T.J. and Diana have already given us great posts about reality in fiction, and especially in popular fiction. Face it - you won't read about vampires in literature now, would you?
As writer, crit partner and also as editor, I have come across some instances where the people writing want it to be real. Fine, but you must know there's fictionalised real and utter realism. And that, is the distinction between popular fiction and literature.
The example I am going to take pertains to 2 authors studied in literature classes today. Dickens and Austen. Oliver Twist/Great Expectations versus Sense and Sensibility/Pride and Prejudice. Which one of them would you be more inclined to read? The latter, right? Why? Because Austen never set up her works to portray the drab reality of her time and the utter grit and realism of life in her era. You may argue that Austen writes about big families and nobility and well-to-do people, but hey, Tess of the Ubervilles (Hardy) was also about a big family. Check out the differences between the treatment in the two author's penning.
Austen can be said to be popular fiction, while Dickens and Hardy are hardcore literature. When Austen penned her tales, she didn't do so to impress that her time was hard. She wrote them as a social depiction of women in her position. It was escapist in nature, even though it used aspects of society and reality to put across the situation and plight of her heroines.
Popular fiction is about this - you use an aspect of reality as the foil for enveloping your characters' stories. Imagine a whole fish wrapped in foil paper that you put in the embers of the grill during a barbecue. When lunch/dinner time comes, you open the foil to get to the cooked food. In popular fiction, the foil is the reality and the fish is the story of the characters (whether romance, suspense, drama). It's the other way round for literature - the foil is your characters and the fish is reality, because you're aiming to show reality in all its smaller detail.
Which brings me to another point we have considered this month - how real should your character be? I've often heard writers say they want their character to be as real as possible. That's fine, as long as he is real enough but not a mirror image of the real people out there. Imagine the typical thirty-something male who's supposed to be the hero of your romance. Most real guys in that age bracket live for the trip to the pub, meeting the mates and hollering like a madman over a game of soccer live on the enormous flat-screen that's just above the bar. He almost always forgets birthdays, anniversaries and big dates, and you can be pretty sure that given the choice between cuddling with his girl and playing Fifa 2000-whatever on the X-Box with his mates with a six-pack close by, he'll choose the second option. That's reality - is that the romance hero you want? Fine - not all men are tycoons and millionaires and handsome like Greek Gods. Yet this is exactly what we're looking for, because not all men are tycoons, millionaires and handsome like Greek Gods. Reality, and ultimately literature, is Homer Simpson singing SpiderPig in your front room; popular fiction is Daniel Craig coming out of the water in his tiny-tiny shorts every time you turn in his direction.
Another example - tabloids. Why are they so popular? Because they tell us most often about the downfall of the rich, beautiful and famous. We're not rich, beautiful or famous like them, and it's nice to note that they don't get everything on a platter while walking on the red carpet everywhere. Imagine the chubby gal with the buck teeth and the frumpy hair at your local supermarket, and imagine the likes of Paris Hilton. If you're told, her man ditched her, what will you think? For the socialite, you'll go, aww that's so sad, but inside you'll be like, good for her. Why? Because she's got it all why you don't. I know, bitchy, but that's reality. Same for the supermarket girl. You'll be like, she had a man? While I don't (and I'm ultimately better than she is)??? Face it - we don't want to see people worse off than us with what we don't ahve, and we want to see the ones who have it all fall and come back to our level again. Watch talk shows and check out the happy-happy couples who profess their love for each other at every turn and who look welded together. Half the time, he looks like Elmer from the Looney Tunes and she looks like something the cat dragged in. While we're slathering on the sunscreen, the makeup, enduring torture when waxing our legs and blow-drying our hair every morning, where's our guy? The one who'll stand by us always and who thinks we're the most beautiful creature of the world even as we wake up with puffy eyes and the imprint of our pillowcase on our cheek?
Reality is okay, but we already live reality -our reality- every single day. We don't want to read about it too. Fiction is escapism, fiction is hope for us that we too can make it, we too can be the most beautiful thing in the world to another person, that we too can climb the corporate ladder and break the glass ceiling, that we too can rake in the moolah effortlessly.
