Women SF authors

Jut finished reading a book by a woman (title irrelevant) and was struck by the difference in feel compared to the authors I tend to read, like Heinlein, Asimov, Weber, Brinn, etc. All men, of course (of course? Well, they are, anyway.) Some things I noticed: heavy emphasis on romance, wooing, cementing the relationship. Clumsy portrayal of powerful men. Big climactic space battle scene described in half a page instead of half a chapter. Was a good book, just different.
I imagine that when a woman reads a book by a man, she may be thinking "where did he ever get the idea that a woman would think that!!" Suddenly I am interested in what the ladies think about male authors. And vice versa. And about general differences in gender perspective. How male authors portray women. How female authors portray men. Anybody got thoughts to share? Were any Star Trek episodes written by a woman? Any lady collaborators signed up for Battlestar Galactica?

[shiningstar]

I've read several scifi that were written by women. And the majority of them
write just the way you say it. There are good ones out there and of COURSE
their names have SLIPPED through the SIEVE that I call my brain

[BST]

Originally Posted by Bombadil

Were any Star Trek episodes written by a woman?

bombadil,

One author comes to mind immediately -- Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana. She wrote at least a dozen ST episodes. There is an interview with her, at the ST website. Here's the link:

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/vie...icle/3993.html

Originally Posted by BST

bombadil,

One author comes to mind immediately -- Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana. She wrote at least a dozen ST episodes. There is an interview with her, at the ST website. Here's the link:

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/vie...icle/3993.html

[I knew that. . .]

[BST]

Well then,

I seem to recall that Andre Norton was a pen name for a woman author, whose real name I forget. When I read "his" stuff, I don't remember noticing that there was anything different about it. But then I didn't have much of a frame of reference and there were a lot of things I didn't notice back then.

[Rowan]

My Favorite Sci Fi authore is C.J. Cherryh I'd be curious how a man views her style of writing?

[Dawg]

I thoroughly enjoy C.J. Cherryh myself.

I care less about the gender of the author than I do the quality of the writing. One of my favorite authors of all time is a woman, in fact - Janet Kagan.

If generalities can be appllied (and it's dangerous to do so, you know), I find women authors tend to write more thoughtful novels than most male authors. I think that's why you see few women writing action/adventure and few men writing romance. Mysteries are probably split pretty evenly.

That's my very tired opinion, anyway.



I am
Dawg

[DarkJedi]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Anne McCaffrey yet. She is only the author of the Dragons of Pern books and other scifi books!!!

I am in awe in the presence of that woman. Definately fiesty and full of great knowledge and creativity.

[Rowan]

But do you think women authors portray men accurately and do male authors portray women accurately?

Which authors of sci- fi do this well and which do not?

(I have to wait till exams are over to write my reply to this ...this is just a teaser...so what's new )

[DarkJedi]

Again, I come back to Anne McCaffrey.

If you haven't read her books - I would implore you to pick one up and read it!

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by DarkJedi

Again, I come back to Anne McCaffrey.

If you haven't read her books - I would implore you to pick one up and read it!

I've read about 75% of her work and love most of it, but then she is a female author and I'm a woman. Are there any guys out there who have read her work and think she portrays men well?

[Darth Marley]

It has probably been 20 yrs since I read anything by her, so I do not remember.
But, it is something I do not recall having issues with.

I have read some McCaffrey and she is good. One of my daughters is in love with anything Pern. But there are some exaples of strong, male, "good guys" in her work that I thought were poorly portrayed. Like, Anne meant for them to be well-received, but I thought they were jerks. And that of course makes me wonder about some women characters written by men: what do ladies tend to think of the strong, sassy broads that Heinlein enjoyed so much?
(Other examples also welcome.)

[bsg1fan1975]

I read her books in high school and thought they were okay!

[kitty]

Originally Posted by DarkJedi

Again, I come back to Anne McCaffrey.

If you haven't read her books - I would implore you to pick one up and read it!

I have read all of the Pern series and liked it.

I have read so many books and dont take much notice as to what gender wrote it, but to how good it was and wether I want to read anymore by the same author.

