I think Hornby’s How To Be Good is a great example of a man writing from a female POV.

I wasn't surprised by it becasue I enjoy writing from a male POV and find it much easier than female. I put this down to the fact that I like men and have studied them – the way they move, the way they talk, the way they seem to think. Mind you – that thing about the thighs was a surprise… I’ll remember that.

Dee


<Added>

Tch! I always spell because like that!

Yes, I like writing from male PoV too, despite having had a relatively male-free growing up - only sisters, girls' school; even the guinea pigs were female - and men who've read them haven't pointed out any gross errors. Sex scenes are interesting to write from male PoV, though I seem to have landed myself with an all-male sex scene later in this chapter, which is a little bit daunting, and is the one kind of ordinary sex I always said I didn't feel qualified to write...

Emma

Slightly worried by your flawless segue from guinea pigs to all-male sex, Emma…

This is a very interesting thread. I suspect there are some men whose mental processes are far more alien to me than some women. I attempted to write from both male and female POV in TC. It's been interesting (and gratifying) to get positive responses from women readers. For me, it just felt like something I had to do as a writer. I couldn't put it off any longer. In fact, the whole multiple POV thing was something that I felt I just had to attempt, and obviously if I was going to do multiple POV it would have been very strange if it had been all men, unless I'd set it in a monastery!

People have asked me about the challenge of 'writing women', at readings - it seems to be the men who are more freaked out about it than the women. It's a huge risk, of course. But then, if you're not taking risks, why bother, is my way of thinking.

Oh and Emma, I expect there are plenty of men who would quite happily write an all-female sex scene without worrying about it too much, but maybe that's a different kind of writing!

I expect there are plenty of men who would quite happily write an all-female sex scene

According to my editor, their slushpiles are worryingly full of such novels... So obviously you're right, but would female readers be convinced ?

Dee, the guinea pigs's morals were pretty dubious: when we got them, they'd already got into a ménage-à-trois with their brother. But the babies were very sweet.

Emma

PS I've started a new thread for the legs/thighs debate; I'll be fascinated to see if anyone's got any others.

I have read About A Boy, yes.

JB

OK, well, completely pointless to argue about it. I liked it. You think it's 'men by numbers' or whatever. But, hey, you could have expressed it in a slightly less rude way! Just a thought!

Re mascara, men and drama - I was in a play at college (could happen to anyone) and they had this idea I was going to have my eyelashes curled on stage.

I took one look at the medieval implement they were waving at me and said, no way. Rape behind the sofa - no problem, singing if they insisted but definitely no eye-lash curling.

Probably why I never went on to international stardom?

Sarah

I didn't mean to be rude, it was just my knee-jerk reaction to the novel, and not intended to be personal.

JB

No worries

Hi Pest Control,

Just try as hard as you can to get out of touch with your feelings.

Oh, and try to imagine what it's like to be really interested in the 0-60 time of a Ferrari and completely oblivious to its colour.

But mainly, just imagine being wrong...all the time...about everything

Sorry about the gender stereotypes, but as the mother-in-law was saying just the other day...

Tony

I like Nick Hornby's earlier works, and How To Be Good impressed me for a man writing from a female POV. Don't read his latest, though. It's crap. Some others off the top of my head: Toby Litt, William Sutcliffe, David Baddiel and even some of Ian McKewan's earlier stuff.

Cath

Cath
I thought the latest was disappointing too...

I couldn't even finish it, Caroline. It just seemed like a totally half-arsed, cliched effort that any of us could write.

Cath