Today, the fantastic Kate Walker continues her masterclass on what makes a M&B alpha male hero with my thoughts. Kate and I are at one with this. Alpha male heroes rock.
There is also a post about Following your dream and what makes people decide to follow that dream on the Pink Heart Society. So please leave your thoughts. I love discovering why people decide to follow their dreams.
And finally, I get to play at being a glamorous author today as I am going to the launch of the Hexham Book Festival this evening. I believe tickets are still available for most events, including the M&B panel discussion on Saturday afternoon. Sheila Hodgson, a senior editor from M&B is chairing the event and she has sent a number of interesting topics through which we will be discussing. Things like the ALPHA MALE HERO and he changes! As well as the universal emotional truths in romance, particularly in a post feminist environment.
I am planning on taking pictures so hopefully people can live vicariously!
Showing posts with label alpha male hero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label alpha male hero. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mantra - a hero leads
In the comments yesterday, Alice asked about the mantra -- a hero leads. And does it apply to a heroine as well. And across all lines.
In this case the mantra -- a hero leads applies equally to both the hero and heroine. They both need to be proactive and willing to take charge of their life. Things do not happen to the main characters, they make things happen. Then when the world does not react in the way they expect, they take action again. It also applies across lines. The main characters must be willing to take life on and to make things happen. They are the ones who make choices and who have to live with the consequences of their choices. They do not simply sit back and relax, or become overwhelmed. Proactive rather than reactive.
You do not want your hero or heroine to be overtaken and overwhelmed by events. What ever happens, they remaining fighting against events and not simply accepting of the status quo.
They may be in statis until the inciting incident, but once the story starts, they take a lead.
Main characters need to be assertive rather than passive -- even though they might appear to be without power. Daphne du Maurier does this brilliantly with the second Mrs de Winter in Rebecca. Because most of the book is a memory of an older woman, and the author keeps giving subtle hints about how she is now making most of the decisions, the reader can accept the narrator's naivete etc in a way that had the story been told in real time/a linear fashion, she wouldn't.
One of the problems with the current Viking is that events kept happening to the hero and heroine, rather than them directly influencing events. This made my editor question why the heroine was so timid. Some of it had to do with the heroine's back story which had to be changed and some of it had to do with how she approached things. Rather than sitting around waiting to be rescued, my heroine at least had to have a plan of how she was going to escape.
Sometimes, it can be simple, for example, I originally had Ivar being far more rational about certain things. He had argued for more ships. In the revised version (which works better), the expedition is his idea and he has argued that one ship has a better chance of getting through.
Another way of saying this is Make the Turning Points Active. The vast majority of your turning points must be a direct result of actions by your hero or heroine, rather than by events beyond their control.
In this case the mantra -- a hero leads applies equally to both the hero and heroine. They both need to be proactive and willing to take charge of their life. Things do not happen to the main characters, they make things happen. Then when the world does not react in the way they expect, they take action again. It also applies across lines. The main characters must be willing to take life on and to make things happen. They are the ones who make choices and who have to live with the consequences of their choices. They do not simply sit back and relax, or become overwhelmed. Proactive rather than reactive.
You do not want your hero or heroine to be overtaken and overwhelmed by events. What ever happens, they remaining fighting against events and not simply accepting of the status quo.
They may be in statis until the inciting incident, but once the story starts, they take a lead.
Main characters need to be assertive rather than passive -- even though they might appear to be without power. Daphne du Maurier does this brilliantly with the second Mrs de Winter in Rebecca. Because most of the book is a memory of an older woman, and the author keeps giving subtle hints about how she is now making most of the decisions, the reader can accept the narrator's naivete etc in a way that had the story been told in real time/a linear fashion, she wouldn't.
One of the problems with the current Viking is that events kept happening to the hero and heroine, rather than them directly influencing events. This made my editor question why the heroine was so timid. Some of it had to do with the heroine's back story which had to be changed and some of it had to do with how she approached things. Rather than sitting around waiting to be rescued, my heroine at least had to have a plan of how she was going to escape.
