Protagonist

I'm very comfortable writing either/or. Torin is unrelentingly masculine, Seren Baker and Gerri Reznik are most definitely female (although neither is helplessly feminine, either, but neither am I). I've written stories in first person in both genders and as long as I know my character well, it's not a problem. I think that's the key right there: You HAVE to know your character well, inside and out.

I have written, and am equally comfortable writing, protagonists of both sexes, in third person or first person.

I don't buy the "men don't know how women think" thing, or vice versa. People are people, and emotion and adversity transcend gender. Obviously you have to fit your characters properly into cultural context, and understand how this affects their view of the world and themselves; but I don't think that doing this with gender is any more challenging than doing it with other historical periods. If women can't write as men, or if white people can't write about people of other races, then no one could ever write a historical novel.

- Victoria

In reading, I don't mind too much, however I do tend to find that I prefer women written by women and men written by men. That's not to say there aren't a few geniuses out there who manage to do both - John Irving's pretty good at writing women, for example, and I'm sure there are plenty that I just can't think of at the moment. Also, because (as I said in the other thread) I probably read more female writers than male ones, it might be that what I prefer is female protaganists.

In writing, I think I can safely that I always write female protagonists (so far, at least). My current WIP has two central characters, both of whom are female. It also has two male characters who are fairly integral to the book, but not quite as much as the women. Fortunately, my husband is happy to provide me with guidance on writing men, otherwise it would be a lot more difficult. Whether my men manage to end up believable is yet to be seen. (Hope so!)

Obviously you have to fit your characters properly into cultural context, and understand how this affects their view of the world and themselves; but I don't think that doing this with gender is any more challenging than doing it with other historical periods.

I agree completely! The "difference" between men and women's mentality is very often the result of cultiral conditioning. What I do, I watch all people closely, men and women, remember and analyse their behaviour. Why do they do this or that? What kind of thoughts do they think? Why are they the way they are? Then I just "borrow" here and there to create a character. Study national traits. There's a bigger difference between a French and a Dutch person than between a man and a woman, believe me!:Cheers:

As I also said in another thread, my protagonists may be men and women, but I make sure they live their lives to the full, go places and do wondrous things. Active, passionate, creative people share the same character traits regardless of their sex. That's the kind of people I want to write about.

Personally speaking, I worry more about the character and personality than the gender. Current protagonist is a mentally unbalanced, itinerant, obsessive compulsive, vindictive, sociopathic, con-woman. I figure that the number of items of underwear she puts on in the morning is about the least of my writing worries ;-)

victoriastrauss said:

If women can't write as men, or if white people can't write about people of other races, then no one could ever write a historical novel.

- Victoria

Click to expand...

I agree with the rest of your post. When you say, "can't", I qualify that to "have trouble".

When Spike Lee was directing Malcom X, he was asked why Norman Jewison shouldn't have directed it (as Norman had been interested in doing). Spike replied Norman wasn't of the culture, so it wouldn't ring true.

To which, the interviewer asked Spike if that meant Spike wouldn't be able to write accurate white people, to which Spike replied the dominant culture was white, the majority of Hollywood films were by white people about white people... it wouldn't be the same if he directed a film about white characters because he was already familar with the culture.

This is bound to be a contoversial topic and one may easily find points to disagree with, however, the main point being the farther removed from someone else's experience, the more difficult it becomes to be genuine to their experience in any form of expression.

The way around this is to present a character without any depth in regards to their gender or race. To portray only the actions they take and their motivations in a way that is univerasal to all people. This can work, but often leaves a flat character. The more you want to fill in the blanks in a way that is genuine or authentic, the more you need to be familar with the territory the character comes from, or else risk ringing a false note and damaging your credibility with the reader.

- Anatole

Just off the top of my head, I can only recall reading one 1st person novel from the woman's perspective in the last few years. I didn't like it, but that had nothing to do with the POV and everything to do with the author's style. I doubt I'd pick up another book by this writer no matter what POV was used.

Other than that, I've never had trouble identifying with protagonists of either gender.

I am an extension of all my characters

Red, yellow, black, white, mixed, most currently, Mulatto, then Jew, Christian, Moslem, all of them are an extension of me.

To answer your question, I identify with every character I create be it male or female, first or third person, I come to know them like the back of my hand.
Once, someone said to me that people were going to think I was black because so many of my people are Negros so Spike Lee has nothing on me but skin color.
And as far as Moslem, I have the most wonderful character from Palestine that I adore who prays five times a day and I am a woman of Christian faith and originally from the Biblebelt South!

What is hard for me is to write without a speller...other than that I'm fine.

By the way, I think you do fine work, Maestrowork.

I did wonder if this would come up when I finished a novel in which the main character is a guy, but gay and also a bit effeminate. He never thinks of himself with that particular term or any equivalent pejorative, but he'd be the first to admit he's not a manly man. I didn't write him that way because I'm female, but because it was how he was. Still, I started questioning whether people would take that to mean I was unable to write convincing men.

So I made the protagonist of another work deliberately much more masculine. (Once the character took on his own personality, he stayed that way, thankfully.) Mostly to make sure I can stretch myself that way. Until it's sold, I'm the only person I have to prove myself to, but sometimes even that audience is a doozy.

Culture is, indeed, more of a struggle than masculine/feminine. Mostly in inserting opinions that are firmly not 21st century North America. I'm less sure I've got that one right yet than I am the gender thing.

Oddly enough, my current short (that I'm fighting with atm), and the novel WIP have protagonists as men.

I never actually gave it much thought, to be honest.

