Can a Male write about a MALE pov romance story? I didn't know if that was something not a norm in the romance genre. 
Can men write romance's from a Male POV
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There are male romance writers and there are romances written entirely from the male POV. Neither is particularly common but it wouldn't be impossible. Of course there are love stories written by men from male POV that are not romance genre.
Tis true Thank you---I wasn't sure if someone like Harlequin would take something like this--but you never know I've been searching for different publishers (mainly because I want to write by their guidlines..I don't want to write a story and have to "shop" around as it here... Make sense?
Thank you---I wasn't sure if someone like Harlequin would take something like this--but you never know I've been searching for different publishers (mainly because I want to write by their guidlines..I don't want to write a story and have to "shop" around as it here... Make sense?
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I like to split my POV between the man and the woman. Being a girl, I hope I'm getting the guy's POV right. We shall see...
I suppose you could say that The Notebook and The Wedding are romances in the male POV and written by a man, but it's been argued that they're love stories, not romances.
I suppose you could say that The Notebook and The Wedding are romances in the male POV and written by a man, but it's been argued that they're love stories, not romances.
I don't mind writing love stories either In fact I like love stories.... but like I said I want to have an idea of what guidlines are accepted by different publishers... prefer to start out small though--get my name out there as it were.
I've tried writing from a woman's POV but, well i'm not a female
In fact I like love stories.... but like I said I want to have an idea of what guidlines are accepted by different publishers... prefer to start out small though--get my name out there as it were. I've tried writing from a woman's POV but, well i'm not a female
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Just keep in mind that romance, as it's defined in today's market, is geared toward female readers and features a female fantasy (in the sense of what a woman might daydream about, rather than fantasy meaning elves and such).
In other words, and just as an extreme example, not something you're planning to write about, I'm sure, but a "romance" which follows the relationship of a hero who is a promiscuous jerk and falls in love with a brainless bimbo is probably not going to appeal to women readers.
It's not so much the pov or the choice of protagonist (male or female, with the other one secondary) that matters, as the underpinnings of the story, the fantasies it appeals to, the buttons it pushes, the journey it presents -- or whatever metaphor you want to use, but that core of the story has to be one that resonates with women, b/c that's the audience.
Check out Harold Lowry's books, writing as Leigh Greenwood. I'm not sure which pov he writes from, although I think it's from both, from scene to scene.
JD
In other words, and just as an extreme example, not something you're planning to write about, I'm sure, but a "romance" which follows the relationship of a hero who is a promiscuous jerk and falls in love with a brainless bimbo is probably not going to appeal to women readers.
It's not so much the pov or the choice of protagonist (male or female, with the other one secondary) that matters, as the underpinnings of the story, the fantasies it appeals to, the buttons it pushes, the journey it presents -- or whatever metaphor you want to use, but that core of the story has to be one that resonates with women, b/c that's the audience.
Check out Harold Lowry's books, writing as Leigh Greenwood. I'm not sure which pov he writes from, although I think it's from both, from scene to scene.
JD
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That is a good point. I write men, but mainly *for* women. So the are, um, women's men--while also being men's men, romantically speaking.
All the emotional details are best expressed from the female point of view; however an omni pov will help indicate male feelings - lust and frustration. I write romance and cozy mysteries, but always from the female pov - and under a psedonym.
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If a woman can write a female POV in a romance, why couldn't a man write a male POV in a romance?
Jan and veinglory make excellent points -- no matter WHO is writing, a man or a woman (or a collaborative effort with a man and a woman co-authoring), you have to keep your audience in mind. When I was writing my third book, which is completely in a male first-person POV, I was definitely using "remember your audience" as my mantra. I actually had to first come to grips with "translating" the character to make him sympathetic without making him weak (or overbearing). Took a while to get a handle on him. But once I did, man, the story really worked. (She typed confidently, before her agent or editor has seen the story...)
Jan and veinglory make excellent points -- no matter WHO is writing, a man or a woman (or a collaborative effort with a man and a woman co-authoring), you have to keep your audience in mind. When I was writing my third book, which is completely in a male first-person POV, I was definitely using "remember your audience" as my mantra. I actually had to first come to grips with "translating" the character to make him sympathetic without making him weak (or overbearing). Took a while to get a handle on him. But once I did, man, the story really worked. (She typed confidently, before her agent or editor has seen the story...)
