by Angela Guillaume
I’m sitting at my desk at 3.45am. It took me an hour to put my baby son to sleep yesterday and after that I managed to sleep 4 hours. 4 full hours! Great! For some reason when I woke up I gravitated toward my computer to write this blog. I thought about this topic – formula writing – because I’m presently reading (or trying to read, during 5 minute breaks) an Amanda Quick book, her latest. I thought of the other Amanda Quick books I have read. Then I thought about some other authors whose books sit on my shelves. I couldn’t help but admit that although I liked these books, lately, I’ve been somewhat bored or disappointed with some of the stories I’ve read.
Why is that?
I thought and thought about it, but one day it dawned on me. It’s the formula. It’s that thing many publishers use to attract readers. A certain type of character. A particular plot. Events that happen routinely at different points in the book. I have come to expect that in formula mainstream romance such as is published by Avon, for instance, there will be a sex scene between the hero and heroine around page 180 – 220 of most of these mass market paperbacks. This will indicate a culmination of the relationship between the two main characters. What follows will be a bit more emphasis on romance (one or two more sex scenes, a little less detailed than the first), and then sh** happens. Yes, then the danger that lurks around the corner finally surfaces, and the hero or heroine (usually the heroine) is put in jeopardy. Or else, something happens to bring the progress of the relationship to a halt and the characters are pulled apart. In any case, a MAJOR EVENT happens, and all hell breaks loose for a while, usually until the hero (in a few cases, the heroine) saves the day.
Entertainment is all about the packaging these days. It is so in music, TV, and movies. And this advertising model includes books. Everything must be categorized and made to “fit” a certain mold so the publisher can go after different readers with different tastes. Few publishers of popular fiction take chances these days, particularly those dishing out the mass market lines. Publishers have different lines – erotic, mainstream, historical, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, dark, etc. That every line is managed separately is understandable because every type of story attracts a different sort of reader, yet, some publishers go beyond this to state what kind of heroine or hero they want for a particular line. There are professions to give the characters that are acceptable and others that are not. Look at Harlequin, for example. The result of this is often that one feels like one is reading the same book over and over, about the same two characters. The cover, and the title on it, may be different, but one author’s book reads pretty much like the other that succeeds or precedes it. Sometimes, the same feeling is engendered when reading different authors from the same line/publisher. Perhaps this is comforting to some who have come to expect a particular story from a particular author. After a long, hard day one may not be inclined to opt for reading which is unpredictable or displeasing. If one knows what to expect, one won’t be disappointed, I suppose. And in fact, I have been guilty at times of choosing books because I did not want to be surprised. I may have had the flu or come out of a 12-hour workday week so needed to be comforted with an easy going book…nothing too demanding and of course, one with a happy ending...but, this doesn’t have to be the be all and end all of our reading choices, does it? Sometimes we like to think, to ponder, and be challenged. Sometimes, we just want the “other” choice.
The reason publishers give for following this formula is one that finds its core in marketing. Yes, I can grasp this reasoning but… I wonder, have they lost their faith in readers that they won’t take a risk outside their set parameters? Wouldn’t they sell books if they did take a few more risks? What about talent and quality? What happened to thinking outside the proverbial box? Are readers this petty that they only read writing and plots that are formulaic? Sometimes I discover a “different” sort of author and I feel thrilled and excited about their work because it feels like the opposite of formula writing. Someone like Lisa Valdez who, to my chagrin, only produced one book. Or Robin Schone, at least her earlier books. These authors had the guts to do something different, something daring, whether one agrees with it or not. And their publishers decided to take that risk and unleash these works in the market. It’s not rocket science. One takes a risk or one doesn’t. If one does, it may just pay off.
I’m sure that even these unconventional books contain some sort of formula with respect to plot points, pacing, characterization, etc. I think that all books do and all books need to be grounded in technique to make the story coherent and readable. However, this does not mean that certain events have to happen just so in the plot. And that the events or characters in one book should be eerily similar to those in another. Formula writing should make it easy to teach the technique of writing but outside this fact, I think that one should leave room for individual talent. And by this I not only mean the author’s voice, but also the author’s ability to write something compelling, that leaves an indelible mark on a reader. This is hard to achieve when the formula takes precedence over everything else. This, coupled with the hard fact that authors are supposed to dish out a certain number of books a year, quality be damned, does not help matters at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I still love romantic, feel good books. I think they’re essential. I will continue to write them and read them (mainly I gravitate to single title now). This does not mean, however, that I shouldn’t be surprised with a theme that’s out of the ordinary even in a formula book. This would be possible if the publishers were a bit more open to change. I give you one example. A while back I pitched a story to an agent. I made the mistake (well, I was just being honest) of telling her that the tale is set in Italy. That was all it took for her to reject it. She told me, if it wasn’t set in England in certain time periods (Regency, Georgian or Victorian mainly, and some medieval), then, she wouldn’t even bother trying to sell it.
So what is your take on this? Do you ever think of this when you’re reading a book? Do you think publishers have become too restrictive by requiring this from authors? And are they wrongly assuming that readers wouldn’t want something more “adventurous,” rather than being force fed the same recipe release after release?
Angela Guillaume writes contemporary, historical and fantasy/paranormal romance.
Her debut contemporary shorts are...
