Who's a better writer, men or women?

[npandit]

Hmm...I don't really agree.

The reason is because I've read several books I could have sworn were written by a man or a woman based only on the book's theme, or the style of narration, or the ability of the author to get inside a male or female character's head. And I have been wrong many, many times.

Even though our brains try to automatically place and categorize people, it can be a dangerous business.

[VoraciousReader13]

I think that asking whether men or women are better writers, is like asking which sex is smarter. There are phenomenal female writers, and there are phenomenal male writers. There are atrocious female writers, and atrocious male writers. Neither sex is better at writing than the other.

[atagdroid]

Most of the book I've ever read written by men. Very few came from women as I mostly read non-fiction books.

[Nathrad Sheare]

I don't really think it's an entirely fair question, but I've wondered if it's a coincidence that men have done most of the revolutionary stuff even during the times women have had free reign in the creative world. Charlotte Bronte ranked with the best male writers of her time, though, in the minds of critics and readers, until, of course, they found out SHE wrote Jane Eyre. Mary Shelley wrote a novel that has stood the test of time with all the others, and Virginia Woolf gained the same fame her fellow iconoclasts, Earnest Hemmingway and William Faulkner, achieved from their work. Willa Cather was called one of the greatest novelist ever. I have to say, though, that few female writers have really struck my fancy. My favorites are Charlotte Bronte and Emily Dickinson. Willa Cather wrote one of my favorite short stories, "Paul's Case." Read it in high school. Thought it was awesome. An opera was recently premiered based on it. Haven't heard it yet, but want to. A difficult question.

[Savenysis]

Honestly, I find that it can go either way. I don't think it's a matter of male or female, I think it just depends on the authors own personal talent. Whether or not they can connect with the audience and really hook them into the story, so to speak.

[ParadiseLost19]

This is a pretty much unanswerable question. There are differences in the writing styles, of course, but I think those are less gender differences and more individual differences. But to say that one is better than the other would be kind of sexist and demeaning, don't you think?

[pamelaylawrence]

I don't believe it is a matter of "better or worse" just different...and even alike! Sometimes you can sense the gender of the author by the way they explain a situation. Other times you wouldn't know it unless you read the jacket cover. Men and women are equally talented, and the diversity in print is what makes books so wonderful and reading so enjoyable. How boring would it be if everyone wrote the same way?

Pamela

[madness_lady_black]

It doesn't matter what sex has the person that writes a book! The important thing is their imagination. I've read many interesting books by men and women alike.

[Iggy_86]

I think the variation of quality and personality within the two categories (Men and Women) are more varied than the differences between the categories. There is no way and no need to compare the two because the variable is pretty irrelevant (compared to other more important variables) in this case.

[readergirl295]

It depends on what you are interested in. Women are better with feelings and emotions, and men are better with situations and mysteries. Of course these days, women are also going over into science fiction, mysteries, fantasy, etc. You can find whatever you are looking for with either a male author or a female author.

[Dream Catcher]

From my experience:

Men are better at: grasping a sense if reality/ a greater literary voice
Women are better at: creating a imaginative story/ developing characters

[BetzyCrypt]

In a way, the two sexes have their superior attributes. For woman, the sense of emotion and the twists of a plot in their greatest craft. For men, I believe its the tale as a whole, the making of the hero, the hardships that are prevailed.

[Amberle]

Oh, Wow... I really don't think I could ever answer that question, but it was totally worth clicking on the post. I knew that one would sparks off some really explosive rants.

I don't think that in anything -- anything at all, including raising children and peeing from an upright position -- it can be definitively said that either men or women "are better".

-- 19 Feb 2014, 14:20 --

I think the variation of quality and personality within the two categories (Men and Women) are more varied than the differences between the categories. There is no way and no need to compare the two because the variable is pretty irrelevant (compared to other more important variables) in this case.

So very well put!

[Reading lady]

I think it doesn't matter as everything depends on the talent of the person. If the talent is present, then the sex of the person is not important.

I think this person said it perfectly. Writing like any other talent or ability depends on the person not the sex.

[Sketched_Out]

Depends on the actual author, there are good and bad from both genders