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I don't mind writing love stories either
I've tried writing from a woman's POV but, well i'm not a female
Neither is Ken Casper, who writes for Harlequin. he's written a number of Superromances under the name KN Casper, and this month he has his first book out, a NASCAR romance, under his real name.
Ken, like most of us, writes both male and female POV. He's got a number of female crit partners and a wife who help him make sure he's nailed down the female POV.
I believe Desire recently (<ahem> in the last couple years recently) had a few books that were told solely from the male POV, but I have no idea how well those books went over. If the sales weren't great, you can be sure that they're not going to try it again anytime soon.
Susan G.
Hi,
Bit of an odd question really as much of the finest romantic fiction, poetry, music and lyrics over the centuries has been written by men. There seeems to be a belief that men are not romantic which is nonsense really when you think about literature through the ages. We tend not to write trashy romance novels but express romance in other ways.
Huw
Bit of an odd question really as much of the finest romantic fiction, poetry, music and lyrics over the centuries has been written by men. There seeems to be a belief that men are not romantic which is nonsense really when you think about literature through the ages. We tend not to write trashy romance novels but express romance in other ways.
Huw
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Ummmmm...many of us here DO write "trashy romance novels" so perhaps you'd like to rephrase that? After all, you ARE in the romance/women's fiction section of the boards.
And since the original poster asked about HARLEQUIN as a potential market, I think he was interested in "trashy romance novels," too. (I've got four Harlequin books under my own belt, and am being completely SARCASTIC when I call them "trashy romance novels," just so we're all clear. <G>.) I don't think he was asking about literary love stories.
Susan G.
Partly i'm asking about Harlequin because I do want to start small---not aware of small publishers who do Male POV romance--still I can write in the female POV but I must remember my audience too
Partly i'm asking about Harlequin because I do want to start small---not aware of small publishers who do Male POV romance--still I can write in the female POV but I must remember my audience too
You might do some publisher research. Harlequin is hardly "starting small."
Huw: smooth. Vey smooth.
Yeah pretty much small books
Or well known ones... I don't know..i'm just sooo confused
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I would suggest looking at other romance publishers with male POV books. I believe there was a thread on this at Romance Diva's, I will see if I can find it.
I'm still not clear how small=well known?
I'm still not clear how small=well known?
Sorry...i'm a bit on the confused side this morning--- I've been taking a lot of pain medication since yesterday
I meant small as in word count, just to clarify. Comparing it with books like...GWTW or A Suitable Boy.
I love me some doorstoppers.
I love me some doorstoppers.
Let me clarify-- I know Harlequin isn't a small publisher and please forgive me calling them a small publisher... What i'm saying is that I want to write a romance story from a Male POV and was wondering if Harlequin would accept them or not... If that's the case I want to find another publisher (say an e-publisher) that will take it...
In other words, I want to see the writing guidlines and make sure i'm writing a story that someone will accept
In other words, I want to see the writing guidlines and make sure i'm writing a story that someone will accept
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I think there might have been a time when a man writing romance from a male POV would've been a tougher sale, but publishers in the romance genre have been extremely smart about broadening and diversifying the kinds of books available in the past couple of decades. And as others have pointed out, many (if not most) romance novels go back and forth between the heroine and hero's POVs. So if female romance writers can create a male POV, I don't see why male romance writers can't create a female POV. As long as you really understand the genre (and accept that you'll probably have to start out in the field with a female or at least gender-neutral pseudonym), I say go for it!
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I don't know where you would get it published but I would like to read more male 1st person PoV's. Mostly romance is from the female side of things, or females writing the males PoV(but that isn't in first person, normally). I'd be up for a change of pace with the guy's PoV in 1st person, written by a guy.
Why is it I haven't seen much of 1st person man talk? Do guys just have a hard time expressing thoughts like that, or do they just not prefer that PoV? Girls I get... they're gossipy (yeah I know that isn't a word) and opinionated by nature.
Why is it I haven't seen much of 1st person man talk? Do guys just have a hard time expressing thoughts like that, or do they just not prefer that PoV? Girls I get... they're gossipy (yeah I know that isn't a word) and opinionated by nature.
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There is some male 1st chick lit (called lad lit). I remember one called 'My Name is Alexander' -- I think (something like that). Harlequin did have a male at least one male pov book but I can track down the title right now. I have pitched a male POV mf may-december romance book to my editor at Loose Id as my next project and she was totally open to the idea.
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