Mr. & Mrs Foster - Available now at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
Mile High to Heaven - Available now at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label characters. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
What Gets Me Interested in a Story?
It’s so much easier to tell you what doesn’t interest me in a story. The characters can draw me into the story but to keep me there the pacing better be fast forward much of the time. I don’t like huge amounts of setting and description just enough that I can picture the scene and see the characters.
Another thing I don’t like is pages of introspection. Thoughts can be boring unless it pertains to what is going on in the story. Something else I detest is reading about gratuitous sex. It’s boring, and I’ll skim through the scene so fast your head would spin. If the scene requires a love scene, then I’m all for it and if it’s a good one I’ll read it.
Something else I don’t like is the same old plot. How many times do you want to read about runaway brides, women with babies their spouses, boyfriends, etc., don’t know about, navy seals and on and on. What is wrong with writers? They read a story they like about a hero/heroine and they decide to write the same story with the very same characters. After a while it gets boring. Please come up with something new.
For instance, why can’t the hero be a soldier, sailor, marine, or someone ordinary instead of a navy seal, special ops, CIA, FBI, or mercenary? I have to admit here that I’ve done the very same thing, but the ordinary men and women in our military are brave heroes, too. It is only right to portray them as such instead of ignore them for what we think are more high profile characters.
Okay, I am going to get to what I want in a story. I want to read something with meat and potatoes to it. First, I want a hook, and I want emotion. This requires real depth to the characters and to the plot. I want to live what those characters are living and I want the plot to be believable. I want to care about those characters.
A story is good if it gives me something to think about, makes me keep reading until it is finished, and then stays in my mind for weeks, months and years. I remember the premise of a story I read years ago, but I don’t remember the title of the book. It was about survival, the people lived below ground because the air above was tainted, but there were those who survived above ground. They wanted to go underground, but the ones who were already there wouldn’t allow them to come down because they were contaminated. This could have been a movie, too, but whatever it was it always stuck with me.
The story had a great beginning (hook) and it only grew from there as there was fighting between the two groups. The conflict started immediately, it intensified and with a plausible plot that could happen in real life the story held my attention to the end. There was even a love story.
Tell me what you want in a book.
Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
Another thing I don’t like is pages of introspection. Thoughts can be boring unless it pertains to what is going on in the story. Something else I detest is reading about gratuitous sex. It’s boring, and I’ll skim through the scene so fast your head would spin. If the scene requires a love scene, then I’m all for it and if it’s a good one I’ll read it.
Something else I don’t like is the same old plot. How many times do you want to read about runaway brides, women with babies their spouses, boyfriends, etc., don’t know about, navy seals and on and on. What is wrong with writers? They read a story they like about a hero/heroine and they decide to write the same story with the very same characters. After a while it gets boring. Please come up with something new.
For instance, why can’t the hero be a soldier, sailor, marine, or someone ordinary instead of a navy seal, special ops, CIA, FBI, or mercenary? I have to admit here that I’ve done the very same thing, but the ordinary men and women in our military are brave heroes, too. It is only right to portray them as such instead of ignore them for what we think are more high profile characters.
Okay, I am going to get to what I want in a story. I want to read something with meat and potatoes to it. First, I want a hook, and I want emotion. This requires real depth to the characters and to the plot. I want to live what those characters are living and I want the plot to be believable. I want to care about those characters.
A story is good if it gives me something to think about, makes me keep reading until it is finished, and then stays in my mind for weeks, months and years. I remember the premise of a story I read years ago, but I don’t remember the title of the book. It was about survival, the people lived below ground because the air above was tainted, but there were those who survived above ground. They wanted to go underground, but the ones who were already there wouldn’t allow them to come down because they were contaminated. This could have been a movie, too, but whatever it was it always stuck with me.
The story had a great beginning (hook) and it only grew from there as there was fighting between the two groups. The conflict started immediately, it intensified and with a plausible plot that could happen in real life the story held my attention to the end. There was even a love story.
Tell me what you want in a book.
Sandy
http://www.skaymarshall.com
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Line up your characters and... Action!
I remember the first time something on TV captivated me. I was watching the sitcom Friends, and I was on the edge of my seat, because Monica was suddenly looking at Chandler like a potential shag! I was like, whoa there, wait a second!! Monica, this is Chandler! Chandler Bing, from across the landing, the guy who dated Janice for God's sake!!
I'm pretty certain there were thousands of people out there who just like me, were having the same reaction. Ever wonder why?
Let's see - what's Friends basically? A sitcom, about the life of 6 friends in New York. I'm not sure there was even a plot behind there, but lo and behold, Friends went on to complete 10 seasons, and its reruns are watched by millions still, with almost the same enthusiasm and anticipation as when you first catch an episode on air.
You have these 6 very different people then, brought together in the same building (Rachel/Monica in one flat, Chandler/Joey across the landing, with Monica's brother Ross and their friend Phoebe dropping in to complete the cast). So there you go, starting point - 6 young people struggling in New York. It wasn't any more than that.
But what made Friends so memorable and so followed, is that the story centred around the lives of these 6 people. In short, the characters drove everything! There was Ross pining for Rachel since he's a teenager, Joey who sleeps with almost everything in knickers, Phoebe who gave a new meaning to crazy-loony-mad, Monica who was obsessed by cleaning, Rachel who's the little rich girl who wants to spread her wings and get away from daddy's credit cards, and Chandler who frankly, was so uptight and 'twisted' he didn't make much sense in the start.
