Male/Female Char. Writing style

[FatCat]

Hey guys!
So i'm currently working on something that has a Female and a Male MC, and I was flirting with the idea to try and adjust my writing style for each gender. For example using short and brisk sentences with less "flow" to them for the male writing, and then using more alliteration and longer, almost poetic (not sure if that is exactly the word i'm looking for here), for the female. Has anyone tried this, does it even make sense or a difference? I'm kinda worried that 1: I won't be able to pull it off effectively, and i'll waste time by ending up with a slight difference, and 2: that it will just seem awkward to the reader.

 

[Jess A]

Are you switching POVs and are they first person? i.e. chapter 1 - male. Chapter 2 - female. Both first person.

 

[FatCat]

Are you switching POVs and are they first person? i.e. chapter 1 - male. Chapter 2 - female. Both first person.

Sorry, should have included that. I'm more comfortable writing in third person, so I'm leaning more to that. I guess I'm talking about word structure and flow, not actual dialogue if that makes any sense

 

[Jess A]

My first instinct is to tell you to stick to the same writing style. As a reader, that would be my strong preference. If you were doing first person and switching the point of view, then I would be more accepting of slightly different writing styles (not including dialogue as you say). But that is just one person's humble opinion.

But as people reflect on their surroundings in ways other than dialogue (reactions, emotions, actions, show don't tell etc), and if you are getting right into the MC's head even in third person, then you could possibly do it in a smooth way. I.e. the female MC goes to the marketplace and she notices and reacts to a lot of things, whereas the male strides through and there is just that bare mention of the marketplace and its contents. A poor example, I'm afraid.

If you can provide two paragraphs as an example, it may help me better explain or understand. If you care to share

 

[FatCat]

For example a scene where the character enters a room:

(Female)- Ellexis swung the door open and was greeted by the smell of baking bread. A shaft of sunlight swept through the room from a small window, its green drapes casting the space in its soft hue.

(Male)-Alex entered the room, the scent of fresh bread hung in the air. A small window lit the room with sunlight, reflecting against the dust that permeated the air.

I guess I'm looking at it as the small differences that set the ambiance of the chapter/character. These are two identical sentences for the most part, yet slightly altered to give off a certain vibe.

 

[Jared]

Sorry, should have included that. I'm more comfortable writing in third person, so I'm leaning more to that. I guess I'm talking about word structure and flow, not actual dialogue if that makes any sense

Are you varying word choice and narration notes? What they notice, what they compare things to (sports, fashion, hobbies, card games, alcohol choices, etc), whether they sympathetize with people or try to thing of solutions first, whether they link things with emotions, if they notice things that are out of place, whether certain things would look good somewhere else?

These things should vary with the POV character in a close third person.

 

[FireBird]

You shouldn't write differently because one character is male and the other is female. Assuming that women think differently than men do because of their sex is false. If your female happens to be more observant and your male happens to be more focused than that is fine. Writing like that is a good idea because it varies your POV styles. Just don't do it only on the basis of their sex. I say this because what happens when you have three male and three female POVs? People are who they are no matter what gender they may happen to be.

 

[FatCat]

Are you varying word choice and narration notes? What they notice, what they compare things to (sports, fashion, hobbies, card games, alcohol choices, etc), whether they sympathetize with people or try to thing of solutions first, whether they link things with emotions, if they notice things that are out of place, whether certain things would look good somewhere else?

These things should vary with the POV character in a close third person.

Well its not what you're describing, because that's character personality like you're saying. It's more of how the events are being described. I'm probably not explaining this well because I don't have a firm grasp on the idea completely myself, I guess I'm just kind of musing. I'm thinking more of the style in which these things about the characters are written and read.

And yes, each chapter will be focused on only one of the main characters, not an omnipotent third person mixing their thoughts in the same chapter.

 

[Jian]

I try a similar thing, but I have particular difficulty writing my female protagonist. Not because she's female, but her personality is simply hard to emulate properly. First character I've had that's completely opposite to me. xD

I find that it would make more sense if there was difference between your characters, but you should be careful to make sure you do the same thing for every one of your characters. Otherwise, it'll seem like you really do believe women think differently. Which they do. Not one of us thinks completely alike, and I'm assuming you'll give them very different personalities since it's boring if they have the exact same persona.

I got a little sidetracked there. Anyways, a few times, I've caught myself describing the things around me, and considering your characters are describing things around them as well, it figures that their descriptions would differ. So, very well done.

 

[Feo Takahari]

Well, you'd definitely vary styles between an uneducated farmer and an unworldly aristocrat, right? If there are slight differences between your characters, write slight differences in their styles. As Firebird said, though, you don't need to make it about male and female, just about how these specific characters think (and, possibly, what they do or don't know about--maybe one uses very technical terms, but only when describing a field she's an expert in.)