Write literature if you're intent on realism. Write popular fiction if you want to bring hope into the world.
I'd love your take on my very long-winded post! Any comments welcome!
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
Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label logic. Show all posts
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
We hit the last week of May and also the last week about reality in writing.
How much reality is real enough, and how much real is too real? Yes, there is such a thing as too much realism in writing.
Catch the posse of RBA this week as we tackle this issue.
On Tuesday, T.J. will tell us more about the fine line between reality and boredom. This is one line many writers cross and one that may contribute a good deal to the unsaleability factor of mss.
Wednesday, catch Diana's take on the whole matter of realism and reality in writing. She brings to light some important considerations we could all benefit from pondering over.
Thursday, Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) weighs in on the discussion too, with her topic slanted on reality when slotted in popular fiction and in the other genre, literature.
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
We hit the last week of May and also the last week about reality in writing.
How much reality is real enough, and how much real is too real? Yes, there is such a thing as too much realism in writing.
Catch the posse of RBA this week as we tackle this issue.
On Tuesday, T.J. will tell us more about the fine line between reality and boredom. This is one line many writers cross and one that may contribute a good deal to the unsaleability factor of mss.
Wednesday, catch Diana's take on the whole matter of realism and reality in writing. She brings to light some important considerations we could all benefit from pondering over.
Thursday, Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) weighs in on the discussion too, with her topic slanted on reality when slotted in popular fiction and in the other genre, literature.
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
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
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Keeping her real
I was always told by my mentor to keep my heroines real. In fact, at some points of my writing, I have tried to come up with a heroine that fits the mould but who, at the same time, was different. I thought I had it right, but I was wrong. Why? Because I polarized her too much. The quiet, self-effacing PA I wanted to create for my novel Storms in a Shot Glass (coming January 2010 with Eirelander Publishing) turned into a wallflower who even melted in the brocade wallpaper so much she was, well, effacing.
So what did I do afterwards, other than let the story sit for a few months until I could understand where I went wrong and how I could make it right?
During one of my endless streaks of inspiration that come when I'm either doing the dishes or ironing (oh yeah, I'm a domestic goddess. Not!!), I had my answer. My heroine wasn't real!
Duh, you'll go, you already knew that. But it did come as a lightbulb moment. In trying to create a 'different' heroine from what is usually done in the realm of the quiet secretary/PA, I had gone to an extreme, and my heroine was no longer human. She also whined too much and made no move to get a grip on her life. Very pathetic.
That got me thinking - why isn't she real? If this gal, Jane, were a real gal I met in the streets of London, what would she be like? I knew she had to be quiet, self-effacing, giving the impression that she was meek and docile. And that's where the key lay - it was naught but an impression, a facade she presented to the world. In the confines of her flat, she is a different woman. She doesn't particularly like living alone or being alone, but it doesn't bother her much more than this. You are after all what you make yourself out to be. Jane tries to fill her life up with her job, and that isn't hard to do when you know her boss is really an immature man behind the facade of the successful CEO. Consequently, Jane doesn't have much time to eat, so she wolfs down microwave-able frozen food when she remembers. That's for the day to day life - this shows her as a 'normal' human. Now as to what made her this way - foray into her backstory. What shaped her into this self-effacing creature? I got another layer as to how to make her real and how to project the person she has become.
I could tell you that I got to know her. You could do this too for your heroine. Think of yourself as a woman (if you're a man, think of the women you know). Read Cosmo and get tips as to what makes a woman tick. Get the overall impression you want her to convey and build this into a logical explanation. Then go into her past and make this logical explanation even more logical by shaping this woman through her past.
You then end up with a believable starting point for your heroine.
Another good strategy would be to invent yourself a best friend who has the characteristics you want your heroine to have. Now, nobody's perfect, and tone her down to someone who could actually exist, someone you could bump into at the Pilates class, at the grocery store, at the corner deli.
