WRITING CHARACTERS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX

Are you sure that you are writing characters of the opposite sex who are true to their sex? Are your men really men and your women clearly women? What are the differences and why? Reading male or female body language can either be a lifetime of trial and error—or requires a specific study of what sets one sex apart from the other.

Making sure our portrayals of characters of both sexes are accurate and grounded in ‘scientific’ facts and research, as opposed to simply being based on personal experience, means that we need to make sure our male and female characters are true to their natures. This allows them to draw readers deeper into your story.

To help dig into the fascinating topic of the differences between men and women on the page, and how to use it as a writer, we will look at:

• Discovering the specific ways men and women are actually different.

• What are the most obvious differences between the sexes and how to use those differences to create conflict and tension on the page.

• Male flirting signals vs. female flirting signals.

• How and why men and women think and speak differently.

• Why some men, and some women, do not follow the expected behavior of their sex.