Male Writers and Women's Fiction - A Writer's Question

I write non romance, women’s fiction.  As a male writer will it be difficult to get agents who want women’s fiction to read my query letter or does it matter. Are female readers who read women’s fiction interested in reading a male author, and if not do you think I should use a pen name?

I appreciate any insight.

This is a great question and one a lot of people have been wrestling with for some time. You have a lot going on here so let me take this in smaller pieces.

First of all, agents really do not care about the gender of the author. When we look at projects, we are interested in the story. Is this a story that will truly capture the reader and make the reader want to keep asking for more. As you have heard over and over again by editors and agents, what we are looking for is a great story with a great plot and great characters. We want a story that will just draw us in.

The issue, however, is that women's fiction novels are really a story about voice and not so much about plots. Women's fiction novels are character driven and thought focused. As I have described women's fiction, these are stories that show the world through a female lens. It gives us an insight into how the female problem solves and works through issues. These are stories that give the reader "another way to think about things."

Many book clubs often draw on women's fiction as the source of their discussions. When book clubs sit down and discuss the books, it is not so much about "Can you believe that character did that?" but more of "I really appreciated the way the character worked through that issue and I saw a lot of that in my own relationships at work." In other words, it is all about the connection.

Now, here is where the male writers often struggle with writing women's fiction.

As we know from researchers such as John Grey and Deborah Tannen, men and women see the world differently. They communicate differently. They approach situations from different angles. They operate in social groups differently. In an article from Ohio State University by Cynthia Burggraf Torpa entitled Gender Issues: Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships state "What is important to think about, however, is that women and men sometimes perceive the same message to have different meanings." She goes on to state, citing both Tannen and Wood:

Studies indicate that women, to a greater extent than men, are sensitive to the interpersonal meanings that lie “between the lines” in the messages they exchange with their mates. That is, societal expectations often make women responsible for regulating intimacy, or how close they allow others to come. For that reason, it is argued that women pay more attention than men to the underlying meanings about intimacy that messages imply. Men on the other hand, to a greater extent than women, are more sensitive to “between the lines meanings” about status. For men, societal expectations are that they must negotiate hierarchy, or who's the captain and who's the crew (Tannen, 1990; Wood, 2009).

As a male author this may become an issue. Both you and a female author can have the same idea for a story, but if you are seeing the story in a different light, it may not come across in a way to connect with the female reader. Remember that in women's fiction, it is about seeing the world through the female lens. If you are a male, that will require an "adaptive lens" so to speak, to be able to build that connection with the reader.

Many male authors will often bring up Nicholas Sparks as an example of a male writing women's fiction. This is one where I have always argued against. He does write stories that women connect with, but the stories are more plot driven and not so much driven by that character vision and mindset.

So, will it be difficult for you to get an agent to read your project? This is where you writing skills need to come into play. Your query letter needs to really demonstrate your ability to use female communication skills, especially if you are trying to convince a female editor or agent. Your synopsis needs to truly demonstrate that your novel is using that female lens. More importantly, the writing itself needs to read like true women's fiction.

I know, at this point, you are thinking this sounds a bit vague, and it is. Remember I said at the beginning it is all about the voice. Knowing it is true women's fiction really is about the voice. I like to make the analogy of Umami in cooking. It is that other sense that you cannot really describe, but you know it when you sense it.

I think your last question about the pen name really is a good one. While I think people will often state the gender of an author does not matter, we know that people do have first impressions. People, regardless of how hard they try, will make quick judgments about the writing simply by the title, cover art and, yes, the author's name. I am not going to say that having a pen name would be important or not. I think it all depends on the story you write and what you and your agent/editor thinks. Nicholas Sparks did not have to change his name, but we do know in romance writing, there are male authors who do change their names because it is marketable.

For a male, it is simply going to be difficult to write women's fiction, but it is not impossible. I would simply encourage you to take the time to really read the genre.

I have been representing romance and women's fiction since 2003. I have also been co-teaching gender communication workshops so I am pretty fluent in what the voice sounds like. I bring this up because this does take time to learn.

I would have to say, if you do not actively read women's fiction, this might not be the genre for you. If you are writing women's fiction because you think this is a great niche to break into due to sales, then this might not be the genre for you. You have to fully read, study and understand the genre to write it well.

Hope this helps you and I wish you all the best.'