Are women better writers than men? Fifty-nine percent of over 3,000 men and women polled believe so. When I received an info-graphic that illustrated data upon data of how women are believed to be the better writers, I wasn’t as surprised as I was intrigued. The question in my mind wasn’t “Who is the better writer?” but rather, “Why?” Why are women naturally assumed to be and/or proving to be the better writers? When I asked the same question on Facebook, every sentiment mirrored the info-graphic wholly and those Lady Narrator wheels began turning.
I think I know why women are (usually) better writers than men. Not all of us are born that way (*wink wink*), more often than not, men and women are raised that way. I’m not a big believer in this concept that biology just magically sorts men into the sciences and women into the arts like The Sorting Hat of Hogwarts. I work in healthcare as a quality manager and have come across plenty of female physicians, hospital CEOs, directors and much more. My social network (on and offline) consists of female physicists, engineers and rocket scientists. Those networks also consists of male poets, songwriters, and bloggers.
This whole concept of “who is better” starts from birth, maybe even before. From the moment of conception, everyone begins plotting out this baby’s life and the debate begins with pink or blue. Are those the only two colors that exist? Men can and do look smashing in pink shirts—I’ve seen it—so why are they forced into the blues? No wonder they aren’t as inspired to be artsy. Just kidding…well almost.
Following this, the upbringing continues the filtration. Women are typically the better writers because they are trained from a young age to be alert, methodical and careful, so much so that they naturally doubt themselves. They have to check and double check every move they make till it drives them crazy. Females are often reared to take the passenger seat (or sometimes backseat) in life and what do those seats yield? Let me give you an allegory. While driving down a route with my mom, she let out a soft gasp. “Wow! I never recognized that. Has that always been there?” I quickly glanced to the right before looking back to the road ahead and said, “Yeah, for a few years now.” She was quiet momentarily before saying, “You know, there’s a lot that you notice when you’re not driving.” That was ages ago and yet it remained with me till today because it reinforced an unspoken necessity of life: balance. An individual must be exposed to both sides of all things when possible—the driver as well as the passenger role. But metaphorically speaking, women find themselves marginalized into the passenger role and are therefore far from inept at recognizing the little things that drivers overlook in life. These little details are what develop the female capability of defining life, creating stories, expanding the imagination and much more that leads to enhanced writing and creativity skills.
Now I’m not trying to generalize, because like I mentioned earlier, I have met men and women that do not fall into those stereotypical roles. It may be that their upbringing was unique and eclectic or it may also be the second key belief I carry about what makes the better writer: personality.
I may have possibly been born with a pen in my hand. The first story I ever wrote was in fourth grade and I still have a copy of that “skip-a-line” writing paper staple bound inside laminated purple construction paper that I drew a rainbow garden upon. That was my first story and first book cover. On my bookshelf now sits my hardcover blood red poetry book, published at the age of 19, and I smile.
Two more novels are in the making and over 91 new poems have been born. I am a writer. It’s in my blood and I truly believe that is a key trait to make someone something. Sometimes legends are just born with their particular characteristic (be it writing or anything else) and they can never be denied. So if you ask me, what makes the best writer, I would say it’s the one who capitalizes on that talent or develops it and commits to it eternally.
The better writer is the one who dedicates his/her time to writing wholly. The one who doesn’t just write something once and consider it done, but comes back to it days later, weeks later, to catch what may have been overlooked previously because he/she knows it’s not perfect yet, and that perfect, here, is indeed achievable.
The better writer is the one who succumbs to that burning idea at 1:47 a.m. and rolls out of the warm comfort of his/her bed and illuminates the beautifully dark room with bright lights to jot down bullet points to save the idea or actually write out the entire chapter/article/piece, despite needing to be at work in six hours.
The better writer is the one who never finds the ability to stop writing no matter how many negative comments, ugly reviews and threatening hate mail they receive. He/she knows it comes with the territory and those are bullets worth dodging or experiencing on this journey of doing what is loved.
This individual manages to instantly and eloquently bring together words like a perfect harmonious symphony and is therefore dubbed the better writer; but this amount of loyalty to a passion is what makes someone the better and the best at whatever he/she pursues.
