Writing from the perspective of a woman (for me) or a man (for a female author) has to be one of the more challenging aspects of putting pen to paper. Though I acknowledge, it could certainly be easier for women to write male characters because of the bias of growing up in a world where most protagonists in stories are men. When writing, you don't want to let your own gender perspective bleed through, so it takes a lot of forethought to get it right. One thing I've found that's helpful is to write in third person limited focusing on the opposite gender subject. I say this because after extensive research (read: romantic comedy binges) I would say I'm no closer to being able to write the thoughts of a woman than I was before. However, third person limited allows you to get into the character's head without necessarily reading their mind word for word. The reader gets a sense of what they're thinking without have to come up with an authentic internal monologue.
I'm not writing this piece to suggest writers shouldn't try to write opposite-gender internal monologue. In fact, I think it would be a great exercise. Rather, I believe it's just easier to sound authentic if I don't. In my upcoming Sci-Fi novel, Symbiote, there are two main characters of opposite sexes and I switch perspectives between them, sometimes mid-chapter. I do this for multiple reasons, not the least of which is to view the other characters in the room from the perspective of the character on which I'm focusing. The way my male character would describe himself is skewed in comparison to how my female main character would view him.
Another thing to think about is what stereotypes we place on the characters we, as writers, create. My male protagonist is what many people would call a meat head, but he actually does have some brains underneath it all. My female protagonist may look small, but she's strong and has a mouth on her that puts many of the male characters ill-at-ease. She's a tough character who doesn't take crap from anybody. It's rare in my novels that you'll find a weak woman. They are there, simply to get a cross-section of society, but they are not the norm. In the 21st Century, I think it's becoming very common to see headstrong women who don't fall into the archetypes we were used to seeing in 20th Century Film and Television. Consequently, I also show that my male characters are capable of emotions and are not the unfeeling automatons typical of the past, though I wouldn't call any of my main characters weak. At least not to their faces.
Note: Symbiote, my new Sci-Fi Thriller, comes out this month! Stay tuned for details and extras!
I'm not writing this piece to suggest writers shouldn't try to write opposite-gender internal monologue. In fact, I think it would be a great exercise. Rather, I believe it's just easier to sound authentic if I don't. In my upcoming Sci-Fi novel, Symbiote, there are two main characters of opposite sexes and I switch perspectives between them, sometimes mid-chapter. I do this for multiple reasons, not the least of which is to view the other characters in the room from the perspective of the character on which I'm focusing. The way my male character would describe himself is skewed in comparison to how my female main character would view him.
Another thing to think about is what stereotypes we place on the characters we, as writers, create. My male protagonist is what many people would call a meat head, but he actually does have some brains underneath it all. My female protagonist may look small, but she's strong and has a mouth on her that puts many of the male characters ill-at-ease. She's a tough character who doesn't take crap from anybody. It's rare in my novels that you'll find a weak woman. They are there, simply to get a cross-section of society, but they are not the norm. In the 21st Century, I think it's becoming very common to see headstrong women who don't fall into the archetypes we were used to seeing in 20th Century Film and Television. Consequently, I also show that my male characters are capable of emotions and are not the unfeeling automatons typical of the past, though I wouldn't call any of my main characters weak. At least not to their faces.
Note: Symbiote, my new Sci-Fi Thriller, comes out this month! Stay tuned for details and extras!
It's always a challenge to write something from an "opposite" point of view, but I think it's half the fun of writing. We get to step into someone else's perspective for a moment, or at least try to imagine a walk in someone else's shoes. I actually struggled with one of my female characters in my trilogy because I gave her some characteristics that I don't share. Some of the male characters were easier to write . . . and one came out a little too "strong and silent" even though I meant him to have an incredibly backstory. Maybe, I need to write one of those short story/novella asides for him. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, I like playing Devil's Advocate, so I often put in characters with opposing viewpoints to each other or to my own. It's certainly a worthy challenge.
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