You had Ross, always trying to woo Rachel (especially when his marriage to a woman who disovered she was a lesbian fell through). Rachel who doesn't want to give Ross a second glance, like she's always done. Over the course of the ten seasons, Rachel and Ross had hooked up and broken up at least thrice, and had had a baby together! Then of course there was Monica, looking for her Mr. Right, who on the day of Ross's second marriage to British girl Emily, was so down she knew only a shag would do for her, so she goes for the one who's always ready to shag, Joey. But instead of Joey she finds Chandler in the room, and suddenly they are in bed. It's the prelude to one of TV's most cheered on and satisfying relationships and marriage!
And what happened plot-wise? Nothing! Friends was about people, and as a writer, you must realize that Friends was all about the characters! The characterization of this show was so well sketched that the characters just grew on you, you felt you knew them. You would've wanted to bash Rachel when she has that one-night stand with Ross and then finds she's pregnant! You'd have wanted to group hug Monica and Chandler when they finally declare their love for one another! You'd have wanted to take Joey aside and tell him that this is not the way to treat a woman. You would've gladly thrown a shoe at Phoebe when she got into another rendition of the song "Smelly Cat".
You as the audience were made to forget that these people's names were really Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. They were simply Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross. Period! It's the characters that were real, not the actors!
It makes me think of another instance where this has happened. One man, two roles, two Academy Awards nomination (one win). Russel Crowe, Maximus in Gladiator, John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Two characters that when you looked at them, struck you as THE man/hero of the story. Not as Russel Crowe, because he became the characters he portrayed. Take another look at the same actor as Ed Hoffman in Body of Lies, and you'd see someone else!
Another good example would be Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, and as Forrest Gump in the eponymous movie. Put these two men side by sidee and you'd go - yes, a passing physical resemblance, but never would you say, that's the same man!
So what does it come down to in the end? Characters, and characterization. A key ingredient of a good story is the characters peopling it. As the writer, it is your job to make these characters transcend from the page into fully-fleshed, living, breathing, human people. Actors do it when they take on a part. The writer too needs to do it armed with words, and with the inherent knowledge behind his/her characters.
Think of it - if you don't know your characters, how will you put them across to the audience? How will you make worthy and captivating things happen to them? If the writers of Friends didn't know that when Monica went to look for Joey in his bedroom when the wedding reception was in full swing that she'd find Chandler asleep there, how would we have gotten the twist that they have sex and find out there's more between them? They had to know Chandler is not one for receptions and all the hoopla and so he goes to bed when everyone is partying away. They needed to know that Monica does not give in to casual sex and that this is a turning point for when she sleeps with Chandler. They had to know that there's no way skirt-chasing Joey would be in his own bedroom before the early hours of morning when there are gorgeous bridesmaids to chase after!
You see thus that the story of Friends could not have progressed the way it did, the way it gripped its audience and captivated people's attentions, if the writers hadn't known the characters. Ask anyone what one of their favourite sitcoms is, and they'll say Friends. Why? Because while it may not have had a plot per se, it had wonderful, human and totally well-rounded characters at its heart.
So next time you're thinking of penning a good story, think of this underestimated and undervalued ingredient called characters and characterization. You may be holding the rough, unpolished gem of a story in your hand and not know it!
Any questions, feel free to holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - The Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out January 8, 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Coming out July 2, 2010 - Walking on the Edge - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
http://www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com/
I'm pretty certain there were thousands of people out there who just like me, were having the same reaction. Ever wonder why?
Let's see - what's Friends basically? A sitcom, about the life of 6 friends in New York. I'm not sure there was even a plot behind there, but lo and behold, Friends went on to complete 10 seasons, and its reruns are watched by millions still, with almost the same enthusiasm and anticipation as when you first catch an episode on air.
You have these 6 very different people then, brought together in the same building (Rachel/Monica in one flat, Chandler/Joey across the landing, with Monica's brother Ross and their friend Phoebe dropping in to complete the cast). So there you go, starting point - 6 young people struggling in New York. It wasn't any more than that.
But what made Friends so memorable and so followed, is that the story centred around the lives of these 6 people. In short, the characters drove everything! There was Ross pining for Rachel since he's a teenager, Joey who sleeps with almost everything in knickers, Phoebe who gave a new meaning to crazy-loony-mad, Monica who was obsessed by cleaning, Rachel who's the little rich girl who wants to spread her wings and get away from daddy's credit cards, and Chandler who frankly, was so uptight and 'twisted' he didn't make much sense in the start.
You had Ross, always trying to woo Rachel (especially when his marriage to a woman who disovered she was a lesbian fell through). Rachel who doesn't want to give Ross a second glance, like she's always done. Over the course of the ten seasons, Rachel and Ross had hooked up and broken up at least thrice, and had had a baby together! Then of course there was Monica, looking for her Mr. Right, who on the day of Ross's second marriage to British girl Emily, was so down she knew only a shag would do for her, so she goes for the one who's always ready to shag, Joey. But instead of Joey she finds Chandler in the room, and suddenly they are in bed. It's the prelude to one of TV's most cheered on and satisfying relationships and marriage!
