How can guys write about women?

Early versions of my first novel, A FALSE DAWN, were not going over well. My main character, Louise, was not always popular with my target readers, who are women. (After all, most fiction is read by women. And I, a guy, chose my main character simply because she spoke to me. She told me things. Personal things. Lots of them. Clearly, she would be the center of the action in my book.)

But women readers are very particular about their characters – and quick to reject them if readers don’t like them. In my early versions of the novel, Louise struck some readers as cold and self-centered. That was what I intended, so that over the course of the novel, she could change and warm up, become more human. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it?

When I started writing, I had believed strongly that starting the story by making Louise more likable, or close to “perfect,” would only make her saintly and dull. How to give her some life without turning readers off?

I asked several readers of the early versions of my novel – mostly family members and friends, and all women – what they really thought of Louise. Their comments helped me shape and refine her character in later drafts. Turns out, women sense things about characters that even an earnest and conscientious guy will never think of. Hard as I tried to create an interesting main character, I needed some input from others – particularly women.