Those of you with a female protagonist, why did you choose her over a male one? http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611 thompsontalker7 Was it because you felt you could relate better that way? Did you find a female protagonist much more interesting than a male one, or just because? The protagonist in my novel is female because I felt that in general, women leads are much more sympathetic than male leads, and that allows them to get away with many things that males can't. For example, a cold, distant female lead could be a real nice girl with a bad past that got them that way, but if a male does that it would mean that he's just acting a badass. When things go wrong, and emotions get shown, my sympathy for male protagonists would be very little in general, especially if there's little development of that character to begin with. I usually want them to "suck it up", while with female leads I feel that it's not as simple. What about you? Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:12:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727214 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727214 weird_divide When it comes to writing characters, for me, I feel like males are easier to make into caricatures: people with exaggerated personality traits that usually end up making them quite un-serious. My female characters, on the other hand, tend to be much deeper, more complex characters, with serious problems and debilitating negative traits. They usually make awful decisions, and are sometimes, quite honestly, awful people. It all really depends on the character for me, though, because I do have a pretty eclectic mix of males and females with varying degrees of seriousness. Who I choose to write about is often determined by what kind of mood I'm in. For this story in particular, I chose female protagonists simply because I've been writing about them for a long time now, and wanted to explore their minds and their worlds more. I just loved them, and thought they deserved more attention. &lt;3 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:21:59 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727374 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727374 Michael S. Repton I have a male protagonist in my Nano, but I have had female protagonists in all my other recent work. I think I just feel more able to relate to a female protagonist (yes, even though I'm male) and make them into deeper and more interesting characters than my male protagonists. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:29:27 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727488 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727488 witchykristy I chose a female because if I had a male, a romance with the antagonist could not have been initiated, and therefore stopped the plot from moving ahead and having several assassination attempts at my main characters life. I usually choose females, however, because I feel that a female role is better for a number of reasons. One being the fact that I involve romances, and myself being a young female, find it hard to write a romance from a male perspective. But I wrote my last story with a male - named Jack. It was hard to wrote and the prose was filled with holes and silly errors that would even make the greatest editor cringe and blush. I also usually write historical as well as gothic (and Lolita Fashion) tale and to be perfectly honest with you, it is much more graphic to write about FEMALE clothing. Petticoats, corsets and lace and linen... They are all described with things such as delicate, elegant and classical. Male clothing? Those great boots which were lined with fur! Doesn't quite ring as well in my head. :S Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:30:00 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727497 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727497 Tolkien Nut For my story, this time, I chose a female because her role was as a protector in a motherish way. And lets be honest, females are much more caring than men, generally, when it comes to kids, and women are more suited to be mothers. Also, I liked the name Tess, and I couldn't really use that for a boy. lol Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:30:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727504 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727504 fni I started out by writing my story from both ethe POV of my fMC and my mMC1, but once mMC2 entered the scene I realised that the story is about my fMC not about fMC+mMC. (Boy, this makes little sense when I type it in this way.) Well, my answer to the question is I write after who's story it is. I had to go back and rewrite the chapters that were written from mMC1's POV.. which actually made the story much better. Chapter 1 is still from mMC's POV since that's his time to shine, and it sets the mystery that will be resolved (partialy) chapters later. At this point I feel like I could write a story about anyone of my characters, be is a MC or a minor. It's just a matter of who's story it is. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:36:44 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727579 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727579 lithle I try to write the books I want to read. In the case of my current novel, I'm trying to write the novel I wanted to read when I was still in high school. And one of the things I wanted back then was a female protagonist I could identify with. So that's who I'm writing. On the downside, I think that the things I wanted in a book back then were things that turn off a lot of other readers. But, at least I'll be happy with it, right? Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:49:57 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727753 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_727753 Elizabeth_Sabourin My initial idea for this story (many, many years ago) was about a female vampire appearing to be in her mid-twenties. It was kind of a remedy for all the teenage vampire romances out there - which I am a fan of, but feel are a little repetitive. All of those stories either feature a female human MC falling in love with a brooding male vamp, or the brooding male vamp MC falling in love with the 'special' and emotionally hurt human girl. I wanted to read a story where there was a female vamp for the lead, and for an audience of people in their twenties. I do feel like male MCs are getting a bad rep in this thread though. I've used males for my previous two NaNos, not to mention many short stories and fanfics, and I feel like they can be just as sympathetic as some females. Maybe it's just me, but if I read a cold, distant female compared to a cold, distant male, as the OP suggested, I would view them the same way - as awful people. Take Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange (from Harry Potter) for example. Both are cruel, sadistic people, and yet I actually feel more sympathy for Voldemort because of his past. There have been plenty of MCs, both male and female, that I've wanted to strangle for acting like brats for most of the novel. Harry Potter and Gemma Doyle come to mind. Just my opinions though. =) -Lizzy Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:47:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728584 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728584 Bicicletta I always start with a character whose story must be told. In the two nanos I completed, I had male MCs; this year I visualized not one but two female MCs, and I also have a demon of indeterminate gender! Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:57:13 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728735 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728735 Lurv Ooh, a female vampire lead. Sounds like a nice change of pace. =) And I don't get why male MCs are any worse either. I've written some stories where the main character is a male too, even though I worry I won't do them justice (since I'm not a guy). In this particular story my MC is a girl though. I believe it was because a lot of female characters are uninteresting to me, so I wanted to make one that I find interesting. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:57:25 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728738 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728738 streamergurl Why did I choose to have a female protagonist? Because she was the first character I met in this story, and she was awesome. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:07:13 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728890 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728890 J Cassidy 16 Women tend to focus on details and intricacies around them, while males are more action-oriented. Describing beautiful scenery is more believable when it's from a woman's POV. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:13:50 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728993 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_728993 ProperPunctuation I enjoy talking about the things that are deemed more acceptable to talk about from a female POV. I love spending two paragraphs talking about clothing hair or analysing people-I just prefer novels inside of a head, and I find that easier to write in a female POV. Also I felt like makin my MC gay, and I think that I could relate better being a lesbian meeself than I could dreaming up how on earth males talk to each other. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:26:49 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729186 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729186 TGWild I started with a large cast and then sorted through options until I selected which ones would get to be POV and which would be ensemble. Ended up with two female and one male, but who knows; it might change in the rewrite. I'm kind of having trouble with the male MC, since he's got some psychological issues that have been making his scenes depressing. He needs a boost of some kind to get him passionate again, just temporarily. <em>Women tend to focus on details and intricacies around them, while males are more action-oriented. Describing beautiful scenery is more believable when it's from a woman's POV</em> Seriously? Do all of the gender-related threads have to feature sweeping generalisations about the inherent natures of men or women? George RR Martin skips over fight scenes so he can spend two thousand words describing the horse-riding company coming over the hill and all of their heraldry. Tolkien rhapsodised endlessly about the green vistas of Middle-Earth. Stop stereotyping people. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:31:44 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729268 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729268 Elwyne I wrote with a female protagonist initially because my first ever stories were fan fiction based on a female character who I love and strongly identify with. My first original protagonist was loosely based on her. I had intended my nano to have a female protagonist based on either her or another character from the same fandom, but when I started writing she didn't show up. Instead, I got a man. I did not plan or expect to write a male protagonist because I didn't think I could see things from a male perspective. Now I don't think that makes the least difference. We're all human, after all, even the non-humans. :-) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:52:48 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729596 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_729596 BirdWhisperer I chose female because I usually have female MCs. I guess because I'm girl my ideas come with girl characters attached. And honestly, her character works much better as a girl. I'd probably have to switch everyone else's gender along with hers, which could be amusing. Huh. But now that I think of it it'd just make the story even more cliche. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:32:19 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730196 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730196 AmosTFairchild I often have an FMC - chicks are just better. lol. I do male sometimes as well. The males usually have more personality issues tho. For this Nano I have a young (50) year old female vampire from a parallel universe earth run my vampires. All the humans as gone there. And no, these are not dead people. Don't believe the human myths and propaganda! and she comes to evil earth. Well, they wanted to send someone who looked weak and frail and non-threatening. lol. Gives me lots of good scenes beating up asshole men. ;) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:39:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730299 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730299 haphazard Actually this is an interesting question for what I'm writing now because I actually have written the story I'm writing from a male perspective. I switched the perspective to the former MC's sister because she has a more active role in the story, despite a lot of the story still being about him -- think of him as like the damsel in distress. