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An author's gender


FloFlo

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Not that it matters, just interested, but if you were to start reading a book without looking at who the author is, do you think you'd be able to know what their gender is by the style of writing? Do you think it makes a difference? Are you ever surprised?

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99% of what I read is crime novels and I have read some that comments on the old EB made me take notice of the authors sex and there is a style I read that I don't think I could say is particularly male nor female.


Off the top of my head I am not sure if there is any I would say is particularly a male or female 'voice'

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I don't really care what the author's gender is.


However I must say I've read quite a few books by female authors that are just awful, basic language, basic storylines and basic characters. Like as if us women can't handle anything a bit more complicated.

This could just be a coincidence though.

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Lucrezia Borgia

I don't really care what the author's gender is.


However I must say I've read quite a few books by female authors that are just awful, basic language, basic storylines and basic characters. Like as if us women can't handle anything a bit more complicated.

This could just be a coincidence though.

 

that's interesting - I'd probably say the opposite lol - many books by male authors are a bit one dimensional I find. I don't really want to criticise authors though because they've - YK - written a book, even if it is a bad one - something I can't manage!


IME male authors can't really get a female character right - their voice never seems authentic to me - they kind of write them how they might like a woman to sound - but we don't sound that way (IMO). Christos Tsiolkas is an example of that - his female characters are just....wrong. A notable exception is Michael Cunningham and his book The Hours - one of his female characters he just - nailed it. She was just me. I've probably never identified with a character as much as I have her. It was still undeniably a book written by a man though.

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I don't usually care what the author's gender is but it usually depends on what's being written about. I'll admit I can be a bit biased. If I'm reading a novel by a male author and there are characters who are female, I'll often think what would he know? As Lucrezia said above, a male author can never seem to get a female character right. Of course there are always exceptions.

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Given the long established practice of authors writing under a nom de plume; I’m not convinced that all that many people can guess what’s between their legs.

 

I've never really thought about it before but maybe the ability to truly disguise your gender to the reader is the sign of a good author.

 

Great points! Aside from certain topics (such as writing about the sexual assault of a woman) I guess it doesn't really matter what the gender is.

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What what contact I have had with authors they have mentioned sometimes 'my partner helped me with parts' or in the acknowledgements bit or dedication to people I have seen mentioned other people names that have helped them with their book/s so the authors name may be there but maybe a part of the book might be by a person of the opposite sex or by a doctor friend if a medical part, or a police partner if a crime bit type thing and the author was helped with the wording?

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I tend to read books where the protagonists are women, so I suspect that influences how I approach the writing style and that I assume the authors are also women.

Edited by jojonbeanie
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Susan StoHelit

I've never really thought about it before but maybe the ability to truly disguise your gender to the reader is the sign of a good author.


One of favourite authors, Robin Hobb, caused an argument with a friend about this. It was a first person male narrative and my (male) friend was convinced the author was a bloke because it was so well written. But I knew Robin had to be female, as I have never seen a male author capable of writing such decent female characters (like pp, they always seem off).

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Susan StoHelit

And true, seayork. One of my favourite authors currently is jay kristoff, who managed to pull of a bisexual female character. But he has co-written many projects with a female author in the past, and credits his wife with helping him write some of the smutty bits

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Oriental lily

I much prefer female authors ,especially in fantasy. Yet I love Stephen king who also writes fantasy . I currently read mostly memoirs ,especially about medical and mental health these days and enjoy experiences and people stories from both genders . But I agree I think ( massive generalisation ) woman tend to do better three dimensional layered characters .

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When I read 'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver, I assumed the author was male. I was SO impressed by how well he wrote the mother. I mean, women hardly talk about such things, never mind men, who usually write as though motherhood is some sacred amazing thing. I was blown away. And then I found out of course that she was a woman.

 

Came in to post exactly the same thing! So I think sometimes it is possible.

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I've never really thought about it before but maybe the ability to truly disguise your gender to the reader is the sign of a good author.


One of favourite authors, Robin Hobb, caused an argument with a friend about this. It was a first person male narrative and my (male) friend was convinced the author was a bloke because it was so well written. But I knew Robin had to be female, as I have never seen a male author capable of writing such decent female characters (like pp, they always seem off).