And what happened plot-wise? Nothing! Friends was about people, and as a writer, you must realize that Friends was all about the characters! The characterization of this show was so well sketched that the characters just grew on you, you felt you knew them. You would've wanted to bash Rachel when she has that one-night stand with Ross and then finds she's pregnant! You'd have wanted to group hug Monica and Chandler when they finally declare their love for one another! You'd have wanted to take Joey aside and tell him that this is not the way to treat a woman. You would've gladly thrown a shoe at Phoebe when she got into another rendition of the song "Smelly Cat".
You as the audience were made to forget that these people's names were really Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox-Arquette, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. They were simply Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross. Period! It's the characters that were real, not the actors!
It makes me think of another instance where this has happened. One man, two roles, two Academy Awards nomination (one win). Russel Crowe, Maximus in Gladiator, John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Two characters that when you looked at them, struck you as THE man/hero of the story. Not as Russel Crowe, because he became the characters he portrayed. Take another look at the same actor as Ed Hoffman in Body of Lies, and you'd see someone else!
Another good example would be Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, and as Forrest Gump in the eponymous movie. Put these two men side by sidee and you'd go - yes, a passing physical resemblance, but never would you say, that's the same man!
So what does it come down to in the end? Characters, and characterization. A key ingredient of a good story is the characters peopling it. As the writer, it is your job to make these characters transcend from the page into fully-fleshed, living, breathing, human people. Actors do it when they take on a part. The writer too needs to do it armed with words, and with the inherent knowledge behind his/her characters.
Think of it - if you don't know your characters, how will you put them across to the audience? How will you make worthy and captivating things happen to them? If the writers of Friends didn't know that when Monica went to look for Joey in his bedroom when the wedding reception was in full swing that she'd find Chandler asleep there, how would we have gotten the twist that they have sex and find out there's more between them? They had to know Chandler is not one for receptions and all the hoopla and so he goes to bed when everyone is partying away. They needed to know that Monica does not give in to casual sex and that this is a turning point for when she sleeps with Chandler. They had to know that there's no way skirt-chasing Joey would be in his own bedroom before the early hours of morning when there are gorgeous bridesmaids to chase after!
You see thus that the story of Friends could not have progressed the way it did, the way it gripped its audience and captivated people's attentions, if the writers hadn't known the characters. Ask anyone what one of their favourite sitcoms is, and they'll say Friends. Why? Because while it may not have had a plot per se, it had wonderful, human and totally well-rounded characters at its heart.
So next time you're thinking of penning a good story, think of this underestimated and undervalued ingredient called characters and characterization. You may be holding the rough, unpolished gem of a story in your hand and not know it!
Any questions, feel free to holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - The Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out January 8, 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Coming out July 2, 2010 - Walking on the Edge - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
http://www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com/
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A House Call
This week, we're supposed to be talking about heroes, and how realistic they should be and how they should be portrayed.
This got me thinking about an unlikely hero - Dr. Gregory House (House M.D). Oh yeah, he is sarcastic, caustic, brings irony to a new level and basically you want to sock him one half the time. Why is he a hero then? How can this hateable man be likable, and even sympathetic? Yes, I found him sympathetic, once, and that's when he won me over.
T.J mentioned that one of the biggest strokes of genius when Margaret Mitchell penned Rhett Butler was that she made this Alpha man behave like an Alpha. It's what they did for House too.
Gregory House seems to hate women. Okay, he hates everyone. Sometimes he is seen to 'like' his best friend Dr. James Wilson and he has shown compassion and feelings for his colleague Dr. Allison Cameron and he often portrays a distant attachment and affection for his boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. This somewhat makes him human, though I do also think the fact that he doesn't hesitate to tell everyone the truth about them also makes him human (come on, wouldn't you want to be so frank sometimes?). But what I'm talking about is when his ex-girlfriend Stacy Warner walked back into the picture. Stacy manipulated it so that House would have an operation he didn't want, and he holds her responsible for the way his life has degenerated (his limp, his enduring pain, the need to drown in Vicodin). So Stacy has moved on, married someone else, Mark, and now she's back at the Princeton-Plainsborough Hospital where House works to be the legal representative.
House still loves her, it's obvious, though it's never shown that he is simpering or whining over the loss of his one true love. It is calmly apparent in his gaze, in how he watches her. Stacy for her part has moved on, but back in close proximity to House, she knows she still has feelings for him. Starts then a limbo between House and her husband Mark, with House doing everything to break them up so he can win her. I know, not heroic at all. Then Stacy and House do end up sleeping together, but Mark has a stroke and Stacy has to go back to his side. While helping her husband recover, Stacy battles her feelings for House, and starts another dilemma. She comes to the conclusion she'll never be able to leave Mark, especially not in the condition he is, but she doesn't want to let go of House either. She wants the milk and the cow, as House so clearly presents it to her.
And that's when he turned into a hero in my eyes - he asked her to leave. He cannot settle for being the other man, the toy Stacy comes running to play with and then discard when real life calls back. Despite loving her - you can see it's breaking him - he asks her to go. And he also leaves.
Gregory House is an Alpha character, and through the above happenings, he is portrayed as the Alpha man, because this is what an Alpha man does and how he reacts. There is consistency in how he is portrayed. The writers stick to who he inherently is and show him as such, without any window-dressing, giving the tortured soul hiding behind the caustic wit.
