Men seeking to write women better

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

My work here is done.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Is it just me who is thinking of something other than the mic in front of her?

Em

Just you. You can see she's a professional recording artist. Wanda's gifs come with impeccable credentials.

 

[MadeleineSinha]

How we deflate another person's interest in us, without shattering him?

You do that?
I like to see the realisation in their eyes that there's no possible version of the world in which they get access to the contents of my underwear. Tears make it even better.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Well, being a lesbian, all the men in my life are in the Friend Zone. But it hasn't kept some otherwise fine fellers from trying. But wanting me to cheat on---Jo is very uncool.

You do that?
I like to see the realisation in their eyes that there's no possible version of the world in which they get access to the contents of my underwear. Tears make it even better.

 

[MadeleineSinha]

Well, being a lesbian, all the men in my life are in the Friend Zone. But it hasn't kept some otherwise fine fellers from trying. But wanting me to cheat on---Jo is very uncool.

Sadly once that first hot flush hits you become almost invisible.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Okay.

Sadly once that first hot flush hits you become almost invisible.

 

[ArdentHemingway]

that there's no possible version of the world...

"I'm just not into you. I'll never be into you. No, I mean literally."

 

[lovecraft68]

You do that?
I like to see the realisation in their eyes that there's no possible version of the world in which they get access to the contents of my underwear. Tears make it even better.

Know what's even better? if you're the kind of man who doesn't simper or act like a dog in heat, pays a woman no mind to the point she then feels compelled to come to him and see what's up, because she just can't fathom there's a man out there who won't swoon for her.

The game works both ways, all depends on the level of the player.

Vanity is an ugly trait in either sex, and my response to people like that is "Don't flatter yourself, you're not that memorable."

Good news for you, though. Most men in this forum will fawn all over you just to get a PM.

 

[djrip]

Know what's even better? if you're the kind of man who doesn't simper or act like a dog in heat, pays a woman no mind to the point she then feels compelled to come to him and see what's up, because she just can't fathom there's a man out there who won't swoon for her.

The game works both ways, all depends on the level of the player.

Vanity is an ugly trait in either sex, and my response to people like that is "Don't flatter yourself, you're not that memorable."

Good news for you, though. Most men in this forum will fawn all over you just to get a PM.

I tried that playing it cool thing in highschool. Let them come to me, I thought; I'll show no interest, that will get them curious.

I don't think anyone noticed.

 

[Whanmore]

So I want to improve how I write women.

What I've found to be helpful...and I'm a novice... But I think it works great if you give your female character...goals.You know? Make her crave something other than dick. I adds depth.

Lots of My readers say Their favorite characters of mine are the female ones... which I love.

What's that rule in fiction writing? Have two female characters talking to each other, with no other males in the room and have them talk about anything other than another man. Seems simple but watching movies you'd be amazed at how often that just never happens. I try to do that often as I can.

Hope that helped. Lots of people commented. I read none of it lol.

 

[alohadave]

What I've found to be helpful...and I'm a novice... But I think it works great if you give your female character...goals.You know? Make her crave something other than dick. I adds depth.

That's kind of what you want from all your characters. The main ones, at least.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What's that rule in fiction writing? Have two female characters talking to each other, with no other males in the room and have them talk about anything other than another man. Seems simple but watching movies you'd be amazed at how often that just never happens. I try to do that often as I can.

I very often have two women in a room. They aren’t always talking very much though .

Em

 

[burgwad]

I'm not great at writing women from a male perspective. I find it hard (unsafe-feeling somehow) to humanize women characters from a male character's perspective, especially because this can veer so quickly into misogyny. Something about the male gaze, when I write in it, is just automatically sexist or prejudgmental or something. I find it rewarding, nigh on therapeutic, to try writing from a female perspective sometimes. I write better, more cerebral shit when I try to adopt a female perspective. It forces me to be a more grounded, relatable version of myself, even if it's probably still discernibly male to female readers. Paradoxically enough, I find it easier to embrace a kind of overt sexism in my female narrators, but in a way that feels much less sexist, even if it results in all kinds of embarrassing and opinions about men and women, than even my most careful, sensitive, self-monitoring, Feminist male narrators.

@Whanmore: The Bechdel Test comes from a comic strip by Alison Bechdel. One character explains that she'll only see a movie if: "(1) it has at least two women in it, who (2) talk to each other about (3) something besides a man." Her date points out that it's a strict rule. I'm inclined to agree, especially if you refuse to see a movie (or read a story) if it fails to meet this standard. But I also agree with the thrust of the comic strip, which is that a scene in which two women talk about something other than a man is really not a high bar to have to clear, so it's stupid how common and unquestioned it is that stories/movies/TV shows fail.

Um. I need to go to bed. Why am I up past my bedtime, writing about the Bechdel Test on a forum on Literotica?

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I'll go one further. The standard stroke story writes the men even worse than the women. At least the women get measurements and hair color. All the men usually get is a fit bod an a large cock. Probably because the vast majority of stroke readers are straight men and they're not really interested in the guy. They're not really interested in the girl neither, just her body, how dirty she talks and how slutty she is, so if the guy is barely mentioned all the better.

