A COUPLA SHADES OF TAUPE August 26, 2012

Tauped out, August 26, 2012

Okay folks, I started this blog to talk about the male point of view in romance novels. I try to find the exceptions with all due respect for the rules. I can't keep finding exceptions or even discuss something fresh, but I don't want to stop blogging. So this week, I'm going to plug a fellow author's book which I feel is so important to the direction romance novel writing as to be required reading by anybody anywhere anytime who wants to write. Really—don't write, just feep reading this over and over again.

A COUPLA SHADES OF TAUPE: A PARODY by Court Burback

Summary/Blurb in his/her/ or shemale's words:

Pagan Taupe is the wealthiest man in all of Arkansas. He’s got a home with a working refrigerator, a private rickshaw driver, and a respected empire of taxidermy/fro-yo chain stores. The only thing that’s missing is a whiny young codependent named Alexandra Aluminum. From the moment he sees her tripping over an angry raccoon, it’s clear that Alexandra dills his pickle. Pagan becomes obsessed with Alexandra at a level normally portrayed by Rob Lowe in Lifetime movies. But unlike Rob Lowe, Pagan doesn’t want to beat her with a tire iron and bury her beneath the town bridge—he wants to make her his live-in sex slave.

But if eager young Alexandra wants to feel the caress of Pagan’s ear hair against her cheek, she’s going to have to play by his rules. When Pagan reveals the special room he’s built to live out his sexual proclivities, Alexandra’s natural reaction is to cold cock him and call the police. But the clown chained to the wall assures Alexandra that Pagan is a stand-up guy, and if she gives him a chance he can introduce her to a world of unimaginable pleasure. Alexandra takes the leap and agrees to be Pagan’s unquestioning “submissive,” and the two embark on a sexual journey that would make Gloria Steinem put a loaded gun to her temple.

A COUPLA SHADES OF TAUPE is a romantic, tender tale of blossoming emotions and hardcore schtupping. A Pulitzer is inevitable.

SPAN OF CONTROL August 19, 2012

Story elements, August 19, 2012

I’m not feeling inspired this week to present something about the male point of view in romance. I’d like to talk about writing in general. I’m going to steal an idea I learned from my MBA program and apply it to writing. It’s called span of control. The theory goes, in management, you should have no more than six people working for you directly if you want optimum results. I’ve seen this number in various texts as little as three and as high as ten. This doesn’t mean 100s or 1000s can’t work for you, but that you must establish layers of control. Each of your managers can also have six people directly reporting to them.

In writing, perhaps we should not have more than six main or memorable characters during a normal book, or six main ideas in the book. Perhaps this can apply to chapters and scenes where six elements (including twists) are introduced. Doing this should optimize the number of readers or optimize the chance they ‘get’ your story or won’t put the book down. This probably applies to back cover ideas as well. A cover would be too busy with more than six things going on.

The human mind is most efficient when handling six issues, the mind tends to break down (or spin wheels) when stretched with more than six problems, and isn’t used to its potential when under six.

For reference: This whole idea started in a seat of the pants sort of way during World War 1 when General Sir Ian Hamilton asserted, “the average human brain finds its effective scope in handling three to six other brains.” Since then much research has gone into proving the theory. Many modern books on management and psychology assert a range of six to ten rather than three to six.

So who is your average reader? Isn’t clarity the clarion call of editors everywhere? Perhaps because they know that a mass market is achieved by applying principles an average reader would enjoy and understand.

If you’re in a pitch session with an agent or editor and they worry if you have too many elements, you could spring “span of control” on them OR not mention more than six ideas supporting your manuscript.

What women think of a guy and his dog, 8/12/12

What women think of a guy and his dog. August 12, 2012.

I stumbled across this little bit of lunacy by Mansome on Yahoo. I couldn't embed the video, so if you are interested click on the link and a go to link will appear slightly above it, then click on that. The 'reporter' interviews three ladies while the same guy prances out with different types of dogs to get their impressions of his suitability for romance based on the kind of dog he's with.

First of all, my dog Frankie is famous and on the cover of my first novel. So what kind of a guy am I? Hint, he's half wolf:

Here's Mansome's take on dogs and men, and the women who love them.

http://screen.yahoo.com/episode-11-what-your-dog-says-about-you-30178432.html?pb_list=c743be6d-1be1-40f2-9df5-9842156b1015

So call me, maybe? August 5, 2012

CALL ME MAYBE, August 5, 21012

For those who write YA Romance, there is much to inspire from pop music.

CALL ME MAYBE: The song and the title captures the indelicate imbalance of ego, tease, want, confusion, mixed signals, fantasy, lust, love, and dislike. It has always been a big part of young pop songs. Just to name some, Wake Up Little Susie, Like A Virgin, Put Your Records On, [what's your favorites?], to Rolling In The Deep.

So call me, maybe? Well, her emotions are on display in the lyrics, but the video has a surprise for romance writers and a twist at the end. The girl pictures herself on the cover of a romance novel with her shirtless next door neighbor and the ending, we'll, see for yourself.