 

[FatCat]

Thanks everyone, still trying to wrap my head around this whole concept, the input you guys have been giving is really helping to turn the gears in my brain. I think what I'm getting at is how to develop a masculine/feminine prose, outside of the actual character personalities themselves; the characters are different, not because of their gender, but as you guys have pointed out, everyone is unique. For example my female MC is an academic, and would then logically have a larger vocabulary and a slightly more refined dialogue, but these things can be reflected through that dialogue. What I'm thinking is when writing her chapters, I would use more alliteration and focus on verbally appealing word/sentence structure when telling her story. Bah! This is what I get for drinking coffee late at night, a rambling insomniac takes control of my mind I'm starting to think I'm over-complicating things, someone slap me!

 

[FireBird]

Ok right now you are simply worrying too much. Write it first and then worry afterword. Theres no rush.

 

[Lorna]

Who's to say women are alway more poetic than men?

If your male MC's a soldier and your female MC's a poet that's fine.

If this isn't the case I'd give some serious thought to your characters, their backgrounds and ways of thinking before going any further.

 

[FatCat]

Who's to say women are alway more poetic than men?

If your male MC's a soldier and your female MC's a poet that's fine.

If this isn't the case I'd give some serious thought to your characters, their backgrounds and ways of thinking before going any further.

I understand what you're saying, and I agree. The female MC is an academic sort, and the male MC is a....freelance adventurer for lack of a better term. So I would think a poetic style would go well for the female and a more brisk sentence structure for the male, not saying that all male/females would automatically fall within this mindset.

-Firebird, wise words

 

[Jared]

You posted this while I was writing my last response, so missed it. Sorry.

For example a scene where the character enters a room:

(Female)- Ellexis swung the door open and was greeted by the smell of baking bread. A shaft of sunlight swept through the room from a small window, its green drapes casting the space in its soft hue.

(Male)-Alex entered the room, the scent of fresh bread hung in the air. A small window lit the room with sunlight, reflecting against the dust that permeated the air.

I guess I'm looking at it as the small differences that set the ambiance of the chapter/character. These are two identical sentences for the most part, yet slightly altered to give off a certain vibe.

You said that FMC is an academic, but not what discipline, and more refined and poetic. If you detailed the MMC, I didn't catch it. I think changing the description is good, but I would suggest making the changes a little more personal if you can.

For FMC: Instead of saying she was greeted by the smell of baking bread, maybe say that the room smelled that little bakery across from her department, but without the cozy feel. In the second sentence, if she's focusing on the sunlight, mention the green drapes as what subdued the yellow warmth she expected. Also, I would suggest mentioning the dust for her. If she's looking at the sunlight, wouldn't she notice the sparkling motes in the air?

For MMC: Have the smell remind him of having missed breakfast. Since the room's dusty, maybe have him think of the room as a Wonderbread bag: stuffy with a hint of bread. For the dust, if he is less poetic and gruffer, maybe have him sneeze. You can mention the window by noting that it didn't let in enough light for him to see everything clearly.


Anyways, those are suggestions. Also play with changing what exactly they would notice. Like how the MMC didn't mention the drapes. Maybe have one notice what the floor's made of (by way of their shoes clicking off of it?). Don't just focus on changing the description, but also what is described.

 

[Zero Angel]

I think you just need to find the voice of the characters. Once you find it, write the story like they would be writing.

Yes changing writing styles depending on what character you are doing has been done before.

I do this in some short stories I have written, but I find it too exhausting to do in full-length novels.

...at least so far. I might change my mind in my next novel.

 

[Steerpike]

I think there is a of good advice in the thread. I like what Zero Angel says, above, about finding the character's voice. It doesn't matter what the character's gender is, or even so much what occupation they are engaged in (though I suppose you can make an argument for education level). There's nothing wrong with bucking expectations and having a mercenary who is a bit of a poet at heart, for example.

If your vision of these characters is as you described above, I would go ahead and write their POVs in the way you are attempting now. Once it is done, you can determine whether it was effective or not. As with many questions of writing, it is only after you've attempted it that you can judge whether it was a success.

 

[Penpilot]

Your POV character colors your prose. Here's a link to a thread with my post on description. I think it applies here. http://mythicscribes.com/forums/writing-questions/4016-speaking-describing.html#post50273

 

[FatCat]

Your POV character colors your prose. Here's a link to a thread with my post on description. I think it applies here. http://mythicscribes.com/forums/writing-questions/4016-speaking-describing.html#post50273

Yes! Your post from the link was extremely helpful, and I think I'm getting a better idea of how I want to approach this. Thanks to everyone who replied, talking this through really helped me.

 

[Jess A]

Sorry - I have been away from the site for some time - I didn't forget as such

Jared said what I wanted to say much better than I did. Little actions and considerations will separate the characters. Not because of their gender as such, but because of their personality and context (etc). I've nothing else to add at this stage. I'd like to see a couple of chapters when you get around to it!