In far-reaching cases, say you are writing about a heroine who had a bout with anorexia yet you know about the condition but would you be able to project the existence of a former anorexic truthfully without knowing what it's like? Do your research. Find women who are at this stage in their life and talk/interview them. These little tidbits they'll provide you will be the real deal, and will make your heroine all the more realistic.
And then also, there's your biggest asset - you! What doesn't cut it with you as a reader? When you're creating a heroine, think like a reader. Would this woman get a chance if you picked up her story? Think also like a real person. Would such a character really exist? And if no, what makes her unrealistic? Use this then to make her believable.
Clear as mud? 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
So what did I do afterwards, other than let the story sit for a few months until I could understand where I went wrong and how I could make it right?
During one of my endless streaks of inspiration that come when I'm either doing the dishes or ironing (oh yeah, I'm a domestic goddess. Not!!), I had my answer. My heroine wasn't real!
Duh, you'll go, you already knew that. But it did come as a lightbulb moment. In trying to create a 'different' heroine from what is usually done in the realm of the quiet secretary/PA, I had gone to an extreme, and my heroine was no longer human. She also whined too much and made no move to get a grip on her life. Very pathetic.
That got me thinking - why isn't she real? If this gal, Jane, were a real gal I met in the streets of London, what would she be like? I knew she had to be quiet, self-effacing, giving the impression that she was meek and docile. And that's where the key lay - it was naught but an impression, a facade she presented to the world. In the confines of her flat, she is a different woman. She doesn't particularly like living alone or being alone, but it doesn't bother her much more than this. You are after all what you make yourself out to be. Jane tries to fill her life up with her job, and that isn't hard to do when you know her boss is really an immature man behind the facade of the successful CEO. Consequently, Jane doesn't have much time to eat, so she wolfs down microwave-able frozen food when she remembers. That's for the day to day life - this shows her as a 'normal' human. Now as to what made her this way - foray into her backstory. What shaped her into this self-effacing creature? I got another layer as to how to make her real and how to project the person she has become.
I could tell you that I got to know her. You could do this too for your heroine. Think of yourself as a woman (if you're a man, think of the women you know). Read Cosmo and get tips as to what makes a woman tick. Get the overall impression you want her to convey and build this into a logical explanation. Then go into her past and make this logical explanation even more logical by shaping this woman through her past.
You then end up with a believable starting point for your heroine.
Another good strategy would be to invent yourself a best friend who has the characteristics you want your heroine to have. Now, nobody's perfect, and tone her down to someone who could actually exist, someone you could bump into at the Pilates class, at the grocery store, at the corner deli.
In far-reaching cases, say you are writing about a heroine who had a bout with anorexia yet you know about the condition but would you be able to project the existence of a former anorexic truthfully without knowing what it's like? Do your research. Find women who are at this stage in their life and talk/interview them. These little tidbits they'll provide you will be the real deal, and will make your heroine all the more realistic.
And then also, there's your biggest asset - you! What doesn't cut it with you as a reader? When you're creating a heroine, think like a reader. Would this woman get a chance if you picked up her story? Think also like a real person. Would such a character really exist? And if no, what makes her unrealistic? Use this then to make her believable.
Clear as mud? 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 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
Monday, May 4, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
I trsut it you've had a nice little break? Well, I can already tell ya that we here at RBA had a very fulfilling time and now we're back and raring to go!
During our little time off, we conducted a little survey among some trusted guinea pigs, oops, sorry, fellow writers (you know we love you guys, right?) and it has come to our attention that there is one tiny aspect pertinent to writing and logic that can blow out of proportion if one is not careful.
It's about realism and the portrayal of reality in romance and popular fiction in general. How real should we as writers get? Is real boring? Is real not worthy of falling in love with? Where to draw the line between the escapism notion of popular fiction and the gritty portrayal of reality in literature?
This is what we'll be talking about this month. This week, we've already started with backstory, or how to make your characters appear real through this simple but loaded term.
Catch us for the rest of the month as we go through what makes a realistic heroine, how real a hero needs to be, and whether romance and fiction is about escapism or reality.
