespeare made him might have done well writing a lesbian, but offhand I can't think of a real man who has.

Perdita

 

[Icingsugar]

In my stageplays I have portrayed both female and male gay relationships, and the response I've had from actors and audience hints that it worked at least there. I have also written several short sttories from the female POV, that female readers have had no problem with. So I don't think there should be any problem. When it comes down to human emotions we're all pretty much the same, and the mechanics in a slightly different relationship than your own ain't that hard to get your head around. There are many MF couples behaviours that are more alien to me than those of people around me in gay or lesbian relations.

I don't think I could write gay erotica though, since I'd have no hint if what I wrote was exciting or not from a mere stroke-perspective.

 

[English Lady]

As a side note -Perdita..I studied R2 in college and I think I was the only person in the class who had any sympathy at all for Richard. I am very masculine in alot of things and so i recognised the frustration of being the opposite of what you are meant to be.


I think if are a good writer you can write anything good.


(er hmmm)

OK lets pretty that up a bit.

If you have imagination, the ability to research (read some lesbian stories, talk to women about sexual feelings,erogenous zones etc) and a good writing technique then you can write a lesbian sex scene.


you just havbe to apply your mind to it..if you can do that you'll probably do it well

 

[Weird Harold]

If you have imagination, the ability to research (read some lesbian stories, talk to women about sexual feelings,erogenous zones etc) and a good writing technique then you can write a lesbian sex scene.

I think that an ability to separate the realism from stereotypes in lesbian stories is probbly important in this kind of research. I've read some stories that I thought expressed the lesbian experinece well, but most lesbian scenes stories seem to me to be just "male fantasies" of what a lesbian encounter should be.

I think almost anyone can write a decent third person POV lesbian encounter, but getting into the mind-set of a lesbian (or gay or fetishist) is much more difficult because you have to get the internal motivation right.

 

[OldnotDead]

My question to you would be, "For what audience?" Gauche touched on this when he mentioned that a male might write it in such a way to make it 'hotter'. I doubt we'd all agree on this, but Porn Lesbian Sex is different from Erotica Lesbian Sex.

When you think about it logically, why on earth do men get so turned on with lesbian sex when the fundamental premise is that the ladies want NOTHING to do with us? It just doesn't make sense. But isn't that true about a lot of emotions?

DS mentions the range of emotions involved. I think the sex can be successfully protrayed by just about anyone. I think the thoughts and emotions are going to be very difficult for a male writer to portray believably.

So I would answer that it depends. It depends on the skills of the writer. It depends on the audience the writer is trying to reach. And most of all, it depends on the nature of the situation that the author is trying to create.

PS to English Lady - you SHOULD be sympathetic to Richard II. Not that Shakespeare wanted you to be to his character. As portrayed he was a largely fictionalized 'bad boy' depicted to please the ruling Tudor monarch.

 

[TheEarl]

I have and apparently I can, as I have had several feedbacks absolutely convinced I was a woman. Go figure.

I think the key to it is not thinking "What would I do in this situation if I couldn't use my dick," but "What would a gay woman do in this situation," which are two very different things. The only way to do it is to have a lot of imagination, a lot of research and someone who knows what they're talking about to vet it.

The Earl

 

[Couture]

Last I looked on the lesbian story toplist, 3 of the top 10 stories were by male authors. A good story is a good story no matter who writes it.

 

[Guest]

Lady, I'm so glad you mentioned your reading of R2. He is one of my favorite characters.

Old, Shakespeare does not judge any of his characters. You read into them what you like. R2 was tragic at a profound level, more than R3. He was not a 'bad boy', but a sad one. On a personal level I am more empathetic to him than to Hal.

Perdita

 

[LorriLove]

hiya

i too think a story is as good as the writer regardless of gender. in the lesbo tales i've read some guys seem to know all the right things to say, some women don't, not all women have drunk form the furry cup you know or been ridden by a strap on.

my hubby cheats, he asks me if he needs an acurate female perspective on anything.

lorri xxxxxxxxxx

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I think a major point would be who you are writing a lesbian themed story for. I think Renza noted that most porno flicks have an obligatory lesbian scene, but it is still aimed at guys. Even some movies that have all female casts and action are still aimed at guys as the consumer.

