Writing Female Characters as a Male Author

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by cybrxkhan, Mar 25, 2011.

  1. bob smith

    bob smith New Member

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    Before I even dip my hand into the hot sauce, I'm going to tell you that I'm hardly PC. As I've gotten older, I've become more dissulusioned with feminism, the idea of sexual equality and such. It probably has to do a good amount with my own biases and experiences, but I'm not necessarily certain that either men or women are happier in this modern age of status and power hungry women and stay at home and feminized men. Call me a misogynist, but I sometimes look upon with envy the sexual views of the aristocratic societies of old; they may have been unjust in a thousand ways, but are we as humans naturally happier to live in those kinds of enviroments?

    So probably a good amount disagree with me, which is fine; I’d like to have an argument about it on some other forum. However I don’t want to ruin this one since all he wants to know is how to write females. (I have a difficulty with it myself)

    However, seeing my views, perhaps I have some ideas on how to write an extremely flawed female character.

    These are things I’ve noticed in many women I’ve met (though I should note that I’m constatnly sorrounded by those between the ages of 18-26). Most of the time, I don’t think these are inherently female traits, and probably have a lot to do with what society is telling them is the proper way to behave.
    -They demand equality only when it benefits them.
    -They literally expect others to read their minds.
    -Any attention is better than no attention.
    -Drama, no matter how destructive and hateful, must always be part of their lives. They will create it out of sheer boredom.
    -Sexuality for women is used as a tool for emotional, financial, or social gain. (or even as a weapon). Male sexuality is crude, simple, and not to be respected.
    -Morality is a tool for judging and ridiculing others, not for judging oneself.
    -They mistake a “strong and confidant” personality with one that is nothing more than domineering and overbearing.
    -Women will lie about the big things (I never cheated on you, the baby’s yours) more than men. Likely because they’re better at it.

    Alright. NOT all women are like this. These are just many types of flaws I find particular to women (men have their own particular kind). Insert any of these things into a female character (or many, if you want to make her into a villian) and I would say that it would be an authentic female character. Characters are often made interesting by their flaws, not their strenghts anyway.
     
  2. sereda008

    sereda008 Member

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    Read The Wheel Of Time series. As well as being an interesting read, the writer writes both from a female perspective and a male perspective, pretending not to the characters not to understand the opposite genre. It would be useful in my opinion.
     
  3. Amaranta

    Amaranta New Member

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    Just because your male doesn't mean you can't write a successful believable female protagonist. In fact, forget your protagonist is female momentarily. Focus not on the gender, but the person in whole. Like, what is your main character's favorite color and food? Is the protagonist religious or nonreligious? Is the protagonist outgoing, shy, or a mixture? Serious or playful? Intelligent, stupid, or average? Does your protagonist like watching movies or reading? Rock or rap? Democrat or Republican? Is your protagonist noticeable or does she blend in with the crowd?

    Focus on the personality first, gender later. After you've fleshed out her personality then you can put your attention on her more feminine qualities. Or perhaps she doesn't care. Perhaps her view on her gender is more androgynous then female.

    Also, a girly-girl can be independent and strong-willed. For example, not all Feminists are work, work, pants, pants. Some like to wear dresses and apply make-up for fun - but that's just the personality. Just like how some masculine, heterosexual men crossdess. It's all about personality. If you truly want to bring your character to life, focus on her personality while ignoring her gender.

    However as other posters have said, a majority of woman tend to be more emotional then men. This is true. But that doesn't mean she has to be. Although making her emotional will make her more believable. Just don't make her have constant mood swings, crying at every sad thing, and going nuts for shoes on sale.

    That's how I write my characters. I ignore gender and focus on their personality. When I finish constructing a character, I leave it alone for a few days. After about three days to a week I review my character to see if it is believable as a female/male and not boring. That's my take on it; hopefully this helped a bit.
     
  4. fervish

    fervish New Member

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    Reading is a good resource but also I would suggest real life examples. Im sure you know women or have known women with these characteristics. Ask yourself how she/they would handle this situation. You could consider a reader, a woman to read the manuscript and give her opinion on if it sounds/feels right.
     
  5. K.S.A.

    K.S.A. Member

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    If you want a "strong feamle character" who can kick a** but still be feminine when the mood takes her, try Anita Blake. She is the one that usually saves the day & mostly through sheer force of will, & not some masculine brute strength. Oh yeah, skip the icky parts (why do the tough women always have to have these?) & you've got an excellent female lead.

    I have a similar problem to yours in that even though I'm female, I've always been aggressive and a bit of a tomboy. So, my characters tended to sound a bit masculine as well. Something that's helped me is observation - I'd spend hours with "feminine" female friends or at a cafe, simply noting down the most common (& relevant) personality traits. That way, even though my characters were still 75% mine, they had a bit of femininity to them because of the traits I'd included after my observations.
     