Sometimes, it can be simple, for example, I originally had Ivar being far more rational about certain things. He had argued for more ships. In the revised version (which works better), the expedition is his idea and he has argued that one ship has a better chance of getting through.
Another way of saying this is Make the Turning Points Active. The vast majority of your turning points must be a direct result of actions by your hero or heroine, rather than by events beyond their control.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Going back to the enneagram
I am currently about half way through my wip and woke this morning, thinking I need to check my enneagrams and make sure that I know where my hero is.
Now because he is a Viking, he is an uber-alpha male. He needs to be in charge. This means that he is some of an 8 -- the leader, the challenger. He is not going to be a helper. He is a protect and defend sort of person. But he is also my third Viken. In the other books he played slightly less of a leadership role as it was not his story. he was however co-equal with the other jaarls.
But I don't want to write the same hero. So what type of 8 is he?
There are three instinctual variations among each type -- self-preservation, social and sexual. An instinctual variant is where a character's concerns are mostly going to be played out. Everyone is a combination of all the variants. It just depends which one dominates.
Self preservation means that character is most concerned getting and maintaining the physical. They like to acquire things, and work hard to make their environments comfortable. They tend to be concerned about paying bills. In other words, these people are practical.
Social means the dominate trait is safety in numbers. These people like participating group activities. They like to get involved and they also like to know their place in the hierarchy. How do systems work. However much they enjoy interacting with people, they are also likely to avoid intimacy. Lots of friends but few good friends. These are community oriented.
Sexual -- this does not mean people who are sexy or sexually driven. It means their desire for intimacy and intensity dominates. They tend to follow their attraction.
Riso and Hudson in The Wisdom of the Enneagram use a party situation to illustrate how the types might behave in the same setting -- self preservation types notice the temperature, the food, where you can sit comfortably. Social types speak to the host and to people who might be able to help them, they are likely to be aware of the social structure of the party. Sexual types are after intense experience and are looking for interesting people, people they are drawn to, even to the extent of ignoring important obligations.
So within the 8 range which is dominated by the needs to control/protect and defend -- the self preservation type can be thought of the survivor and can be territorial about possessions. Highly competitive. I would say that Vikar from Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife fits in this range.
The social -- goes for camaraderie -- trust and honour are big, holding court, making pacts with people.
The sexual -- takes charge in relationships and see intimacy as a struggle for control. They like a challenge and lose interest if they win too easily. They can enjoy being *bad*. Haakon in Taken by the Viking is much more of this type.
So does this mean that Ivar should be more of a social type? So should I attempt to make him more of a wing type personality.(ie rather than being a pure 8, should he be more a combo of a 7&8)
Anyway, it is something more for me to think about.
Now because he is a Viking, he is an uber-alpha male. He needs to be in charge. This means that he is some of an 8 -- the leader, the challenger. He is not going to be a helper. He is a protect and defend sort of person. But he is also my third Viken. In the other books he played slightly less of a leadership role as it was not his story. he was however co-equal with the other jaarls.
But I don't want to write the same hero. So what type of 8 is he?
There are three instinctual variations among each type -- self-preservation, social and sexual. An instinctual variant is where a character's concerns are mostly going to be played out. Everyone is a combination of all the variants. It just depends which one dominates.
Self preservation means that character is most concerned getting and maintaining the physical. They like to acquire things, and work hard to make their environments comfortable. They tend to be concerned about paying bills. In other words, these people are practical.
Social means the dominate trait is safety in numbers. These people like participating group activities. They like to get involved and they also like to know their place in the hierarchy. How do systems work. However much they enjoy interacting with people, they are also likely to avoid intimacy. Lots of friends but few good friends. These are community oriented.
Sexual -- this does not mean people who are sexy or sexually driven. It means their desire for intimacy and intensity dominates. They tend to follow their attraction.
Riso and Hudson in The Wisdom of the Enneagram use a party situation to illustrate how the types might behave in the same setting -- self preservation types notice the temperature, the food, where you can sit comfortably. Social types speak to the host and to people who might be able to help them, they are likely to be aware of the social structure of the party. Sexual types are after intense experience and are looking for interesting people, people they are drawn to, even to the extent of ignoring important obligations.
