First Person Gender Bender

[scribbler1382]

There's been a lot of talk on AW lately about voice, tense and person. So I was wondering when 1st person past tense is used for a story, what impact does gender have for you? By this I mean, if the story is told in first person and the protag is a male, how does that impact the ladies' experience of reading it, and vice versa? Is this an issue at all?

[aadams73]

As a woman, I have to say that as long as the story sounds interesting, I'll pick the book up and read it regardless of the narrator's gender.

[cwfgal]

As a woman, I have to say that as long as the story sounds interesting, I'll pick the book up and read it regardless of the narrator's gender.

Ditto.

Beth

[veinglory]

Yep, if anything I have slight cross gender preference for male protags, but I'll read either.

[Jamesaritchie]

There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

[Bartel]

I can't say as I give much thought to the gender of a hero myself. As for using 1st person past tense... I'm not sure I've ever run into it, but I see how it could be interesting. I'd thgink it would mainly be used for the protagonist to tell the story sometime after the fact, to another character or to the "character" of the reader. Of course, someone will probably come along and prove me wrong now. :P

[veinglory]

Jim Butcher does a nice 1st person.

[azbikergirl]

There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.
Me too. I just finished Eleven On Top. :Thumbs: I really don't care what the sex of the protag is, as long as I find out relatively soon in the story.

[MadScientistMatt]

I recently read two of Gillian Roberts' Amanda Pepper mysteries, which are written in first person, and definitely enjoyed them. I doubt if the story was something I wanted to read that it would ever be a real problem.

[Saanen]

I agree with what other women have posted so far--it doesn't matter what the sex of the character is even in first person, as long as the character's appealing. In fact, I just finished reading a book with a male protag written in first, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I like writing in first person, but I must admit that I've never written first person from a male perspective. When I have male main characters I write in third. I hadn't realized that until just now. :)

[Jamesaritchie]

I can't say as I give much thought to the gender of a hero myself. As for using 1st person past tense... I'm not sure I've ever run into it, but I see how it could be interesting. I'd thgink it would mainly be used for the protagonist to tell the story sometime after the fact, to another character or to the "character" of the reader. Of course, someone will probably come along and prove me wrong now. :P

First person past tense is the norm. I'd say better than 99% of all first person novels are written in past tense.

[jackie106]

If I refused to read novels with a first-person male POV, I'd be missing out on a lot of great books!

I have not had a chance to read Janet Evanovich's latest because it is NEVER at the library and I am to cheap too buy hardcover.

Jackie

[azbikergirl]

I let my friends borrow it when I'm done, then take it to the used bookstore for credit. I end up getting back about half the price, but it's better than waiting! (I'm an Aries, what can I say?)

[aadams73]

There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

Sue Grafton also writes in female first. I adore Kinsey Milhone; she's sarcastic and clever, while Stephanie Plum is a bit of an idiot (although I do love the books).

[KTC]

I'll read either, but to tell you the truth I don't come across as many from a female perspective. Has anyone else noticed that? I suddenly find it odd? Do males prefer to write in this style more than women?

[mistri]

My book that I'm editing at the moment is written in first person/female. The next one will be in third, but first just seemed to work for this character and story.

[astonwest]

There don't seem to be many female first person protagonists out there to read, but the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich are first person female, and I love them.

As mentioned, Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone is another.
Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta is yet another.
I'm sure the list could be extended...

I read all of the above...so no gender impact here.

I have not had a chance to read Janet Evanovich's latest because it is NEVER at the library and I am to cheap too buy hardcover.

I usually search the bargain racks at the bookstores, and pick them up then (though it may take a bit for the newest ones to reach me). I'm too cheap to buy full-priced hardcover...

[Kasey Mackenzie]

Actually, there are a TON of books in first-person female perspective in the urban fantasy/paranormal "chick lit" genre which seems to be hugely popular right now. Right off the top of my head you have Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, C.E. Murphy (only one book published so far but more on the way), and Kelley Armstrong. I've read just about all the books of the first three authors, C.E.'s book, and just bought Rachel Caine's first three. I still need to try Kelley's books. So far, I've loved the ones I've read and they've helped with my own female first-person POV urban fantasy.

And I LOVE Jim Butcher's books! So those being in male don't bug me as a woman. =)

[Jamesaritchie]

Actually, there are a TON of books in first-person female perspective in the urban fantasy/paranormal "chick lit" genrewhich seems to be hugely popular right. Right off the top of my head you have Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, C.E. Murphy (only one book published so far but more on the way), and Kelley Armstrong. I've read the first four, C.E.'s book, and just bought Rachel Caine's first three. So far, I've loved them and they've helped with my own female first-person POV urban fantasy.