Guy's POV: When I was a teenager mixed signals usually turned me off. I was logical (me and Spock). I didn't 'get' mixed signals. I didn't always give up, but it slowed me down. By the time I got through college, I recognized this as charm, passion, and love of life.

CALL ME MAYBE by Carly Rae Jepsen

I've often thought vidoes could be embedded into ebooks to add another sense (after buying the right to use), but don't know how expensive this would be.

Men do not think about sex every seven seconds. July 29, 2012

Men and sex, July 29, 2012

I sat at a table with Golden Heart nominees at RWA 2012. One lady, not knowing I was there, walked up to the table, propped her leg on the adjoining chair to show off a new temporary tat of a phoenix on her calf. In a jovial mood and trying to break the ice I told her how much I liked her tat and asked everybody there to show me their legs. (Can you get in worse trouble?) Mayhem ensued, well maybe not that bad. Somebody said men think of sex every six seconds, I retorted "that's not true . . . it's all the time." What I said is true. Men and women have an instinct of attraction that can not be denied, no matter if they're married or found their soulmate. Society and inner rules teach us to ignore this basic attraction to the point you might not know it's there. What flashed through my mind as best as I can reconstruct it, was, I looked at her shapely leg, then quickly swept my eyes up her body to her face and decided instantly she was a match. A match for what, I have no idea (I've forgotten), since I'm taken. That's the way God made us. I was also thinking at the same time in a more deliberate less instinctual way how great these women are, how joyous, supportive, and anxious (to find out who won) they were. I admired this group. Everything I want to do in writing was represented in their struggles. Below is the Snopes link debunking "men think of sex every six seconds." http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/thinksex.asp I'm not recommending you follow your instincts, especially when it would tarnish you and your 'match.' Maybe your characters will celebrate their true colors for you. Writers can travel anywhere on the wings of a phoenix. Let Cyndi Lauper inspire you:  TRUE COLORS The girl with the phoenix tattoo showed her true colors, a mix of joy and love. .......

Sharing Successful!

Share again!You've successfully shared using Po.st!

Welcome to po.st!

Powered by Po.stPrivacy policy

HEADS DOWN, July 6, 2012

Heads Down, July 6, 2012

I can’t always be pithy. But I can get down and dirty. I hear a lot of talk about six-pack abs with my RWA friends and see it in a huge number of romance novels. I never gave it much thought until I watched the U.S. Olympic trials in swimming this summer through the eyes of a male romance writer trying to make it in a predominantly female business. I used to be a champion butterflyer, so I had focused on stroke, dive, and turn mechanics rather than the way muscles looked unless they were the sleek bodies of the women competitors.

But the guys, Lochte, Phelps, etc. have smooth or nearly smooth, flat abdomens. Most swimmers do as well. Lumpy doesn’t work well with the total body stretching to produce speed (it’s not just arms, hands, feet, and legs that make a champion (swimmer)).

My main point here is that far too many heroes are described as having the ‘ideal’ six-pack abs which borders or stereotyping and cliché (although not one female reader will mind). This, in a roundabout way, does get me back to guys’ POV. We swimmers want to be recognized with our shirts off. The Arnold Swartzeneggers of the world could be anchors on our teams, because they’d sink to the bottom. Some guys, do read romances, and sometimes a fresh perspective is appreciated by female readers.

“No muscle bound man, Could take my hand, From my guy.” Mary Wells.

Some women like less muscle, some more, some lumpy, some not. Mary Wells sings about qualities a lot of women want.

Maybe some women prefer swimmers, besides we can hold our breath.

1964: Mary Wells Original recording of My Guy,

Guys writing romance June 19, 2012

GUYS WRITING ROMANCE JUNE 19, 2012

A friend of mine told me I’d have to be gay to be any good at writing romance.

“You’d have to be gay to watch guys in tight clothing tackling each other for three or four hours straight, very straight [you’d be],” I said.

So there we were arguing during a moving moment of Project Runway. You know, I would have liked to hear what Austin Scarlet had to say about Mondo Guerra.

In previous posts, I talked about renaissance men, artists, and men who have harnessed both sides of their brain, imagine that.

Hemmingway wrote ‘write what you know’ and if female writers took his dictum too literally they’d never write male POV.

We ‘know’ through our common experiences and a good dose of empathy. We become nearly telepathic in understanding the opposite sex and we make up fantastic creatures that people can identify with.

Yes, we all make mistakes with the opposite sex, but that too finds its way into our writing.

 

I thought I had a story to tell when I wrote my first novel about people who lived 100,000 years ago and their wolf friends. I wasn’t there, but I nailed it with a ton of the latest scientific research and common sense. So we write what we know or are about to know.

When I started with RWA San Diego I entered the Spring Into Romance contest and placed in the middle of a bunch of women (I assume). This year I tied for fifth. So I write what I know by association with my loving chapter mates, all the great writers at the chapter, the courses, and talks offered. I think finishing fifth demonstrates that I can write romance.

Okay, I wasn’t really watching Project Runway with a male friend. Most guys have a hard time understanding art as it is applied and showcased in it’s many forms (I love that show). The most beautiful form for me being the human female followed by my dogs of course.