So within the 8 range which is dominated by the needs to control/protect and defend -- the self preservation type can be thought of the survivor and can be territorial about possessions. Highly competitive. I would say that Vikar from Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife fits in this range.
The social -- goes for camaraderie -- trust and honour are big, holding court, making pacts with people.
The sexual -- takes charge in relationships and see intimacy as a struggle for control. They like a challenge and lose interest if they win too easily. They can enjoy being *bad*. Haakon in Taken by the Viking is much more of this type.
So does this mean that Ivar should be more of a social type? So should I attempt to make him more of a wing type personality.(ie rather than being a pure 8, should he be more a combo of a 7&8)
Anyway, it is something more for me to think about.
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Appeal of Gene Hunt
The Radio Times has a wonderful set of front covers this week -- all four on Ashes to Ashes. This is the new Gene Hunt show where he is now in 1981 London and causing mayhem for a female dci transported back from 2008.
The Radio Times wonders why Gene Hunt exerts such sex appeal on women. After all he is uncouth, neathanderthal and his opinion of women is not very PC. He should be the sort of man that women from 2008 run from, shouldn't he? But Gene Hunt has a huge female following. What is it about him?
Having used Philip Glenister as a model for Vikkar in Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife (out in the UK June 08), I think I can answer that -- it is his core of integrity and his devotion to his team, his family that appeals. He is the sort of man who once he gives his heart, gives it all without reservation. He is willing to fight for the people he cares about. He demands their loyality in return, but he givens no less of himself. He is a man of action and a man of his word. It takes a lot to earn his respect and trust, but once someone has, he is willing to listen and to protect and defend. And when the chips are down, and the whole world has deserted you, if you are part of his team, Gene Hunt will be there, fighting along side you, protecting you.
In other words, he is an unreconstructed alpha male.
I can well understand the appeal.
Ashes to Ashes starts on 7 February, BBC 1, 9 pm. My family are taping it for me as I have to be at the M&B cocktail party. To ask them not to watch it until I get home is asking far too much. They are all far too excited. Life on Mars was a fantastic show and fingers crossed, this will be as well. AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT MESS WITH GENE HUNT and he gets to keep his integrity. Oh please God, let him keep his integrity and devotion to his team.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Monday morning musings
This weekend was spent with a cold. I retired to bed and managed to finish the Bridgeton series by Julia Quinn. All of them are enjoyable, but my favourites were The Viscount who Loved Me and To Sir Philip with Love. I know On the Way to the Wedding won the Rit, but it was not one of my favourites. Quinn is a great story teller and her Regency World is a fun place to visit, even though she has a lot of unknown unknowns in her work. It is a strength of her story telling ability that one is willing to overlook them when in a lesser storyteller, they would have grated.
Slowly but surely I am working through my admin. The newsletter with a contest to win Christmas by Candlelight -- the UK version of A Christmas Wedding Wager than includes Helen Dickson's Wicked Pleasures will be out shortly. I also have to send off my Rita entries and my RNA Romance Prize entries.
6 October marks the return of Sir Guy of Gisbourne or is it Robin Hood to the BBC? My problem is that Robin is a bit wet for my tastes and last season there was very little sexual tension between Marian and Robin, but when the screen sizzled when it was Marian and Sir Guy. Should Richard Armitage have played Robin? Should someone else have played Robin, somone who is a far stronger personality than Jonas whatshisface?
Actually it was this realisation that led me to change the hero slightly in the ms that I just turned in. I knew Simon, the hero of the one I am starting today was going to be based on Richard Armitage, but he is such a strong character that he dominates. Brett had to be based on an equally strong character but a different ilk -- so once I changed actors to James Purefoy I was fine.
It is not so much that I base my characters on the actors but rather that I could see them playing the part. An actor brings a slightly different approach to each role. And sometimes, a lot can be achieved by firing your actors and hiring someone else for the part IF your characters are not behaving as you wish.