And I LOVE Jim Butcher's books! So those being in male don't bug me as a woman. =)

I'll have to look into some of those. Not my normal reading fare, but it's definitely worth a shot.

[Jamesaritchie]

Sue Grafton also writes in female first. I adore Kinsey Milhone; she's sarcastic and clever, while Stephanie Plum is a bit of an idiot (although I do love the books).

I've tried the Kinsey Milhone books, and just can't seem to get into them. It may be unfair, but I keep thinking, "If this gal were really out on the street, the first guy who met her would, at the very least, break her jaw and walk away laughing. Out on the street, a woman with Kinsey Milhone's mouth had better be carrying a badge, and have a big male partner as backup.

Stephanie Plum comes across as much more realistic to me.

[JerseyGirl1962]

As a woman, I don't care if it's first person male or female, as long as the character and story are interesting.

I have to admit I bought To the Nines on a whim; the bright orange color sucked me in for some reason. That was the first Stephanie Plum novel I read and enjoyed it immensely. Being a Jersey gal, and having a husband who works in Trenton, I laughed my butt off. Hooked, I bought the first one, but couldn't seem to find the 2nd one in paperback. Bah.

I'll probably pick the 2nd and 3rd at Amazon after I've read a few other books on my list. :)

~Nancy

[Niesta]

How about authors writing in a gender different from their own? That's what I thought this thread was going to be about before I read it. Can men effectively protray the female psyche and vice versa?

One of my favourite mystery series, Lindsey Davis's Roman mysteries, features a male 1st person protagonist (Marcus Didius Falco). I enjoy those a lot, and I don't know that I would be able to say "This was written by a woman" if I didn't already know that to be the case.

James Joyce, on the other hand, gets lots of praise for Molly Bloom's monologue at the end of Ulysses -- as he should, it's wonderful. But insight into the female psyche? If female=earth mother sexuality, sure, but I think most of us are more than that.

[sassandgroove]

Can I point out that objects have a gender, (Boats are female) and that people have a sex. Ok, I'll get off the soap box.

I've often wondered too how an author can write from another sexes pov, all my main characters are female. When I have a male, I find what I end up thinking about is how he sees the female, i.e., how i'd like to be seen, which in the end has little to do with the male. Yet it can be done, I've read them, I ust can bring to mind at the moment an example.

[icerose]

All of the books I have written have had leading female characters because I write what I am familiar with. I have a few story ideas where the main characters are male, I'll let you know how they turn out when I write them, but I find I have a tendency to write from the female side.

As for reading, I don't care either way. If the story is written well and intrigues me, makes no difference.

[James D. Macdonald]

We read (among many other reasons) to experience the Other. There are greater differences between me and some males than there are between me and some females. It's all part of being human.

[sassandgroove]

Well said. Of course, it's Uncle Jim. :)

[Jamesaritchie]

Can I point out that objects have a gender, (Boats are female) and that people have a sex. Ok, I'll get off the soap box.

I've often wondered too how an author can write from another sexes pov, all my main characters are female. When I have a male, I find what I end up thinking about is how he sees the female, i.e., how i'd like to be seen, which in the end has little to do with the male. Yet it can be done, I've read them, I ust can bring to mind at the moment an example.

People have gender, too. It's perfectly appropriate to apply the term to people, as well as to objects. And do any objects have a male gender?

The thing is, if you can't writer from the opposite sexes point of view, how do you handle secondary characters? Unless every main character in a novel is of the same sex, you have to be able to write from the opposite viewpoint. All the main characters in a novel have to be good.

I sometimes believe men writer better women characters, and women write better men characters, simply because we're too close to our own gender to be objective.

[rowriter]

I'll read anything; who the character is means more to me than their gender. I've read short stories assuming it was a female talking, when it was actually a male's viewpoint. Usually I have to start all over again...but it's worth it; it's something I definitely want defined in the first few paragraphs.

One book I've read, She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, is written first-person from a female's perspective, written by a man. I enjoyed it. I would be drawn to other books written in a perspective other than the sex of the person writing it, if I knew what they were...

Those Stephanie Plum novels pull you in, I just read the first one this weekend. I find her voice extremely unique and powerful. In fact, I read the second one last night (up till 3 finishing it), and this morning I couldn't get her voice out of my head...I couldn't get much done in the writing department today because I kept wanting to write first person in Jersey-style. (My WIP is third-person) I kept imagining the current man in my protag's life as Morelli, even though he's totally different from the character in my WIP. LOL.