Women readers of adult fiction--question

[aaronbstarr]

This is a great thread.

When I was first imagining my latest fantasy novel, I always knew the character would be female.  But when I started to write it, I tried very hard to get the feminine perspective right.  Few things are more painful to read than gender-crossed authorship gone wrong, especially when dealing with romantic or sexual issues.  My main character's growing attraction to the male lead was something that had to feel real.  Like an actor, writers have to get inside their character's heads, and feeling squeamish about it will force you to fall back on caricature and stereotypes.  I've often considered marketing this novel under a gender-neutral pseudonym, to see if the author's gender makes a difference in how it is received.

[Duff]

SB, I'd love a book like the one you're describing.

I don't think too much about the protagonist. I like the sentences to entertain me.

[Sandbox]

Thanks Duff!

[RalucaB]

Does it sound horrible if I say I always gravitate towards male authors? In fact, I can usually tell from the title/cover of a book if it's written by a man or woman.

It's because many female authors (at least from what I've read) follow the same stereotypes. They make such a big deal out of break ups and romantic relationships. I'd rather focus on action, plot, and character. Many of these romances feel contrived to me, with no real substance. Real people aren't perfect. They fight. And they don't find the other "cute" as they're arguing. I think men are better at portraying relationships realistically. Not every male character in the story is going to stare open-mouthed at the female protag and think, "Wow, she's so gutsy! I like that!" More likely, they think, "I hate women who talk. I feel emasculated."

But these are just stereotypes. If a female author avoids using the word "perfect" to describe a character or relationship, she sounds like any male author to me. I try to break a lot of these "woman book" stereotypes in my story, but I'm not sure how well I'm faring. I'd love to find more books like J.K Rowling's that make me think, "Is this written by a man or woman? All characters/relationships are portrayed so realistically that I can't tell!"

[jfinley]

Gender of the protagonist doesn't matter to me at all.  I'll admit that I don't read much literary fiction so I can't speak to the male/female dynamic that seems to go on there, according to the more knowledgeable folks on this thread.  But I do read a lot of historical and fantasy fiction, and there I've found great stories with both male and female protagonists, regardless of whether the author was a man or a woman.