Our regular contributors, Sandra Marshall and Diana Castilleja, will be chiming in on the debate. The regulars, T.J. and Aasiyah/Nolwynn, will continue to provide insight on the topics every week.
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
I trsut it you've had a nice little break? Well, I can already tell ya that we here at RBA had a very fulfilling time and now we're back and raring to go!
During our little time off, we conducted a little survey among some trusted guinea pigs, oops, sorry, fellow writers (you know we love you guys, right?) and it has come to our attention that there is one tiny aspect pertinent to writing and logic that can blow out of proportion if one is not careful.
It's about realism and the portrayal of reality in romance and popular fiction in general. How real should we as writers get? Is real boring? Is real not worthy of falling in love with? Where to draw the line between the escapism notion of popular fiction and the gritty portrayal of reality in literature?
This is what we'll be talking about this month. This week, we've already started with backstory, or how to make your characters appear real through this simple but loaded term.
Catch us for the rest of the month as we go through what makes a realistic heroine, how real a hero needs to be, and whether romance and fiction is about escapism or reality.
Our regular contributors, Sandra Marshall and Diana Castilleja, will be chiming in on the debate. The regulars, T.J. and Aasiyah/Nolwynn, will continue to provide insight on the topics every week.
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
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
In the past 4 weeks of April, we have brought you topics on logic and how to feature it in your story. From archetypes leading to inherent logic, to practical application of logic in your works, the posse at Royal Blush has been working on many fronts.
But, we have only started to scrape at what logic means and implies in a story.
Catch us in May as we bring you more in-depth tips and know-how where logic is concerned. Characterization, world-building, set-up, plot arc, character fulfilment and realization... We have all this and more on the agenda for you.
Starting May 4, the second wave of logic will be rolling at the blog of the Royal Blush Authors. Don't miss it!
For this week, well, let's just say we're giving you all a little break to assimilate and ponder all we've bombarded you with so far! The posse will also take a much-needed breather to come back even more refreshed and raring to go!
Our quest for logic is not over, far from it!
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
In the past 4 weeks of April, we have brought you topics on logic and how to feature it in your story. From archetypes leading to inherent logic, to practical application of logic in your works, the posse at Royal Blush has been working on many fronts.
But, we have only started to scrape at what logic means and implies in a story.
Catch us in May as we bring you more in-depth tips and know-how where logic is concerned. Characterization, world-building, set-up, plot arc, character fulfilment and realization... We have all this and more on the agenda for you.
Starting May 4, the second wave of logic will be rolling at the blog of the Royal Blush Authors. Don't miss it!
For this week, well, let's just say we're giving you all a little break to assimilate and ponder all we've bombarded you with so far! The posse will also take a much-needed breather to come back even more refreshed and raring to go!
Our quest for logic is not over, far from it!
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
Monday, April 20, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
Once again, we're taking a closer look at logic. Last week we broached the overall arc of sense and sensibility. T.J. and Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) both went over the need for logic in the story, most precisely where the myths and the conventions of the genre is concerned.
This week, we're concerned more with sensibility. Yup, how sensible are you characters? How do they react? And more importatnt, how should they act?
Catch T.J. on Tuesday as she tells us more about the emotional logic behind your archetype. Yes, there is sense in there - catch her post and you'll see it.
On Thursday, Z will again bring her take on the matter. What is logical and what's not where emotions are concerned?
And, don't miss this one, for you're bound to be lol after reading it. Diana Castilleja is penning her opinion for us on Wednesday, on the topic of Logic. But, heck, logic and she are not acquainted! So how does the writer in her do it then?
Don't forget: This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
Once again, we're taking a closer look at logic. Last week we broached the overall arc of sense and sensibility. T.J. and Z(Aasiyah/Nolwynn) both went over the need for logic in the story, most precisely where the myths and the conventions of the genre is concerned.
This week, we're concerned more with sensibility. Yup, how sensible are you characters? How do they react? And more importatnt, how should they act?