One of my favourite female sci-fi writers is Janny Wurts, and I have read most of hers.
She has even co-wrote a series with Raymond E Feist, who I like to read.

[Rowan]

I can read any book without knowing the authors name and tell you if it was written by a woman or a man....

Originally Posted by Rowan

I can read any book without knowing the authors name and tell you if it was written by a woman or a man....

How can you tell? What are the things you spot that tip you off?

Originally Posted by BST

Bombadil,
One author comes to mind immediately -- Dorothy (D.C.) Fontana. She wrote at least a dozen ST episodes.

I am reviewing ST episodes in my mind, and I bet I can guess which ones Fontana wrote!

[cranky1c]

I tried reading McCaffrey when I was in my early teens but just didn't get hooked. Heinlein's female characters always seemed like props surrounding his rougish male characters. I like them, but they're "guy" stories IMO.

Frank Herbert crafted his female characters with considerable depth. I can not think of one Dune novel where a fully developed female character didn't play a central role.

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by cranky1c

I tried reading McCaffrey when I was in my early teens but just didn't get hooked. Heinlein's female characters always seemed like props surrounding his rougish male characters. I like them, but they're "guy" stories IMO.

Frank Herbert crafted his female characters with considerable depth. I can not think of one Dune novel where a fully developed female character didn't play a central role.

I would agree with that from a females perspective Frank is an exception to the rule I'm very satisfied with the way he portays his women!

[unowhoandwhy]

I try not to pay attention to the gender of the writer and just look at the story itself. If it's a good story then I am happy. If it isn't then I am not. However, I have noticed that some male authors have trouble portraying women with real depth and vice versa. Of course, I have also seen women who can't portray female characters and men who can't portray male characters.

I suppose it all boils down to the writer's own abilities. If you are a truly talented author and insightful person (And, at the moment, Frank Herbert is the only one who comes to mind) then you will have no trouble portraying either gender.

I enjoyed C.J. Cherryh and Andre Norton but it has been a long time since I read them, so I don't remember if they fit the bill. I used to be a big fan of Mercedes Lackey, but every time I read another Heralds of Valdemar book I remember thinking: Why do all the good men have to be gay? I'm sure that tha is a complete generalization, but that is what I remember most.

As for D.C. Fontana, she was instrumental in the character development of (among others) Spock and Jadzia Dax, both very strong and well-written characters, and I have always enjoyed her writing (except for the episode "Charlie X" which I did not like, but it was only the second episode to air, so they hadn't worked the bugs out yet).

[cranky1c]

Herbert's wife was also a major partner in his writting, up untill the very end of her life. Herbert's dedication to his wife in Chapterhouse Dune tells you a lot about the couple. As one of my psych professors once said, the representations we make have something to do with the represntations we carry.

[unowhoandwhy]

David Eddings did a decent job of character depth for both genders in his Belgariad and Malloreon, but then it was disclosed that his wife was his behind-the-scenes writing partner, so that would explain that, probably.

I would think that if one wanted to write a story that captured both male and female perspectives. hopes, aspirations, and so on, it would be an excellent idea to use the skills of a talented lady to help one. Or gentleman, as the case may be. How many other such pairs of writers are well-known?

[bsg1fan1975]

Originally Posted by Rowan

I would agree with that from a females perspective Frank is an exception to the rule I'm very satisfied with the way he portays his women!

I loved his series. It caught you in its web and made you feel like you were actually living the story. Frank Herbert took you on a wild ride and showed the depths of human emotions.

So which line in Star Wars moves you more: Darth saying to Luke, "I AM your father!" or Leia saying to Han, "Hold me!"

[Rowan]

for me it was definitely "Luke I am your father"

[cranky1c]

"Luke, I AM your father."

Mark Hamill's response to that line is the best acting in any of the Star Wars movies, IMO. For that reason it is more moving to me.

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by cranky1c

"Luke, I AM your father."

Mark Hamill's response to that line is the best acting in any of the Star Wars movies, IMO. For that reason it is more moving to me.

I agree the whole scene gave me chills and goose bumps! I loved it!