 

That's hilarious. Mr Robin Hobb is a great author, far better than that hack Megan Lindhold. Nobody reads short stories anyway.


:lol:

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it was so well written. But I knew Robin had to be female, as I have never seen a male author capable of writing such decent female characters (like pp, they always seem off).

 

And yet you are Susan StoHelit.


Maybe it's the style.of books I like but I I can't say I've really noticed who gets what and wrong gender wise. But I do enjoy an author who can take stereotypes of all kinds and play with them. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Jasper Fforde. I like that their strong female characters don't sound like many women. They are themselves and their ability to be true to their own character, rather than their sex, is what I enjoy.

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I do tend to choose female authors rather than male but its not exclusive - I also choose on interesting looking spine, title or cover and recommendations by others.


The one I am reading now I didn't even look at who the author was - was actually surprised it was a woman because the male lead character didn't seem to be at all painted by a woman (can't explain myself well there) and its not a genre that I read often (its a bit action-y)

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Susan StoHelit


it was so well written. But I knew Robin had to be female, as I have never seen a male author capable of writing such decent female characters (like pp, they always seem off).

 

And yet you are Susan StoHelit.

 

 

Sir Pterry is another rare exception, as all his characters are so well done. Slightly snarky school teacher who dresses in too much black- I may over identify! After Equal Rites, apparently he did have some people assume he was female (being named Terry didn’t help)


He still wouldn’t have written a character like Molly Nosebleed as a love interest.

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I can't say I ever notice really. Except that the cliches of women writing "Chick lit" and men writing "serious" books still seems to apply in a lot of cases.

Just realised that I read a lot of crime books and most of them are female authors. PD James, Patricia Cornwell, Ruth Rendell...

But then again I'd say that pd James and Ruth Rendell write like "women" in the sense of great characters and nuance,whereas Patricia Cornwell is rubbish. Crass, cheesy, violence for shock value, clunky, cliched characters...I like Ian Rankin, probably the only male crime reader I like, but then again his are a bit more "blokey".

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  • 4 weeks later...

But then again I'd say that pd James and Ruth Rendell write like "women" in the sense of great characters and nuance,whereas Patricia Cornwell is rubbish.

 

Cornwell started out good then went downhill - I think she had a health issue from memory and the style of her writing changed dramatically.


I was just chiming in to say I enjoy crime by female writers too!

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He’s one of the few who can. Terry Pratchett and Simon Green are the only two others who spring to mind.

 

I tend to read female authors but agree Simon Green is very good.

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RynandStompy

He’s one of the few who can. Terry Pratchett and Simon Green are the only two others who spring to mind.

 

I tend to read female authors but agree Simon Green is very good.

 

In the same genre I'd select Steve Brust. Also Jim Butcher. (for Calderon series). They're firmly male main protagonist, but they also have strong, capable female characters who aren't one dimensional and can write chapters from their female character view.


Also the writing partnership of Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. There's little way you could tell who wrote which sections or characters in their Liad universe.

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Most of my favorite fantasy writers are women, I don't know that i'd pick it just from the writing, if i generalize there can be some differences, but it's hardly guaranteed.

Often i find the sex parts in male written books are very focused on the visual aspects, while female authors are often more.. sensual i guess, exploring the feelings a bit more. Often men write more one dimensional female characters, and sometimes male characters too. But, sometimes i think female authors can write male characters a bit wrong too, not something i notice quite as often, but it has happened.

All that said, I enjoy most fantasy whoever the author.

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I think so yes. I find males and females write very differently, I like both for different reasons. Plus mostly the main character and author share the same gender... mostly anyways.

Males have a lot more facts, less descriptors, females have a lot more emotions and dialogue... generally :).

I mostly read female authors, and mostly read crime, or murder mystery with a little bit of supernatural/fantasy from time to time. Though I love Chris Hammer series, but its funny because he's main male character is just such a male.

I like The Dry, which is a female author with male main character..

Mhm. Interesting topic.

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Sancti-claws

ha ha the last three posts bring to mind a work colleague talking about her (MCP) husband who refused to read anything written by a woman. "All they do is describe the curtains - for pages" she quoted him as saying.

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