Catch T.J. on Tuesday as she tells us more about the emotional logic behind your archetype. Yes, there is sense in there - catch her post and you'll see it.
On Thursday, Z will again bring her take on the matter. What is logical and what's not where emotions are concerned?
And, don't miss this one, for you're bound to be lol after reading it. Diana Castilleja is penning her opinion for us on Wednesday, on the topic of Logic. But, heck, logic and she are not acquainted! So how does the writer in her do it then?
Don't forget: This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The good host and the perfect guest
I have recently been taken in by a show on satellite TV here, on French channel M6. The show is called Un diner presque parfait, which translates to, A near perfect dinner. It runs for 5 days every week, in one specific region of France every week. 5 strangers, decided by the production crew, meet and invite each other for dinner every day. Each contestant is then judged by the remaining 4 guests on the food, the table decoration, and the ambiance of the dinner. The one with the highest average, wins.
Nothing complicated there, true. But what I like watching is the score sheets. Was the food actually related to what the menu proclaimed? Was there a theme to the food from appetizer, entree, main course and dessert? Was the theme respected in the decoration/layout of the table? Was the ambiance too in accordance with the theme? Did the host manage to wing it all together?
What my point, you may ask? Well, every story you write is akin to this near perfect dinner, and your readers are the numerous guests coming to sample your brand as a host.
T.J. stated on Tuesday that you need logic behind our mythology. What happens is that logic is primordial for paranormal mythology because you are stating about something that doesn't exactly exist and which needs to be conveyed to the reader. The same happens for fantasy (think Tolkien's world, setup, hierarchy) or urban fantasy (think Underworld, how the vamps and weres now exist in the world as we currently know it).
But, a big but here, is that logic doesn't simply apply to a world you are creating from scratch. Logic applies to every world you put across in your story.
Say for example, I am writing about present day London. London is vast, and the area of Walthamstow with it popular markets is very different from the classy areas of Belgravia or Hampstead Heath. How does logic play here? Well, the 'normal', everyday person goes grocery shopping, right? Asda, Tesco's - these are the common shops everyone goes to. But, an upscale snob will not go there. More like Harrod's for their shopping, even the basic stuff. So if you are writing about a modern day London snob who lives in Belgravia or Knightsbridge going out to pop into the nearby Asda that's just around the corner from the hottest spot of the area... Bleep!! That is not logical! A snob doesn't mingle with the commoners, and wouldn't be caught dead in a commoner's shop! Not to mention that such commoner's shops wouldn't be found in such areas normally.
Another example - you are writing a Regency historical. Your heroine is making her debut this Season, and the rogue hero has his eye on her from the minute she appears at her first ball. A waltz comes in, and he sweeps her into his arms and they twirl across the floor-- Bleep!! Wait a second, sugar. You don't dance a waltz so easily in Regency times, especially as a debutante. You need society's approval first, the voucher for Almack, and the old crones' permission to waltz, before you go waltzing. The easiest way to fall from grace would be to dance the waltz before getting this approval.
Here, the logic of the time applies. What makes sense to us today need not apply to a different era.
Now, back to out near-perfect dinner comparison. You write about either of the two scenarios above, and your 'guests' bring out the score cards (reviews, sales figures, word of mouth). You will not be in line with your theme in the Regency setting, the same kind of faux-pas of presenting red wine with fish and, on top, the red wine is chilled! With the London scenario, you strike the faux pas of your theme about, say, the richness of summer, but your table, with its red, green and white colors, striking as a festive table for Christmas.
Your genre is your theme, and from this theme, you present the dishes (your plot and story), the decoration (your setup, setting, your era's logic, your mythology), and your ambiance (your distinctive voice to bring it all together). Think logically around your theme, and it should all fall into place.
Any question, 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
Nothing complicated there, true. But what I like watching is the score sheets. Was the food actually related to what the menu proclaimed? Was there a theme to the food from appetizer, entree, main course and dessert? Was the theme respected in the decoration/layout of the table? Was the ambiance too in accordance with the theme? Did the host manage to wing it all together?
