In case you missed round 1 of these musings, the original post is here. Being in a moderately unique situation at home I’ve experienced a lot relating to gender and how males react to things versus females. And for a lot of us it extends to our writing.
Like…our blog posts. If you’d like, check out the Gender Genie. It’s a lot of fun. But I noticed something today. I was reading a blog post by a male author. I was doing this while talking to one male friend and one female friend. And it struck me how very different the three styles of speaking (or typing in this case) were.
Both the male author and the male friend had some very distinct speach patterns in common. It’s not what was said, but rather how it was said. Now, before I continue, my disclaimer is that 1 – this is just an observation based on two snippets of speach, and 2 – it’s not meant to be a broad scoping stereotype about guys or girls. Anyway…both men spoke very directly. “This is what I’m thinking that I’ve chosen to share with you. Take it or leave it.”
The woman on the other hand wasn’t quite so direct. And there was almost an apology in her communication. So…where one of the men would have said “I want a drink. Bring me one?” The woman would have said “I think I’m thirsty. It sure would be nice if I could solve that problem. But I can’t walk away from what I’m doing, and I couldn’t impose on someone else to do it for me.”
The woman’s statement might be passive agressive, but it might be sincere. She may either secretly hope you’ll get the hint and bring her something to drink, or may honestly not want to put you out. The man’s statement…not so much room for interpretation.
So my question is…does your writing reflect that kind of direct versus subtle communication? I would have said ‘No, definitely not’ for the longest time. But I’m very certainly guilty of round-about writing. Something I’ve tried recently to overcome in things like my emails. If it goes on for more than two paragraphs, I need to re-evaluate and see what I’m actually trying to say.
Or…am I interpreting this completely wrong?
I totally agree with what you’ve found,but I think I should point out that it just depends on the character. You may have a man with an indirect voice or a girl with a more direct tone. But I agree, the average character is going to sound like they’re gender. I’ve thought about this, but not that much, thanks for the blogpost! Good luck and keep writing!
I think you’ve got the right idea! Most men do talk a lot differently then woman do. Some may not, it all just depends on the person.
This is interesting and I will ponder it. I am just trying to write in a little boys voice.
You’re certainly spot on about me, anyway. I struggle all the time to speak more directly, but my instinct is always to beat around the bush. I have noticed these differences you observe in many people I know.