Hellooo, everybody! You guys have been asking for this video forever! So I'm finally doin’ it, okay?
You better appreciate it. A while back I made a video listing my ten best tips for writing women,
and today I'm listing my ten best tips for writing men. We're flipping the script, and talking about
hunky-funky dudes in fiction, and how to write ‘em right. Let me start things off with what I
hope is the obvious. In case you didn't notice, I am not a man. That means I am not speaking from
personal experience. Instead, in order to write male characters and to prepare for this video,
I talked to a lot of men: black men, white men, tall men, short men, gay men,
straight men, trans men, cis men—all the men! The point is unlike most of my videos,
this advice is not coming from a lived experience. However, I did lots of thorough research to make
sure I was giving you as reliable of information as possible. Combining all my manly research with
the many shitty male characters I've read, I am breaking down my ten best tips for writing male
characters, specifically if you yourself are not a man. Please take this advice and ruminate on it,
implement it, and for God's sake, stop writing crappy men. And for anyone who's
offended by this video, I'm not sorry and also seek help. None of this should be controversial,
but I know that people are a special breed of stupid, so what can you do? Enjoy.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO)
Today's topic was requested by so many people, but in particular,
it was requested by my patrons over on Patreon: Cindy, Tina, Angela and Rachel.
Like so many people who aren't of the male persuasion, they wanted to make sure they
wrote their male characters accurately. And hey, that's what I'm here for, you're welcome. Also,
in case you missed it, The Savior Series fan art contest is going down right now. Three lucky
winners will be walking away with massive TSC prize packs, including signed copies of my books,
merchandise, as well as exclusive merch that no one else has access to. If you wanna participate,
the contest is open internationally, and you can enter as many times as you want. I have it linked
in the description below. You will find all the details ready and available for you. Don't forget
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SOON as I upload, ring that bell. I give tons of writing advice. Some of it's a little bit saucy,
some of it is a little bit cussy, some of it is a little bit salacious, but I'm just
being me. I also host contests all the time, so you should totally ring the bell and get
involved. The Savior's Champion and The Savior’s Sister are available in ebook, paperback, hardback
and audiobooks. So if you like yourself some dark fantasy, and you like yourself some romance, and
you wanna mash ‘em together, I got the puff—the puffect! The puffect. I’ve got the perfect
book series for you. So definitely check out my books, they are linked below. And now I am diving
into my ten best tips for writing male characters in fiction. These tips are based on loads of
research, loads of interviews with men, and loads of reading. Trigger warning: I will be discussing
sexual assault at this point of the video. So if that sort of thing is triggering for you,
no worries, just skip this time and you'll be good to go. Number One (1): You know how society has
loads of expectations for women? Yeah, it's also got expectations for men. I'm mentioning this
first because people regularly confuse societal expectation with biology. Men are expected to be
strong, tough, powerful and emotionless. And thus we assume it's biology. That isn't necessarily
the case. Yes, men are often larger than women, and typically being larger means producing more
muscle, but that doesn't necessarily equate to being both physically and emotionally stronger. It
doesn't equate to being naturally protective. And it certainly doesn't equate to being emotionless.
There are a lot of preconceived notions forced onto men that push them to “man up.” They're
expected to not cry and to take charge, they are pushed into leadership roles whether or not
they're prepared. This again is societal. These are roles that are forced onto a person whether
or not they are naturally suited for it. This is not my way of saying that men aren't strong or
protective, and that they're actually super crazy emotional. It's my way of saying as a writer,
you absolutely cannot confuse society with biology. If you're writing a story that takes
place in this world, the world we live in, you need to understand who your male character is,
and how he fits into this world’s expectations, or maybe even adjust his personality to fit
into these expectations. If you're writing about a completely fictional universe that you've created,
then you get to make up any societal expectations you want. You don't have to make your male
characters fit into the expectations of our world. Bottom line, learn to differentiate
between society and biology. It'll make a supreme difference in your writing of any character
regardless of gender. Which brings us to, Number Two (2): Men have emotions, I promise. Again,
just because society tells men to be stoic, doesn't mean they're not feeling a whole bunch
of shit on the inside. And no, I'm not talking about anger, which apparently is the only emotion
men are allowed to have. Just because men may not be as inclined to freely express their emotions,
doesn't mean they're unfeeling. Which is an important thing to consider if you're writing
from a male point of view. Maybe the character isn't crying, that doesn't mean he's not feeling
incredible pain, guilt or remorse. As a writer you need to convey that internal struggle, otherwise
readers won't be able to believe or connect to the character. Sadness, joy, excitement, nervousness,
self doubt—all of these are normal emotions that are experienced by most people within this world.