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:00:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730626 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730626 Unit7 Do you really wanna know the truth? I wanted to write a kinky love scene between two females while one of them being the MC. Well you asked... Ok no but really. It was because I wanted to write a lesbian love story in a fantasy setting. That and I just didn't want to write a MMC. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:14:45 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730881 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_730881 Lisa Taylor Because in the general time period I'm writing about, women were oppressed and treated disrespectfully much more so than men, and it gives my protagonist more to over come. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:36:38 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731209 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731209 S O L A R O S E I used the plot adoption idea that all males in the world get turned into zombies. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:58:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731522 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731522 Alora Darkmoon That sounds awesome :D It's not geared towards people in their 20s, but if you're looking for more reading/references for female vampire leads, check out the Last Vampire series by Christopher Pike - they're being reprinted now because of the current vampire craze, which is one of the best things coming out of it :) (first two books are originals - later are newer sequels). Basically it's about a 5,000 year old vampire and involves Indian mythology from the Ramayana in a cool way. And I agree with you about the male MCs - I generally have a hard time identifying with some of them, but I've read some epic novels with male protags. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:07:35 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731658 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_731658 ses1 My MC is a single mother. I could have made it about a single father, except some of her background wouldn't have worked out. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:31:23 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_731996 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_731996 J Cassidy 16 I'm sorry if I offended you :( Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:36:31 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732082 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732082 AmosTFairchild Yes. If you are going to do a sex scene, then this is the way to go. lol. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:37:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732092 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732092 Eruravenne It's strange, really. I used to write almost exclusively about male main characters, but over the past year or two, my main characters are all female for no apparent reason. I have no explanation for this. A story pops into my head and the character is just already there, doing their thing. I don't do it on purpose, it just happens. *shrug* It was the same with my male characters before the sudden switch. The story came into my head with the main character already in place and it was almost always male. I wonder about it sometimes, but mostly I just accept it and write what my mind tells me to. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:56:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_732355 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_732355 Elizabeth_Sabourin Thank you. I've never heard of that series, but I'll have to check it out. =) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:37:59 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732945 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_732945 asherrs I chose a female because for my first first-person narrative it was immediately easier for me to write and relate to, but also because I wanted to examine changing female roles in historical contexts (my character doesn't age, so she will see a lot of things change). So I guess it was a story-telling choice. It is easier for me to write women influencing things by means of conversation and letters than to write battle-action scenes at this point, haha. I actually had a whole other idea planned for NaNo before this one popped into my head, and originally I was going to stick with it and shelve this one, but I balked at the male protagonist, despite him being pretty well outlined in my head. Another time! Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:41:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733611 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733611 DozyCat I wanted to write a fantasy with a strong romance subplot. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:59:39 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733873 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733873 lil87blue I just feel more comfortable writing from a women's POV. Although I will say my nano novel is kinda half and half, which is different for me. Most of my books are written from the FMC point of view. Writing from a man's perspective is strange because I'm not sure exactly how their brains work, but I think I'm doing pretty well with my MMC in this book. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:06:00 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733957 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_733957 Unit7 Yes! I am not alone. ;) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:07:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_733982 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_733982 Sunshine Cat Because I can relate to females better, and write better from their perspective, being one myself. If I wrote a male MC, they'd probably sound effeminate in terms of how they think and how they act. It only seems to be the MC which has this problem, I can have male characters who are not the MC. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:12:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_734036 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_734036 BrandonSP My FMC's a black woman, and I created her that way because I feel that strong black female protagonists are not common enough in the fantasy genre. However, in a sense that makes creating her character more challenging, because I want her to be a positive and sympathetic black female role model without being flawlessly perfect. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:47:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_734503 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_734503 Lilbirdy I understand what you mean about the character and story popping in your head. My female main character has been buzzing around in my head for a long time. She keeps tapping me on the shoulder and asking me when am I going to tell her story. NaNo seemed like the perfect time. Since I am allowing her story to be told, she is leading me into areas that I didn't even know existed in her life! Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:29:33 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_735162 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_735162 aaalllyyysssaaaaa I started with a male protagonist but I realized the story was more interesting from the point of view of his love interest :P Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:32:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_735937 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_735937 krahe Thank you. I was just composing a list of counterexamples for that utterly baseless stereotype in my head (like the romantic poets?! remember them?!?) but you've done it for me. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:41:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736038 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736038 UnicornEmma That's how it is with me. I don't pick the characters. They pick me. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:10:46 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736296 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736296 zyzzi Honestly, I'm not sure why I have a female protagonist. There's no romance whatsoever, so I guess I just like strong protagonists regardless of gender? Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:23:22 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736398 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736398 perpetual_blockage She was always female. I don't really remember, since this is my third book with her. However, an early version of her was a character in an RP, and I may have decided to play a female character because there weren't really any in the RP and also I've noticed a tendency to make my male characters kind of unfairly effeminate. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:35:30 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736485 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736485 CB_Young Honestly, I didn't really think about it that much. I supposed that I figured that it would be easier for me to get inside a female MC's head, being female myself. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:51:48 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736600 RogueToken My usual answer for that question is this: "If I'm going to look at an ass the whole game, it should at least be a female ass" However, this is mostly related to MMORPG (Mostly Men Online Role Playing Girls) I think it is mostly because I want to challenge myself with my writing. If I can actually write a believable female character, then it would be just another step towards becoming a decent writer. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:14:49 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736797 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736797 No-ideas When I'm confident I am able to write a novel moderately well, then I may try something form a male pov. Until then, I know how I think as a woman, and I know how I as a woman _see_ a man, so I can handle men from that perspective. I'm having a tough enough time getting things right now, and I'm not about to make this process even more difficult for myself. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:19:51 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736828 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736828 istarian I don't buy that, although I do agree with that as a sort of general rule. It really depends on what you claim the character to be. I \wouldn't believe it for a second, to give fantasy examples, from say a well muscled warrior or leader as opposed to bards, minstrels, artists, and the like. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:21:39 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736850 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_736850 UnicornEmma I have three main characters, one woman and two men. But if I had to pick just one, she'd be it. She just showed up one day, introduced the two boys, and was like, "Hi! Write about us!" So I did. However, the POV does switch around so we get the whole story. Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:31:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736910 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_736910 KedaseDerragar My book's more of an ensemble piece, with two different settings - the female:male ratio is 2:1 in the frame setting, but in the other (more main) one, it's 5:3, and the main viewpoint character is female. As for why she's female, I've never really thought about it - she just always was, and I went with it. But now that I think about it, it's probably because she's very similar to the character Aveline in <em>Dragon Age II</em>, who's captain of the guard. My character's a relatively high-ranking knight/detective amalgam, and sometimes too serious for her own good, so it makes sense that my mind would go there. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:21:32 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737225 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737225 KedaseDerragar (Meant to write that the frame setting was 1 female:2 male.) Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:22:28 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737233 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737233 Anke I write what I'd like to read, and I'm tired of having to identify with a male character if I want to do something interesting. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:54:28 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737390 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737390 CharliGirl ^this :D Thats the best reason I've read throughout this whole thread. I'm similar in that I love to read and write urban fantasy, but the amount of terrible "strong FMCs" in those novels who are actually pretty 2D and irritating makes me want to fight back and write a character who actually is a 3D character for once in an urban fantasy setting. The best examples of three dimensional female protagonists in such settings I've seen recently all have the added characterisation of being mothers or mother figures. Which is nice enough to see, being a mother myself, however I think its a great shame that authors feel they have to add this to their FMCs to create depth. Its far less likely for an author to feel the need to do this for an MC. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:23:53 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737511 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737511 Lorata Because people are still asking this question, as though you need an excuse to write a female main character. :P Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:10:02 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737750 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737750 Void-Auron Because the River spirit is a girl and she prefers possessing fellow women. xD Just kidding. I waffled a lot on Sententia's gender (for awhile she didn't have a gender, but now I've given that trait to Ara) but eventually decided on girl to balance out Jean, Emile, Westerfield and Bardic. There are a lot of guy characters and still only two girls. That always happens. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:57:21 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737979 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_737979 cindy9712 I have never even tried having male protagonist. I have never thought much about it until now that you brought I up. I guess the reason I ended up with a femal protagonist is that I am female myself and it is easier for me to relate to a female character. Also, I write in first person which means lots of thought and emotions, and I feel that it is easier writing women in that aspect. To me, women are easier to write. I think men are more interesting to write, though... Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:36:17 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738168 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738168 UnicornEmma :Joss high five: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:54:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738268 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738268 thompsontalker7 Oh yeah, my main novels that I'm working on apart from NaNoWriMo both have male protagonists, but since the female leads get about equal attention, you could argue that they are the true protagonists, as well. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:30:05 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738907 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_738907 J.E.Blackworth No reason. She just happens to be a female. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:36:59 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_738953 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_738953 tomatofacial Um, I don't know, I just do. I'm a girl, but thats not important to how well I can write. I like to have complex stories, and characters with difficult backrounds, so female leads seem to be better at coping realistically with that. ... Maybe I just watch too much Kung Fu Panda? Lol, I've watched the sequel over four times. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:52:06 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_739080 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_739080 Elwyne yes as a non-mother it would be nice to see some female characters who don't have motherhood as their ultimate goal/destiny! Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:39:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_740016 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_740016 SR Castells Nobody seems to ask why we write about male characters instead of female ones... Just because. It's a 50/50 thing, really. (Or 49/49/2, with the 2 being for intersex or genderqueer characters.) Why should it matter? Being a woman is just as normal and acceptable as being a man. Personally, my characters tend to switch genders a few times during the prewriting process, until they're formed enough in my mind to have a set gender. And I find that very little changes when a character changes gender - just the pronouns and the name and a few physical characteristics. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:47:46 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740097 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740097 Speaker of Stones So that she could have puppies. She has a strong biological drive to procreate, but is fighting it to remain independent and free. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:49:23 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740109 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740109 Knerd I first created the idea while watching a rather waify, "strong" female character in an action movie. There were so many things wrong with her portrayal that I couldn't curb the desire to write my own female protagonist that had actual strength of character and body. This story came from her creation and it would not have worked any other way. She has always been female in my mind and she always will be. It feels natural to write about the adventures of women, especially since so many of them continue to pop up throughout my story. Why should men have to do all of the rescuing? Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:52:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740138 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740138 Gerd D. I have a much easier time to up come with female characters that turn into people I actually would want to spend time with, as opposed to my male characters that I usually just want to shove off a cliff. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:59:59 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740224 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740224 cchapman84 My lead is female because it's <strong>her</strong> story. The story dictates who the main character is. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:14:31 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740357 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740357 GotNerd I dislike the assumption implicit in the thread title that the default main character is male. It's incredibly sexist. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:50:14 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740694 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740694 Knerd Agreed. It's as though male characters just happen naturally while females must be "chosen." Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:11:09 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740929 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_740929 snowbug This is what I was thinking too. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:21:22 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741014 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741014 Regiment My novel is essentially a retelling of the fairy tale Bluebeard as written by H. P. Lovecraft. That means that my MC needs to be female and that I should write it in the first person. It's what my book wanted. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:37:01 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741168 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741168 B. C. Powers Because I'm a girl. :) And because I had an idea to use all the voices in my head as characters, and they're all girls. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:44:15 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741237 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_741237 FamilyFriendlyComedy Wel, my female protag. is the one of an ensemble of characters in a comedic situation who rose to the forefront, while on NOv. 1 she was 2nd or 3rd as far as billing. She's an investigator who is ordered by her boss to arrest a Lexus becuase the guy's too stubborn to listen tot he difference between Alexis and a Lexus and Alexis has an airtight alibi. My FMC ends up going from really not being able to stand her boss' stubbornness to forgiving him and beign moreunderstanding, witht he encouragement of one of the MMC and his wife. She was originally created because I wanted a female police detective from San Marino since it's generally a slightly more male society (women didn't even get the vote till 1959 there.) She rose to #1 becasue her boss' attitude and the pie fight he gets in at the end (in what is really a diversion) gave it a little bit of "Get Smart"/""Insepctor Gadget" cartoons feel that I liked. Although, 2 men are right behidn her as far as prominence, one reporter whom I mentioned above, one who has menial jobs at a newspaper but who is a big practical joker. the former was my idea for a MC on Nov. 1, but truthfully, on November 1 it wouldn't have shocked me to learn that any of the 3 woudl become the main figure. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:05:27 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742267 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742267 FamilyFriendlyComedy It seems like an odd question to me, too - but maybe the OP posted a query onwhy a male was chosen as well and it just hasn't gotten the posts; I'm certainly willing to give the benefit of the doubt. It might hve been more interesting, too, to ask wht gender the person was when they posted. As a guy, I think demale MCs happen just as naturally for me as female ones. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:10:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742347 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742347 FamilyFriendlyComedy Should be male, not demale...don't knwo where my fingers were going ont hat one. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:11:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742363 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742363 Serpent_Rose Why not? Might as well ask why someone chose a Male protagonist over a Female one. I think nine times out of ten the sex/gender of the protagonist isn't very important. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:24:04 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_742555 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_742555 chinalizard Eh, I don't think it's that simple. A male protagonist can have just as much of a dark past for doing the things that he does, and I can't sympathize with a woman who's mean simply because she enjoys it. (Maybe it's because I AM a woman that I know the kind of cold viciousness we're capable of, without the need for a deep, dark past. ;) Likewise, I see a lot of guys who are actually pretty free with their emotions, if albeit expressing them in different ways than women.) Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:28:45 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742621 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742621 chinalizard Yeah, it didn't set well with me, either. For this particular story, my MC is male...but most of the stories I've written have female leads. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:32:08 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742663 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742663 Ikalx Because I was scared I wouldn't get asked why I chose a male protagonist over a female one :O Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:33:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742684 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742684 RobertSnozers The character told me they were a girl posing as a boy rather than a boy. At least that's what it felt like. I had read some materials on females in the Nelson-era Navy, and there was something about a woman who had been on the Victory at Trafalgar on the radio, so I think I absorbed the idea and my brain decided it was a good idea. Practically speaking, it has made a huge difference to the tension in the story and given the character a much more interesting back story. It has turned what would have been a peripheral character, or at least one of an ensemble, into the unquestioned main character. It has also given the character a USP and prevented her from falling into the worthy but already trodden path of Midshipmen Hornblower, Drinkwater and Bolitho. It gives me what I consider to be an interesting fulcrum, at the point she realises she doesn't just have to hide behind her disguise but can start to live it. I had earlier worried about the book being too male, so it gets around that as well, although I'm not sure that was actually as much of a problem as I had built up in my head. I had also began to wonder if I was incapable of writing female characters, so jumping in at the deep end was one way of persuading myself. As long as I can write the character convincingly that is. She's been quite good to me so far, telling me what's on her mind and how she'd react in any given situation. I've thrown some stuff at her that I'm not proud of, but I'm pleased to say she's doing OK. She's even happy at the moment, but unfortunately that's going to come to an end sometime soon. She's going to lose a close friend, then have her new life snatched away from her. It breaks my heart but there's nothing I can do about it. She might have some hope for the future but that isn't clear yet. I've even apologised in advance to the friend and former colleague whose name I've stolen. I wanted to call the character something else but no other name seems to fit. So, yeah, jury's out. But it makes life interesting. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:37:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742732 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_742732 thompsontalker7 [quote=GotNerd] I dislike the assumption implicit in the thread title that the default main character is male. It's incredibly sexist. [/quote] I was not intending to pin male characters as the default, it's just that I feel female protagonists are uncommon in today's contemporary fiction. Nothing sexist about it. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:57:42 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_743008 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_743008 TGWild [quote=BrandonSP] My FMC's a black woman, and I created her that way because I feel that strong black female protagonists are not common enough in the fantasy genre. However, in a sense that makes creating her character more challenging, because I want her to be a positive and sympathetic black female role model without being flawlessly perfect. [/quote] [quote=Elwyne] yes as a non-mother it would be nice to see some female characters who don't have motherhood as their ultimate goal/destiny! [/quote] Feelin' pretty good about my older FMC, a 50ish woman with dark skin who is quite happy with her career as Awesome Military Tactician and no, does not feel like she's 'missing out' with no kids. (I did have some difficulty with the temptation to make her Too Awesome, because one of her roles in the story actually is to be a famed hero, but on a personal level she's not exactly in great condition, what with basically everyone close to her having died over the last year.) Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:03:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_743080 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=2#forum_thread_comment_743080 Gowan [quote=thompsontalker7] Was it because you felt you could relate better that way? Did you find a female protagonist much more interesting than a male one, or just because? The protagonist in my novel is female because I felt that in general, women leads are much more sympathetic than male leads, and that allows them to get away with many things that males can't. For example, a cold, distant female lead could be a real nice girl with a bad past that got them that way, but if a male does that it would mean that he's just acting a badass. When things go wrong, and emotions get shown, my sympathy for male protagonists would be very little in general, especially if there's little development of that character to begin with. I usually want them to "suck it up", while with female leads I feel that it's not as simple. What about you? [/quote] I just realized that I had up to that point written way too many male main characters, and that everyone else was doing the same and there even are female authors who refuse to write female characters. I just felt I had to write female main characters or no one would. Since the sex of my main character is of no importance to me, I decided I could just as well have a female main character. I also like to think that it doesn't matter much to me what sex the protagonist of a book I read is. At least not when it comes to sympathy. I do like it when an author decides to write a female protagonist although the story would work as well with a male one, but I don't hold it against male characters - they get just as much sympathy as female ones. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:06:19 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_743108 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_743108 Muslimah.98 Couple reasons, really..from the beginning I knew I wanted a girl, mainly 'cuz - -I have no clue what goes on in boys' heads, -I had my heart set on pairing her off with my second-next most main [male] character -My character just works better as a girl. There are a couple of incidents where she gets brutally verbally abused by her girl peers for little stuff, and guys don't generally do that. So yeah, basically my character was always a girl. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:16:29 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_744753 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_744753 Silverleaf28 Because , tomboy and badass though she is, my FMC would KILL me if I turned her into a guy, and it's more her story than MMC's. Of course, all my stories seem to have a FMC and MMC, with the FMC being more of the main character... I guess it's just because I'm a girl. *shrugs* I don't have any problems with MMCs, though. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:48:56 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_745250 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_745250 thompsontalker7 No offense to anyone's characters or novel, but I'm finding it hard to believe that people pick a female lead simply because; whether you realize it or not, there's always a subconscious influence. Maybe you did it because you think there are too few female leads compared to males. Maybe it was because you felt you related better. Maybe you thought (I'm gulity of this) that romance would be easier to pull off if you viewed it from the eyes of a woman. Regardless of your reason, it's never just because. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:34:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_745861 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_745861 XRoryX In all honesty, my lead character is a female because I'd never written a female lead and wanted to try it. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 16:16:10 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_746330 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_746330 hi2u4567 I'm a girl so I chose a female as my main character because I know how they act towards others and just in general how they think and things they like. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:32:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_747901 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_747901 AlwaysInADream Arbitrarily. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:52:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_748106 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_748106 cherylmahoney I'm retelling a fairy tale, so the lead had to be female to tell the story from the angle I wanted. Although, now that I think about it, the traditional version of the story is actually from a male character's point of view. I often write from a male character's POV, even though I'm a girl. It's not a totally conscious choice, the stories just tend to develop that way. And sure enough, this time my narrator is female yet my scenes go best when I get a male character into them as well. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:00:36 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_748940 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_748940 RionaDaidouji I was originally going to have two MCs, a brother and sister. But then the sister took over as the actual lead, and her brother took over as antagonist. So for me, it just sort of happened. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:04:05 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_748988 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_748988 Nappara A) Why not? B) There are too many male protagonists, so I default to female. This is doubly true for characters like her (i.e. slightly mad, not in the "quirky" way, just in the "leading a bitter rebellion and has to be emotionally up to that" way). Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:05:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_760114 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_760114 PumpkinKing97 For novels, I almost always choose female. I think it's because I really hate the way most males portray females as these sex toys. I want to show that male writers can relate to females. However, both work. It's not really that big a deal, I just start writing and see what happens. Anyway, my current novel is a horror/mockery of teenage angst and drama so female worked way better for that sort of thing. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:24:09 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760329 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760329 Cobalt Red Because people are still asking this question. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:51:27 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760581 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760581 elayne_henley I chose a female lead primarily because I'm writing soft science fiction so I'm dealing a lot with social commentary themes. Themes of rebirth, birth, giving and nurturing as a whole and while I knew I could theoretically have a male in this role; I felt it was easier and more appropriate to have a female lead. Also when I originally came up with the idea my female lead sort of burst into life in the center of my brain all 'HI IM HERE I'M PENNY BISHOP!'. And because in a lot of science fiction novels there's a distinct lack of a female lead. My fMC is in somewhat of a passive role obviously because I'm dealing with something like four or five different character story lines but they all evolve and orbit around hers. That and in high school I was always disappointed in the lack of soft science fiction novels geared toward young adults that were 1.) engaging and 2.) used easily accessible language. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:53:14 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760605 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_760605 AsAboveSoBelow I have both an MMC and an FMC though, for the most part, the story is focused on her. Truth be told, the story could be told from either perspective but because I'm a chick that has better insight to how chick minds work, it's a bit easier for me to focus primarily on her. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:51:13 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761205 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761205 Egress Because if one of my FMC is a male, then s/he won't feel so strongly about things. And I need that to tempt him/her. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:40:04 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761848 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761848 hypocritelecter In my opinion, gender is a social construct and people are hardly as difficult to portray as some think. I have a character that breaks the gender binary this year, but all but one of my previous protagonists have been female identified. A strong female lead in a novel that develops realistically, doesn't fawn over or depend on a 'strong, attractive' male or person in her life, and that doesn't seem vapid or clueless is HARD to come by. I've also always hated how if you needed a strong or confident voice for a character or story, the main character was presumed to be male. With the amount of underrepresented women (and well as POC) in mainstream literature, my choices are motivated by the hope that I can change that one day. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:43:02 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761875 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_761875 alittlesas My main main character is female but i have a group of characters who would all be considered main characters. And a couple of them are male. I like to play around with both male and female characters because I think that really helps helps you grow as a writer. That being said, I do tend to write mainly female Main characters. I suppose it is because I am female and so I can relate to women better and I understand women and what they are thinking better than I understand men. Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:55:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_762033 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_762033 Ignate I'll be honest here, I am a teenage guy, with teenage guy hormones. If I'm going to have a male MC, I'm making my surest I can put up with him for a whole story. I'm a bit (a lot) more biased towards girls though, because even when I'm at a dull point in the story there's always a pretty face to visualise in the story's events. Ahem. Not that I don't make said girl a proper character, though! It's just that it's the spark I need, but if she's just attractive I wouldn't know what to do with her. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 07:07:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_765608 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_765608 FlameRaven I have a hard time writing guys as leads. Most of the characters I create stories around start out as RP characters in one form or another, and it's much easier for me to play women. Plus, there still aren't enough awesome ladies in books, so I feel like it never hurts to even the balance some more. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:49:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_766462 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_766462 Gowan [quote=thompsontalker7] No offense to anyone's characters or novel, but I'm finding it hard to believe that people pick a female lead simply because; whether you realize it or not, there's always a subconscious influence. Maybe you did it because you think there are too few female leads compared to males. Maybe it was because you felt you related better. Maybe you thought (I'm gulity of this) that romance would be easier to pull off if you viewed it from the eyes of a woman. Regardless of your reason, it's never just because. [/quote] Maybe. But the same is true for male leads. With decisions, you can always argue that there is no such thing as "just because". Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:57:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_766549 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=3#forum_thread_comment_766549 Sprakit I'm actually trying out two MC's - one male, one female. It's easier for me to write female since I am one, but only to the extent that I don't question thought processes. For some reason, I'm convinced males wouldn't think the same why my female characters do, so I feel like I have to try really hard to sound manly when I'm working on the POV of my male MC. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:05:58 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_767947 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_767947 TommehBell I chose a girl because we are always hearing what girls can and shouldn't do. And there aren't enough female characters in the world if you ask me. All my stories feature a female lead and all of them af African American. I want my writing to reflect the world I want to live in. LOL We need more kick ass women in the world. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:24:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768164 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768164 Algae Volvox I accidentally ended up with a female protagonist. I originally thought the MMC would be the protagonist, and I guess he still is looking at one of the story lines, but for the main one, he's the antagonist. She just ended up being a more interesting protagonist because she had to grow so much and go through quite a bit of crap, which is more interesting than the dude going through his crap. Normally, I do write male protagonists. I don't know why. I'm a biological female, but I've never really clicked with the whole female aspect. With the exception of my current character, all my female MCs are very masculine, and I know at least one of them identifies as either male or possibly gender-neutral. That probably has a lot to do with it. Although I know I also tend to pick genders out of a hat for quite a few characters. I have a concept of a character but I rarely assign gender until I'm quite far along in the planning process and sometimes, I don't get a strong feel one way or the other so I pick randomly. Used to flip a coin when I thought there were only two options, but that doesn't work so well anymore. My MMC actually almost ended up a chick, but it ended up working better with him as a dude. Plus, I really wanted to name someone Lance which I don't like for a female. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:01:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768602 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768602 Gerd D. But if gender is only a construct, then we how can we say that female characters are underrepresented? In essence every male character would then be a female one as well. But that is not how works, is it. Women do experience the world differently from men for one because they are different, and for other because the world treats them different. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 12:11:28 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768712 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_768712 Kaserl Well, partially because I'm a girl, so it's easier to get inside her head. But mostly, it's because my plot came to me with a female lead. *shrugs* I'm not arguing with my brain. I'd lose. Also, girls are way easier to name for me. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:34:52 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_770456 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_770456 Saer Gale My FMC is a murderer, and I've always felt that it's not only men who murder hands-on, and it's not only women who murder people indirectly (like with poisons and such). I am physically a woman, but identify as a man, so most of my MCs are usually men. However, when I began writing my story, I felt that my character was just a woman. It's in the first person, so it wasn't immediately apparent from the pronouns what her sex was. But before the pronouns gave it away, the character just felt female to me. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:07:11 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_771629 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_771629 Saer Gale This, and I'm sick and tired of reading books where the girls are these delicate little flowers who can't do jack for themselves. It's just too ridiculous. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:08:14 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_771649 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_771649 Aberration Heh. Always a good choice. I'm alternating between SIX points of view. A gay man and a bisexual man in a relationship. Two lesbians who each start out single but then meet and fall for each other in a standard Doomed Love Story. A married couple, each of whom will cheat on the other at some point in the story. I think I might be able to catch up on my wordcount with nothing but sex scenes. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:43:02 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_772072 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_772072 Airen Rin Depends. For a more interesting story, I have a male protagonist in a highly emotional story that revolves a lot around details, interactions and scenery and a female protagonist who gets an action-oriented story. I can't imagine switching their genders (actually, I can, but it would be a very boring story). Males tend to react differently to the same situation than females. Then there is also the stereotyping. A guy in high school gets a lot of flack from his friends if he accidentally infers that he likes another guy even if he doesn't. Dylan's role (see synopsis) in the story originally belongs to a teenaged Clara. Then I realized that for a romantic moment, it would be very dull and vaguely reminescent of Twilight (because Clara at teen age act very Bella), so I gave that leading role to Dylan. The older Clara changes into more stronger protagonist and her story gets less chance of romance when she is off to save her sister and not a love interest. So yeah, I choose their genders based on how they tend to react. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:10:35 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_772379 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_772379 Eynara Sorry, but I find this funny because I am tired of reading books where the MFC is Warrior Princess-ish, which is, for me, just as ridiculous as the waif who can't do anything for herself. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:17:15 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_772439 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_772439 hypocritelecter Thank you for sharing your opinion. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:45:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_773461 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_773461 AnneVR The idea that popped into my head for this years NaNo was this: A young woman travels by ship to the other side of the world in 1784, on a quest to save the world from demons trying to get through a portal in the Mariana Trench. At first, I was going to make the MC the captain on the boat, describing in his journal how everything starts to get really weird on his ship, and how he finally has to participate in this disturbing, occult ritual to fight off the demons. Then it occured to me that it would be more interesting to describe it from the POV of the woman, and have the captain's log as a supplement. So, my MC is female, because she's the one doing all the cool stuff in the story. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:46:32 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_778502 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_778502 Pavlinaa Because reverse sexism is what all the cool kids are doing! Sun, 20 Nov 2011 07:57:52 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_779243 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_779243 ReadySetWrite Because I wanted a character close to my age and I have no clue what is going on in a teenage boy's head... Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:32:52 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_779989 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_779989 folgates I'm a girl so writing a girl comes easier. The only thing I know about boys is they like food and porn. I can play 'dress up' with my girl protagonist. Girl's seem more complicated with all the drama, while boys seem so chill. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:49:41 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_781339 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_781339 Aberration I see this sometimes too. I think it's... slightly less offensive than the helpless waif, but almost as annoying. Making all the female characters idealized figures of pure righteous awesomeness is still denying them humanity. I like my female characters to be human. With flaws and strengths and ulterior motives and the ability to screw up now and then. Kind of like my male characters. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:01:11 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_786060 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_786060 Aberration Oh, that sounds like a great premise. I would totally read it. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:03:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_786088 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_786088 TearsOnAJournal *Coming from a Thiller/Sci-fi writer* I am trying to write chick-lit this year, so, basially... I was held at gunpoint! I personally think it's slightly easier to write about a female character when it comes to emotions and feelings, especially when you're writing drama, romance and chick-lit. For every other genre, I find that either male or female would be very fitting. I never have to chose if my MC is male or female, I just imagine the story and the MC introduces itself in it- in any way they want to :) Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:11:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786189 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786189 Marietta Because I like writing about things from the perspective of an abnormal girl. One who isn't a distressed damsel nor an action heroine memetic badass with no flaws aside from not having any flaws. I don't have a problem with male protagonists at all. But if I were going to write one, I'd have to write him as though the role could be filled by either gender. That's the only way for me to do that. That being said, I have an FMC but the role itself could have easily been done as male with a few minor alterations here and there. However, I wanted the character to be more on the stupid-ditsy-clueless-naive side rather than your prototypical stupid male sex-obsessed idiot. The character would have been a little less believable had they been male. There's also another reason, a far more perverted one. My FMC eventually finds out incest isn't uncommon in her family (though not her direct line currently) but this only applies in certain situations. In the story, mothers die as soon as they give birth, so the fathers are left to take care of the child. The whole family has a one child policy (for a good reason) but there's a loop-hole if the child born is daughter. If that's the case then the father can have another child with her and it can continue on until a son is born. And the mothers die because their lifeforce is sucked out of them in order to continuously power a watch which elongates and protects the child until they mature. It makes sense in context. But basically, my FMC gets with her father during the story and consents to it. Although, in the end, because she's in a time loop and everything restarts, she retains her physical virginity but the whole thing is imprinted on her soul so she's been marked and not allowed to have sex with anyone else (because it might actually kill her). It's complicated. I also picked a female character because I enjoy playing the rape as comedy card on occasion (if it bends, it's funny, if it breaks, it's not) and you almost never see it when the female is the 'victim' in the situation. All in all, the part could be either male or female, but it was better suited to a female based on what I came up with. Plus my initial design was just too cute to pass up &lt;3 Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:31:15 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786415 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786415 MissWonderly I've always written from the female perspective simply because I'm well aware of what it's like inside a woman's head, whereas a man's mind will always be the undiscovered country. (I imagine there are more golf balls and hamburgers there. Not sure there's any more difference than that). I'm trying to switch back and forth between a male and female perspective in my current NaNo, and I'm finding it sadly frustrating. I wonder if I should go back to being a girl full-time.... Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:42:39 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786568 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786568 teaverse witch My NaNo project's protagonists are male, but I write both male and female protagonists generally. It depends on what character idea I come up with and what that character's story turns out to be, or what story I think of and what characters appear in that story. I don't think it through that much, honestly. I do think one has to be aware of the sex of one's viewpoint character and how that will affect his or her thoughts and behavior, as well as how it will affect the reader's perception of that character. For example, I also have speculated that female characters can get away with stuff male characters can't, especially being violent and behaving like a jerk. The female protagonist of my major current (non-NaNo) novel project is a cold-blooded government assassin with very little in the way of redeeming characteristics, and I'm not sure a male in her role would fly. However, when it comes to getting emotional, I try to make sure that all of my characters, whether male or female, don't behave like wimps or have uncalled-for emotional meltdowns. They can get upset, but they've got to have spines. That's just required for me to like most characters and has little if anything to do with what sex they are. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:56:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786771 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_786771 Featherpirate I generally write female characters, being one I use that to relate to them since I typically write fantasy/sci-fi and it will be one of the few things I can relate with. My MC is female because she told me she was and demanded to be my MC the night before NaNo started. :/ If I look beyond that, she couldn't be a male character and do what she's doing, in her species males are leaders and women look after the babes. She however, had other ideas and got into a lot of trouble for it. My initial MC that I wanted to use is also female, because succubus sounded cooler than incubus. (no she isn't a sex demon and no I'm not explaining it now haha. PM me if you're really that interested.) Also works in with the culture she was raised in, being smaller and female she lived in a stationary herd opposed to a roaming herd. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:29:08 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_787218 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_787218 throughasplendour I've turned out not to have a single protagonist. The female main characters are female because the people who inspired them happened to be female. There's turned out to be a couple of things happening with one of them that couldn't happen to a male character in the same shoes, but neither of those things was present in my mind when the character was born. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:34:18 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788045 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788045 throughasplendour Also, (damn the lack of an edit button) I resent the implication that it's only normal to have a male protagonist. It may be more common to have one, but it shouldn't be weird having a female protagonist. Men, nor women, nor non binary gender individuals should need a special reason to have their story told. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:41:45 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788116 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788116 Skeith I can go either way with my protagonist being male or female. For me it depends largely on my antagonist(s) and the gender of the rest of my cast. I tend to make my protagonist the opposite gender of my antagonist. I also like to keep a gender ratio in my works about 1:1. So if my protagonist is one of the last characters to be made they'll most likely fill out whichever gender is lacking in my work. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:33:44 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788644 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_788644 Eynara Too true. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:51:08 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_788820 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_788820 Nikki0417 The story I'm doing for NaNo happens to have a male protagonist, but I've written for females in the past. I can't give of a concrete reason for why my characters are the genders they are. That just, well, happens when I think of the story. I imagine the main character along with the plot bunny- a man finds a sack of money in an alley, an out-of-control girl is sent to a questionable correctional facility, etc. Sometimes they're male and sometimes they're not. I guess the gender is based on who/what inspired me. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:35:23 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_790121 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_790121 Princess Binky Lemontwist In a nut shell... IMHO girls are more emotional, and I needed an emotional MC. Plus, I ALWAYS write female protagonists. Can't help myself. :P Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:58:50 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791201 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791201 Princess Binky Lemontwist OMG is that cat Picachu? HOW ADORABLE!!!!!! Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:59:25 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791205 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791205 Kittypetro Well multiple reasons really I felt that there are enough male MC's out there and the women needed some love, and my world is really dominated by women, they get to be the knights and stuff while the men work home Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:01:10 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791215 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791215 Princess Binky Lemontwist BAHAHA!!!! That'd be a very interesting place to live Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:12:32 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791284 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_791284 Coffee_Plate Gender is a construct in the sense that there is no reason for a biological female to prefer the color pink, like frilly skirts or wear makeup. Just as being biological male doesn't predispose them to like sports, beer or violence. It is society that pushes these norms onto people from childhood and the ideas persist onto adulthood. Aside from the obvious physiological differences, sex should not predispose a person to fall solely into one of the gender binaries. Female characters are underrepresented because society doesn't value feminine qualities as much masculine qualities. While it is okay for a woman to wear a dress, it is considered demeaning for a man to wear one. Likewise, women can wear pants and men can wear pants. It seems as though in order for women to be taken seriously, she has to adopt typically masculine behaviors. Also, the white male perspective is seen as the "default" for the human experience, which is completely insane since there are far more types of people than this. It's a wonder that many movies fail to pass the Bechdel Test. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 06:59:09 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_791554 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_791554 PlatypiPopsicle I think for me the choice of a male or female protagonist, is chosen subconsciously. I generally get an idea for a plot and then...like turning on a light it becomes 'the guy walks into a room discovers a light....' the rest is history. I think it really also depends on the story and the type of audience you may want to capture or what you want to happen in your story. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:11:10 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_791640 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_791640 rachelwrites527 Two things. First, I love your picture. Second, my golden retriever's name is Tess. :) Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_792449 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_792449 TAMaxwell Because there's no way in heck this story would have worked with a male protagonist. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:07:59 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_792525 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_792525 Smackdreezy Well technically I have four MC's, two female and two male. However the actual story itself revolves around one of the females. I have written both in the perspective of a male and female and I enjoy doing both. Female simply is easier for me sometimes, but I guess for me it depends on the story that is being told. For my current novel, it just wouldn't have worked if the main female was replaced with a male. Besides, it's always nice for the women to be in the spotlight, especially when it comes to living in a world infested with zombies. : ) Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:57:36 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_794245 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_794245 Saer Gale Precisely. I wish there'd be normal female characters. Nothing too badass, but nothing too helpless. Just a normal, well-rounded character. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:51:10 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_796330 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_796330 Chai Maya I needed her to be female because she's going to need to be pregnant for part of the story. The child plays an important role in the plot. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:57:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_796397 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_796397 iamstalkingu I needed a maiden to be given to the unicorn. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:58:48 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796417 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796417 Musethisc I have 2 male MC's and 1 female MC. For no reason other than her appearing to me that way. My FMC is more "masculine" than my 2 MC's though. She's a military woman, a fighter, a feild agent type while one of my MC's is an intellectual and the other is a really regular guy. She's not there to be a romantic interest to anyone, neither is she a way to keep the amount of males I have in check. She's the second MC I came up with after the regular guy MC. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:19:06 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796672 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796672 Musethisc I really want an edit button. =( She isn't automatically badass though. She's the youngest, still in training/school and has some confidence issues. It's an urban fantasy, My FMC and my Intellectual MC are the ones who are stuck with.. er.. experimenting on the regular guy MC and showing him around. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:26:00 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796749 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_796749 theordinarywings I love reading about strong female characters, so I wrote one. And, because I'm female, I know how I can write erratic emotions that still make sense within the context of her gender. Plus, I like writing a pretty badass girl. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:09:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_797257 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_797257 AnneVR Thanks :) Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:32:49 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_818352 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_818352 hypocritelecter I do believe I have a NaNo crush. You said it in a more level headed manner than I ever could. Thank you. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:58:43 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_820605 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_820605 Jadedgently Here's my question: Why must male be the default for characters? Seems pretty ridiculous to me. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:34:15 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821111 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821111 ninetails12 Well, I used to write strictly female protagonists, but then recently it's been all about the males... I guess I used to write females because I felt it easier, and it always was more compelling to me to write about teen girl problems, and romances and such. For my NaNo idea, well, there was question of whether or not it would be a guy. He just was. He WAS a guy. I am telling HIS story, yknow? Just as well, the second in line main character is a girl, and as for how I want her character to develop and as who she is in general, it works much better with the story not being her perspective, as I want her to come off as very mysterious, but intriguing. She is also not your classic damsel in distress, not at all. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:46:30 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821272 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821272 Eynara I keep wanting to do the snarky response because of how the op did the original question, but, I will contain myself. While gender does matter for a verity of social AND biological/physiological reasons, people also have many other factors that create their personality. My MFC is quite, reserved and is quite often the go-a-long-to-get-a-long type character, but she has a strength that the "modern strong females" can't quite match. She realizes her weaknesses and allows her male counterpart to use his strengths to nullify those weaknesses, just as he does the same with her. Together they are stronger. So, I guess the reason I have a MFC this year is because I am tried of reading unbelievably "strong" women I'd want to slap in real life for sheer bitchiness or stupidity. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:50:03 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821301 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_821301 Jadedgently YESYESYESYESYES. My thoughts exactly; I take offense from the point of view that male is the default, the "normal," and anything else is the abnormal. I have nothing against male protagonists, but I do loathe the point of view that they are the standard. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:29:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_825774 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_825774 Lorata Thissssssssssss. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:10:17 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827421 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827421 Emma Rosloff [quote=Eynara]My MFC realizes her weaknesses and allows her male counterpart to use his strengths to nullify those weaknesses, just as he does the same with her. Together they are stronger.[/quote] This is my aim, as well. I enjoy exploring the male/female dynamic, and exploring situations that shape my characters to be more than just 'feminine' or 'masculine'. A lot of what we attribute to those labels is social engineering (although yes, some of it is genetic), so I like to toy with what that looks like. That's part of why I enjoy sci-fi so much. Gender roles are completely flexible, and can be custom-tailored to whatever society you dream up. I tend to write female protagonists, simply because I'm a girl and it comes easily. But I've written a male protagonist before, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Either way, I try to illustrate characters as fully as I possibly can. I feel like that's the real challenge, regardless of the gender of your characters. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:53:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827723 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827723 Nella_Rosmarino Really? I'm less sympathetic with female protagonist. I also feel we need more male MCs. But, the reason why I picked a female main character it's because the story called for it, and last year I had a male character as the main character. I liked him better cuz we were more alike but my current MC is all right. I like her too Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:26:19 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827934 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_827934 flopart I just want more non stereotypical men and women... and other... as MCs. None of my -main- characters are women... But they're not all men either.... Some of these generalizations are hurtful to both men and women. I have two good female friends who never volunteer emotional info, and a male best friend who loves to talk about feeeeeeelings. I'm an action kinda gal, and my girlfriend can theorize anything to hell and back. I feel like not a real person when I learn that "women are like X" and "men are like Y". If I'm neither X or Y, but Z... or 3, or %&amp;*@, is that why I have this weird gender dysphoria? @_@ Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:03:31 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_828162 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_828162 Sinfony Simply because the 'scene' I had in my head as inspiration for my novel had a female character in *shrugs* Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:47:39 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829235 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829235 Illusionary Nothing My main character is a magical quadripedal animal, so I thought making her female might give us some common ground. :) But I love my male MC just as much, and he's just as different from me. So... because I wanted to? Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:49:29 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829238 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829238 Saspirilla I needed a character that could have a reputation as a seductress who has assassinated powerful men. Kind of hard to do that if you are a guy. It's also easier to trail after two grandly dressed women in all their finery if you're swathed in a bland cloak i.e. looking like a servant. Plus, as someone who has lots of inner demons, it's easier to deal with a woman's perceptions of those kinds of things than a man's. I have a bit of a girl-crush on her. A blend of Mila Kunis, Angelina Jolie and Amy Lee. What's not to like? And Lady Dragon sounds nicer/cooler than Lord Dragon. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:39:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829432 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_829432 Mayzerbeamz My story is quite depressing, and I thought that a female would be able to convey the emotions better than a male character. Also my character is supposed to be somewhat like me and as far as I know I am a female. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:41:34 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_829436 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_829436 Gowan [quote=Nella_Rosmarino] Really? I'm less sympathetic with female protagonist. I also feel we need more male MCs. [/quote] What do you write? Romance? I really can't think of any other genre that lacks male MCs. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:44:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_829443 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_829443 Gerd D. Urban Fantasy, could use a few more male leads, too, I'd say - or at least a whole less "Me Tarzan" Alpha males. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 08:47:15 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_830597 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_830597 Nella_Rosmarino I write Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Humor, Adventure, and General Fiction. How many paranormal books do you see with male MCs? Barely any. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:26:17 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_831379 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=5#forum_thread_comment_831379 Blueflare Well I have a male and a female one. (I actually tell the story from several POVs, though there are two main ones, and then some other minor ones.) I wanted to write from the female POV because I never do usually (even though I am female lol) but I didn't want to commit to doing the whole novel like that. So it switches. I'm actually managing to do it this time without ending up hating her. I really want to create a great female character because for some reason they are harder to write than great male characters. :/ Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:27:38 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_832408 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_832408 The Peahen Different characters fit different genders. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:15:26 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_832765 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_832765 TheSlenderman Because the series I'm parodying has a female lead, so I thought it was fitting. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:42:14 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_833536 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_833536 bookwyrm4life I chose a dual female protagonist -- two women who for a time share one body -- because they both end up complementing what the other lacks. The one is a self-confident, people person while the other is a reclusive, detail oriented person. I did it as an attempt to juggle two very different points of view. It didn't work, but that was my original intent. Now I can't get rid of either because it would really mess up the story. Fri, 25 Nov 2011 21:12:11 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_847921 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_847921 RainbowFishie I chose a female protagonist because I understand the female mindset better, since I am a female. Males never fail to puzzle me. I fear I shall never completely understand them. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 00:41:21 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_849564 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_849564 Kayth I'm not really sure. Even though I'm a girl, a lot of my MCs have been guys. Actually, I tend to like my guy characters more than my girl characters. But for some reason, Alana just appeared in my head as a girl. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:01:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_858956 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_858956 Amuoralzg Well, originally there was going to be Ruz and Yorick, but then Yorick went and got himself killed, and none of the other boys are very important. Jeff is cool. Jeff is smart, and could create a computer virus from within a simulation sufficient to bring it down. (Jeff is a woman, btw) Fred is cool. Ruz is not being very cool at the moment, but I like being inside her head. Junayd is definitely evil, but also pretty cool. So what if all four of my main characters are women, now that I've temporarily killed Ashley and Artemis? And Grais is interesting too, if very side. Actually, now that I think about it, my gender ratio is massively squewed female. (Lol, don't care.) Why not? Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:06:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_859619 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_859619 Amuoralzg Also this. Why is it an issue? Why is the assumption here that I would pick male? Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:10:58 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_859671 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=4#forum_thread_comment_859671 RavynER Not this year's story (you would not believe the lengths I've gone to in order to avoid specifying my current protagonist's gender) but my previous year's NaNo, there were two viewpoint characters (one male, one female, both in their teens or so). The male, Tabari, was my original narrator, I think because most of my protagonists and so on had been female before that, but I was having trouble connecting him to the character who had first gotten me into the world, and I wanted to see if I could write a romance arc, so I gave him a sweetie, Khadijah, who was connected to the character I'd gotten the inspiration from... and then I realized she'd make an excellent viewpoint in her own right, and since it was slightly easier to figure out what she could do about the problems she'd gotten into than what he could do about them from back home.... well, next thing I know they're already an item when the story starts, and soon after that she took up most of my (admittedly very little) word-count for that attempt. It was... interesting. Sat, 26 Nov 2011 22:50:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_860023 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_860023 shockvaluecola I honestly don't consider the gender of my protagonist when choosing where to write the story from. It never enters my head. I usually have a story and it's what's in my head and it's already informed me who it's being told by, male or female. It seems like a strange question, honestly. Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:12:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_860741 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_860741 Itzika 1) Why not? 2) Strong, likable female leads are underrepresented in YA literature. I strive to write strong, likable female leads to offset that. 3) Honestly? It was inspired by Twilight. The Twilight story, even when it's taking a backseat to actual plot, has a female lead. Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:24:30 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_872288 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_872288 Itzika Ahaha, I thought I was the only one doing something based on Twilight. Though mine is more taking elements of Twilight and attempting to turn it into a competent story and yours is, well, a parody. Which I really want to read. Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:26:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_872307 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_872307 TwilightSparkle I always go with a female protagonist because I, as a female, can relate better to what they go through with chaos hormones and frustration at irritating humans. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:52:51 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_889863 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_889863 masqueblanc *shrugs* She walked into my head that way. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:54:14 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_892136 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_892136 Caroline11278 [quote=masqueblanc] *shrugs* She walked into my head that way. [/quote] Mine did, too. I normally come up with characters susconciously, and their gender is always clear. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:17:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1045107 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1045107 Amaya I have three protagonists, but why did I chose a female one for the "healer"? Perhaps because there was enough testosterone fuelled madness and so I needed a woman to calm it down/ whack them over the head with a shovel. It just seemed natural to have her as female, not because of the natural female role, but also because it would fit with the expectations of the other two, a physically weak human, but also because neither of the other races have the same view on women, they are equals. It allows her to surprise other humans with her control over her two companions while not seeming too odd to them. In the end she's female because she is female. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:24:37 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045129 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045129 jefflion Most of my novels have a female protagonist. I guess it's because I'm a female. I used to think it's impossible for me to write a male protagonist, but I've discovered I was wrong. I can write a good male protagonist and I should do it more often. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:29:38 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045143 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045143 roruna I don't know. Just happens that way sometimes. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:22:13 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045710 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1045710 Lisa.Vail For my NaNoNovel, I challenged myself in writing from the POV of a much older male, whereas I'm a 19 y/o girl. It was hard, and I found that it's more natural for me to write in a female first person. In the novel (s) I'm working on right now, I'm doing 1. Male First person 2. Female first person 3. Female Third person. I just do whatever feels natural for the story and the character ^^ Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:29:57 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1049199 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1049199 fuzz I guess in the case of what I'm doing at the moment, it's because I write fantasy and I like to throw problems at the characters, so I also like to have a female lead. It's just so much more inconvenient to be a pretty girl thief living on the streets with a bunch of thugs than it is to be a man in the same position. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:27:55 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1052111 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1052111 vinegirl It happens by default n_n' I wasn't brought up around a lot of boys, so I identify with girls. In fact, I can't even come up with solid male side characters! Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:23:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1052328 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=6#forum_thread_comment_1052328 harrypoter4ever males are sissies Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:50:41 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1081991 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1081991 Livingfairytale I don't have much trouble with writing from a male's POV, but I prefer writing from a female POV, since I'm a female myself, and I can relate better to their emotions. I once tried to write a story from a male's POV, but I struggled with it because I couldn't relate to him that well. So I ended up turning him into a female character lol. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:01:47 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1082046 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1082046 Sayaren Because I don't know how guys think, I like writing girls, and a lot of my ideas almost require a female main character. And I like writing girls. One of my dreams is to write a girl who's a total badass and knows it. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:14:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130459 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130459 Sayaren Just realized I put I like writing girls twice. Where the heck is the edit button?? Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:16:24 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130468 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130468 Bassoon My characters usually come to me as they are, and that's just how they are, inherently. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:16:16 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130702 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1130702 keolah I dispute the inherent assumption that "straight white male" is the default and that any deviation from the default requires a specific purposeful choice on the part of the writer. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:27:07 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1131462 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1131462 finchgeam I find females easier to write ... o.O The ratio between females and males in my novel is about 3:1 o.O''' Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:38:17 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1136524 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1136524 Madeline-Rose Well, being as I'm a girl, I guess I just felt that I could get into my FMC's head more and make her act more realistic than I could a boy. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:58:20 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1137554 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1137554 Sayaren Exactly. Thu, 10 May 2012 00:10:51 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358123 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358123 arualo Why does there need to be a reason to write about females? We are human too! There's no particular reason for me to choose either males or females, it just happens. Instead of that, I usually focuse more on their other traits such as age and social situation. And even though I'm female, writing about male characters has never been impossible or hard to me. It also helps that my stories often don't focus around romance and/or school life so I don't have to think stuff like what boys think about love or girls. Sometimes I choose either one on purpose for some specific reasons (like if I want to write about lesbians or something) but usually they just happen to be what they are. Of course it's nice to see strong female characters but I don't want to create a female character like that just because I want them to be strong. That often leads into them being as shallow as they would be if they were damsels in distress. I create a female if she is one, and I create a male if he is one. There is no such a big deal in that. Being strong shouldn't be any character's main reason to exist. Also, males are very capable of feeling emotions and being sympathetic. It's the sterotype we have been forced to take in that men aren't good with emotions and such. Being emotional and for example, crying, are seen as feminine traits and therefore, of course, they are signs of weakness (because of course women are weak). This is so wrong in so many levels that I could go on and on! For example, as a little child, I thought that men don't cry because they are incapable to do so. How sad is that?? Thu, 10 May 2012 09:39:13 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358603 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358603 myyearinlists I just prefer to write lady characters. My MCs are almost always female, just because, well, guys get their stories told all the time. It's way more fun to write about women, I think. Thu, 10 May 2012 11:09:03 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358692 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1358692 Windywords Mostly I just go with whatever balances out the sexes most, or if I have a character in mind, or if they have a particular female/masculine trait. This time, it was because I wanted to give her a specific name. Really, I don't think gender matters at all personality wise. It matters in other things, but not personality. Thu, 10 May 2012 17:01:28 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1359602 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1359602 Maydeleh I've discovered, in the last couple of months, that I tend to 'get' female characters fairly quickly. I understand their motivations and goals more quickly and more organically. Male characters, for me, tend to start out as fairly stereotypical stock figures, usually connected to the female characters. Then I figure out more about them as a I go. I figure out more about the female characters too, but they tend to start more fully formed to begin with. Fri, 11 May 2012 20:30:06 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362577 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362577 Cavaliere Errante Because it would be utterly ridiculous to have as many POV characters as I've got and not have at least a few of them be female. I'm following George R.R. Martin's lead in that a story actually <em>can</em> work with more than a handful of POV characters. If he can have what, a total of twenty-eightPOV characters so far (including those in the prologues and epilogues) then I can have fifteen if I so please. Besides it would be total crap if <em>all</em> my characters were male. I never put up with William Golding and his excuse for not including females in <em>Lord of the Flies.</em> I'm sorry, good sir, but "never having been a little girl" is not really that great of an excuse. You are a writer, your job is to get into people's heads, I'm sure you've never been trapped on an island before either, but that didn't stop you from being able to write an entire book about it. Honestly, if you are a writer and you cannot get into the heads of others, regardless of gender, then you're going to fail at writing. Simple as that. Fri, 11 May 2012 21:02:12 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362616 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362616 Thanatophobia [quote=Cavaliere Errante]Honestly, if you are a writer and you cannot get into the heads of others, regardless of gender, then you're going to fail at writing. Simple as that.[/quote] Couldn't have said it better--even if you can't write X character as well as Y character, how on Earth can you write if you can't get into other people's heads...? That being said, I have a male POV charrie and two female POV charries. MC views FMC1 as a daughter and FMC2 is his girlfriend. If I changed the gender for any of them, their interactions would be pretty screwed up, which is why I decided they have to be those genders. SImply put, they just /don't work/ if the genders change. Fri, 11 May 2012 21:54:05 -0700 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362745 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/37611?page=7#forum_thread_comment_1362745