You may not agree with me, but a man who doesn't accept to be second best or to be the one in the shadows is heroic for me. House shows how real life is and how real life can be, and I think we as writers should not discount this fact. Reality can be portrayed through fiction - and it can be portrayed well. Just make your characters act like real people would.
Any questions, just holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - The Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out in January 8, 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com
This got me thinking about an unlikely hero - Dr. Gregory House (House M.D). Oh yeah, he is sarcastic, caustic, brings irony to a new level and basically you want to sock him one half the time. Why is he a hero then? How can this hateable man be likable, and even sympathetic? Yes, I found him sympathetic, once, and that's when he won me over.
T.J mentioned that one of the biggest strokes of genius when Margaret Mitchell penned Rhett Butler was that she made this Alpha man behave like an Alpha. It's what they did for House too.
Gregory House seems to hate women. Okay, he hates everyone. Sometimes he is seen to 'like' his best friend Dr. James Wilson and he has shown compassion and feelings for his colleague Dr. Allison Cameron and he often portrays a distant attachment and affection for his boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. This somewhat makes him human, though I do also think the fact that he doesn't hesitate to tell everyone the truth about them also makes him human (come on, wouldn't you want to be so frank sometimes?). But what I'm talking about is when his ex-girlfriend Stacy Warner walked back into the picture. Stacy manipulated it so that House would have an operation he didn't want, and he holds her responsible for the way his life has degenerated (his limp, his enduring pain, the need to drown in Vicodin). So Stacy has moved on, married someone else, Mark, and now she's back at the Princeton-Plainsborough Hospital where House works to be the legal representative.
House still loves her, it's obvious, though it's never shown that he is simpering or whining over the loss of his one true love. It is calmly apparent in his gaze, in how he watches her. Stacy for her part has moved on, but back in close proximity to House, she knows she still has feelings for him. Starts then a limbo between House and her husband Mark, with House doing everything to break them up so he can win her. I know, not heroic at all. Then Stacy and House do end up sleeping together, but Mark has a stroke and Stacy has to go back to his side. While helping her husband recover, Stacy battles her feelings for House, and starts another dilemma. She comes to the conclusion she'll never be able to leave Mark, especially not in the condition he is, but she doesn't want to let go of House either. She wants the milk and the cow, as House so clearly presents it to her.
And that's when he turned into a hero in my eyes - he asked her to leave. He cannot settle for being the other man, the toy Stacy comes running to play with and then discard when real life calls back. Despite loving her - you can see it's breaking him - he asks her to go. And he also leaves.
Gregory House is an Alpha character, and through the above happenings, he is portrayed as the Alpha man, because this is what an Alpha man does and how he reacts. There is consistency in how he is portrayed. The writers stick to who he inherently is and show him as such, without any window-dressing, giving the tortured soul hiding behind the caustic wit.
You may not agree with me, but a man who doesn't accept to be second best or to be the one in the shadows is heroic for me. House shows how real life is and how real life can be, and I think we as writers should not discount this fact. Reality can be portrayed through fiction - and it can be portrayed well. Just make your characters act like real people would.
Any questions, just holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - The Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out in January 8, 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com
Monday, May 18, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
This week, we're once again stopping to ponder about realism and characters.
What makes a realistic character? Is reality a tangible thing in writing? Is reality driven by principles of logic?
Another question we received and which we decided to tackle this week was- How realistic should the hero be? And how do we make him realistic?
T.J And Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) answer this question through the portrayal of Alpha characters such as Rhett Butler and Gregory House.
Also, don't miss the little slant T.J. will bring further into the week - her view on reality in fiction.
Don't forget:
This May, we're scratching at the surface of escapism and bursting the bubble of what constitutes reality in fiction.
This May, we're on the quest:
Searching for an appropriate reality...
The best of us for the best of you, that's our promise as we deliver the full flush of romance.
From now till later, enjoy!
With love, from Ms. Blush
This week, we're once again stopping to ponder about realism and characters.
What makes a realistic character? Is reality a tangible thing in writing? Is reality driven by principles of logic?
Another question we received and which we decided to tackle this week was- How realistic should the hero be? And how do we make him realistic?
T.J And Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) answer this question through the portrayal of Alpha characters such as Rhett Butler and Gregory House.
Also, don't miss the little slant T.J. will bring further into the week - her view on reality in fiction.
Don't forget:
This May, we're scratching at the surface of escapism and bursting the bubble of what constitutes reality in fiction.
This May, we're on the quest:
Searching for an appropriate reality...
The best of us for the best of you, that's our promise as we deliver the full flush of romance.
From now till later, enjoy!
With love, from Ms. Blush
Monday, May 11, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
Reality and fiction. Reality and escapism. Reality and well, real people... How real should the fictionalised real be?
We started the debate over this question last week through backstory, and how to use it to bring realism and a dose of real to your characters.
But what makes a realistic character? Is reality a tangible thing in writing? Is reality driven by principles of logic?
The question we were asked to tackle was - What makes a real heroine? How real should she get? And also, how to make the real heroine believable, approachable, and likable?
Catch us this week as we answer on this loaded debate.
On Tuesday, T.J. will bring you the points to consider on realism and the heroine. Find tips also on how to do achieve reality by working around the character arc.
