Male characters

[Finchbearer]

Well I’ve recently discovered something in my writing, and perhaps I have discovered this through this world I have built for myself, I have really been enjoying writing the male characters I have created!

Don’t tell my female characters…but maybe even more so than writing them

I’ve also bought myself a few classic fantasy books by male authors to read, not that I haven’t read any already by male authors, but I have The Name of the Wind and The Pillars of the Earth arriving soon. Any fans out there?

I suppose I’m making this post in the spirit of broadening horizons.

Have any of you broadened your horizons recently or found out something new about your own writing style or tastes? I think it’s always good to be open to change and development.

 

[Queshire]

Huh. Not what I expected from the thread title.

Hm, let's see... Well, I'm happy with where I'm at when it comes to world building and creating characters, but I've always been weak at coming up with plots to tie them all together. Too many options. I wind up with choice paralysis. I've managed to trick my brain however by pretty much imagining my protagonist at the end of their story time traveling back to the start. No idea why, but by making it history or backstory it's easier for me to settle on a plot.

 

[Finchbearer]

Sorry to disappoint Queshire

I mean feel free to talk about male characters, why you like writing them too.

Choice paralysis would be a good description of what I usually suffer with too, but with those choices I often go down different rabbit holes - hence my thread about writing male characters. I think I’ve at this point written more from the pov of my male character in my latest story than the females, and the women are meant to be the main characters…

 

[pmmg]

I dont think it matters if the thread is about men, it will become about women anyway I think maybe its title is a bit misleading though, maybe about broadening horizons.

For myself, I find I struggle with the males in my story, they are not as interesting to me as the females (sorry males). But they do get their screen time anyway.

One of the great tasks and joys of trying to write a dynamic world is all the research I have to do to try and get it right. I am slowly becoming well learned in many many topics. And so, getting broader just goes with the territory. And when it come to things of craft, I getting very close to expert on that. Along with getting broader though, I also learn my limitations, and the many things I dont know (Such as Japanese mythology to borrow from another thread.) But I am a very introspective sort. Somethings that have been surprising to me that I have learned are:

• Many things about craft and art. I am often surprised how the things I first imagined in my head do not actually make it to the page the way I imagined it. And that it is never bad, its just different.
• Many things about world building. Most recently about arid areas vs forested ones.
• Many things about cultures and items. I thought I would have a really cool scene where my MC made snow shoes, only to discover the culture they were modeled from did not have them....that changed a bit.
• Many things about ships, the eras of them, and the capabilities. This comes up a lot. I think one day I will do all us writers a favor and write a reference book for all things ships of the ages.
• Many things about good, dvil, and perspective.
• Many things about the other gender, mostly from friendships I have had here and other places.
• And in a hundred different ways, many things about what I believe and how stands up against so many others.

Its really an endless list, and it goes on the more I go.

And along with writing men, I am a little surprised at how frequently, I put them in the story as POV characters and the female characters kind of steal it from them. I know where my interest lies, but I did not think it would affect my male character scenes so intrusively. What can you do? Just got write what interests you.

 

[Finchbearer]

Yes maybe I clickbaited a bit without realising it…title should have been broadening horizons. But then again it was me talking about how I have found writing my most recent male characters really enjoyable and have found that to be an unexpected element in my writing so far.

 

[ThinkerX]

Ugh...

One of the things I realized about my older efforts was the overabundance of male characters. Changing a few of them from male to female is on the list for the rewrites when I get back to them. Already did that with 'Labyrinth: Journal.'

Coming up with credible roles for female characters in tales tending towards the militaristic can be a challenge. Especially in patriarchal societies. So is trying to write from a female POV. Men and women view the world differently, and keeping that in mind...well, I like to think I did a fair job with Tia and Rebecca from 'Empire,' but...

I did create a couple of minor female assassin types, but the one gets a literal two paragraph appearance in 'Empire: Estate' and the other is the POV character in a short story that might never see publication (though an earlier version is in one of the old 'Iron Pen' threads.) Francesca DuMars, a former commander of the Amazoni Legion, is a secondary character in both 'Empire: Estate' and 'Empire: Metropolis.' She be a regular warrior woman.


Currently, for 'Empire: Judgment,' I am fleshing out the character of a female spy/sorceress in a quasi-African culture. That is proving to be a challenge.

 

[Devor]

I've had a lot of fun writing the his and her sides of Smughitter. I have both a male and a female main character, and I'm trying to keep close to a 50/50 split between men and women. When it's his side, the noteworthy characters are more likely to be male, and when it's her side, the noteworthy characters are more likely to be women. I'm having a lot of fun writing both sides of the story.

I suppose I’m making this post in the spirit of broadening horizons.

Have any of you broadened your horizons recently or found out something new about your own writing style or tastes? I think it’s always good to be open to change and development.

