Writing from the other gender's POV

[SlickTony]

I've written four stories from a male POV. They must work; three of them have an H rating.

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't feel comfortable writing in first person as a female. There's just something a little transvestite about it, as if I'm walking around with a wig and socks stuffed up under my shirt, trying to pass.

Besides, the whole idea of writing in first person and trying to be someone else is a bit more than I'm willing to handle. The pleasure of first person is that you get to be yourself.

But most of my third person stuff is told from the female POV, just because I find women's responses towards sex generally more interesting than men's. Maybe that's because I already know what it's like from the male POV, or maybe because I've just been trying to figure out what it's like to be a woman since I first noticed the difference. Women deal in shades of meaning and nuances that just go right over a man's head. Male POV porn always seems to be thick and plodding in comparison.

Gee youre no fun Mr Smartypants

Seriously, if you cannot challenge your abilities and your imagination with something that far away from yourself, are you REALLY doing your best?

Debbie

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Gee youre no fun Mr Smartypants

Seriously, if you cannot challenge your abilities and your imagination with something that far away from yourself, are you REALLY doing your best?

Debbie

I might write a story in first person from the female POV, but I'd post it under an alias. Otherwise I'm afraid people would approach it like they'd approach a story written in first-person POV about a black inner-city kid written by G.W. Bush or Paris Hilton, or a story of gay love written by Pat Robertson.

Seriously, I think one of the main things I look for in porn is emotional authenticity: I want to feel what the author feels. If I were just reading for plot's sake, then it wouldn't matter what sex the author was, or age, or anything. But when you write in first-person, you're kind of making the tacit claim that your emotions and ideas are authentic, and if you're a man writing as a woman or vice versa and you announce the fact at the start, that pretty much queers the deal. For me at least. I realize it's not like that for everyone

I'm not saying that it can't be done, and I'm sure it is, all the time. But just knowing the author's sex will put me off a trans-gendered story.

But with someone like you, darling, I can relax and know that everything you tell me about your woman's sexuality is authentic, and right from the horse's mouth...

 

[Guest]

I might write a story in first person from the female POV, but I'd post it under an alias. Otherwise I'm afraid people would approach it like they'd approach a story written in first-person POV about a black inner-city kid written by G.W. Bush or Paris Hilton, or a story of gay love written by Pat Robertson.

Seriously, I think one of the main things I look for in porn is emotional authenticity: I want to feel what the author feels. If I were just reading for plot's sake, then it wouldn't matter what sex the author was, or age, or anything. But when you write in first-person, you're kind of making the tacit claim that your emotions and ideas are authentic, and if you're a man writing as a woman or vice versa and you announce the fact at the start, that pretty much queers the deal. For me at least. I realize it's not like that for everyone

I'm not saying that it can't be done, and I'm sure it is, all the time. But just knowing the author's sex will put me off a trans-gendered story.

But with someone like you, darling, I can relax and know that everything you tell me about your woman's sexuality is authentic, and right from the horse's mouth...

Are you saying i have a mouth like a horse cause thats not very nice and not even funny even if I was drunk but that hasnt happened in years cause when I get drunk I do things that I feel bad about later like the time I slept with Larry Bunger and stuff so I don't drink anymore cept some champagne it New Years and stuff but that doent mean I have a horsey mouth

And you should try writing first people like a woman cause it might make you see things better and it could make you write everything better and stuff like Darnoel did cause he wont say it out loud but hes really proud of the story I wrote and he likes they way it made him break into new terra torrys and stuff or trhats what he says anyway so you should try it and i bet you could do it without having a horsey mouth too

And about the people that wouldnt read it like you wanted they dont know nothing anyway so what they think isnt worth a hill of lima beans cause I really hate those

Debbie

 

[Penelope Street]

The thing is, if you are already describing in some omnipotent way in 3rd person what a male character is doing and feeling, how much of a stretch is it to switch it to 1st person?

I don't believe it is such a stretch. One has only to read some of Doc's work, The Pretender comes to mind, to see he has already imagined what it's like to be a woman, an emotional and authentic woman. Sure, Og was an authentic rabbit too, but he did wimp out and write as a male rabbit.

When I wrote my first male POV story, I wondered if I could do it in a believable fashion, sure, but I didn't worry what anyone would think of me for doing it. Reading some of the responses in this thread, I think it must be a bit more of a stumbling block for a man to attempt writing as a woman. It seems most men did or would create an alt under which to submit their feminine stories. Is there little fear involved, fear of failure maybe, or some "Will they think I'm queer?" stigma? Or am I reading something between the lines that isn't there? Please don't take that as man-bashing. I'm just trying to understand.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I write from a male POV often. I have no idea if it's authentic or not- and it occurs to me, I don't care!
You see... I write erotica. I write to get myself off. So from a male POV, I write the man I would be, and I do what would get me off if I were a man- as far as I know, that is. And he's probably pretty far-fetched from reality, stylised in the same way that all those 32 DDD women with blond hair to their knees and insatiable screaming appetites for sex... are... that so many men write about. Tailored to fit, as it were.

