Writing from Male and Female Perspectives

One of the panels I attended at Dragoncon was called Mean Streets: Urban Fantasy. And one of the questions asked the panel of 5 authors (4 women and 1 man) was how difficult or not it was for them to write the opposite sex. They each commented, but I especially remember the story the male author (J F Lewis) told as an example of how men and women differ. I'm paraphrasing here, but here it is:

"I was having lunch with my wife the other day, and we're sitting at the table eating and not talking. Just eating in silence. And I notice she has this pensive look on her face. So I ask her, 'What are you thinking about?'

"And she looks at me and says, 'Well I'm thinking about the kids, wondering if they're okay staying with their grandparents. And I'm thinking about what I have to do at work on Monday, and how I have to go pick up the dry cleaning, because I forgot to do that before we left. A bunch of things.' She pauses and then asks me, 'What are you thinking about?'

" 'I'm chewing.' " 

XD

Women always have stuff on their minds, they're constantly thinking about all this random stuff, or seriously pondering something else. Meanwhile men can have this blankness to them, where they aren't worrying about anything at all and are just... blank. I can't think of a better way to describe it atm, I'm tired. But I find it really funny.

And it makes me want to go back and look at my writing and see whether I made the men too thinky. But I also have two major male characters that are both brooders. Surely that counteracts the normal tendency towards blankness? Also it's funny, I was thinking that when someone is described as 'broody' it usually IS a male, because its a male who thinks a lot, like women do! XD

Anyways, just wanted to share this little anecdote with you all.

Writing from Male and Female Perspectives

One of the panels I attended at Dragoncon was called Mean Streets: Urban Fantasy. And one of the questions asked the panel of 5 authors (4 women and 1 man) was how difficult or not it was for them to write the opposite sex. They each commented, but I especially remember the story the male author (J F Lewis) told as an example of how men and women differ. I'm paraphrasing here, but here it is:

"I was having lunch with my wife the other day, and we're sitting at the table eating and not talking. Just eating in silence. And I notice she has this pensive look on her face. So I ask her, 'What are you thinking about?'

"And she looks at me and says, 'Well I'm thinking about the kids, wondering if they're okay staying with their grandparents. And I'm thinking about what I have to do at work on Monday, and how I have to go pick up the dry cleaning, because I forgot to do that before we left. A bunch of things.' She pauses and then asks me, 'What are you thinking about?'

" 'I'm chewing.' " 

XD

Women always have stuff on their minds, they're constantly thinking about all this random stuff, or seriously pondering something else. Meanwhile men can have this blankness to them, where they aren't worrying about anything at all and are just... blank. I can't think of a better way to describe it atm, I'm tired. But I find it really funny.

And it makes me want to go back and look at my writing and see whether I made the men too thinky. But I also have two major male characters that are both brooders. Surely that counteracts the normal tendency towards blankness? Also it's funny, I was thinking that when someone is described as 'broody' it usually IS a male, because its a male who thinks a lot, like women do! XD

Anyways, just wanted to share this little anecdote with you all.