To answer this question in a way that has nothing to do with gender...

Yeah, when I started writing I focused on what I thought I was good at - action and drama, really serious stuff. I had incredible stories laid out, but when it came to the writing, I found I was intimidated by my own stories. Just for example, the main character's mother had the terms of a multigenerational indentured servant contract tattooed to her back, which the MC was able to buy himself out of. You know, kind of heavy stuff.

But somewhere along the way I randomly started writing fan fiction, and I realized a lot of what I was missing: Fun, humor, banter, personal jabs. So I shoved aside my previous stories, and I built up a silly old idea I had about a sprite who uses magic to humiliate people. I pitted him against a sprite cop so I could have more action and banter, and I developed a backstory that packs a serious punch underneath all the fun. It's made the writing process more enjoyable and less intimidating.

 

[Mad Swede]

I've never had much trouble writing characters of the opposite sex, that seems to come fairly easily. Possibly that is because my stories tend to focus on the characters and their interactions as opposed to a complex plot. Which is not to say my plots are simple, the way the characters interact and develop tends to drive plot complexity more than I'd first realised. If anything I've learnt that writing is a dynamic process, even for someone as dyslexic as I am, the story and the plot tend to develop and deepen as I write.

 

[Righmath]

The Name of the Wind is my favourite book of all time. Pat Rothfuss inspired me to start writing my own book. Quothe is great as well, things got a little weird in A Wise Mans Fear, especially in the Eld with that sex fairy (I can't remember her name now!).

I've not seen many here mention it, but you're not alone!

 

[Finchbearer]

The Name of the Wind is my favourite book of all time. Pat Rothfuss inspired me to start writing my own book. Quothe is great as well, things got a little weird in A Wise Mans Fear, especially in the Eld with that sex fairy (I can't remember her name now!).

I've not seen many here mention it, but you're not alone!

I’m looking forward to reading it. I wanted to read some fantasy ‘classics’ and have heard of The Name of the Wind for a while so wanted to give it a go.

 

[R. R. Hunter]

Pillars of the Earth is so good, I even enjoyed hearing how Ken did his research into monasteries and masonry. Even played the game! Funny enough, the book is like a cheat code for the game. I tried playing Prior Philip as a nice guy and kept getting bad returns, played him like an uptight snob (just like the book), and all of the results turned out in my favor. Anywhoot. I'll go ahead and throw out my favorite book from a male author. Dan Simmons wrote the Hyperion Cantos. The first two books are INCREDIBLE sci-fi. But the last two books focus more on the relationship between a male and female character. Dan toys with "time debt" in his books, and it kind of adds a weird, icky feeling to the whole relationship thing, but it's ok for the most part.

For myself and my own writing, I haven't yet tried a full-blown perspective from a female character (thanks for slapping me in the face with that realization lol). But! I have made them more prominent than before. My original story idea for the book (completed the manuscript, now in the final phases of editing, woot!), it was just a boring Lord of the Rings ripoff. Standard basic fantasy plot: Orphan boy on farm discovers magical powers, hunted by evil forces, has to train, train some more, fights, wins, fights, loses, trains, triumphs over evil. soooooooooooooo boring! Well, I gender swapped the boy into a girl and now it's 10x better! Kidding, I changed the entire story format into a fantasy/mystery/thriller. I added more interesting characters (ok, ok, ok, all male, but!) and had them interact with the girl character. So, she's like a McGuffian. Ugh. I feel like I'm not really helping my case. I think it works beautifully now. I wouldn't have written it front-to-back if I didn't. I have more female characters in the book and they are pivotal to the story. I'm looking forward to the next book told from the POV of the female lead.

 

[Finchbearer]

Ah good to know cerealspiller, I’m looking forward to reading it. I got it second hand and it’s a good door stop of a book!

I think role reversal or gender reversal can change the entire perspective of a story, and you’ve got me thinking now. I think it could be a good strategy for taking myself outside of my own perspective, another good way to broaden horizons.

I always thought that I would gravitate towards writing female characters, but I’m not counting out the idea of writing a male mc now I’ve written some male characters that I’ve just really enjoyed writing about!

 

[R. R. Hunter]

I got it second hand and it’s a good door stop of a book!

*Gasping noise*

LoL. When I first started reading the Realm of the Elderlings series, I honestly thought Robin Hobb was a male author. I'm kinda dense though. She wrote an incredible, heart-wrenching novel with a male protagonist. A character-driven fantasy story instead of a fantasy-driven fantasy. Can't explain. Can't express how hard I cried reading that series, and I consider myself a pretty tough manly-man. And I'm dense. lol

 

[Finchbearer]

*Gasping noise*

LoL. When I first started reading the Realm of the Elderlings series, I honestly thought Robin Hobb was a male author. I'm kinda dense though. She wrote an incredible, heart-wrenching novel with a male protagonist. A character-driven fantasy story instead of a fantasy-driven fantasy. Can't explain. Can't express how hard I cried reading that series, and I consider myself a pretty tough manly-man. And I'm dense. lol

Oh haha, well I’ve definitely thought a female author was a male author for probably quite a few books, but women have often given themselves ambiguous pen names so they can get published / sell more books / get taken seriously as an author - George Eliot, JK Rowling but to name a few. I suppose Robin is a neutral name too and with a male mc you wouldn’t question it! I’ll check it out.