On Wednesday, Sandra Marshall brings us her view on the matter of realism in fiction, and how she as a writer strives to achieve this.
On Thursday, Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) will tell us more about what she views as the real heroine and how she aims to get in touch with reality.
Don't forget:
This May, we're scratching at the surface of escapism and bursting the bubble of what constitutes reality in fiction.
This May, we're on the quest:
Searching for an appropriate reality...
The best of us for the best of you, that's our promise as we deliver the full flush of romance.
From now till later, enjoy!
With love, from Ms. Blush
Reality and fiction. Reality and escapism. Reality and well, real people... How real should the fictionalised real be?
We started the debate over this question last week through backstory, and how to use it to bring realism and a dose of real to your characters.
But what makes a realistic character? Is reality a tangible thing in writing? Is reality driven by principles of logic?
The question we were asked to tackle was - What makes a real heroine? How real should she get? And also, how to make the real heroine believable, approachable, and likable?
Catch us this week as we answer on this loaded debate.
On Tuesday, T.J. will bring you the points to consider on realism and the heroine. Find tips also on how to do achieve reality by working around the character arc.
On Wednesday, Sandra Marshall brings us her view on the matter of realism in fiction, and how she as a writer strives to achieve this.
On Thursday, Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) will tell us more about what she views as the real heroine and how she aims to get in touch with reality.
Don't forget:
This May, we're scratching at the surface of escapism and bursting the bubble of what constitutes reality in fiction.
This May, we're on the quest:
Searching for an appropriate reality...
The best of us for the best of you, that's our promise as we deliver the full flush of romance.
From now till later, enjoy!
With love, from Ms. Blush
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Acting up
I remember when I was a teenager and I needed something, I'd got to my dad and ask. Well, what do you expect? Teenagers do live on daddy's money, innit? Well, I asked, and I got it.
Today, I am what is known as a housewife. I work part-time and am pretty much financially independent, but that doesn't cover every purchase I need to make. Like that new, bigger oven I've been wanting. So, I go the the husband and ask, and I usually get what I want.
You might think I'm a man-manipulator. To a certain extent, that's true. You need to know how to tackle/handle situations. With my dad, the big-eyes-like-Puss-in-Boots-from-Shrek2 worked wonders. Not so with the hubby - a logical explanation and a clear balance sheet would most probably win me my endeavour. On my boys, a glare generally works.
So what am I getting at? In dealing with these 3 types of men, I am the same woman, the same character in the story of my life, but I show/use/display different facets with every one of them. I know what 'logically' works on every one of them to get me my goal.
Every life is a story in itself, and every person is the actor acting his/her part out. True - you may not always know the scenario and it's almost always improvisation. But even in improvisation, you need logic. This is no different from any story you're writing, even though you as the writer should, logically, know the scenario of your story and how your chaarcters/actors are supposed to play their parts.
So what is logical and what's not where emotions are concerned? T.J. mentioned the aspect pertaining to archetypes, and how each archetype is logically expected to act in a situation. My answer to the above question is -
There is no better way to get this right than by knowing your characters.
I stress the plural on the word - knowing your main character, the heroine, is good - you know how she will act. Fine. But acting is not a one-way street, and it is always an interpersonal interaction. You act in relation to other people too. Know those other people as well as you know your heroine.
Let's take, again, the Nurturer. Thus, when she will take on the stoic banker, she will be professional, not an insipid, crying and bailing-her-heart-out wimpy creature even if that's how she feels inside because she isn't used to tackling hard situations as she always "fixes". When she takes on the tough-as-nails, cynical hero, she won't be commanding that he do this and he do that. She'll work him through emotion, through an indirect approach that will slowly work a way into his heart, because she fixes broken things and the best approach to do that is through patience and little gestures (these are aspects/characteristics tied to a Nurturer archetype).
You can also work through preconceptions, stereotypes and the like as the starting point of your 'logical' approach. If you say (like my good gal pal and I discussed not too long ago *wink at her*) that 'all men have their mind in the gutter', know how much of your hero's mind is actually in said gutter. But this approach is tricky - you can easily fall into the trap of surface logic and cardboard-cutout-character-logic in this case.
Goodness, I really am clear as mud today, aren't I? And, in case you're wondering, I'm still pleading my case to get that new oven.
Any questions, feel free to holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - the Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out in early 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com
Today, I am what is known as a housewife. I work part-time and am pretty much financially independent, but that doesn't cover every purchase I need to make. Like that new, bigger oven I've been wanting. So, I go the the husband and ask, and I usually get what I want.
You might think I'm a man-manipulator. To a certain extent, that's true. You need to know how to tackle/handle situations. With my dad, the big-eyes-like-Puss-in-Boots-from-Shrek2 worked wonders. Not so with the hubby - a logical explanation and a clear balance sheet would most probably win me my endeavour. On my boys, a glare generally works.
So what am I getting at? In dealing with these 3 types of men, I am the same woman, the same character in the story of my life, but I show/use/display different facets with every one of them. I know what 'logically' works on every one of them to get me my goal.
Every life is a story in itself, and every person is the actor acting his/her part out. True - you may not always know the scenario and it's almost always improvisation. But even in improvisation, you need logic. This is no different from any story you're writing, even though you as the writer should, logically, know the scenario of your story and how your chaarcters/actors are supposed to play their parts.
