Note- mature subject matter.

For this chapter, I would like some input from everyone!

MiniMoxx left an intriguing comment that inspired this chapter:

This is my more detailed response:

Some of my readers have been remarkably frank with me, leading me to believe that it is common for them to imagine the "activities" happening to them. However, I don't have any idea if they imagine themselves as the female character, or if the male character is actually "loving" them. In any event, they are "experiencing" the man in my scenes.

Men tend to view erotic portrayals in a less personal way. The resulting arousal involves very little thought or imagination- it is merely a physiological reaction to the images or words.

A gross generalizations- I have noticed that women tend to write fictional male love interests as hunks. (A specific characteristic commonly given to them is something I will devote another chapter to... ).

I have no issue with that, as it is a fantasy- for women. And that is likely why so few men write in this genre.

Writers will often give their protagonist expertise in an specific area, such as being a detective, a pilot, soldier, doctor, etc. Though there is no substitute for the real thing (see KEJennings amazing war memoir), as long as they do sufficient research, many authors can pull off a convincing portrayal to anyone who has no experience in those areas. Since very few readers will spot any inconsistencies, there is seldom a problem.

Writing romance for female readers runs into a snag- every one of them either has experience with men who somewhat fit the hunk template (it can be a conglomerate of multiple men), or has a vivid fantasy of being with that sort of man.

Since very few men ever experience the kind of aroused response that women give to those real or imagined hunks, it can be difficult to write such a character that will resonate with readers.And let's face it, that's the male love interest that most romance readers expect.

A good analogy is a man writing about being a mother. Any actual mother is likely to roll her eyes within a few paragraphs.

Question for men. Have you written romance, and how did it go?

Question for women. What are things that male romance writers can do to make their books more appealing?