Male or Female...and Why?

[Lobo De la Sombra]

Looking through some of the most recent posts here on the forum (and yes, I do look at all of them), I came up with yet another of my strange questions for writers.  Do you prefer to write using male or female characters, and why?  For myself, I prefer to use female characters.  My main characters are usually female for the simple reason that I'm not.  My stories come from my imagination, and, personally, I prefer to imagine women in bondage.  The other reason is the challenge.  Being a guy, I'm fairly well familiar with the male thought process, how a guy might act or react in a given situation.  But if I can create a believable female character, describe her actions, thoughts and feelings in a way other people, especially women, can find realistic and believable, then I feel I've definitely accomplished something.  So, which do you prefer, why, and have you ever considered trying a story from the other side of the gender divide?  Any and all thoughts welcome.

[Daffy Duck]

Hi Lobo,

An interesting question.

Most of my stories have a male central character called Daffy (Boring !  Its me !).

But I also like trying to write stories with multiple characters, i.e. from both a submissive male and a dominant female perspective, so hopefully, the reader understands the feelings of both.

I have also written a small percentage of stories with a female character lead. As a male writer, I worry if I understand a female perspective enough to do this credit.

Whether I succeed or not, I leave this up to the views of my fans and critics.

But I do feel we writers should write more female friendly stories to hopefully appeal to the needs and desires of the fairer sex. This website has predominately male writers and male readers, with a few notable exceptions. If we want to encourage women in this interest, then we need to do more for their enjoyment.  Says submissive slave, Daffy!

[Lobo De la Sombra]

Hey Daffy,

Thanks for your comments.  I can fully understand your worries when it comes to writing a female character.  It is a challenge, one I constantly hope I'm equal to.  I've always said, if there's one thing a man can know for sure about women, it's that he'll never know for sure about women.  Hence the challenge.

As to the part about boring, I'd venture to guess there are some readers here who would happily dispute that description.

[Daffy Duck]

Cheers Lobo for your kind comments.

I wish all writers well in this endeavour.

[loras pa6]

I've written from both male and female, as well as submissive and dominant, perspectives. Sometimes within the same story

For me it more depends on the story length and intended narrative.

For my longer stories I try to get the story from both (or all three) sides as it tends to paint a fuller picture. Occasionally adding narrative from a secondary charachter's perspective.

My shorter stories I decide which character has the most important narrative and try to focus strictly on that person unless the secondary character's view is needed to add to reader's understanding of events outside the primary narrator's awareness.

[Lobo De la Sombra]

Thanks for your comments, Loras.  Multiple perspectives can add greatly to the complexities of writing a story.  At the same time, as you said, they help create a fuller, more vibrant image of the world you're creating with your words.  The story can make the character just as much as the character makes the story.

[64Fordman]

Great question Lobo. I mostly write from the female POV. Weather male or female, my POV character is always the submissive. I think that comes from a desire to make sure everyone is getting what they want. A lot easier to do in fiction than real life.

[ElectroPainLover]

Hey Lobo,

Great Question! I pretty much mirror you as to why I mainly write with a female protagonist. Being male, I enjoy imagining female's in bondage and the predicaments they may find themselves in while bound. My mind is not wired to picture other (than myself) men in bondage. I will be writing about some of my mishaps soon but, it is difficult for me write about men.

But I do feel we writers should write more female friendly stories to hopefully appeal to the needs and desires of the fairer sex. This website has predominately male writers and male readers, with a few notable exceptions. If we want to encourage women in this interest, then we need to do more for their enjoyment.  Says submissive slave, Daffy!

Great point Daffy! I will try to write some stories which will help; as you say, and I fully believe "the fairer sex"; pen some stories with their interests (and wishes) in mind, and try to set aside my bias. As I thought about your statement, I thought I could view it from what I would like to have happen to me and write my desires as a story.

EPL

[Daffy Duck]

Hi EPL,

As a mere willing slave, I'll do anything thing to please a woman.....    Thanks for supporting 'the cause'.

Hi Loras,

Also some excellent points. I agree. In a shorter story, I tend to stick to one POV, but in a more complex and longer story, I can have multiple POVs.

Daffy

[loras pa6]

My mind is not wired to picture other (than myself) men in bondage. I will be writing about some of my mishaps soon but, it is difficult for me write about men.

I tend to think of my male submissive characters as aspects of myself, and indeed some share my background. Perhaps this would help you past that way of thinking EPL

[ElectroPainLover]

I tend to think of my male submissive characters as aspects of myself, and indeed some share my background. Perhaps this would help you past that way of thinking EPL

Thank you Loras Pa. That was what I was thinking...I was fairly deep in thought at the time I refreshed the webpage, in fact...about what kind of perils I would like to find myself facing.

Thinking in this way...crap, I could have story fodder for the next twenty years or so. 

Thank you for the insight. I believe I can write plenty of stories about men being run through their paces now.

EPL

[MaxRoper]

Following the old saw "write what you know", I generally write from the male perspective. Many of the first person stories written from the female perspective are so obviously written by men that I've chosen to avoid that trap.

Lobo is of course an exception and I've had no problem believing in his females. There are others here who do a good job of writing from the distaff side but my attempts have not passed my believability test and have been abandoned.

Again Lobo has presented us with an interesting question. I may give my female side another go now that I've been challenged to do so.

Max

[Arkane]

Looking through some of the most recent posts here on the forum (and yes, I do look at all of them), I came up with yet another of my strange questions for writers.  Do you prefer to write using male or female characters, and why? 

I prefer female characters in the dominant role. Somehow I think it's more appealing.

[Lobo De la Sombra]

Thanks for the comment, Fordman.  There are two genders, with two specific mind sets, which means there are at least two sets of preferences for which gender a given story spotlights.  At least two, but probably many more than that.  We're fortunate here in that we have writers with the skill and confidence to write using either gender, sometimes both.  As to making sure others get what they want, just do us all a favor and never lose track of what you want when it comes to your stories.  If you were to find the joy going out of writing, it would be a major loss for the rest of us.

[Lobo De la Sombra]

Thanks for you comments, ELP.  I definitely agree on the imagination question.  I much prefer to imagine a woman in bondage.  Some might call that sexist, but I consider it the honest appreciation due to beauty at its most helpless.  As to the part about writing male characters, I have to agree with Loras there.  You could even take it a little bit further, at least mentally.  Picture yourself in the situation, work out all the details of how you find yourself there and what you do, then change the name, the look, kind of like it's you, in your mind, just using an alias  (and enough plastic surgery to make any Hollywood starlet green with envy).