Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Views On The Male Point Of View


Male POV From Keri Arthur


When I first told my husband I was doing an article on writing from a male point of view, he said, why bother? According to him, men are easy. There’s one layer, nothing fancy. What you see is what you get. What they say is what they mean. Unlike woman. He reckons we’re the ones that should come with a manual, and even then, he doubts if males will ever have a chance of understanding us.

Though basically put, his comments do sum up the male psyche in a couple of neat sentences. Generally, men aren’t complicated. Generally, they are what you see.

So, how can we, as women trying to write from a male point of view, achieve this without making our men sound like, well, women?

Here’s a few pointers I’ve dug up from a couple of very good articles.

1. Men are hunters.

–They prefer direct action to talk. They’re ‘doers’ as opposed to thinkers. A good example of this is the fact that few men read instructions–they’re a last resort, to be used only if all else fails.

–They’re rarely prepared to wait for any great length of time. Ever stood with your other half in a long bank or supermarket line?

–They like being in charge (or at least like thinking they’re in charge!)

–men have better detection of light and have better depth perception.

–they’re more visual while we’re more tactile. (which explains why they’re turned on by all those naked pictures, and we’re turned on by touch and smells.)

2.Men are problem solvers. They rarely-

–Ask for advice (especially from the women in their lives)

–admit to being wrong, or not knowing an answer. Ever heard an apology that wasn’t gruffly said?

–End sentences with questions. They’re not likely to say “this is a nice shirt, isn’t it?”

For more go to: http://bit.ly/15bBSx



A Woman Writing as a Man

You can’t write or act like a man, Laura Lee writes, just as a person.

I often see aspiring writers in various forums posting variants on this question: “How do you, as a female author, write from the male perspective?”

Speaking as a female author who has written a novel with two male central characters I will tell you this: you can’t.

Now let me explain.

When you are sitting in front of your computer thinking, “What would a man do in this situation?” you are already a step removed from the character. Your character is not a representative of mankind, thinking man thoughts in a manly way. He’s Paul, and there are many unique things about him. Yes, his maleness is one, but he has a lot of notable personality quirks, any one of which may be much more defining in the given situation. He is introspective, spiritual; he shuts down when his emotions get too much for him; he doesn’t like spicy foods, and so on.

For more go to: tp://bit.ly/rYowLa



This article excerpt by Lynn Rush came from Chuck Sambuchino’s Literary Agent Blog


Wasteland. is written in first person, male point of view.

You might be thinking, But you’re a chick, how can you write male point of view? I guess we’ll find out if you think I can write the male point of view effectively after my book releases, won’t we? ☺

But seriously, I didn’t go into it blindly. The key is research. That can come from daily living, reading, internet, people watching, etc. For me, it came from all of those and more.

I have a Master’s Degree in mental health therapy, and while I’m no longer using it in a clinical setting, what I learned through six years of school comes in handy when writing characters. I’ve taken classes on how to understand men—specifically marital classes, too. I love the concept of men looking through blue glasses whereas girls look through pink glasses. (Love and Respect)

But how do you write that? Here are a few things I kept in mind while writing Wasteland:

– I’ve read stats that women say 20,000 words per day compared to men speaking only 7,000 per day. Just because they’re not talking out loud, doesn’t mean things are silent inside. So, there’s a bit more introspection with male leads. Though, you need to make sure it comes in short bursts, but that’s a whole ‘nother post.

For more go here: http://bit.ly/oHcj


Rules From A Male Point Of View

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side. These are our rules! And please note ... these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl.

If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear

us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Birthdays, Valentines, and Anniversaries are not considered by us to be

opportunities to see if we can find the perfect present . . . . ..again!

1. Sometimes we are not thinking about you. Live with it.

1. Sunday = sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides.
Let it be.

1. Don't cut your hair. Ever. Long hair is always more attractive than

short hair. One of the big reasons guys fear getting married is that

married women always cut their hair, and by then you're stuck with her.

1. Ask for what you want. Subtle hints do not work!

Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. We don't remember dates. . . .Period!!

1. Most guys own three pairs of shoes - tops. What makes you think we'd be

any good at choosing which pair, out of thirty, would look good with your dress?

1. Yes, and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

To read more go to: http://bit.ly/rXpneI

If you'd like more articles like this, kindly leave a comment.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very helpful information, but also ending with a hilarious spoof. This truly a great site. Love it!
TJ

Anonymous said...

Oh, the male point of view is so funny.
Thorne Anderson

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