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...do you find yourself mostly reading authors of your gender? How 'bout protagonists? Do you mind, are you easily able to look at the world through the eyes of the other gender?
As a reader...
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I don't even think about gender. If the book sounds good, I buy it. If it's written well, I read it all the way through.
I will say that I'm surprised, however, when I come across a superbly written male MC written by a female, or visa versa. Many times, I really don't pay attention to author when I begin reading. Just recently, I flipped to the cover to see who the author actually was and was shocked it was a female because the male MC was so very...male. It was beautifully written.
And that same author writes extraordinarily good female MCs as well.
I will say that I'm surprised, however, when I come across a superbly written male MC written by a female, or visa versa. Many times, I really don't pay attention to author when I begin reading. Just recently, I flipped to the cover to see who the author actually was and was shocked it was a female because the male MC was so very...male. It was beautifully written.
And that same author writes extraordinarily good female MCs as well.
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Interesting, thank you. I have to admit to leaning towards male authors, subconsciously. The novel I just finished is pretty heavy on the testosterone, but I think my female characters are strong. I hope!
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Don't care about gender. I don't pay attention to who the author is that much, actually, unless I finish the book and go "holy crap I need more of that" and then I go searching for all of the books by that author. I will say though that many of my favorite authors happen to be male...not many comic/ridic spec fic female authors out there, for some reason.
A good character is a good character and I'll get just as invested regardless if it's a he, she, or anthropomorphized dinosaur.
When writing a story, though, I will automatically tend to write the protag as female, unless I stop and consciously decide not to.
A good character is a good character and I'll get just as invested regardless if it's a he, she, or anthropomorphized dinosaur.
When writing a story, though, I will automatically tend to write the protag as female, unless I stop and consciously decide not to.
Couldn't care less, and half the time I don't even notice (the gender of the author, that is). Fundamentally, people are people. I see a bigger difference in the writing of people from different cultures than people of different genders (Ie., perceptive writers can create well developed characters of either gender, regardles of their own).
Nope. I don't think twice about the gender of the writer. If I like the summary on the back cover, I'll read it.
When it comes to authors, nope, I don't pay attention to sex/gender at all. I'm way more concerned about what's in the book 
With that in mind, depending on my mood, I may read books with specific sex/gender protagonists over others. For instance, if I want some romance, I'm more likely to end up with female leads; if I want action, I'm more likely to end up with male leads. This is thanks to the general trend in the genres. And as would make sense, if I want to read a lesbian story, I'm probably going to end up with a female protagonist. It doesn't matter to me what the sex or gender is over all, in terms of how well I enjoy the book, but I do prefer them in bursts and spurts.
With that in mind, depending on my mood, I may read books with specific sex/gender protagonists over others. For instance, if I want some romance, I'm more likely to end up with female leads; if I want action, I'm more likely to end up with male leads. This is thanks to the general trend in the genres. And as would make sense, if I want to read a lesbian story, I'm probably going to end up with a female protagonist. It doesn't matter to me what the sex or gender is over all, in terms of how well I enjoy the book, but I do prefer them in bursts and spurts.
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That's an interesting point. Are we talking about subcultures here, like Italian Americans trying to write about African Americans? Or, do you mean any American trying to write about say, Hungarians in Budapest?
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I'll read a novel written by either gender, but since I'm a woman, I find that novels written by men are useful because they help me understand how men see the world and what things they find important, which in turn helps me write from a male POV.
Most (close to all, ime) of the difference between two random people of different genders can be attributed to differences among individuals, not differences among genders. I've read female protagonists whose way of perceiving and interacting with the world was much like mine, and male protagonists whose were much unlike mine. Unless you believe in gender stereotypes, read books with poorly rendered characters, or read books on a very shallow level, this really doesn't even matter.
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Well, I hope none of the above. I only ask because the novel I just finished is set in the very male dominated world of boxing, and I hope that fact won't immediately turn off female readers ... or female lit agents for that matter.
