Writing from a boy’s POV

My new WIP, The Unnaturals, is written from the POV of a boy. Which is…weird, to say the least. I’ve always written from the POV of a girl, since A) I am a girl and B) I seem to associate best with girls. For The Unnaturals, I could’ve just as easily chosen to write it from the girl’s POV (since there is a female lead as well) as from the boy’s POV, but I chose not to. Because the story wouldn’t fit. The story demanded to be told from this boy’s point of view. It was his story.

What is weird is that Ethan talks completely different from my other main characters in other manuscripts. He’s strangely confident, relaxed, laid back. It’s quite…relaxing. Secondly, how he interacts with the other characters, mostly other guys, is quite different as well. And to be honest, it’s refreshing to write from a boy’s point of view for  change. It makes me look at the girl POV from a whole new perspective. My girl characters don’t tend to be as relaxed or chill as Ethan is.

I was surprised when Ethan’s voice came so naturally to me, like he’s been in my head for years instead of weeks.

Here’s a little bit about Ethan:

• His Dad works as a librarian. He thinks Ethan doesn’t like reading, but Ethan does, he’s just been hiding it from his Dad because he doesn’t read the kind of stuff his Dad enjoys.
• Ethan is best friends with the captain of the football team and with the main guitar player in a rock band.
• Ethan’s girlfriend is your typical girl who loves shopping and gossiping, but she has a bit of a mean streak.
• Ethan couldn’t get his driver’s license because he’s the worst driver ever, and hit the brakes instead of switching gears. About a dozen times in a row.

Do you normally write from a boy’s POV or a girl’s POV? What’s the difference in both POVs for you?