Many struggle with writing one gender over another, and we’ve all read novels with stereotypical characters that betray that discomfort. As writers, we often find it hard to get into the heads of characters so different from ourselves. But how different are they? This is the question TWA’s Harrison Demchick answers in his second guest post for Romance University.

In his post, Harrison reminds us that the question, “How do I write the opposite gender?” is the wrong question. We aren’t writing genders, which can produce women defined by their womanhood and devolved into stereotype, for example. No, we’re writing people. Our characters must have their own unique goals and motivations, regardless of gender.

Harrison delves deep into the common questions and problems we face as we craft compelling characters. For more tips on how to write the father, younger sister, or wicked ex-husband with authenticity, check out Harrison’s guest post on Romance University.

I want to thank Becke Martin Davis and the rest of the Romance University faculty for hosting Harrison!

Harrison Demchick came up in the world of small press publishing, working along the way on more than two dozen published novels and memoirs, several of which have been optioned for film. He is an award-winning, twice-optioned screenwriter, and the author of literary horror novel The Listeners. He’s part of The Writer’s Ally team as a developmental editor of fiction and memoir, for which he’s currently accepting new clients.