: Re: Is it frustrating not to know the narrator's gender? I have written a 1st person piece and reading it I realize it's very difficult to tell if the narrator is male or female. There are one

@Steve161

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Part of the beauty provided by the written story is that the reader's imagination can paint a vivid image however that reader's mind may wander. I can only imagine that the narrator's gender is only important if it becomes part of the story. Otherwise, I personally may have my own narrator's voice that I like to imagine. Being informed of the gender may remove that simple pleasure from the reading.

On the other hand, I like the comments about how it can be woven into the story line, and even end up being contrary to what the reader originally supposed. And it could be quite fun for the reader to be taken in in that way. (For example, a story about a boy growing up, as told by his best friend. The majority of the story could be all about boys' things, but the narrator could end up being the girl next door. That kind of story could be appealing. ;)

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