Shorter sentences.(And no, this is not some kind of "dumb man" gag.) The men in my acquaintance seem to speak with less words being exchanged.

I find I have a harder time writing people of a different age than I am rather than a different gender. The college-age kids around now don't have the burning desire to get the fuck away from Mom and Dad that we did at that age (and I liked my parents), for example. I also saw people in screenwriting groups having a hard time writing elderly folks--as if getting older somehow drained you of a personality.

A number of my creative writing teachers have said the same, Robin.

Don't you know, Robin? Older people exist only to dispense wisdom to younger people. Occasionally, plot points, but mostly wisdom.

I don't really grasp a gender differential in viewpoint except for certain specific stumbling blocks. There are ways to reinforce gender, make me say, "Yes, this captures a female experience," like that dense feeling when you're wearing control-top pantyhose, but putting in reinforcers is less important to me than avoiding stumbling blocks.

The "hit something when I'm mad" thing is a reasonable stumbling block to avoid. One female fanficcers often get wrong is, they write from a male viewpoint and describe in detail what each person is wearing, with fashion terminology (e.g. "ruched" and "blend").

One female fanficcers often get wrong is, they write from a male viewpoint and describe in detail what each person is wearing, with fashion terminology (e.g. "ruched" and "blend").

Hee. My clothing descriptions are pretty vague. Thankfully I didn't introduce any new characters during the female POV chapter, since I guess the genericness might have rung false there.

No, I don't think stumbling blocks work both ways. Describing clothes in detail is not a way to reinforce that your narrator is female; but it's a tell that your writer might be.

Also, if the male characters ever discuss curtains, beyond the basic, "You know, I was walking around naked in my apartment yesterday, and there were people looking and pointing!"

One thing a lot of romance writers do, though, is idealize their male characters. Not many men of my acquaintance have been happy to talk about their feelings ad nauseum at the drop of a hat. And a lot of the men don't have men's hobbies or interests. Some men are art collectors and gourmet chefs, yes, but plenty of other men like baseball, and take-out food, and don't clean their apartment. Like, ever.

So, I need a bit of feedback.

Two very good friends of mine are getting married next month. They wanted a fairy tale version of how they met to put in the program, but both admit they're not writer-types at all. This is what I've come up with for them:

Once upon a time, in a land filled with clouds, there were two people who were looking for each other, but hadn’t realized it yet.

One was a handsome prince disguised as a lonely tailor. While he had good friends and charming people to keep him company, he frequently was heard to sigh and ask “But where? Where is she?” When his friends asked who “she” was, he fell silent. He knew there was someone he was supposed to be with, but didn’t know who she was.

The other was a beautiful princess, with a heart full of love. She wasn’t quite aware how full of love her heart was, because she had been trapped by a gloomy ogre who made her doubt the truth of her feelings. After she cleverly escaped the ogre, she too would sigh and ask “But where? Where is he?”

One night, in a loud and smoke-filled chamber, the beautiful princess and the handsome prince saw each other. Conversation was had, and both of them left the chamber that evening determined to talk more with the other; not only that, but to entice the other person into spending time with them.

On another evening in the loud and smoke-filled chamber, the beautiful princess, upon spying the handsome prince across the room, went forth to be her most charming and entrancing. However, when she arrived by the prince’s side, she discovered he was speaking to another lady. But as she said “Hi” and prepared to walk away, the handsome prince reached down and took the beautiful princess’ hand, to keep her by his side. They have been together, and in love, ever since that night.

Weirdly, I have more trouble writing women characters than I do men. I've also be accused of not like women in the "real" world. Which isn't true, I'm just bored to tears by the usual interests of the local women. Scrapbooking and children hold no thrills for me.

Oh, Jilli, that's lovely! Maybe add a little something about their future kingdom, too? i.e. "And they intend to live happily ever after in a..."