Who's a better writer, men or women?

[Naira]

Men are better. As for me, even writing about feelings- men do it better.
Being a girl still I cannot deny that men are more intelligent which is of course expressed in their works. Julio Cortazar, Friedrich Nietzsche, Hermann Hesse, Hemingway, Eliot Thomas, etc. In fact, all the best writers are men.

[TLGabelman]

Im shocked this is even a question someone thought worth asking. And yet more shocked by some of these answers...especially the one above me. For me gender doesn't deem one better at anything. Experience, talent, hard work, personal growth, life experiences, and many other characteristics season a writer. For me asking this question is similar to asking: Does an apple or an old shoe sound more like the ability to swim?

[newcement]

For me asking this question is similar to asking: Does an apple or an old shoe sound more like the ability to swim?

Haha!

I agree.

I would say men and women are more alike than different - similar needs for belonging, self-worth, physiological needs, etc. Some ways of attaining what we need may be different, but how much of that is culturally bound?

There may have been a time when there was a clear contrast between women and men in writing skill, but perhaps that was due to social norms or rules, not actual fair contest.

I've loved both male and female writers, though, glancing through my bookshelf, I seem to have more books written by men.

[TLGabelman]

Thanks! Wasnt sure if anyone else would get my humor. Nice to see im not alone

[datchristy]

Totally agree with the above comments. Probably the greatest difference between men and women is that women weren't able to get published for ages, or had to do it under pennames (like George Eliot), so I suppose if you are into classics, then you might think that men are better, but that's really because you can't compare it to anything.

[Klarista1216]

I seem to always read books by women and fall In love with all the detail and emotion I get from them. It's as if I am there and can feel every thing the character is going through. I don't get all those emotions from male written books although I think they are just as good in most cases. But women are usually more aware of their feelings and are better at describing those feelings to their readers.

[AbdurRashid]

I think who write better that's better writer. Whether men or women, he?

[shackettb]

Good writing isn't gender specific too me. Robert James Waller in his book, Bridges of Madison County, had me caught finely in his narrative web and Sharon Kay Penman can write a medieval historical so well-done that you don't get a sense of the author's sex, but of their skill in story-telling.

[THWilliams82]

MEN

Only jokin. I don't know really, there are good and bad writers of both sexes.

I don't personally believe its fair to judge writers as good/bad, as it all depends on the audience a book is written for. One could argue Fifty Shades of Grey is poorly written and yet it is loved by millions of people. Could you really say she is a 'bad' writer?

I never really thought about this subject, but it is interesting to note. I have to say, majority of romance novels are written but women, but that's most likely a reflection of their interests; if you want to get all stereotypical about it.

[+Eevee+]

I think it depends on their skill and not their gender. Men and women write differently but that's a good thing. Men tend to write without using too much emotion and that's great. Women tend to write with more emotion and that's great. I don't really think there's a better writer just by gender. If we were comparing two writers, one that was female and the other a male, then it would be easier to choose because we aren't looking at gender and we're actually focusing on the way they write. So I'm just going to say it depends on who we are talking about specifically. If we're talking about John Green and Stephenie Meyer then the answer is John Green, but if we're talking about John Green and J. K. Rowling then it's J. K. Rowling. It really depends on the person and not their gender.

[jazziemommie]

What a ridiculous question. In my opinion, the sex of the writer is a nonissue. There are great books and some real stinkers written by both men and women. As for the stereotype that women write better romance and men excel at horror/thriller, that's probably statistically true. However, I love those authors who defy this stereotype, such as Gillian Flynn and Nicholas Sparks. Somehow that makes me love their stories even more!

It's sad to think that women often had to hide their identity and write under male pseudonyms (and still do) in order to get published. I do not have a preference and I try not to stereotype, but a majority of the books I read are written by men. For that reason, I find myself searching out good female authors, maybe just to even the score.

[Lisalovecraft]

What a ridiculous question. In my opinion, the sex of the writer is a nonissue. There are great books and some real stinkers written by both men and women. As for the stereotype that women write better romance and men excel at horror/thriller, that's probably statistically true. However, I love those authors who defy this stereotype, such as Gillian Flynn and Nicholas Sparks. Somehow that makes me love their stories even more!

It's sad to think that women often had to hide their identity and write under male pseudonyms (and still do) in order to get published. I do not have a preference and I try not to stereotype, but a majority of the books I read are written by men. For that reason, I find myself searching out good female authors, maybe just to even the score.

So true! The question is so vague..it is impossible to answer! I like both male and female authors. Also, how can I answer this question if one of my favorite female authors, Poppy Z Brite, just had a sex change and is now a man? I think that breaks the question

[hnm216]

Honestly, I think it just depends on the talent of the author. I've read both really amazing books, and really bad books by both men and women. A lot of people have said that women seem to be more attuned to their feelings and write emotional books better, but I disagree. I believe some men are very attuned to their feelings. Honestly my favorite thrillers and horror books are written by women- Patricia Highsmith, Suzanne Collins, and my absolute favorite romance novel is a man- Nicholas Sparks.

[Kishor Kr]

I don't think that gender has got anything to do with writing skills. Anyone can be good, bad, excellent, average, or horrible based on his/her personal talent and not sex. Though, I might agree with the fact that more women are full-time writers than there are men. But that's not related to being more talented but because many women choose to stay home for taking care of children and family, and that gives them time to write. And, I really respect that decision. It's not really easy to give up so many things to take care of their family. But then whether women are better or men, no, you cannot compare the two on talent.

[Lady1934]

I personally believe it depends on the topic being written about. I think it's more difficult for a man to write a romantic novel, for instance, especially if he is trying to relay the emotional status of a woman character. Equally, it would be hard for a woman to describe the inner-most feelings of men. I would hate to envision a world where women only read books by women and vice versa. In poetry, some of the most romantic verses have been written by men. An example would be Andrew Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress".