Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Learning from the Opposite Sex

Do you ever have difficulty getting the males POV in your stories to sound like, well, a male?

Are you joining me in raising your hand? Sadly, I bet there are a great many of us who are still working on this aspect of fiction writing. Writing the opposite sex's POV well isn't easy!

I recently read the novelization of the screenplay Fireproof, written by Eric Wilson. I zoomed through this book. His dialogue tags took a bit of getting used to (often presented before the actual dialogue), but the pacing in those action scenes was bang on. Wilson's use of short, intense sentences matched the snap, crackle and pop head on.

But what most intrigued me about this story is how Wilson revealed Caleb Holt's character. He came across as a definite man. The internal thoughts, even thought process of Caleb Holt was all man. Strategically placed, a key sentence here and a telling phrase there sprinkled testosterone evenly throughout this novel, and that's what stood out for me as I read from a "writerly" perspective.

Have you read any books with an emphasis on romance written by a male that you'd recommend to writers trying to sharpen their male POV skills? I could use a few more examples to study.

Also, for those who are interested in reading the book, Fireproof. It's a great addition to the movie. After seeing the movie three times, the book still reads fast, and reveals a whole lot more than you might catch in the theatrical presentation. There are added subplots, expanded subplots, and I especially appreciated how the book resolved the boat sacrifice. If you're a fan of the movie, the book won't disappoint. At least it didn't me.


Blessings,

Eileen

4 comments:

Betsy St. Amant said...

I've always thought Dee Henderson's O'Malley series were great examples of a woman writing fantastic male POV!

Eileen Astels Watson said...

I haven't read any of those. I'll have to add that to my list. Thanks!

Jessica Nelson said...

Eileen, that's a good series. :-) I read an article about Male Pov. The writer basically said have the men think less and turn their questions into statements. LOL

Eileen Astels Watson said...

You know what, Jessica. I think the "thinking less" is one of the biggest mistakes writers make for the male POV. Most books I read tend to have them thinking just as much as the females, maybe even more if the hero takes the lead role. Very interesting. Now you've got me back to editing.

And so true about questions being relayed as statements. Does that mean we woman should question everything they say? Heehee ;)