I think any male can write a lesbian story if his target audience is other men. If your target audience is women it becomes harder and if the target audience is lesbians, even harder still. That said everyone is different and what turns them on is different.

If your only writing experience is stroke porn aimed at a predominantly male audience I think you will have a lot of trouble writing something enjoyable for most women, let alone most lesbians. If you have experience writing fiction where you have to build characters, plot and dialogue then I don't see why you couldn't write something enjoyable. Keep in mind that what people expect from erotic stories varries widely and practically any story can appeal to a small segment of any audienece.

When writing lesbian erotica you are shooting for broad appeal among a small segment of the readership, with the hope that it also appeals to a decent sized group outside the target audience.

Can it be done? Sure. Has it been done? I don't know. If you are going to try it then I suggest you get to know some of your female aquaintances well enough to sit in on a girl talk session or two. You might find it enlightening as well as instructive.

-Colly

 

[Chimney Sweep]

Some excellent insight here - many thanks.

As to my audience and the point of the story, I suppose I try to strike a solid middle ground. I try to make my stories "strokable" if so desired, but essentially I want them to stand as solid narratives which anyone should be able to enjoy. I wrote other fiction for years before I started this little hobby, and the goal is always to write well, no matter the subject. I am not trying to write a race-to-the-end wank fest.

The whole point (as I see it) of writing anything is to create something new. No sense re-writing Harry Potter because even if you do it well you still can't use it for anything. Same thing with erotica - it can't just be "insert tab A into slot B and rider her like a Harley." Sex is just mechanical, so the story needs to provide a unique and interesting situation where you care a little more about the tab A and how it gets into whose slot B.

I hate lesbian scenes in porn. I fast forward past them. It's all sex, no sexy. I guess I'm hoping to write a scene that IS sexy and engaging and that draws the reader forward through it and that doesn't leave them in disbelief at the end.

Unfortunately, I have no access to real lesbians so I won't be getting the woman's perspective from the source. I'll have to fake it.

 

[Chimney Sweep]

Some excellent insight here - many thanks.

As to my audience and the point of the story, I suppose I try to strike a solid middle ground. I try to make my stories "strokable" if so desired, but essentially I want them to stand as solid narratives which anyone should be able to enjoy. I wrote other fiction for years before I started this little hobby, and the goal is always to write well, no matter the subject. I am not trying to write a race-to-the-end wank fest.

The whole point (as I see it) of writing anything is to create something new. No sense re-writing Harry Potter because even if you do it well you still can't use it for anything. Same thing with erotica - it can't just be "insert tab A into slot B and rider her like a Harley." Sex is just mechanical, so the story needs to provide a unique and interesting situation where you care a little more about the tab A and how it gets into whose slot B.

I hate lesbian scenes in porn. I fast forward past them. It's all sex, no sexy. I guess I'm hoping to write a scene that IS sexy and engaging and that draws the reader forward through it and that doesn't leave them in disbelief at the end.

Unfortunately, I have no access to real lesbians so I won't be getting the woman's perspective from the source. I'll have to fake it.

 

[Uther_Pendragon]

I hope so, since I've written one or two. They were *not*
les life-style stories; they wre ff stories.
I think to write a good man-woman story you have to have
each of the characters somewhere in your head. So, to
write from the woman's POV isn't dramatically more
difficult. And, of course, there isn't much that a woman
making love to another woman can do that a man making love
to a woman can't do.

 

[Couture]

That's exactly right Uther. Lesbians are just men without dicks.

 

[destinie21]

That's exactly right Uther. Lesbians are just men without dicks.

Oh thank god I thought I was a woman

 

[raphy]

That's exactly right Uther. Lesbians are just men without dicks.

Ouch.

40-love, Couture to serve.

 

[raphy]

Oh thank god I thought I was a woman

You're a woman, Mrs D!!!!!

Say it ain't so! Now I'll have to quit having my homosexual porn fantasies about you!

 

[destinie21]

You're a woman, Mrs D!!!!!

Say it ain't so! Now I'll have to quit having my homosexual porn fantasies about you!

dammit all raph a man can dream can't he (you

 

[raphy]

dammit all raph a man can dream can't he (you

It's good to have you back, Mrs D.

Raph, happy.