Pardon me for jumping in here. I don't have any qualifications whatsoever in writing (haven't produced a single novel). That stated, this thread's topic has definitely (for lack of a better word) bothered me.
I don't know the dynamics/emotions/thought processes that goes on within the female's mind. (I sometimes wonder if I know my own dynamics/emotions/thought processes. I seem to wing it most of the time.)
My current WIP requires me knowing the thought process of a 'typical' grade 12 female student (including her unique traits/characteristics/personality). I'm winging it right now. Mainly because I think a female student is just the same as a male student in that she'd think about grades and her boyfriend and her best friend. I'll probably include (by
mistake) typical stereotypes of high school girls. (i.e.
"Oh WOW! Bieber is so cute!" or "Teen magazine's out!
look at that hunk!" *rolls eyes*)
I mean, I can try to empathize what a girl would sound/do for any situation she finds herself in; but, as a male, I can never know what a girl really thinks/acts like.
No offense to anyone.
ew
PS: New here. I'm aspiring to be a sf/f writer.
You could read some back threads on this, but in general...
Give up on the idea of "the female's mind". There's as much variation within female minds as there is within male minds. Write your individual female character.
As an individual, you can never know what any other individual really thinks/acts like. But you can use your imagination to create realistic characters. You sound like you're comfortable doing this with male characters, but not female? I'd say you're overestimating the differences between the genders.
If you're wanting to write sf/f, you need to be able to put yourself into the minds of characters raised in the future, or in a world where magic is real, or into the mind of a non-human character. These are all big challenges compared to putting yourself into the mind of a character with a slightly different body type than yours.
