The Unofficial Writer's Guide To Wattpad

Writing as a Different Gender

I've got a confession to make: I've never written a story with a boy as the main character. Maybe I read a bad book about a boy. Maybe I wrote a bad book about a boy. But here's my hypothesis: I'm not a boy, so I don't know how to write from the perspective of one.

I'm going to assume that boys might have the same problem when it comes to writing about girls. It's not because we're bias or evil, we're just scared of the unknown. Because what if it's terrible? And lousy writing results in every writers' two greatest fears: rejection and failure.

In all honesty, there's no such thing as "failed" writing. I've scrapped entire stories because I didn't like them, but there was always something good about them. Maybe it was a portion of the plot, the characters, the point of view, the setting...

I've sidetracked us. I think that I'm scared of misportraying a boy. I've read books where girls are portrayed as hot idiots, and I know that's wrong. But what if I portray a guy in the wrong way? It terrifies me, so I choose to steer clear of it.

Here's my problem: I usually only bring guys into the story to act as a love interest. I don't know why, and I know it's unhealthy, but it just happens. It's rarely intentional, but it's what I do. So here's a list I compiled about the characteristics of the different genders:

•» Girls «• 

•Aren't usually ditzy

•Blonde isn't dumb

•We don't all say "OMG," "like," "sksksksksksk"

•Aren't all pink and glitter

•Aren't not shallow

•Most girls care more about a guys personality than his looks

•» Guys «•

•Care about a girl's personality more than her looks

•Aren't stupid

•Are smart

•Aren't all surfer dude

•Care about a girl's feelings

•Aren't usually shallow

•Aren't lust-driven monsters

Now, as with most things, there are a few people who are stereotypes. I've met my fair share of ditzy girls and shallow boys. But that's maybe three percent of the population. Most girls are smart, strong, brave young women, and most boys are smart, caring, generally nice guys.

If I missed anything important or you feel although I was unfair in this chapter, please let me know. Especially if you're a guy, you'll know more than I will :) Happy writing!