Monday, May 14, 2007
What I learnt from Revisions
I have finished my revisons and sent them off. Fingers crossed that they are fine. All I know is that I like the story much better. This is the one that had Philip Glenister as the hero inspiration material. But I did have to make him more ruthless than Gene Hunt.
My basic problem with the manuscript that I sent in was that I took the wrong angle on a major subplot. And as a fan of a major acarthic battle at the end, I generally like to have one as well. However, in this story, it wasn't necessary. I had enough emotion to see me through.
And actually in my current wip, I think I have made the same mistake -- coming up with an intrigue type that is starting to demand space. Or rather one that I don't particularly want to write. However, there is very much a plot I want to write. It will suit the characters much better and was actually going to be the subtext. I am just going to have make it the main arc of the story. And it will be fun to do. As it is a Victorian, perhaps, my heor doesn't havet o be as Alpha male, but he still has to be up there.
So my big take away from this round of revisions is not to be afraid of the emotional clash. Those emotional journeys must be shown.
Friday, April 13, 2007
DCI Gene Hunt and women
The Daily Telegraph has now waded into the Life on Mars Gene Hunt thing with an article about why women love him. The journalist, a female, quite rightly pointed out that Philip Glenister should have been up for a BAFTA. A few weeks ago a female journalist also wrote about her obsession with Gene Hunt and how she discovered Philip Glenister reading bedtime stories on CBBC (something that had the mothers tuning in in droves I have no doubt).
Actually I am not surprised that women are enthralled with him. It is not his looks. It is his underlying core integrity, his loyalty to his team. He is the sort of man who despite his faults, you know will go into single handed combat with spiders, mice and other creepy crawlies. Through out the series, I was worried that some how the Life on Mars writer would add bits in that made Gene more grey. less attractive, but they didn't. Gene Hunt works because he has a code of honour. he also has a series of outrageous one liners. But when the chips are down, you count on him to do the right thing for his team. He is an alpha male hero, and why anyone should be surprised about women's reactions to him...It is the fantasy that is the perennial best seller in women's romance.
I do worry about the proposed new series Ashes to Ashes. He would be 12 years older. I don't want a shades of grey Gene Hunt. I don't want an older but wiser Gene Hunt. I don't want a ravaged by time Gene Hunt that might be more interesting to play. I want the black and white Gene Hunt, the scene stealing Gene Hunt, the unreconstructed male hero. And please, please, can his wife stay off screen? He is not the sort of man domesticity comes easy to. A bit like Sharpe.
Why do so many men assume women go for looks? Personality, codes of honour, doing the right thing can mean a lot. Give me a man of honour any time over a pretty boy snake.
The new wip goes slowly, but with my hero sorted. Things are starting to flow. I want my current hero to be even more dangerous. The sort of man who says -- this far and no further. But now that I have found him. Things have had to change.
Actually I am not surprised that women are enthralled with him. It is not his looks. It is his underlying core integrity, his loyalty to his team. He is the sort of man who despite his faults, you know will go into single handed combat with spiders, mice and other creepy crawlies. Through out the series, I was worried that some how the Life on Mars writer would add bits in that made Gene more grey. less attractive, but they didn't. Gene Hunt works because he has a code of honour. he also has a series of outrageous one liners. But when the chips are down, you count on him to do the right thing for his team. He is an alpha male hero, and why anyone should be surprised about women's reactions to him...It is the fantasy that is the perennial best seller in women's romance.
I do worry about the proposed new series Ashes to Ashes. He would be 12 years older. I don't want a shades of grey Gene Hunt. I don't want an older but wiser Gene Hunt. I don't want a ravaged by time Gene Hunt that might be more interesting to play. I want the black and white Gene Hunt, the scene stealing Gene Hunt, the unreconstructed male hero. And please, please, can his wife stay off screen? He is not the sort of man domesticity comes easy to. A bit like Sharpe.
Why do so many men assume women go for looks? Personality, codes of honour, doing the right thing can mean a lot. Give me a man of honour any time over a pretty boy snake.
The new wip goes slowly, but with my hero sorted. Things are starting to flow. I want my current hero to be even more dangerous. The sort of man who says -- this far and no further. But now that I have found him. Things have had to change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)