  6. catydid

    catydid New Member

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    You could try thinking a bit about the women you know (whether you like them or not) and how they act and speak. Of course, it's impossible to really get in anyone else's head, so I would agree that writing it in first person is rather difficult. You could look at some other works written by a woman and think about what the voice is like, and see if that helps. :)
     
  7. TheGreatNeechi

    TheGreatNeechi New Member

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    Characterization is in my opinion the easiest part of writing fiction, then again I have roleplayed (live action) everything from women, animals, and even insectoid aliens indulging in ritual after-battle cannibalism prior to what amounted to an orgy. How convincingly I have played women is another story; I never asked, and none of the women in the troupe ever complained--which means absolutely nothing. So I probably blew it.

    So...

    I say this: don't over think it.

    No one wants a two dimensional character, but it is true to say men are easier to write than women. A male character is characterized by his actions. A female character should be characterized by her feelings. Stereotypes, I know, but its because of the reader. A man's motivations are well understood, so the reader can see a man act and readily understand why. A woman's motivations not so much, which is why writing a woman tends to be heavy on the monologue.

    Pick up a Nora Roberts novel some time, she writes women very well.

    Someone suggested observing the women in your life, and that is a wonderful idea. Just don't let them know you're observing them... that'd be... a little creepy from a woman's perspective I think, even if they knew it was for your writing.

    When I write a woman, I like to write a lady. Think Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind. That's my woman--with a few tweeks here and there. Even the women I write as battle hardened, cut-throat, politicos have that inner-lady who desperately wishes to be treated like a woman, yet for the tragedy of the story or for other reasons must maintain their decorum. Its a defense mechanism.

    Aside from the women of literature, the reality is--even today--there is still much to be done for how women are perceived by society. Patriarchy is still going strong, and as a consequence you would be very surprised at how many of the women in your life have been scarred one way or another.

    I hate to reference this film, but Mean Girls can give you a little insight into what its like growing up as a girl. Despite its obscene stereotyping there is some profound truth in it. Women are held to very high standards by society, and even if it may seem they hold each other to those standards, the truth is that is the nature of patriarchy.

    If you ever wondered why your girlfriend jumps to foregone conclusions, that would be exactly why. Any perceived slight could precipitate extreme self-doubt, because society expects every women to be perfect to it's own irresponsible standard. Just research the pathology of eating disorders. Because of that I don't necessarily buy into the idea women are more emotional than men. Hormonal to a point, but that's biology. Fact is the most calculating politicians and diplomats... are women. Emotion be damned.

    With all that being said I wish you great luck!
     
  8. Tesoro

    Tesoro Contributor Contributor

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    don't worry about it, there are lots of female writers that create totally unrealistic characters too, that i could never identify with. Maybe try and reading some male writers that have written lots of books with female leads, to get some ideas on how to go about with it. Even the old classics that has created unforgettable, convincing female characters. it's not impossible, you just need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of someone else, use your imagination. women can be in so many ways, in fact I think you would be more convincing and successful creating a unique woman rather than using stereotype characteristics that women are usually labeled (sp?) with.
     
  9. author97

    author97 New Member

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    Writing about the opposite gender is hard, so think about her interests, families, goals, etc. Who is she? Where is she headed in life? What's her personality. Also take into consideration that females are rarely as confident as they may seem and often hold many insecurities.
     
  10. Chris Gentry

    Chris Gentry New Member

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    If you mean Anita Blake until Cerulean Sins then I agree. After that a lot of the solutions involve her having sex.
     
  11. Tesoro

    Tesoro Contributor Contributor

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    Really?? :eek: she was one of the authors I was thinking about when I wrote the above post. Her characters are all the same to me and totally unrealistic... They just don't seem like real people.
     
  12. Elgaisma

    Elgaisma Contributor Contributor

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    Maybe I am alone lol but I never aim for realistic with my characters. I start with cliched stereotype and then work to make them as weird and quirky as I can.
     
  13. TheGreatNeechi

    TheGreatNeechi New Member

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    HA! See what I mean?

    It all depends on the reader.

    You'll do fine. :)
     
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  14. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    You write the kind of 'person' you want, without regard to sex. Women and men in real life have personalities and mannerisms all over the map. I know women who if you wrote them as a character and didn't give away their sex, everyone would assume you were describing a male. I know men for whom the reverse is true. There is no reason fictional characters shouldn't be just as varied.
     
  15. Three

    Three New Member

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    If you're going to write about that, you may as well write about farting and going to the bathroom, because that's just as irrelivent.
    The same can be said for men.