So what is logical and what's not where emotions are concerned? T.J. mentioned the aspect pertaining to archetypes, and how each archetype is logically expected to act in a situation. My answer to the above question is -
There is no better way to get this right than by knowing your characters.
I stress the plural on the word - knowing your main character, the heroine, is good - you know how she will act. Fine. But acting is not a one-way street, and it is always an interpersonal interaction. You act in relation to other people too. Know those other people as well as you know your heroine.
Let's take, again, the Nurturer. Thus, when she will take on the stoic banker, she will be professional, not an insipid, crying and bailing-her-heart-out wimpy creature even if that's how she feels inside because she isn't used to tackling hard situations as she always "fixes". When she takes on the tough-as-nails, cynical hero, she won't be commanding that he do this and he do that. She'll work him through emotion, through an indirect approach that will slowly work a way into his heart, because she fixes broken things and the best approach to do that is through patience and little gestures (these are aspects/characteristics tied to a Nurturer archetype).
You can also work through preconceptions, stereotypes and the like as the starting point of your 'logical' approach. If you say (like my good gal pal and I discussed not too long ago *wink at her*) that 'all men have their mind in the gutter', know how much of your hero's mind is actually in said gutter. But this approach is tricky - you can easily fall into the trap of surface logic and cardboard-cutout-character-logic in this case.
Goodness, I really am clear as mud today, aren't I? And, in case you're wondering, I'm still pleading my case to get that new oven.
Any questions, feel free to holler!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural Romantic Fiction, With a Twist
Coming out October 2 - Light My World - Eirelander Publishing
Nolwynn Ardennes - the Promise of Fulfilment
Coming out in early 2010 - Storms in a Shot Glass - Eirelander Publishing
Aasiyah Qamar/Nolwynn Ardennes - Romance the world over
www.aasiyah-nolwynn.webs.com
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Searching for Me
I am many personas, many faces, a hodge podge of moods, emotions and thoughts...in one body. I am this way both as a person and as an author. Add to that, the fact that I've grown (at least I hope :-)) and evolved over the years to become the character I am today. Every little experience I have lived, every smile, every tear, every bit of amazement or disillusionment is reflected in me, the individual and the writer.
How am I this many people? Well, it's nothing to be amazed over, really. We all are a huge mixture of things - perhaps we often take it for granted. Over the course of life - and in a big way during our teen years - we spend a lot of time searching for our "identity". Everyone wants to have one. Everyone needs one. It is what makes us unique. Eventually, we realize that it's okay to be more than one thing, and it is those different ingredients that give us our individuality. What an author does that perhaps others don't do is take note of all these nuances and quirks and exploit them in the written word - that is, in the characters of a book. See if you can relate to this...
I am a NURTURER - as a child I took care of my dolls and stuffed bears and pandas. In my case, I also mothered a life size robot with missiles by the name of Goldrake (from the Japanese cartoon of the same name) - my absolute favorite toy, I told anyone who asked. When I grew up, I became a wife and now, I'm experiencing the joys of a soon-to-be mother. It comes naturally to be a nurturer, does it? It is an inalienable part of us.
I am a SULTRY SIREN - not much of that feeling lately, me being with the "bump" and all, but there are times when I love to put on my "sultry siren" hat, that is to say, embrace my femininity. It feels good to be feminine and most of all, to FEEL feminine. When my husband appreciates it, it is all the reward I need.
I am an ADVENTURESS - sometimes I love to try new things and see new places. I love the feeling of novelty when I do something I've never done before. It could even be something as small as trying a strange type of fruit or visiting an unfamiliar part of the city. It is the thrill of the unexpected that gets me going, no matter how slight that thrill is.
I am a HELLCAT - have you ever wanted to scratch someone's eyes out? I have. Perhaps a significant other's or a friend's. When this happens, you'll know. You love these people to bits but sometimes you feel as though they bring out the worst in you. Your blood starts to boil and you fantasize about sharpening your nails on a tough strip of leather, as one would do with a shaving blade. When someone ruffles your feathers, no telling what may come out of you. I've been through this many times.
I am ALL HEART - As women we feel things so much differently than men. Rather, men think and we feel. We see a wounded cat or dog and our heart breaks. We see a sick baby, or elderly person, and we cry for them. We try to see the good in everyone, yet, we realize the world is a treacherous place to navigate. There are times when I want to embrace and comfort everyone. Although I know that is not always possible and life often gets in the way, I like to think that with so much people feeling this way and better still, acting on it, the world cannot be such a bad place after all.
I am a SHAMELESS GOSSIP - Yeah, yeah you know what I mean, right? Have you never gossiped shamelessly with your friends over wine or coffee? What about that new guy at the office? Or that old friend from high school who sold all her earthly possessions and moved to a beach hut on Turks and Caycos? The college slut who got divorced 15 times? Come on now, you know you're not immune! Everyone's done this at some time or other in their lives. I admit, I am not much of a gossip now, but I do catch myself in the deed every now and then. All I can do is acknowledge it and move on to a different line of conversation.
I could go on and on with this, but it would take me forever. I think of shows like Sex and the City and how so many women related a little to each of the characters in that show. Why? Because we all have a bit of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte in us - no denying that. We are many people rolled into one. That's what makes us interesting.