And yes, anger is absolutely on the table. But keep in mind, most men don't punch walls when
they're mad. Might as well have him fling his poo while you're at it. Number Three (3): It's not
all about sex all the time. Jesus Christ people, I know men have a stereotype of being super sexual.
And yes, some men are very horny, but I promise you, if they were as horny as you're writing
they would go extinct. They would be spending all their time putting their dick into shit,
not working towards basic life skills. The caveman would be too busy fucking to protect themselves
from the dinosaurs charging their way. This is scientifically accurate, I looked it up. Look,
I live with a man, and get this, he's able to cook his own dinner without humping anything. Magic.
And I'm not saying you should write your male characters as chaste, but writing “My cock agees”
over and over again is too damn much. Calm down. Again, this stereotype mostly comes from societal
expectation. Yes, sex drive is innate in many people but across the globe,
men are encouraged to be sexual, whereas women are expected to be pure. These expectations are not
necessarily indicative of reality. Some women are raging sex fiends, and some men are romantics who
would rather wait for the right person. Some men are too focused on their goals to care about sex,
and some men don't care about sex at all because asexuality and greysexuality
are things that exist. Number Four (4): Underdogs and losers are not synonymous. Everyone loves an
underdog. They're very popular in hero stories, especially if the hero is male. But an underdog
is someone people underestimate, someone who maybe doesn't have the best reputation. That's not the
same as being a completely unlikable pile of shit. It's unfortunately common to write an underdog
as the latter. He's not smart, he's not kind, he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Remember,
an underdog has to eventually win, which means there needs to be something going for him. It's
just that these positive traits are overlooked by a majority of people, so think of it this way,
if the character is an underdog and athletic sense, then maybe it's because they're small
or not particularly muscular. If he's an underdog in terms of politics maybe it's because he's poor,
or from a lower class. These are appropriate underdog traits, but you need to offset them
with positive traits that not only endear them to the reader, but help them achieve their goals.
He may be small, but he's quick, live, and nimble. He may be poor, but he's charming,
intelligent and loved by the people. This is how you craft an effective underdog that
people root for. Number Five (5): Fuck is a gender neutral word. This may seem like a weird point,
but I see this a lot, especially in female written romances. Ladies, stop it. When someone writes a
dual perspective story, especially with one male voice and one female voice, you typically need
to differentiate between the points of view. And it's painfully common for writers to differentiate
these voices using the word fuck. You can tell we’re in the female point of view, because she
speaks like a nun. And you can tell we're in the male point of view, because he uses the word fuck
like a comma. Look, I have no problem with the F-word, but that's my point, I'm a woman! It's not
inherently masculine to swear. And even people who swear prolifically, do so with intention. No
one talks like “I (beep noise) went to the (beep noise) store and I (beep noise) (beep noise) with
the (beep noise)” If this is the only way you can define masculinity, maybe get out into the
world. Meet an actual human male, you may discover that they have a wider vocabulary than a single
four letter word. Number Six (6): Did you know the average height for men in the United States is
5’9? So if all of your male characters are in the height range of 6’ to 6’7, me thinks you're being
a bit unrealistic. “But Jennaaa, heights vary by region, obviously!” That's true. And a recent
poll of fifteen different countries rated the average male height as being between 5’11 and 5’4.
See what happened? They got shorter, your argument fucked you. A lot of people are attracted to tall
men, just like they're attracted to chiseled jaw lines, and six packs. But unless you're
writing about a beauty contest, a strip joint, or another setting where physical appearance
dictates relevance, an entire cast of 6’5 bodybuilders with eight packs and butt-chins
just isn't realistic. It's about as believable as a cast of bleached blonde grammar models with
natural BBLs and circus tits. Even if the man's super athletic, not everyone can get a six pack,
there is a genetic predisposition there. And if their love interest is the same old tired cliched,
five foot diminutive, do they really need to be bumping uglies with someone who's 6’7? I've said
it a million times, I'm all for writing attractive characters, but it's possible to couple beauty
with realism. Number Seven (7): Dominance doesn't have to be predatory. Ladies, I know you wanna
write about a strong, confident, powerful man. And I get it you want a guy who makes you feel
protected. But predatory behavior is the opposite of protection. Ever consider that? Dominance comes
from a Type A personality, it means you have power and influence over people. You're comfortable and
natural in a leadership position. There's nothing wrong with this. These are great desirable traits.