But in the same way, an awful lot of women would sure like to meet my guys!

 

[Alex756]

I don't believe it is such a stretch. One has only to read some of Doc's work, The Pretender comes to mind, to see he has already imagined what it's like to be a woman, an emotional and authentic woman. Sure, Og was an authentic rabbit too, but he did wimp out and write as a male rabbit.

When I wrote my first male POV story, I wondered if I could do it in a believable fashion, sure, but I didn't worry what anyone would think of me for doing it. Reading some of the responses in this thread, I think it must be a bit more of a stumbling block for a man to attempt writing as a woman. It seems most men did or would create an alt under which to submit their feminine stories. Is there little fear involved, fear of failure maybe, or some "Will they think I'm queer?" stigma? Or am I reading something between the lines that isn't there? Please don't take that as man-bashing. I'm just trying to understand.

Ahhhh so the alt is like the 'I'm not gay seat' when 2 guys go to the movies? Just a little distance and all that?

After this thought, I think I need to do a 1st person story from a male POV, I just am uncomfortable generally in the 1st person so haven't done it yet.

And thankyou for pointing out the maleness of the rabbit, I am now crushed that our true visionary did wimp out and not do a female rabbit, and will go and cry in my alphabet soup now

I do think this matter of gender when writing might be something that due to the sexual nature of the writing here is more in the open. Looking back through my collection of writing, when I started writing I did start exclusivly writing from a female perspective. I didn't try a male perspective until after that girlie stage of writing from a horse's perspective.... interestingly a male horse. Think I read one too many black stallion books as a kid

But as I've writen more and experiences more my ability to write form a male POV has increased

--Alex

 

[Penelope Street]

I write from a male POV often. I have no idea if it's authentic or not- and it occurs to me, I don't care!
...
But in the same way, an awful lot of women would sure like to meet my guys!

I would like my men to be believable, but I'm afraid most of them end up being a woman's fantasy, too perfect to be true. *sigh* Then again, is that such a bad thing? Maybe not for a romance, but your comment has reminded me that my women are the flawed characters, the ones with problems, the ones with pain, the ones with depth. Something I need to work on, thanks.

Ahhhh so the alt is like the 'I'm not gay seat' when 2 guys go to the movies? Just a little distance and all that?

I was just guessing. Do guys really leave a seat between them? I can't say I never noticed, or if I did notice maybe I just thought it was for the popcorn.

 

[rgraham666]

If somebody decides I'm gay because I wrote a story from a woman's perspective, that's their problem.

I just want to tell the story.

 

[oggbashan]

...And thankyou for pointing out the maleness of the rabbit, I am now crushed that our true visionary did wimp out and not do a female rabbit, and will go and cry in my alphabet soup now
...
--Alex

There's still hope yet. How many Lit authors have written from a rabbit's POV? Anyway a female rabbit wouldn't have worked in that story.

Perhaps I should try writing an erotic scene from the condom's POV?

Og

 

[Alex756]

I would like my men to be believable, but I'm afraid most of them end up being a woman's fantasy, too perfect to be true. *sigh* Then again, is that such a bad thing? Maybe not for a romance, but your comment has reminded me that my women are the flawed characters, the ones with problems, the ones with pain, the ones with depth. Something I need to work on, thanks.

I wanted to address this.

I honestly hadn't thought of that. reguardless of POV which is the developed character. With one exception in my lit stuff, that is the female. Although I want to exempt my fanfic from the poling because ... well I didn't make most of the characters obviously. But yeah, its only in my horror that I have switched to the male character being truly the developed one. Part of me wonders if that is -because- it is horror or if I'm reading too much into it.

There is the possibility of using the male POV to view the well developed female character with the flaws, emotion and pain.

-Alex

 

[Stella_Omega]

If somebody decides I'm gay because I wrote a story from a woman's perspective, that's their problem.

I just want to tell the story.

My reaction would be... a sizing-up glance... "hmm, does he actually speak my language? This might be worth looking into..."

 

[SeaCat]

I have written in both male and female POV and received good comments from it. In fact I have one story that has both male and female points of view in the same story. It was long and not easy to write but it was fun. It takes thought and effort but then again so does any writing worth doing.

Cat