What my point, you may ask? Well, every story you write is akin to this near perfect dinner, and your readers are the numerous guests coming to sample your brand as a host.
T.J. stated on Tuesday that you need logic behind our mythology. What happens is that logic is primordial for paranormal mythology because you are stating about something that doesn't exactly exist and which needs to be conveyed to the reader. The same happens for fantasy (think Tolkien's world, setup, hierarchy) or urban fantasy (think Underworld, how the vamps and weres now exist in the world as we currently know it).
But, a big but here, is that logic doesn't simply apply to a world you are creating from scratch. Logic applies to every world you put across in your story.
Say for example, I am writing about present day London. London is vast, and the area of Walthamstow with it popular markets is very different from the classy areas of Belgravia or Hampstead Heath. How does logic play here? Well, the 'normal', everyday person goes grocery shopping, right? Asda, Tesco's - these are the common shops everyone goes to. But, an upscale snob will not go there. More like Harrod's for their shopping, even the basic stuff. So if you are writing about a modern day London snob who lives in Belgravia or Knightsbridge going out to pop into the nearby Asda that's just around the corner from the hottest spot of the area... Bleep!! That is not logical! A snob doesn't mingle with the commoners, and wouldn't be caught dead in a commoner's shop! Not to mention that such commoner's shops wouldn't be found in such areas normally.
Another example - you are writing a Regency historical. Your heroine is making her debut this Season, and the rogue hero has his eye on her from the minute she appears at her first ball. A waltz comes in, and he sweeps her into his arms and they twirl across the floor-- Bleep!! Wait a second, sugar. You don't dance a waltz so easily in Regency times, especially as a debutante. You need society's approval first, the voucher for Almack, and the old crones' permission to waltz, before you go waltzing. The easiest way to fall from grace would be to dance the waltz before getting this approval.
Here, the logic of the time applies. What makes sense to us today need not apply to a different era.
Now, back to out near-perfect dinner comparison. You write about either of the two scenarios above, and your 'guests' bring out the score cards (reviews, sales figures, word of mouth). You will not be in line with your theme in the Regency setting, the same kind of faux-pas of presenting red wine with fish and, on top, the red wine is chilled! With the London scenario, you strike the faux pas of your theme about, say, the richness of summer, but your table, with its red, green and white colors, striking as a festive table for Christmas.
Your genre is your theme, and from this theme, you present the dishes (your plot and story), the decoration (your setup, setting, your era's logic, your mythology), and your ambiance (your distinctive voice to bring it all together). Think logically around your theme, and it should all fall into place.
Any question, 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
Monday, April 13, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
Sense and sensibility... No, not the Jane Austen version, though as writers we do need sense tempered by a good deal of sensibility.
We're almost at the mid-point of April and we're still on the road path of logic.
So how does sense and sensibility play in? Sense, well, logical - you need a good deal of sense to be able to convey logic. Sensibility? Well, every writer is unique, and the person at the heart of this writer brings to the fore his/her characteristics, inherently, their sensibilities.
Catch us this week as we bring you further takes on logic from the perspective of sense and sensibility.
T.J. on Tuesday will tell us more about the myth of the paranormals, how logic plays in there and why your mythology should inherently be driven by logic.
Aasiyah/Nolwynn expands on the same subject, delving into logic and the 'myths' in the historical and also the contemporary genres.
This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
Sense and sensibility... No, not the Jane Austen version, though as writers we do need sense tempered by a good deal of sensibility.
We're almost at the mid-point of April and we're still on the road path of logic.
So how does sense and sensibility play in? Sense, well, logical - you need a good deal of sense to be able to convey logic. Sensibility? Well, every writer is unique, and the person at the heart of this writer brings to the fore his/her characteristics, inherently, their sensibilities.
Catch us this week as we bring you further takes on logic from the perspective of sense and sensibility.
T.J. on Tuesday will tell us more about the myth of the paranormals, how logic plays in there and why your mythology should inherently be driven by logic.
