What Sex Do/Can You Write As?

[Ilias Nytrau]

Pretty sure [member="Tefka"] still thinks I'm a dude. It's okay, you keep on believing that.

I started out with a female character when I was about fifteen, but it didn't take long at all for me to start writing males, since then the majority of my characters have been male. Nowadays, it's about equal, but the males still get more focus. Don't know why this is, but it works for me. It's never really been a conscious decision - a lot of the time, these characters come to me and they are what they are.

The fact that they're one sex or another is inconsequential.

 

[Tefka]

I wonder if it is easier to write a dude as a woman than it is to write a woman as a dude.

 

[Danger Arceneau]

I wonder if it is easier to write a dude as a woman than it is to write a woman as a dude.

I guess it depends.

I just wrote male characters as I wanted to see a male character act. #Han Solo

A little bit cocky. Confident. Prone to quips and witty. A wildcard and with just enough mystery and intrigue at the edge of the otherside of the law. Isn't afraid to make the first move and while can be considered to be a jerk, he has a heart of gold.

TV Tropes helped me a lot

 

[Jsc]

I wonder if it is easier to write a dude as a woman than it is to write a woman as a dude.

Every writer I've ever known or read brings their own opinions, perceptions, experiences, and fantasies into their writing. Both about men and women. So I'd say it's a fair bet that what is *easier* is entirely based on the writer in question.

To note. As a sketch artist, charcoal, watercolor, oil, and Photoshop painter myself. Men and women are both just as easy to study, sculpt, and depict in art. And I'd even go so far as to draw that parallel with writing too. Men and women are both as *easy* to work with as color, light, and abstraction. Benefiting from both born talent, tempered skill, natural observation, life experiences, and a growing mind. A very human experience.

 

[Ellie Mors]

I have written both, I just find it easier to write women than men.

 

[Vaudin Miir]

I write aliens. They are best.

 

[Matsu Xiangu]

When I first started roleplaying, I wrote primarily female characters because I was just starting out and it was easier to connect.

The first time I tried writing a male character, it was alright but I was like 'eh, maybe I just can't write male characters'.

A few years later, someone needed a male character for an RP and I was good friends with them so I decided to help out. Now I've been writing that character - Lucas - for a few years and I love him more than almost all other characters I've written in the past.

I'm of the opinion that sometimes it's just like with anything else: you need the right character to hit your stride and understand that headspace. And truly, from experience, there's not THAT much of a difference. Sure, they're packing different equipment. Yes, their motivations MIGHT come from slightly different states of mind depending on the character.

And honestly, it seems like most places I go it's entirely acceptable for a female writer to play a male character, but there's something of a stigma surrounding male players that write females. Definitely not from everyone, or even a majority, but there seems to be a core on every board of people who are prepared to talk poodoo about guys writing ladies. Which is stupid because I've seen guys write more authentic women than a lot of women.

Basically what I'm saying is, GO FOR IT! And my biggest advice is this: if you can't connect, don't give up and say "I can't write a lady character." You may just need to try something else!

 

[Kamon Vondiranach]

I'm a guy. I write both. Whether I do well writing a woman or not is up for debate. I won't speculate.

 

[chrisgelderd]

Great points everyone. One of the things I want to try get right is, like you say, an authentic sounding and feeling character. It may be easier writing as the same sex because you feel you can interpret your own as you wish, but you don't want to create a female character you feel genuine but other female writers think you're taking liberties or not being accurate. I don't know who, if anyone, would feel like that here but you never know.

Of course you're not writing to please the opposite sex or your own in whatever interpretations you do, you're doing it for you and your own ideas.

I've got some ideas cooking away I hope to bring out next week, but this is all valuable ideas and views, and it makes a lot of sense.

 

[Tanith Alde]

Female Writer. I'm confidant about my female writing, not so with my male, hence why i made a few males to try it out

 

[Zaiden Dean]

I'm a dude. Most of ya knew it already. So no fanfare. Lol.

I write both. Have had...I think 4 women on site, none panned out due to poor planning not actual characters themselves. Honestly, my issue? Sexualizing women. I find it a typical thing that I describe in detail the curve of hips, bosom, etc. Hence why I stopped for now. Probably need to go at it again sometime soon...

The one I don't write? Aliens. Can't do it for some reason. Need to know I can make facial expressions etc. I think ima try my hand with a Herglic soon.

 

[Ryker Wylde]

Male writer. I suck at writing female Characters cause they all turn out raving horndogs that will hump just about anything.....Omg I'm such a Schutta!

