Good writers can write like either gender. There are differences between the way men express themselves through writing/dialogue and the way women express themselves. It is good that we have these variations and, I am sure, we remember the differences exist between person-to-person as well. So why am I bringing up male/female writers? Because, according to things I have seen, and read, there are differences.
Men are getting published, and reviewed, more often. They just are, there have been studies. Some say this is clearly a gender bias because women aren't getting fairly represented. By the same side of the coin, women don't seem to submit as much as men do. So, based on that, how accurate is it? Well, I suppose it still leaves something to be desired but it is still troubling. Reviewers have their choice of books to review (most of the time) so they are still CHOOSING to profile men. I know, less books by women is less choice but still, not enough of a disparity to discount the difference. It isn't like certain months have novels ONLY by men coming out.
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Men don't tend to write romance, which is a shame. I would love to see real romance from the male view. Men find love and relationships every single day and aren't just sitting at home watching the game in their boxers. People have misconceptions that flowers and hearts and whatnot is a "woman's" passion. I think if my husband sent me flowery pink things all the time I would set them ablaze; he knows it, doesn't do it, and I love him for it. Men not being in touch with who they are is WAY past antiquated. So, go on fellas!
Men also get less attention (though this is changing) when it comes to being a "sexy writer".
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Oddly, when you think about series that get a lot (or too much) attention, you hear about women. I am not saying some men aren't wildly successful (oh, to have dinner with Mr. King and his talented wife, Tabitha!) but it is how it seems. Name the last few series people have gone so ga-ga over. Harry Potter, Hunger Games, and Twilight are the ones I think of most readily. And, trust me, I don't want to think about Twilight any more than I have to!
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What other differences do you see?
You bring up some points to ponder. Indeed, it seems like men do get more reviews, but I think in the future it will change. Women are now overpopulating men in the world, and that is based on some facts. The problem is that men still traditionally go out to work while so many women are still traditionally stuck at home (and by the way the stay at home Moms have the toughest and most important job, and they don't even get enough credit for it). So, maybe less women are submitting because they are actually busy with life and their children. also, what still happens in most parts of the world, even still in the US, is that men and women may both go out and work but women are still expected to clean house and cook while many males just kick back. Sure some of these men might occasionally help, but women are still expected to do both jobs and have to be superwomen. So, many male writers who have women supporting them are able to put out their books quicker and may have more time for editing. These are just some of my thoughts, but I think that I've seen this enough in watching the people around me and in society. Also, for some odd reason, people just get attracted to the action or to the male-oriented books and sometimes race for these male writers (both males and females). What is really nice is when women break the mold and don't write romance; they actually write very hip suspense-thrillers or mysteries. There are some very successful female writers out there, but they have probably had to struggle harder to reach the top than their male counterparts. We still live in a male-dominated world that is supported by not only men but women as well. Anyway, I think more and more women are getting educated, are working, are writing and are actually get out there. I'm sure in the future there will be more women writers reviewed and doing the reviewing. Take care!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about the home-maker angle. It could explain some since most people still want the work of the house to fall on women. I haven't considered how THAT part of an antiquated belief would work on thorugh. I thought about publishing as a boys' club maybe... but not the sheer time and expectation factor...
DeleteI think men get that sappy stereotype when they write romance. But look at Nic Sparks... he does it well, tho I'd say many men would not want to be known for his stories. Men definitely see romance differently than we do. I've always found chemistry to be more appealing than romance anyway.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that men get more reviews... it seems to be a book market saturated with female writers, so maybe that's why. When a male writer pops up, pubbers nab him. lol
I suppose asking cultural norms to change is expecting a bit much for the male writer of romance.
DeleteEven with the market being saturated, the numbers difference for a lot of the reviews is almost scary. It could be possible men are more of a novelty... hard to tell.
I think the trends are changing in favor of woman writers. When I was in high school, I think 99 percent of all the books assigned in my classes were written by men. Shortly after I graduated I discovered all these books written by women and I was like wait..these books are amazing. Why weren't we reading any of these? I hope the trend keeps changing. I also think it's hard for women to write male pov and for males to write pov but there are authors that are incredible at it. I couldn't believe Water for Elephants was written by a woman because it just sounded so.. male. I would love to have that kind of ability.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I am very good at writing from the male perspective, either. It is hard because we have all this outside knowledge and nothing that lets us write intimate/close.
DeleteThere are articles about how females will phrase something one way (generally with more words) and males will put it another.