Aasiyah/Nolwynn expands on the same subject, delving into logic and the 'myths' in the historical and also the contemporary genres.
This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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, April 6, 2009
With Love, from Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
As April slowly rolls by, we're still dealing our hand in the game of Logic!
No, we're not playing poker, though it sometimes feels like it when you're a writer and you are submitting, submitting, and submitting but not getting any nibble back.
The reason may be - you don't know your plot.
Plot is an important part of logic, and this is what we'll be focusing on this week.
Catch T.J. on Tuesday as she tells us what the plots are. Aasiyah/Nolwynn will extrapolate more with her own brand of rambling on Thursday.
This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
As April slowly rolls by, we're still dealing our hand in the game of Logic!
No, we're not playing poker, though it sometimes feels like it when you're a writer and you are submitting, submitting, and submitting but not getting any nibble back.
The reason may be - you don't know your plot.
Plot is an important part of logic, and this is what we'll be focusing on this week.
Catch T.J. on Tuesday as she tells us what the plots are. Aasiyah/Nolwynn will extrapolate more with her own brand of rambling on Thursday.
This April, we're delving deep into the recesses of the true writing craft.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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, March 30, 2009
With Love, From Ms. Blush
Hello to you all wonderful, beautiful people!
April... The month of the April's Fool. Ah, the pranks one can play, the silliness, the laughter, the utter nonsense of it all. Yet, some can argue there is sense in this madness. Can you prove this right? All I know is that when I was at school, teachers would end up with a very silly paper fish stuck to their backs, or they would have very white butts because they sat down on the chair where we had smeared all the chalk from the blackboard (I know, the good ol' days... sigh).
So, back to the topic at hand: What do we have in store for you this month?
Well, we are trying to make sense.
That doesn't make sense to you? Fear not, it will shortly! For, you see, this month, our topic at the Royal Blush Authors' blog is - drum roll and djembe beats -
Logic!
Yes, we will bring the topic of sense to the whole business of writing a novel and in the same go appeal to your sensibility as writer.
Many fail to realise how logic is at the very base of writing. If the story doesn't make sense, well, you don't have much of a story, do you?
Logic in the setting, in the characterisation, in the plot arc, in the narrative progression; even logic in naming your characters.
All of these are the very foundation of your story and of the craft of writing.
Catch us this month as we bring you more about how to place logic in your work. Every week, T.J. and Aasiyah/Nolwynn will cover an aspect of logic - the first with a technical and theoretical basis for the topic, the second with practical application and explanations of the concept.
Our regular RBA contributors - Sandra Marshall, Angela Guillaume, and Diana Castilleja - will also be piping their input in, and this will surely be funny and worth checking out. Unfortunately, Chiron O'Keefe won't be able to add her quip this month.
This week, Sandra will tell us what she has grasped about logic in the action-reaction realm.
Anyone familar with Pinkie and The Brain? *wink* We'll strive for such a tone throughout the month, so buckle up for a wild ride!
This April, we at RBA are interconnecting all the synapses of our cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and right and left brain hemispheres.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
April... The month of the April's Fool. Ah, the pranks one can play, the silliness, the laughter, the utter nonsense of it all. Yet, some can argue there is sense in this madness. Can you prove this right? All I know is that when I was at school, teachers would end up with a very silly paper fish stuck to their backs, or they would have very white butts because they sat down on the chair where we had smeared all the chalk from the blackboard (I know, the good ol' days... sigh).
So, back to the topic at hand: What do we have in store for you this month?
Well, we are trying to make sense.
That doesn't make sense to you? Fear not, it will shortly! For, you see, this month, our topic at the Royal Blush Authors' blog is - drum roll and djembe beats -
Logic!
Yes, we will bring the topic of sense to the whole business of writing a novel and in the same go appeal to your sensibility as writer.
Many fail to realise how logic is at the very base of writing. If the story doesn't make sense, well, you don't have much of a story, do you?
Logic in the setting, in the characterisation, in the plot arc, in the narrative progression; even logic in naming your characters.
