Some would say that no seriously romantic book can be written by a man. Men just lack romantic insight in how women think and act. They will never adequately portray the feelings women have when falling in love, or lusting for a male.
Another argument against men writing romance fiction is they only think of sex.
On the other hand, there are guys who can write romance - take Leigh Greenwood. Btw, I did an interview with him, which I'll be posting one of the coming days. His wife was always reading romance novels, so he became curious to find out what attracted her to them. The result was he began to write a story of his own, and now he has one bestseller after the other.
What is your view on this?
I think it is up to the author - whether he is male or female. Some can write romance, others can't. (I can't - although I like to have my novels romantic in a way.)
If you go back in time, you'll see how the history of literature is filled with romanctic stories written by men - Shakespeare being a prime example (remember Romeo and Juliet?) And take Love Story, also written by a man, Erich Segal.
And not all men are out on sex. I personally know some who prefer cuddling to sex. And who cry when we play a romantic movie on the tellie. (something I never do).
As I studied English Literature, I also read beautiful love sonnets, not only by Shakespeare, but also by John Donne. Nothing much else compares to them.
Most people are romantics at heart (I confess, I'm also inspired by the knight on his white horse, or by the Sheikh, or any cool looking Native American).
In my own writing I try to convey the feelings of both male and female heroine, believing I can quite portray it in a good fashion (I did some psychology when at Uni, next to my Literature and Linguistics). I try to make clear to the reader what they both think at a given moment and hope this explains some of the actions they take.
If anyone likes to share ideas, please do. You're welcome.
You're selling yourself short. I think your novel was very romantic. I doubt I have the chops to write romance but I think you do.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment! What book did you read? Just being curious...
DeleteOf course men can. Whether men can do it WELL is another matter entirely, but I flatter myself that I and many of the male romance authors I've come to know and respect (Sasha Illyich, Bryl Tyne, KevaD, Aleksandr Voinov, etc.) can pen a romantic tale just as well as women can. Not better, and perhaps not in the same way a woman might, but just as well nevertheless. Thanks so much for the article. I'm working on a paper about the marginalization of men in the romance world, and it's nice to see that there are so many people actively challenging the status quo!
ReplyDeleteBest,
J.S. Wayne