I tend to write my MCs as women, simply because, as a woman, I like to write about some of us having really cool adventures. It's been pointed out to me, however, that my male characters are very much "me", in that they tend to speak as I do, and have personality traits very like my own.

In my first manuscript, my Main Bad Guy was a real piece of work. He was completely amoral and offered no apologies or excuses for his own behavior. An acqqaintance of mine read the ms, and commented, "That Lt. Clarendon is really your inner sociopath, isnt' he?" And she was right.

I think it's easier for me to write a female character in the sense that I know what it's like to be female. On the other hand, I don't know what it's like to be black, Chinese, Christian, blind or a lesbian, and I've been able to write strong characters who fit into each of those little boxes as well. I guess I just focus more on the character's personality and what has shaped it, more than the actual gender of the person.

I don't have a preference for the protag's sex, or the sex of the author, but I do prefer stories written in 3rd person. The book I'm reading currently is in 1st, but I tend to drift more to 3rd.

My current MC is a man, but I write about women sometimes, too. They are all strong women, though. No wallflower types for me. Or, if they start out as wallflowers, they find their strength during the story.

Although the MC I am currently writing about is a teenage male, I have written a number of stories in which the MC is female.

What an interesting question!

I see it as a mix of psychology, observation, and an actor getting into character. When you watch an actor getting into character, they are often very convincing, even if they really can't quite understand the feelings of the person they portray. You just have to convince the reader, not yourself. So, I feel comfortable doing either. Then again, it may depened on the POV you are used to writing in.

I think a whole lotta fiction actually plays to people's in-built stereotypes, and the authors don't really give a hoot if "outsiders" can relate to the character. Books like that can be fun for the target audience, but if I'm not in said audience, it's probably becuase I can't identify with the MC.

If the authors intention is to "get" me to identify with the humanity in the main character (and if they do it well), then it doesn't matter if that character is male, female, black, gay, handicapped, or left-handed.

Personally, I think the line between "exclusive" and "inclusive" authors cuts perpendicular to the line between Genre and Literary. In other words, the same percentage of books that pander to stereotypes appear in both literary and genre, and those books aren't without merit (in fact I believe they actually sell a lot better).

But the books that invite you to "be somebody else" and that do it well, usually stick in your mind the rest of your life.

Hmmm… As a reader, I don’t know that I exactly identify with a character. I’ve heard some people say how they like to get into the character or project themselves into the character when reading a book - imagining themselves as the hero/heroine of the story. But I’m not one of those.

I would say the characters I enjoy best are the ones I can relate to. I’ve always regarded the characters in my favorite novels as interesting people I meet telling me about themselves. If the writer can show me aspects of them that I can relate to or understand and make them fascinating, then I am more liable to sit down and listen to what they have to say.

So for me, it doesn’t really matter if the character is male or female – as long as they’re in the hands of a skilled author. I’ll enjoy a fascinating woman telling me her story just as much as an interesting guy.

And 1st POV or 3rd POV – depends on the author and style and voice used.

I read a bit of the beginning of Bridget Jones Diary and I probably would read it - because I liked the author’s style. I can’t say I’d buy it, but if I came across it, and my massive backlog of books to be read didn’t exist, I’d definitely read it and think I’d enjoy it.

As far as writing: I’ve recently noticed that my writing has focused almost exclusively on male characters. I guess because that’s what I’m most familiar and comfortable with.

So now I’ve begun writing up female characters for inclusion in my story. I’m working on trying to make my female characters fully rounded out and believable. I can’t take a book where the female protag acts just like a guy but wears different clothes and that’s what I want to avoid.

If a writer shows me a woman – I want her to act like a woman – warts and all. And it's even better when the writer shows me something about women that I didn't know. (C'mon guys - we need all the help we can get!) Actually I think that's a part of any good book, regardless of gender, when you learn something new by the end.

Same for a male protag. I hate books where the hero is unrealistically able to do just about anything, no problem – like McGuyver. Or when the protag is so virtuous and free of any bad thoughts or negative human impulses. Sorry – totally can’t relate to that.

Male or female – make them believable and interesting and I’ll listen to their story…

As a reader? That question depends on the Genre. I'd say probably the male, although I find my own female characters very interesting in the re-reads.

Again, so much depends on the story and the writer. Romance is written almost entirely from the female POV, especially regarding inner dialogue. But I prefer romances that are strong on the male POV, or equally split, which is why I like Romantic Comedy over a typical romance.

I just think the whole male/female, masculine/feminine dynamic is a very weird issue.


When I was in my teens and twenties, gener-bending was the order of the day. My generation (or my subsection of it) was very interested in challenging the stereotypes. Most of the women I knew were regular guys in every way. They didn't wear make-up or subscribe to a princess fantasy. They took care of themselves and didn't see themselves as helplessly bound to the fate of marriage and/or children. Or even relationships for that matter. Many of the women I knew changed lovers like underwear and thought nothing of it.

The male side of that equation has always been squelched as much as possible. Girls can wear jeans any time they want, but very few boys have the balls to put on a skirt. Very few fathers wouldn't have a fatal coronary if they saw such a sight.

But I, and most of my peers, were sensitive guys, looking for comittment, worried when the communications broke down, able to sew buttons on our own clothing, do our own damn laundry, cook for ourselves, and wash our own dishes.

But whenever a tide of this kind sweeps over the nation, there is a forceful back-lash. We are in the midst of one right now. Hollywood just can't crank out enough princess fantasy movies to remind the girls that being sexy, stupid, and weak will get you everywhere in the complex world of supreme male domination.