Can you tell a writer's gender? - Page 3

Iskariot · 06-29-2011, 02:38 PM

I did not do the test.
And in general I do not care whether the author is male or female.

I know of only one huge exception.
I love the vampire genre and avoid 99.99% of the female writers, without even trying. I am sick of all these big beautiful broad shouldered, dark haired vampire's... blablabla... with smouldering eyes....blablabla.. who thought they could never find love again, until...blablabla.... he met her...and...blablabla... and more of that shit.

So in this genre my first selection is on the author's sex. Women are out.
I am sure I'll be missing out on some very good vampire books written by women because of this. But I am also sure I will avoid most of the worst, corny vampire books ever written.

ScalyFreak · 06-29-2011, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrickt

Nonsense. It's when the details are actually correct that you get a clue.

I disagree. The clue is in which details they focus on... and who they write for. A good writer will focus on whatever details they expect their readers to be interested in, but while they do that, they will also make sure that they themselves know enough about said details to get them right. A person who is utterly and completely clueless about computers should not make their main protagonist a computer geek. Not unless they are willing to learn a lot about the subject, and consult a couple of real geeks about the details, anyway.

I haven't taken the test, and I'm not going to bother. As far as I am concerned, the two mote important categories for writers have the labels "good" and "bad" and whether they are male or female has no relevance there.

Namekuseijin · 06-29-2011, 05:21 PM

haha, fun test. Unfortunately, I scored just 5 out of 10. Guess woman these days are just like another pal, only lacking a small detail...

just for the record: I checked "Male" for the first question.

anamardoll · 06-29-2011, 05:31 PM

I remember reading about a piece of software that supposedly determined writer gender very accurately. IIRC, the devil was not in the details, but rather in the pronouns -- supposedly women writers tended to use pronouns (he, she, it) slightly more than male writers did.

I'm doubtful whether that would hold true for things published today or if the machine was only accurate to older works.

The closest thing I can find is an online tool here: http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.php The site description pretty much admits to a 60-70% accuracy which is, I imagine well within the bounds of chance.

EDIT: And the software linked to got 70% on the test, just taking the "formal" results. So there's that.

Further research is needed, but I would guess the answer is: no.

DrLaurenceBrown · 07-01-2011, 01:22 PM

I like to think that I can guess, but there have been a few times I've been surprised.

GraceKrispy · 07-02-2011, 02:27 AM

I got 6 out of 10, but I don't like paragraphs out of context, so I read the first sentence or two, skimmed the rest very quickly, and made a guess. Guessed wrong 4 times. It said I needed to read more by male authors. Strangely enough, I think my reading selections are pretty well mixed male/female. I may have done better if I'd read more closely, but probably not. I really don't want to read those random excerpts again.

HarryT · 07-02-2011, 03:27 AM

It's honestly never occurred to me to give two hoots (or even one hoot

) what gender an author is. It's the writing that interests me.

KierstenFay · 07-02-2011, 01:19 PM

LOL. 5 out of 10.

There has only been one book out of the many that I've read, where I thought "This has got be be written by a guy" although the author name was female.

Fallingwater · 07-02-2011, 03:03 PM

8 out of 10. Too lazy to figure out which I got wrong - the test really could say it...

ChipnDale · 07-02-2011, 04:56 PM

6 out of 10...and I pretty much guessed after the first 2.

Ransom · 07-03-2011, 12:27 AM

Notes I made as I was making choices:

1 - male
2 - male
3 - male too stupid to realize he's a male,
4 - female too stupid to realize she's a female
5 - female (and the worst writer imaginable)
6 - male (also really bad)
7 - female
8 - male
9 - male (women don't have the good sense to use dashes)
10 - female with only one working lobe, or a very weird male ("his feet shod in moccasins" is a phrase no male should utter unless he just likes getting beat-up a lot)

I got six of ten. I wish I could be shocked at how bad the writing was in every one of these examples, but I'm not. One more reason to stay away from modern authors.

xg4bx · 07-16-2011, 11:51 PM

i think it depends on the genre. i mainly read sci-fi and horror and there's a definite difference in the writing styles between gender.

Dimwit · 07-17-2011, 06:02 AM

3 out of 10. Shows how much I care.

HomeInMyShoes · 07-19-2011, 02:18 PM

7 out of 10. Reasonable. I tried to find one thing that a given gender just wouldn't say. Like fructify, seriously? Fructify?

Phogg · 07-19-2011, 03:05 PM

Can you tell a writer's gender?

Well, I think if you pick it up by the scruff of the neck, and look underneath it...

Sorry, I have been trying really hard for over a week not to post this.