Now, as an author, here is where the fun starts. My characters are a product of my fantasy but in these characters I instill values and traits that I am familiar with. In them I inject a little of me, a little of my friends or relatives, a little of someone I've observed or fantasized about. My Cole for example, from my short Mile High to Heaven (coming shortly at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid) has a bit of my husband in him, combined with other attributes that make me weak at the knees :-D. He is alpha with a soul, a veritable hurricane. The heroine, Olivia, is a little like me, and a little like one of my best friends. Yet, she is also her own person, a product of my imagination. I put a bunch of ingredients in my mental cauldron and mix them to my heart's content.
Man is not purely one thing. If that were the case, wouldn't life be infinitely boring? Man is everything that life has to offer, thank goodness. So I hope that for as long as I keep writing, I'm able to bring the brilliant colors of life into the soul of my characters. This is what makes them whole and unique, the same thing that makes us whole and unique. Not necessarily our traits, but the way those traits mix and mingle inside us. With our characters too, it is their identity - which is a living, breathing, ever evolving thing.
Angela Guillaume
Mr. & Mrs. Foster - Redemption has never felt so sweet! Available now at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
How am I this many people? Well, it's nothing to be amazed over, really. We all are a huge mixture of things - perhaps we often take it for granted. Over the course of life - and in a big way during our teen years - we spend a lot of time searching for our "identity". Everyone wants to have one. Everyone needs one. It is what makes us unique. Eventually, we realize that it's okay to be more than one thing, and it is those different ingredients that give us our individuality. What an author does that perhaps others don't do is take note of all these nuances and quirks and exploit them in the written word - that is, in the characters of a book. See if you can relate to this...
I am a NURTURER - as a child I took care of my dolls and stuffed bears and pandas. In my case, I also mothered a life size robot with missiles by the name of Goldrake (from the Japanese cartoon of the same name) - my absolute favorite toy, I told anyone who asked. When I grew up, I became a wife and now, I'm experiencing the joys of a soon-to-be mother. It comes naturally to be a nurturer, does it? It is an inalienable part of us.
I am a SULTRY SIREN - not much of that feeling lately, me being with the "bump" and all, but there are times when I love to put on my "sultry siren" hat, that is to say, embrace my femininity. It feels good to be feminine and most of all, to FEEL feminine. When my husband appreciates it, it is all the reward I need.
I am an ADVENTURESS - sometimes I love to try new things and see new places. I love the feeling of novelty when I do something I've never done before. It could even be something as small as trying a strange type of fruit or visiting an unfamiliar part of the city. It is the thrill of the unexpected that gets me going, no matter how slight that thrill is.
I am a HELLCAT - have you ever wanted to scratch someone's eyes out? I have. Perhaps a significant other's or a friend's. When this happens, you'll know. You love these people to bits but sometimes you feel as though they bring out the worst in you. Your blood starts to boil and you fantasize about sharpening your nails on a tough strip of leather, as one would do with a shaving blade. When someone ruffles your feathers, no telling what may come out of you. I've been through this many times.
I am ALL HEART - As women we feel things so much differently than men. Rather, men think and we feel. We see a wounded cat or dog and our heart breaks. We see a sick baby, or elderly person, and we cry for them. We try to see the good in everyone, yet, we realize the world is a treacherous place to navigate. There are times when I want to embrace and comfort everyone. Although I know that is not always possible and life often gets in the way, I like to think that with so much people feeling this way and better still, acting on it, the world cannot be such a bad place after all.
I am a SHAMELESS GOSSIP - Yeah, yeah you know what I mean, right? Have you never gossiped shamelessly with your friends over wine or coffee? What about that new guy at the office? Or that old friend from high school who sold all her earthly possessions and moved to a beach hut on Turks and Caycos? The college slut who got divorced 15 times? Come on now, you know you're not immune! Everyone's done this at some time or other in their lives. I admit, I am not much of a gossip now, but I do catch myself in the deed every now and then. All I can do is acknowledge it and move on to a different line of conversation.
I could go on and on with this, but it would take me forever. I think of shows like Sex and the City and how so many women related a little to each of the characters in that show. Why? Because we all have a bit of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte in us - no denying that. We are many people rolled into one. That's what makes us interesting.
Now, as an author, here is where the fun starts. My characters are a product of my fantasy but in these characters I instill values and traits that I am familiar with. In them I inject a little of me, a little of my friends or relatives, a little of someone I've observed or fantasized about. My Cole for example, from my short Mile High to Heaven (coming shortly at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid) has a bit of my husband in him, combined with other attributes that make me weak at the knees :-D. He is alpha with a soul, a veritable hurricane. The heroine, Olivia, is a little like me, and a little like one of my best friends. Yet, she is also her own person, a product of my imagination. I put a bunch of ingredients in my mental cauldron and mix them to my heart's content.
Man is not purely one thing. If that were the case, wouldn't life be infinitely boring? Man is everything that life has to offer, thank goodness. So I hope that for as long as I keep writing, I'm able to bring the brilliant colors of life into the soul of my characters. This is what makes them whole and unique, the same thing that makes us whole and unique. Not necessarily our traits, but the way those traits mix and mingle inside us. With our characters too, it is their identity - which is a living, breathing, ever evolving thing.
Angela Guillaume
Mr. & Mrs. Foster - Redemption has never felt so sweet! Available now at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
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