I meant larger cultural groups--but it might apply to subgroups. For example, when someone from the US tries to write about another (very different) culture it tends to be obvious that they don't belong to that culture, even if they've done their research (A character might adhere to western values, for instance, when it's inappropriate or inaccurate to do so). I don't see this happen as much with opposite-gendered MCs (if they share the same culture as the author)--And I think this is because women and men really aren't as different as we like to think they are.
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I have favorite authors who are male, and others who are female. And some of my fave female authors write really good male MC's and vice versa. I don't really care whether the author is a man or a woman; or if the MC is male or female, as long as I am feeling something for the MC, and that the story is able to make me belive that this could happen - even if it is about aliens!
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Yeah, men want to believe that women are a lot different than we are. If not, then we're all in a whole lotta trouble! No, I hear ya. Thank you.
I went through an arrogant asshole phase until I was about 25 where I wouldn't read books by women, because everyone knows women can't be Very Serious Authors... Like I said, I was an asshole. I mean, I am still, but not in the same way.
I'm real glad I got over that, but it remains that many, many people, especially men, won't read books by women as they assume it's women's fiction/chick lit, which is why I'm pitching my decidedly non-women's fic/chick lit book under a gender-neutral pen-name.
I'm real glad I got over that, but it remains that many, many people, especially men, won't read books by women as they assume it's women's fiction/chick lit, which is why I'm pitching my decidedly non-women's fic/chick lit book under a gender-neutral pen-name.
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I read a lot of female writers. One I had to read a couple times was White Oleander, a decidedly female perspective book. I know it's not the best written, though I do think at times it was brilliant.
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I say this every time someone posts here with a similar fear: it's well documented that women are more than happy to read books about men and the male experience. The majority of the classics taught in school are such, we learn how to find something to relate to and be entertained reading such stories. It's men who find reading about women and the female experience that tends to be the problem.
The fact that it tends to be men asking these questions (though not always), is proof enough of this. Men tend to be worried about women reading work they've written starring men, because they know that they themselves wouldn't be as interested in reading about women.
You're fine. It's women who need to worry about this and our female characters and guys actually thinking that maybe there is something men can relate to.
(all sweeping generalisations of course, there are many men who do enjoy books by and about women, but they still aren't in the majority)
Just saw your bit about the boxing, which does bring up an interesting point--there are biological differences between the sexes, such as levels of testosterone, a male hormone linked to violence. I'm not likely to participate in boxing, having no personal tendencies towards violence, which could very well have something to do with having less testosterone in my system--but I have watched a fair-few boxing movies (though I've never read a book on it). Stories often transcend their setting, which allows for larger connectivity (ie. I don't watch real boxing, because that's supposed to hold my interest on its own and doesn't. Rocky has a lot more going for it).
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I wouldn't be turned off by a book in the "boxing setting" because of gender thingamajigs; I might be turned off because of an immediate concern that it would be just like every boxing and/or sports movie out there I've already seen, which seem to focus on a limited number of plotlines/archetypes and blah blah. I don't really like them unless they're wildly different somehow. I don't know if that's because I'm female or not, though.
Well, but En Fogg makes me think you are a) a half-cyborg steampunk watchmaker who is roughly 120 years old shut up in a belltower, b) a gnome alchemist, or c) a weretoad stripper-gigolo. I do develop certain prejudices, you know, even if you can avoid the gender issue.
Well, but En Fogg makes me think you are a) a half-cyborg steampunk watchmaker who is roughly 120 years old shut up in a belltower, b) a gnome alchemist, or c) a weretoad stripper-gigolo. I do develop certain prejudices, you know, even if you can avoid the gender issue.
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I mean, this is the point isn't it? Nothing is interesting until we understand it. Then, everything is. I think Rocky is a great movie because it's about a lot more than boxing- a loser at life who gets a freak chance to be a winner, if he can get past his self doubt. Adrian, in fact, has the same challenge in front of her. Raging Bull, I think the greatest fight film ever made, was really about a guy who thrived on hate, mostly self hate, and how that worked for him in the ring but destroyed his own life and everything around him outside the ring. My story has much to do with the kind of nature that it takes to prevail in the ring, and the toll that takes on a psyche, how it manifests itself in inappropriate ways in civilian life, like a soldier returning from war.
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