All of these are the very foundation of your story and of the craft of writing.
Catch us this month as we bring you more about how to place logic in your work. Every week, T.J. and Aasiyah/Nolwynn will cover an aspect of logic - the first with a technical and theoretical basis for the topic, the second with practical application and explanations of the concept.
Our regular RBA contributors - Sandra Marshall, Angela Guillaume, and Diana Castilleja - will also be piping their input in, and this will surely be funny and worth checking out. Unfortunately, Chiron O'Keefe won't be able to add her quip this month.
This week, Sandra will tell us what she has grasped about logic in the action-reaction realm.
Anyone familar with Pinkie and The Brain? *wink* We'll strive for such a tone throughout the month, so buckle up for a wild ride!
This April, we at RBA are interconnecting all the synapses of our cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and right and left brain hemispheres.
This April, we're on the quest:
Searching for the logic that actually makes sense...
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
Thursday, March 12, 2009
From Princess to Real-Life Heroine
As women, the first heroines we are introduced to are the princesses of the fairy tales. Who hasn't sighed in bliss and contentment when the kiss of the prince wakes Snow White, or when the glass slipper fit Cinderella's foot perfectly?
We got our first notion of Happily Ever After in such occasions, as well as a glimpse at what a hero should be like - a prince (do you realise they're all called Prince Charming, as if there's one single bloke for all those girls?) or a knight in shining armor who comes riding on a big white horse and sweeps the damsel in his arms and takes her to Far, Far Away where they live happily and have many children.
The damsel - that's what I am trying to get to (you should know me by now - I ramble. Big time!)
Heroines were built off the template of the fairytales damsels and the princesses.
But, is she applicable in our times? Just think back to the movie Enchanted - the princess, Gisele, is pushed by the wicked stepmother into the reality of today's New York, where for the first time she meets a flesh and blood man who isn't a gentleman, and who even curses, and where she calls upon all the animals in the city to come help her clean his apartment, by singing from the terrace! She also sings at every given opportunity.
The realm of fairytales, right? Exactly! A fairytale princess cannot exist in the world as we know it. She cannot simply meet the prince and accept his wedding proposal 2.5 seconds later, get married the next morning and live happily ever after while giving birth to many children throughout the scope of her reproductive life. Where's the realism here?
Nonexistent. And that's a big mistake where penning heroines is concerned - the lack of realism. T.J. touched upon this in her post on Tuesday.
Now, if you are writing a fairytale, this princess would work for you, but we have to face the fact that most of us write about real women who are facing real situations albeit in a fictitious setting. But fiction has to be as close as possible to reality. Even in a realm such as fantasy, where your world is wholly fabricated, there needs to be a semblance of logic that grounds your characters.
This logic is what you need when you pen a heroine. Why is it more important for the heroine? Because she is very much the strongest pillar you need in the foundation and construction of your romance story. There is no romance without a heroine, and most romance, while featuring a good deal of the hero, is based on the love story that touches the life of the woman.
I'll slither a side post here about heroines. On the blog Pop Culture Divas, there is a list of the strongest movie heroines of the past decade. I'm sure all of you must've seen those movies, or at least, have heard of them. Catch a glimpse of the wide variety in women and personas that grace the collective mind where strong heroines are concerned.
Take a glimpse at these heroines, and look very hard at the thread of logic in your heroine's behavior. This is ultimately what will help you create a superb character that leaps off the page and who will stay in the minds of your readers for a long time to come.
As always, your comments are more than welcome!
Aasiyah Qamar - Cultural romantic fiction, with a twistWith stories set amidst the rainbow nation of Mauritius, a multicultural island in the Southern Indian Ocean, author Aasiyah Qamar brings you tales of today's young women battling life on all fronts and finding love where they least expect it. Indo-Mauritian culture wants to stifle them in traditions, customs and antiquated morals while the world is opening its arms of modernity and globalisation. Where do these women belong? And more importantly, with whom? Find out more about her first release, The Other Side, here.
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