Female POV in men’s erotica
“What I want is to be inside a woman’s head that knows what a man wants to read.”
I’ve seen this idea expressed a few times in the blog comments and in e-mails. There’s an audience of male readers looking for plots that appeal to them yet written from the woman’s perspective. I totally get this. It’s pretty sexy to read about a hot woman being naughty. It’s voyeurism at the most intimate level. It also gives us a different take on our old fantasies: a new perspective.
[quote align=”right” color=”#999999″]For me, the narrative is more important than the narrative voice.[/quote]
For me, a woman’s POV isn’t a necessary thing, but neither is a man’s. For me, the narrative is more important than the narrative voice. I want a well crafted plot and believable characters, told with the point-of-view that the story requires. Some stories just work better in third omni–or third limited, split between male and female characters–or male first person. Sometimes, I want to relate to the male character and the inner conflict that he’s going through.
But with the right story, it’s not just erotic to be “inside a woman’s head,” but it’s incredibly powerful. As guys who think about this stuff all the time, we know why wife watching is sexy (well, sort of), or why MFF is so hot. Turn it around, though, and write the female POV, and that story gets a new coat of paint.
If you’re looking for stories out there that would qualify as “erotica for men” and are written in a female voice, I’ve got a few recommendations. Kirsten McCurran’s “Eve’s Swinging Friends” series is a realistic take on neighborhood swinging, all told from Eve’s perspective. Also check out her longer book, Because He’s Watching, about how a woman handles her husband’s wife watching obsession. Interesting fact on that one: Because He’s Watching was a story written in parallel with me; I wrote the husband’s perspective, she wrote the wife’s. I wasn’t happy with how Ian’s story came out, so I locked it away. Maybe one day, I’ll dust it off and release it. Katie Cramer also writes “male-oriented” erotica from a female’s POV, but I’ve only read a couple of her books.
Oh, and here’s the thing: the majority of erotica out there is written (at least partially) from a woman’s perspective. The trick is to find one with the heat level that you want (i.e. a high one) and a theme that you’re drawn to. I’m always looking for a good read. If you’ve got some stories that fit here, please post your reqs.
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