06-29-2011, 05:31 PM	#34
anamardoll Chasing Butterflies Posts: 3,132 Karma: 5074169 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: American Southwest Device: Uses batteries.	I remember reading about a piece of software that supposedly determined writer gender very accurately. IIRC, the devil was not in the details, but rather in the pronouns -- supposedly women writers tended to use pronouns (he, she, it) slightly more than male writers did. I'm doubtful whether that would hold true for things published today or if the machine was only accurate to older works. The closest thing I can find is an online tool here: http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.php The site description pretty much admits to a 60-70% accuracy which is, I imagine well within the bounds of chance. EDIT: And the software linked to got 70% on the test, just taking the "formal" results. So there's that. Further research is needed, but I would guess the answer is: no. Last edited by anamardoll; 06-29-2011 at 05:34 PM.

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06-29-2011, 02:38 PM	#31
Iskariot Zealot Posts: 148 Karma: 513756 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Sony PRS-950 Daily Edition, Kobo Aura HD	I did not do the test. And in general I do not care whether the author is male or female. I know of only one huge exception. I love the vampire genre and avoid 99.99% of the female writers, without even trying. I am sick of all these big beautiful broad shouldered, dark haired vampire's... blablabla... with smouldering eyes....blablabla.. who thought they could never find love again, until...blablabla.... he met her...and...blablabla... and more of that shit. So in this genre my first selection is on the author's sex. Women are out. I am sure I'll be missing out on some very good vampire books written by women because of this. But I am also sure I will avoid most of the worst, corny vampire books ever written.

06-29-2011, 05:21 PM	#33
Namekuseijin affordable chipmunk Posts: 1,290 Karma: 9863855 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brazil Device: Sony XPeria ZL, Kindle Paperwhite	haha, fun test. Unfortunately, I scored just 5 out of 10. Guess woman these days are just like another pal, only lacking a small detail... just for the record: I checked "Male" for the first question.

07-01-2011, 01:22 PM	#35
DrLaurenceBrown Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: none	I like to think that I can guess, but there have been a few times I've been surprised.

07-02-2011, 02:27 AM	#36
GraceKrispy It's Dr. Penguin now! Posts: 3,909 Karma: 4705733 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: (USA) Device: iPad mini, Samsung Note 3, Sony PRS-650 (rarely used now)	I got 6 out of 10, but I don't like paragraphs out of context, so I read the first sentence or two, skimmed the rest very quickly, and made a guess. Guessed wrong 4 times. It said I needed to read more by male authors. Strangely enough, I think my reading selections are pretty well mixed male/female. I may have done better if I'd read more closely, but probably not. I really don't want to read those random excerpts again.

07-02-2011, 03:27 AM	#37
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	It's honestly never occurred to me to give two hoots (or even one hoot ) what gender an author is. It's the writing that interests me.

07-02-2011, 01:19 PM	#38
KierstenFay Author Posts: 40 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Kindle	LOL. 5 out of 10. There has only been one book out of the many that I've read, where I thought "This has got be be written by a guy" although the author name was female.

07-02-2011, 03:03 PM	#39
Fallingwater Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 4132 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Bookeen Cybook Opus	8 out of 10. Too lazy to figure out which I got wrong - the test really could say it...

07-02-2011, 04:56 PM	#40
ChipnDale Rescue Rangers Posts: 109 Karma: 2144082 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Visitor from another planet Device: IPad	6 out of 10...and I pretty much guessed after the first 2.

07-03-2011, 12:27 AM	#41
Ransom Banned Posts: 242 Karma: 51054 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Belleville, IL Device: Kindle-3	Notes I made as I was making choices: 1 - male 2 - male 3 - male too stupid to realize he's a male, 4 - female too stupid to realize she's a female 5 - female (and the worst writer imaginable) 6 - male (also really bad) 7 - female 8 - male 9 - male (women don't have the good sense to use dashes) 10 - female with only one working lobe, or a very weird male ("his feet shod in moccasins" is a phrase no male should utter unless he just likes getting beat-up a lot) I got six of ten. I wish I could be shocked at how bad the writing was in every one of these examples, but I'm not. One more reason to stay away from modern authors.

07-16-2011, 11:51 PM	#42
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i think it depends on the genre. i mainly read sci-fi and horror and there's a definite difference in the writing styles between gender.

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07-17-2011, 06:02 AM	#43
Dimwit Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 12652 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Kobo	3 out of 10. Shows how much I care.

07-19-2011, 02:18 PM	#44
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	7 out of 10. Reasonable. I tried to find one thing that a given gender just wouldn't say. Like fructify, seriously? Fructify?

07-19-2011, 03:05 PM	#45
Phogg PHD in Horribleness Posts: 2,320 Karma: 23599604 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: In the ironbound section, near avenue L Device: Just a whole bunch. I guess I am a collector now.	Can you tell a writer's gender? Well, I think if you pick it up by the scruff of the neck, and look underneath it... Sorry, I have been trying really hard for over a week not to post this.