    Don't worry too much about it. Look at Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo - a great example of a strong, interesting character who happens to be female. Lisbeth's awesome. ;)
     
  16. NathanaelWorks

    NathanaelWorks New Member

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    Awe, this reminds me. I'm stuck with a lot of problems for my storyline. A universally known warrior (who just happens to be a girl), two parallax universes, an alternate history, aliens, zombies, robots... you name it! I'm not even trying to make my storyline this big, it just makes the plot work. I hope it doesn't turn out lame. :(
     
  17. Ellipse

    Ellipse Contributor Contributor

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    It helps to talk to your women friends and learn from them (just make certain they know why you are trying to learn things from them). I have a friend who likes to write. He needed help in researching a female POV for his characters so he started asking (and listening) to women around him.

    He was actually surprised by how insightful some of the information was. Even little things like how and why women dress the way they do revealed a lot to him. Women don't own 8 or more pairs of shoes because they are crazy like a lot of men think. Women can be strong and still be feminine.

    So like I said, talk to your women friends (and listen cause a lot of guys really don't). Watch their behavior and body language too. That helps a lot.
     
  18. Sundae

    Sundae New Member

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    Eh... you might be over thinking it. As long as the female lead isn't too contrived and/or predictable, you should be safe. I personally like all my female leads to be strong-willed, independent, feisty and a little stubborn. I don't like to go overboard with it though where she literally fights with everything, but on the same level, I despise when a female lead is submissive and cajoled into acting or being a certain way.

    Overall, I like confident characters that can take care of themselves for the most part. Nothing is worse than becoming a complete baby in hard situation, unless, that is a crucial point in the story/book where she willingly drops her defense and lets someone else take the burden. I don't like female leads without a backbone or with too man insecurities, but at the same time, I don't want them to be snobbish that they know best. LOL do I sound like a female now. Ha! Find a balance in all of that.
     
  19. wcartte

    wcartte New Member

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    My main female has a comparable experience at the beginning of my novel when she approaches the main male for the first time. She is jogging in the park and its a hot August afternoon. She spots him reading a book and he has a can of pepsi. She directly approaches him and asks for sip because she forgot her water bottle, and she is really thirsty. I built the scene this way to establish her as very confident outgoing woman who doesn't even blanche at asking a total stranger for a drink (it doesn't hurt that she's initially attracted to him as well) and it gives her a mechanism to ask him out. (She offers going out for a drink, her treat, to make up for drinking all of his pepsi, but as an element of humor he ends up paying.)

    I patterned this part of her character from female friends of mine who have been similarly fearless in comparable situations.
     
  20. MilesTro

    MilesTro Senior Member

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    I usually read books with female main characters to study how they behave. Some of my female characters are steroetypes for laughs, and some are strong willed fighters.

    If you make non human female characters, they can be whatever you want them to be. They can behave just like males or girlish. My anthropomorphic characters are like amazons because thye live in a world where it is all about the survival of the fittest.
     
  21. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    A lot of people say that to be a good writer you need to be a good reader. I completely disagree. For me, to be a good writer you need to be a good observer. You need to be able to watch, understand, and empathize with how people behave and react. What we write about is almost always people, so to understand them is critical. That goes for female characters. The best way to learn how to write female characters is to observe women, or girls, and learn. Not stare at them, but just take in how people behave at parties, when you talk to them, on the street, in the shops. And this goes for both male and female writers. I'm a guy but that doesn't mean I automatically understand all guys. So really pay attention and try to understand how different women behave, react, think, respond, dress, etc. Observation, and then understanding people, is a very important part of creating characters.
     
  22. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Be careful about using books or movies. They are representations by another writer, who probably based them on work from another writer. And, like making photocopies of photocopies of photocopies, eventually you get an unintelligable mess. Start fresh, and make your own observations.
     
  23. IanLC

    IanLC New Member

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    I have wrote as a male author on several females. Though I seem to allow my views of females permeate through into my characters. I do a lot of writing on historical fiction and thus my female characters range from subordinate women to ruling queens etc. I feel that as you receive the inspiration on the character regardless of the gender your writing and creation of that character will flow and thus the character will take on a life of its own.
     
  24. phil1923

    phil1923 New Member

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    I have never been worried about this issue, to be honest I've never thought about it. Although you are a male, I would assume you still interact with women on a daily basis. You see how they dress, see how they move and hear how they talk. You probably can write about women much more accurately than you think. The one thing you're lacking is knowing how women "think" and that is a hurddle you will never overcome. At the same time women authors will never truely know how men think. My advice is to take what you DO know and run with it.
     
  25. IanLC

    IanLC New Member

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    I agree with this. Yes we will never understand the mind of the other gender but we do have enough daily interaction and knowledge on the opposite sex to create characters that portray and demonstrate their interactions. As I said the story line will take on the life of the character through your writing and thus bring the Character to life. The human mind can fill in the other things as the reader reads the story.
     

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