Reading Suggestions Anyone?

[sleepwriter]

I'm looking for books that have one female and one male protagonist... I'm working on a story like this and I think it'd help my writing if I had some examples of how others have done it. I don't mind if romance is part of it but I'd rather it not be the main focus since I'm not writing a romance. It's more of an adventure fantasy. Thanks!

 

[Lovi]

There really isn't a difference to writing different genders, because the type of character you write defines what that character feels and notices and so on, not the gender. A noble lady will probably be more feminent than a female field worker, as well as a male butler or dress maker will be more aware of stylistic side of things than a male logger that lives in the woods most of the time. What you'd get from reading other works is just a couple of characters that you shouldn't copy, but rather study how their voices are different. But remember that it depends on their personalities over their genders.

That said, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson has a great female protagonist, as well as a great male protagonist. The Green Rider series also has a great female protagonist and a male protagonist, and both series are my favourite by far.

 

[sleepwriter]

I was thinking of reading less for character development and more for writing mechanics. For example how do different authors work point of view when dealing with two protagonists? I know what options I have for point of view, but it's nice to see examples of what works. That sort of thing.
And you're right that theoretically gender shouldn't matter. I've just noticed in life that often interaction between a man and woman is different from interaction in a similar situation between two men or two women, and I wanted to how or if other authors captured that element.
I'll definitely check out those series. Brandon Sanderson is my brother's favorite author so it's about time I gave some of his work a try anyway

 

[The Dark One]

I'm very proud of the fact that my books are frequently praised for the strength of my female characters and I have two suggestions for others when it comes to writing the other sex...

- make sure the character(s) does things that genuinely influence the plot
- put yourself into the character's head and approach the story from his/her perspective. In fact, do this for every character.

When it comes to crafting the story of two M/F protagonists, there are certain things that have to be dealt with...sexual tension, different approach to situations, different motivations and/or goals.

If sexual tension is part of your story, have fun with it. Make the readers really like both characters and be absolutely gagging for them to do it. Throw in a false alarm or two, before the action finally happens.

Make sure there are consequences for any sexual activity between the main characters. What does it mean for the plot?

Your readers will thank you if you cover all these bases.

 

[Cloud]

If you're looking at Sanderson, Elantris is a good example.

He does the whole book from three character POVs, cycling round in the same order again and again. Good guy - good gal - bad guy. It's not the best book ever, but it is a lot of fun and does a grand job of keeping the scheming in context from each perspective.

 

[kayd_mon]

I liked Mistborn, and by the end, I liked it a lot, but that's in spite of the fact that his two protagonists weren't really well-written. Reading his female main character leads you to believe that he's never actually spoken to a woman before, and his male main character can be insufferably annoying in how silly he can be. Read Sanderson for worldbuilding tips and grand story arcs, definitely not for things like dialogue or characterization.