 

[R. R. Hunter]

Oh haha, well I’ve definitely thought a female author was a male author for probably quite a few books, but women have often given themselves ambiguous pen names so they can get published / sell more books / get taken seriously as an author - George Eliot, JK Rowling but to name a few. I suppose Robin is a neutral name too and with a male mc you wouldn’t question it! I’ll check it out.

I have yet to find a fantasy series that compares with RotE. It broke me, and I loved every minute of it. Fair warning. Fitz Chivalry goes through some crazy heck.

 

[The Dark One]

Pillars of the Earth is so good, I even enjoyed hearing how Ken did his research into monasteries and masonry.

Everyone's different, I guess, but I regard PotE as just about the most over-rated book ever. Started well but became sooo predictable. And how many times can you use a fire to bring on a crisis?

As for male or female characters (or any other characters), I've said this many times but it bears repeating. As long as a character has a genuine impact on the plot momentum, readers will barely notice their gender unless you have them say/do something completely wrong given the tone of your story.

I've often been complimented on the strength of my female characters but I have also, from time to time, had goodreads or Netgalley reviews which describe the female characters as "only there for the sexual gratification of the male MC". This is very annoying to read when a female MC is utterly crucial to the plot and has her own motivations. It's as though some readers are on a crusade to call out any male author who dares to write females who don't hit all the right notes according to the agenda du jour.

 

[Finchbearer]

Everyone's different, I guess, but I regard PotE as just about the most over-rated book ever. Started well but became sooo predictable. And how many times can you use a fire to bring on a crisis?

As for male or female characters (or any other characters), I've said this many times but it bears repeating. As long as a character has a genuine impact on the plot momentum, readers will barely notice their gender unless you have them say/do something completely wrong given the tone of your story.

I've often been complimented on the strength of my female characters but I have also, from time to time, had goodreads or Netgalley reviews which describe the female characters as "only there for the sexual gratification of the male MC". This is very annoying to read when a female MC is utterly crucial to the plot and has her own motivations. It's as though some readers are on a crusade to call out any male author who dares to write females who don't hit all the right notes according to the agenda du jour.

Will be an interesting read then for sure!

 

[Demesnedenoir]

I'll stick Name of the Wind right there for the most over-rated... And Anything Harry Potter, but at least I was way out of the target audience for Potter by the time those came out. NotW I had great hopes for, and despite trying to read it several times, I just can't. But! That's the beauty of personal opinions, they run the gamut. In fairness, I have tried to reread many books I read when young and loved (Sword of Shannara, cough cough) that do not hold up to my current standards. I actively resist going back to read most everything I loved in my teens and pre-English Lit days.

Everyone's different, I guess, but I regard PotE as just about the most over-rated book ever. Started well but became sooo predictable. And how many times can you use a fire to bring on a crisis?

As for male or female characters (or any other characters), I've said this many times but it bears repeating. As long as a character has a genuine impact on the plot momentum, readers will barely notice their gender unless you have them say/do something completely wrong given the tone of your story.

I've often been complimented on the strength of my female characters but I have also, from time to time, had goodreads or Netgalley reviews which describe the female characters as "only there for the sexual gratification of the male MC". This is very annoying to read when a female MC is utterly crucial to the plot and has her own motivations. It's as though some readers are on a crusade to call out any male author who dares to write females who don't hit all the right notes according to the agenda du jour.

 

[Finchbearer]

I think Harry Potter is only overrated now because of how much it’s been flogged. The book came out when I was ten, so maybe 2000 or 2001, so I read the first book and enjoyed it, but then she just kept writing, and then the films came out, and then the franchise, and even historic places and landmarks here in the UK have been snided by HP, like walking down an amazingly preserved medieval street in my local city has been turned into Diagon Alley, complete with Harry Potter themed shop…everyone can be a wizard nowadays…

 

[Queshire]

Harry Potter was a big part of my childhood, but I was disappointed in the seventh book. The movies had started coming out by that point and it really felt like the seventh book was written to be a good movie more than a good book. All the stuff in the setting after the books never really interested me that much, and maybe this is just my 'MURICAN pride acting up but the world building I've seen around her version of the USA's Wizarding World vexes me.

It has been interesting seeing it analyzed and all the sort of flaws I didn't notice as a baby Que pointed out.