Very carefully Seriously, in my experience, there is at least as great a variation in character and outlook within the sexes than between them. When cultural differences are taken into account, the picture gets even more complex. As long as you know and interact with women on a daily basis and have some elementary observation skills, I don't think writing female characters is a big problem. No more than say, as a straight male, writing gay characters. It helps if you like women (and I don't mean that in the most obvious sense, either ) and like spending time with them, talking with them, and most importantly listening to what they have to say and how they say it. Most of my writers group, for example, are and always have been, women, most twenty or more years older than me. Another thing I do is read both non-fiction and fiction aimed at or written by women, especially about female (not necessarily feminist) issues, but then I am a very eclectic reader and far too curious about lots of things for my own good. (By the way, in the fiction department, Jack's games are quite instructive )ankewl wrote:Oh yeah, this is something I've been meaning to ask: how do you approach writing the opposite sex?
In short, I'd say concentrate on writing interesting characters doing interesting things and probably the issue will take care of itself.