But you can write a man with these traits, without making him a predator. Having influence over
people is not the same as forcing your power. In fact, if you have to force your influence, that's
the opposite of having influence. I'm just begging you to understand that you can write a strong
confident man without making him a sex offender. It's about how they carry themselves, it's about
courage, it's about charisma and how they garner attention. If anyone of any gender has to force
you to follow their lead, that's the opposite of what you've intended. It's not dominance, it's
just gross. Get therapy. On a related note, Number Eight (8): Men can also be victims by the way.
A lot of people seem to be under this ridiculous misconception, and I'm here to correct it. Boys
and men can be victims of sexual assault. And they are victims of sexual assault, frequently.
And yet I have lost track of the number of times that I have read a scene where a character is
forcing themselves onto a man, and we are supposed to read it as some hot and heavy sexual awakening.
Look, I don't care about the genders involved, if you are forcing your genitals someone's way,
that's disgusting! Just because men are supposedly crazy about sex, doesn't mean that consent is
irrelevant. Men are allowed to resist. And, big shocker, they're allowed to not be attracted to
you. It's not some proclamation of power for a character of any gender to assert their sexual
dominance over a man. And claiming otherwise is a huge slap in the face to male readers around the
world. Number Nine (9): Alphas and betas don't exist. This whole alpha-beta thing is so dumb,
I feel like I actually brain cells every time I read about it. First of all, the hierarchy is
based on pseudoscience, it doesn't actually exist in the wild. And second, you mean to tell me that
all men can be easily divided up into one of two categories? Every single man, just like that? Wow.
What's worse is these categories essentially represent extremes. Beta males are doormats,
and alphas are basically sexual predators. And apparently there's nothing in between, yikes. This
yet again comes down to terrible characterization. If you can't write a man without shoving him into
one of these terrible man-made boxes, you need to hone your craft a little bit. A lot a bit. Flesh
your characters out, create character profiles, see men as human beings capable of layers and
depth. While predators and doormats absolutely do exist, they are not an accurate representation of
all men in the entire world. Thus, they should not make up the entire cast of your novel.
Which brings us to Number Ten (10): Men are not a monolith. When people write their male
characters in a stereotypical way, usually as womanizing, sex crazed, stupid douchebags,
they often provide the same reasoning. “Well, he's a guy.” Okay, and? Do douchebags exist?
Absolutely. But “He's a guy” is a pretty shit explanation for regurgitating the same character
type over and over again. This may shock you, but there are literally billions of men on the planet,
and some of them are different from one another. I know, I can hardly believe it myself. Yes,
it's fine to write the occasional douchebag. Just like it's fine to write the occasional airhead.
But if this is the only male character that you can create, because you think it's the
only kind of man that exists, all I've got to ask is, what rock have you been living under?
It's a weak attempt at excusing poor writing. You live in this world. You know that men are diverse
and varied. You've seen it with your own eyes. Not every male character needs a perpetual boner,
cuz he's a guy. Not every male character needs to be a cheater because he's a guy. Not every male
character needs to punch drywall, or play sports, or talk endlessly about tits because he's a guy. A
better idea would be to actually practice the art of characterization, and create three dimensional
characters. You know, just a thought. I'll let you percolate on that, but please, consider it deeply.
Deeply! So that's all I got for you today. Thanks again to the zillions of patrons who
requested today's topic. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want
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So when you see those comments down below that are coming in early, those are from my patrons.
I’m just sayin’. We also have an exclusive writing group. We have monthly live streams, and you get
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I post new videos on Wednesdays. And if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload, ring that bell.
The Savior's Champion and The Savior’s Sister are available in ebook, paperback hardback and
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(Female Voice) Hey everyone! I'm Emma Tigan, narrator for The Savior’s Sister written by Jenna
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