The Difference Between a 'Male' and a 'Female' Approach to Writing and the Writer's Life
A Sunday Short-Post
Good morning beloved reader,
The powerful, esteemed, and insightful female writer, Margaret Atwood wrote an enlightening Substack post about Stephan Marche’s “short but pungent” book, On Writing and Failure; Or, On the Peculiar Perseverance Required to Endure the Life of a Writer. I loved what she wrote so much that I bought an ebook edition of Marche’s book and read it.
I concur with Ms. Atwood’s assessment of the book’s gifts, but what I especially appreciate is how she subtly calls out the unconscious sexism in his writing, as he cites mostly male writers. On the subject of her own advice to “kid writers,” she says,
I would add, Don’t wear a miniskirt onstage if you want people to actually listen to you. (Not useful to Marche or Dr. Johnson or Machiavelli or indeed most of the writers he cites, but times and wardrobes have changed, so it may perhaps be useful to you, Dear Reader.)
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Through the past ten years of studying and practicing the craft of writing — including earning an MFA and practicing reading like a writer (while reading books by both male and female authors, although with a conscious intention to read more female writers) — I have observed a difference between the male and female approaches to writing and the writers’ life.
Here, I define the “male approach” to writing with the sentiment embodied in the famous Ernest Hemingway quote:
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
Much of what Marche writes in On Writing and Failure seems to echo this sentiment: it’s all torturous and without joy.
And here, I define the “female approach” to writing as a process that involves more awareness of ego.
Joyce Carol Oates demonstrates this idea when she said about her writing:
“I’m simply the garden hose that the water flows through.”
I’ve heard J.K. Rowling also feels that when she writes, she is downloading from "the other side" (you can read more about that here.)
And I will take this “female approach” a step further. This idea that writers are simply conduits for a divine download, I’m calling the divine feminine way of writing.
And that does not exclude men. Anyone who is not identified with ego can embody this divine feminine way of writing. I’ve heard Eckhart Tolle talk about his process of writing The Power of Now, and how it’s based on responses to questions people had asked him; the response arose from his consciousness in the present moment, and he wrote down what he didn’t want to forget. He later composed the book with these notes. Because Eckhart Tolle embodies total awareness of ego he has no problem with the divine feminine way of writing.
Perhaps the divine feminine way of writing, within a woman or a man, is writing from a place of consciousness, or soul; where soul lies deeper than heart or mind.
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Yes, we can learn and practice the craft of writing: including craft elements such as narrative arc, character development, lyrical sentences, conflict and tension in story, raising the stakes, scene and chapter construction, setting a reader in time and place, beginnings and desire, structure and scaffolding, description and specific sensory details, juxtaposition, rhythm, rising to meaning, the central question, etc.
We can participate in writing groups to give and receive feedback, which I wrote about for the Brevity Blog in an article called, On Useful Feedback and Silencing the Inner Critic.
But as for the story, or the content that flows through a writer, I am defining the divine feminine way of writing as a way that recognizes and acknowledges a higher power for which we, as writers, are simply conduits.
I want to plant this seed with you dear reader. This idea of the divine feminine way of writing. As it can bring immense joy, which I also wrote about for the Brevity Blog, in an article called On Writing, Joy, and Spiritual Practice.
May this idea germinate, grow and blossom✨🦌✨🧚♀️🤸♀️🌼🌷🌈🌺🪷💕☀️😎💃🕺☯️🥰✨🌟💖🙏🕊️
This is wonderful, Camilla! ♥️♥️ I love the comparison between the Hemingway and Oates quotes. It's the difference between conquering and allowing. Allowing is exactly the Divine feminine way. And, as writers, as the conduits, we are as much shaped by this allowing as are the readers of the resulting words. It's so inclusive. Thank you so much for this! 🤗💖
I wanted to shout from the rooftop when I read your article. Instead of conquering the project, allow the inspiration to flow. That is how I have written all of my books. It is the creative dance between my openness and Divine Love's sharing that creates beauty and meaning.
The Divine Feminine and Masculine are needed to create. Why else would we have access to both energies?