 

[Ruby Wilded]

I have no explanation as to how I am able to write characters of the opposite gender. I just do. Started on the RP board of a gaming site. Funny enough on a Star Wars thread. And after that ended and some time its how I wound up here.

Now I don't consider myself by any means a 'good' writer. Often enough I use the same word to many time in a paragraph and it irks me. Heck, I have enough trouble cobbling together one post; only to feel it isn't good enough and delete it. A few times here I've felt proud of what I did. But more often I just have to concede that what I've done will have to do. Just to progress what I'm doing. Gender isn't an issue for me now I guess, cause I write how I want to, and how I feel I should.

TLR: I just do.

 

[Netherworld]

Like some have said, gender is pretty much inconsequential to a character when I make them. It's an afterthought, much like the color of their eyes or their hair, or what have you.

I mean, sure, you can go out and create a char who is particularly focused on their masculinity/femininity, but look around you for a moment and ask yourself, how many people like that do you know?
Building on that, just pick out some of your friends or acquaintances and strip away their gender. Would they still be the same? Would anything major change?

I approach a character in that same vein of thought. I even have characters that change their gender daily, or don't have one at all.

It's never been a big deal for me to write male and female characters, and lately I've been experimenting with the spectrum in-between. Just have fun and don't worry about it too much.

 

[Dune Rhur]

+1 to writing aliens! Especially ones who are basically born in test tubes. I've written female characters elsewhere as a male human-like creature. It's fun to do it, to try thinking as a woman might. It's sort of like same goal, different path, slightly. Women can be just as stubborn but tend to have greater empathy, which is interesting to write instead of just Rock Hard-pecs, stereotype male hero.

 

[Jareb Kaine]

I'm a male writer, and though I wouldn't consider my writing of either male or female characters amazing, I have a preference for writing females. I've roleplayed both, and I feel like I can develop a more intricate heroine than hero. I think it's because in most forms of media I find the female characters more interesting than the male ones. The only exception to that would be the scoundrel, wise cracking archetype. However I feel like the way I enjoy writing males limits me in ways that a female does not. I can be a lot more versatile with a female because it's more and more detached from who I actually am. With a male I put more of my personality into it which gives me less interesting options to work with. Maybe that's a boundary I'll try to break in the future.

 

[Rusty]

I think it's safe to say a fair bit of the stigma around the idea of males writing females comes from the fact that, in many cases, the female characters really are just fetish puppets. They represent an idealized version of femininity based around the notions of what the writer finds desirable. Though it could be argued that most characters are wish fulfillment of some sort, there's such a thing as taking it too far. Where that line between normal and indecorous lies will vary from site to site and situation to situation, but the one common theme is that the ones that cross it tend to be the lowest common denominators of the writing community.

We all know the type: arrogant, argumentative, typically substandard writers with breathtaking persecution complexes. They'll be the first to pull some shady ish in RP and then complain loudly and publicly when called out. They'll be the ones throwing out the "admin bias" card when told to knock it off, and if that won't get them their way, they'll sabotage the thread however possible.

They're also the most likely to write female characters as little more than sex objects. The sole purpose of 90% of their stories with female characters will either start with, be interrupted by, or end with sex, often lesbian.

If you didn't read that description and immediately think of at least one person you've encountered over your RP career, either you've been exceptionally fortunate, or you're that guy. Don't be that guy. That guy is why males writing females makes some people instinctively squick, regardless of the skill of the execution.

 

[Kiber_Thaxton]

So far, I have two male characters and two female characters on Chaos; I will be adding two more female characters in the next week or so - the first character I ever roleplayed was a female and I have gradually found I can write both male and female characters equally well.

 

[The Noble Scoundrel]

[member="Chris Gelderd"]

I've never tried writing females and I don't think I ever will. Every character I make has a piece of my soul hidden in him or it. I don't understand women as deeply as I do myself and don't wish to attempt to imitate them as such. I don't want to have a new guy on the board have to question whether or not I'm a guy or a girl behind a very convincing female character...like I did when I first joined.

Besides, I'm a guy. I'm way too dominating and aggressive. That's why I play violent video games: I have to KILL something virtual so I don't do it in real life!

XD

 

[WolfMortum]

While a dude irl, I can write both. The great thing about roleplaying is delving into what would be a mind not of your own, have the fun is figuring how they'd react rather than your own immediate reactions to reading.

So far I've only three characters, all male.