Man v Boy

Stunted · May 26, 2009

Just out of curiosity, what do you consider when you're trying to decide whether to refer to a character as a man or a boy? Or a girl or a woman?

Leah_Michelle · May 26, 2009

For some reason, the word man/woman bothers me. I can't really explain it, but I guess I tend to think of man and woman as the older generations rather than 18+.

I like using boy and girl, but then again, my characters are only 19 and 21, so they could pull it off.

I've never tried writing adult novels, so I don't know how it would feel to use man and woman. Thinking about it now, it would feel more right than using it in my current novel.

kaitlin008 · May 26, 2009

It's basically age for me. If they're an adult, I refer to them as a man or a woman. Otherwise, girl/boy. It sounds so awkward to me to refer to a 16 year old as a man.

chevbrock · May 26, 2009

I've only had this situation once so far. MC is seventeen, so definitely on the cusp of manhood. At the beginning of the novel he is referred to as "boy", after he has had his coming-of-age, he is referred to as "man".

JamieB · May 26, 2009

I've had problems with this too. I call him a "guy". Man/woman sounds too old for me too.

Repartee · May 26, 2009

I write adult crime, so girl/boy sounds a little awkward sometimes. I usually use guy or man, and woman.

MissKris · May 26, 2009

When I was a teen I would never have called my male peers "man." It was too formal. So "guy" is good, but I actually really like "boy." I get the Cher from Clueless voice in my head a lot lately and she uses the term "boy" all the time - and it sounds right.

Fuchsia Flower · May 26, 2009

Urgh, I have this problem too with one of my characters. He is 19, in a position of power, and boy sounds plain weird for him. But man takes away from his youthful traits. The 15 and 17 year old's are definitely girl and boy. But 19, arrgh, what is he? A youth?

suki · May 26, 2009

I think it depends on who is talking. The character? In prose or in dialogue? What would he/she say?

For instance, my 17 year old protag would call his peers, even those over 18, guy, and maybe the younger ones kid. But his father calls him a boy all the time. And protag would call female peers girls, but then calls someone a few years older a woman, because he sees her as his older brother's widow.

So...what is in the voice of the character or book? Few upper-teen boys would call themselves or theor friends "boy", but I think equal age girls would call themselves and their friends "girl."

~suki

dragonkid · May 26, 2009

I have struggled with the same thing. I would probably switch over from boy/girl to man/woman at 20 as a general rule, but I think an 18-year-old king (for example) could be a “man”. The characters in my novel are 15, which seems to place them pretty firmly in the boy/girl category, but I never know how to refer to them when they are in a group. “Children” doesn’t seem quite right – sometimes I go with “younglings,” which is a colloquialism for “kids” in their world.

Maprilynne · May 26, 2009

Dude, I hate having to make that decision. They need a good word for a gender-specific teenager that doesn't sound lame!!! (I demand a speshul word!!

)

I think they should be toys and tirls.

(Kidding! Kidding!)

Leah_Michelle · May 26, 2009

Maprilynne said:
Dude, I hate having to make that decision. They need a good word for a gender-specific teenager that doesn't sound lame!!! (I demand a speshul word!!)

I think they should be toys and tirls. (Kidding! Kidding!)

Boy toy...rofl.

My mind likes to mix words

Sage · May 26, 2009

I use "guy" most of the time, and "boy" for specific cases.

Man v Boy

Stunted

Ich heiße Superphantastisch!

Leah_Michelle

Fangirling

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

chevbrock

JamieB

Repartee

Queen of Hearts

MissKris

Is the random.

Fuchsia Flower

suki

Opinionated

dragonkid

Beware of killer butterflies

Maprilynne

Author Waiting in the Wings

Leah_Michelle

Fangirling

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals