Monday, May 2, 2011

Monday Musing

I was listening to "Ancient Aliens" on the History channel this morning when I had one of those "ah-ha" moments which still has me chuckling.

One of the narrators made the comment that people were just beginning to write, so why wouldn't they write down what they'd witnessed. In other words, if they said they saw flying ships, we should believe them. Now, I'm assuming here, but I suspect that men were the first writers and living in a world of men I know how their stories tend to exaggerate what happened. You know, why get in a fight with one man, when three will make you look bigger, stronger, smarter?

That's when my "ah-ha" moment struck and I could finally see the difference in gender writing. Men tend to allow their characters to get bigger and tougher than they need to be, while female writers stay small and on point. Our writing reflects our place in the world. A woman's world is smaller, more maternal. Will we fight for what we love? Of course, but we will probably be outwitting only one person instead going the Walker route of kicking the asses of multiple antagonists.

It's a small difference but it's there. I think women tend to write from where they live, while men are still playing explorer and expanding the boundaries of their worlds. Just some thoughts on a rainy Monday morning.

10 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

hum, although I think I generally agree with you, one of the reasons I haven't read a lot of Urban fantasy, which is mostly written by women, is because the female heroines are more kick-butt than most of their male counterparts in adventure fiction it seems.

sandra seamans said...

Yes, I thought about that, too, Charles. That younger women are now trying to be as kick-butt as their male counterparts :) In truth, I was thinking more along the lines of noir stories.

Clair D. said...

As one in the kick-butt-women camp, I' m going to comment here. There is certainly an expectation in fiction that women can't have it all. Men can be sexy, tough, smart and anything else the story needs them to be (Superman, Spiderman, or other superheros, for example). Women can be either smart OR good looking, they most certainly cannot be both. And women must get all mushy/ maternal and focus on protecting while men are allowed to be proactive and solve the problem that otherwise threatens their loved ones.

I like the men's world better. It's not helping me get published though... =p

sandra seamans said...

I know, Clair. Everyone complains when you use stereotypes but women are the most stereotyped characters in any genre.

Sarah Gran had a great article on her blog about the movie Sucker Punch that looks at this very thing. http://abbottgran.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/suckerpunch/

Women will always be looked on as being either maternal or the femme fatale and that's a sad commentary. Maybe if we keep writing women like Bo things will eventually change.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I see enormous differences between male and female writing. My husband tells me I am hopelessly gender-conscious.

sandra seamans said...

I see it mostly in noir writing, but it is obvious in all the genres and you don't have to be looking for it. When you've been reading long enough you can almost always tell if you're reading a male or female writer even if they're using initials :)

Thomas Pluck said...

I can't deny this. Though the novel I'm working on has a strong guy who can't fight and a woman who can. I try to temper the character. My strongman is irreparably damaged, scarred and shy.
I train in mixed martial arts. I know people who are good fighters in the ring and on the street. It always comes with a price. James Bond is a fiction, and while he's an accepted one... I can't write guys like that.
I have a novel in development with a smart (if naive in some ways) and beautiful woman who turns out to be the last person you want to mess with. I'm hoping she is believable. The every day guy who uses his common sense smarts to overcome the tyranny of evil men is written all the time... but would we accept a woman doing the same? I would. I know a lot of tough women.

sandra seamans said...

Welcome to the Corner, Thomas! I think the younger generation is more open to the change of a kick-ass woman than my generation. Women are strong, but not always in the same way as men. Your character sounds like a lot of fun. Have you tried writing the character into short stories to see how readers react to her?

Thomas Pluck said...

Not yet, Sandra. The novel is plotted and outlined but I need to flesh the characters. A story might be the best way to do it. That would make the book a prequel of sorts, because before she gets her revenge, she's just an average office Jane. I'm juggling a few story ideas and revising a novel so she'll have to wait.

Glad to be here. Spinetingler pointed me here because you've collected every crime fiction venue online in that well-researched sidebar of yours, and I enjoyed reading your posts.

sandra seamans said...

Flash and short stories are a great way to do character sketches, Thomas. I've taken quite a few flash characters and grown them into longer stories. Good luck with your writing!