The Writer's Guide to a Good Story

Boys and Girls

If any of you have looked very carefully at my page, you'll probably notice that two of my stories are written from the perspective of a girl, while one is written from the point of view of a boy.

EDIT: Not anymore, because I deleted that story, but the point is that I have written from the perspective of a male before. 

I'll start off by saying this. It is NOT easy to write from the perspective of someone that you're not. I can very easily say that I'd have a more of a difficult time writing from the viewpoint of an adult male. 

This is because I'm a female (Hopefully some of you know that by now) and under the age of twenty. 

So. Boys, are you having a hard time writing from the point of view of a girl? Girls, are you having trouble writing from the perspective of a boy? Cam will help you, but only if you're willing to learn.

By willing to learn, I mean getting rid of all the previous stereotypes you've had of the opposite gender. Boys are not all hormonal, unemotional creatures that are uh, only looking to 'get it on', in a relationship.

Yes, spare me please. I don't feel comfortable saying the word 'sex'

But I'm getting off topic. Writing from a different perspective? Let's start with boys. 

Some tips:

1) Guys are not as detail-oriented. No offense, guys, but when you're looking at a girl, you're probably not going to focus as much on her BRAND of clothing. Maybe more her hair or, uh, other parts of her body.

So when you're writing from a guy's point of view, you may be less likely to say this:

"zomg that girl is so not fashionable. she's like, wearing a skirt that's SO last year."

Of course, some guys may have more taste in fashion than others. Heck, I know some guys that have more taste in fashion than I do. When it comes down to it, it really depends on your character. 

2) While a lot of guys are not exactly touchy-feely, they have more emotion than the rock in your backyard, okay? Guys can cry. Trust me, I have a brother. He's cried a lot. Over plenty of rather stupid things. 

In general, guys and girls may talk about their feelings in different ways. Girls may be more open to discuss their emotions than guys. A large part of this may be because it is more socially acceptable for girls to express their emotions/cry in public than it is for guys. 

Before you call me sexist for saying this, I'm not saying that all girls are more open to their emotions than guys, or that all girls are more emotionally intelligent. I say this as a girl who doesn't share my feelings and I'm not open to talk about my feelings with other people. It can go both ways. Again, it depends on your character. 

3) Do your research. As for me, like I said earlier, I have a brother. Sometimes all it takes is observing one simple conversation between him and his friends

Unfortunately, not all of you are lucky enough to have boys in your family. Yes, I'm talking to you, with sixteen sisters and five female cousins. In that case, I would observe how boys talk at your school, or simply notice things about your guy friends, if you have any friends that are boys.

Oh god, now I'm encouraging stalking. Sort of. 

Okay, moving on. Time to talk about how to write from a girl's point of view for the male writers. And yes, male writers do exist on here. There are more of them than you think. 

Anyway, writing from a girl's point of view. 

1)  Everyone is out for something.

Girls, just like guys, are usually not mean just to be mean. Maybe one of them has a problem with jealousy, or has a low self-esteem. Maybe, even, they're just full of themselves. Whatever the reason, a petty girl is rarely just a petty girl.

Often in movies or TV shows or whatever you'll encounter the "mean girl" trope that often makes no sense because the "mean girl" has no motivation what-so-ever. Avoid this. 

2) Girls ARE detail-oriented. Girls are more likely to notice when someone looks sleepy, or isn't wearing make-up. 

3) All girls are not overly emotional. While girls in general may handle their emotions differently than guys, we are not hormone-crazed monsters in the same way that guys are not sex-crazed machines. 

The MOST important thing to remember, though, is that both girls and guys are human. We have a lot more things in common than we do that are different. Don't overthink it. When it comes to personality, there are no huge changes you should make simply because of a character's biological gender. 

Some people may find it easier to write from the perspective of a certain gender, depending on their personality. For example, I typically tend to find it easier to write from the perspective of a girl because, well, I am one. I've lived my life as a girl and understand the specific aspects of it that are relevant to my gender better.

However, don't be afraid to branch out and write from a different perspective because you may get something "wrong". If you're writing about something that is specific to one gender, (like puberty), you can always ask people about their own experiences.