by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
Well, if Tik-Tok really can read my mind, then I guess my old joke about being a “male lesbian” has some validity — Tik-Tok has come to believe I’m lesbian. I get pushed all these ads for lesbian friendly products and some very interesting gynecological videos that as a man are rather eye opening. Oh boy.
But this does make me think about how much heart the novels I’m working on have. I’m not saying that I have any particular insight into the female experience as man — holy shit, no — but I do think it’s at least possible I’m not going to embarrass myself TOO much.
I’m trying to be as empathetic to the female experience as is possible for a man to be. But, I have very low expectations on that front. I just don’t want to embarrass myself, that’s it. My dad, who is a man of few words, told me growing up, “Son, there’s one thing in this world you can never understand and that’s a woman.”
So, I’ve taken that to heart writing these novels. But these first few novels in the series owe lot to Mare of Easttown. Writing something as good as that limited series is my goal, that’s my aspiration. The first two books in the series are very much an homage to Mare of Easttown’s take on the life of an older woman in a small town.
All of this is because I find writing women far more interesting than writing me. Men are pretty simplistic compared to women. It’s a huge challenge for me, a man, to write believable female characters.