 

[StillStunned]

I'll go one further. The standard stroke story writes the men even worse than the women. At least the women get measurements and hair color. All the men usually get is a fit bod an a large cock. Probably because the vast majority of stroke readers are straight men and they're not really interested in the guy. They're not really interested in the girl neither, just her body, how dirty she talks and how slutty she is, so if the guy is barely mentioned all the better.

Just last night I submitted a short stroker for E&V where the narrator not only gets no description whatsoever -- not even a fit bod or a hint of how long or short his cock is - but he also doesn't even get off.

He does get coffee, though.

 

[HordHolm]

I just failed the Bechdel test. My two female characters did talk about the male character, I'm afraid, but it was about whether he was ripping one of them off, not whether he was the ripped knight on a white stallion. It's difficult in what is essentially a three-hander not to have the characters talk about each other.

https://literotica.com/s/amorous-goods-seen-in-sepia

 

[Bramblethorn]

I just failed the Bechdel test. My two female characters did talk about the male character, I'm afraid, but it was about whether he was ripping one of them off, not whether he was the ripped knight on a white stallion. It's difficult in what is essentially a three-hander not to have the characters talk about each other.

https://literotica.com/s/amorous-goods-seen-in-sepia

They can talk about a man, as long as they talk about some other topic at some point. I think this bit probably gets you through:

"This is a lot of work" said Margot as she took it in, the implication being that she'd happily set to work there and then. Vikki was more circumspect.

"I don't know. Maybe I should just pay someone to do a clearance..."

"You can't do that!" Margot was indignant, "there's bound to be some good stuff in here, I mean, at least to make it worth your while."

 

[HordHolm]

They can talk about a man, as long as they talk about some other topic at some point. I think this bit probably gets you through:

As yes, I was forgetting my side character. That is lax of me.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I just failed the Bechdel test. My two female characters did talk about the male character, I'm afraid, but it was about whether he was ripping one of them off, not whether he was the ripped knight on a white stallion. It's difficult in what is essentially a three-hander not to have the characters talk about each other.

https://literotica.com/s/amorous-goods-seen-in-sepia

They can talk about a man, as long as they talk about some other topic at some point. I think this bit probably gets you through:

For what it's worth I once finished a story that wouldn't otherwise have passed the Bechdel test like this.

Rebecca thanked the bartender, grabbed her cocktail and returned to Katherine and Wendy. She'd been late so she was already a drink behind the other girls.

"How was the movie last night?" she asked. Work had been seriously crimping her social life recently, so she'd missed it.

"Crap. It didn't even pass the Bechdel test," replied Wendy.

"That's so annoying," Rebecca said. "How difficult is it for a film that openly declares itself a proud feminist work to contain at least one scene when two named female characters discuss something other than a man?"

"I know, right!" said Wendy.

"Anyway, that's quite enough of that. Let's get ourselves some cock."

The Bechdel test - while it's well-meaning, its worth pointing out that the Vagina Monologues don't pass it but Debbie Does Dallas does..

 

[onehitwanda]

For what it's worth I once finished a story like this.



Ah, the Bechdel test - while it's well-meaning, its worth pointing out that the Vagina Monologues don't pass it but Debbie Does Dallas does..

Where does Rochelle, Rochelle fall on the continuum?

 

[MelissaBaby]

The Bechdel test - while it's well-meaning, its worth pointing out that the Vagina Monologues don't pass it but Debbie Does Dallas does..

Monologues tend to be short on dialogue, generally.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

For what it's worth I once finished a story that wouldn't otherwise have passed the Bechdel test like this.



The Bechdel test - while it's well-meaning, its worth pointing out that the Vagina Monologues don't pass it but Debbie Does Dallas does..

Lord of the Rings passes too.

 

[Jackie.Hikaru]

For the purposes of being actually helpful to the spirit of the OP here, I would add that rather than the bechdel test, the 'sexy lamp test' would be a good metric to measure your story by, if your intention is to write women better. The sexy lamp test: If you can replace your female character with a very sexy lamp and it does not change the plot, then your female character is probably not very well developed.
Or, you know, go ahead and replace your female character with a very sexy lamp and post your story in 'toys and masturbation'.

 

[onehitwanda]

For the purposes of being actually helpful to the spirit of the OP here, I would add that rather than the bechdel test, the 'sexy lamp test' would be a good metric to measure your story by, if your intention is to write women better. The sexy lamp test: If you can replace your female character with a very sexy lamp and it does not change the plot, then your female character is probably not very well developed.
Or, you know, go ahead and replace your female character with a very sexy lamp and post your story in 'toys and masturbation'.

oh my God.

I'm crying. This is brilliant.

 

[StillStunned]

By that token, in a story I wrote yesterday about a man watching a woman shower, I could replace the man with a cat and the showering woman with someone preparing dinner.