Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 37

Masculine Behavior for Believable Heroes (Part 3) by Connie Vines

Checklist for Masculine Characters

• Be direct
• Be issue orientated
• Be analytical
• Act casual even during a serious conversation
• Interrupt
• Make statements
• Use short sentences
• State his preferences
• Verbalize only things he thinks is important
• Give advice
• Asks specific questions


He will not:

• Ask a lot of questions
• Ask leading questions
• Turn statements into questions
• Invite a ‘just talk’ situation
• Speak in euphemisms
• Use understatements
• Downplay his idea
• Let his sentence trail off
• Volunteer his reasons
• Hold eye contact for significant periods
• Say, “I’m sorry” unless he really means it.
• Tell stories about his failings
• Get bogged down in introspection or self-doubt
• Volunteer information about his feelings
• Ask about others’ feelings
• Ask for validation

I hope you have found this topic of masculine behavior for believable heroes informative.

Readers, what is your take on this topic?

Thank you for stopping by today.

Connie
A night at Medival Times,
Buena Park, CA

Sunday Snips & Stuff #Sundaysnips

Author's are either plotters or pantsers.  I'm the latter, meaning I write by the seat of my pants.  I never plot, can't, don't even try.  My stories come to mind through characters who take up residence in my head, have a story they've already named and introduce me to the cast (also named.)  I guess you could say I have it easy because I don't have to fret over titles and suitable monikers for my characters, but...I'm only successful as long as the characters speak to me.  My writer's block comes from long unexplained silences. Don't understand the muted periods, but I have plenty of noises in my head.  :)

I love writing short stories because I'm not one for extraneous information or word counts.  I was very fortunate that Books We Love took a chance and put seven of my short stories into one book entitled, Discovery .  Strangely, all the stories fit that title because the characters in each tale discover something they didn't know.  I invite you to take a peek.  These short works make excellent reading while waiting for appointments, killing time, or just finding extra minutes to enjoy a story that makes you happy.

Here's the cover and blurb, plus a little comment from an author I admire very much:  Heather Haven.

Seven stories in one novel; each one with it's own plot and lead character: a stewardess who discovers her judgement may be a little flawed, an older divorcee who finds something far more interesting than sandals at a shoe clearance, a bride-to-be thinking she has a valid reason to call off her wedding, a pudgy ex-wife with a fear that a medical apparatus will make her look like Jacques Cousteau, a newcomer to Florida expecting fair weather and experiencing her first hurricane, but not alone or scared, a daughter in mourning, pursuing the meaning of three tarnished bars held together by a black ribbon, and a doctor who discovers something totally unrelated to medicine that heals a heart problem. 

"Throughout these stories, facets of each person's character are revealed, layer by layer, often with a punch of the Ginger Simpson sense of humor. Delicious! I can think of no better way to spend an evening or lazy afternoon than wrapped in the comfort of her words." ~ H. Haven

You can find Discover at http://amzn.com/B00IP06KFG  I do hope you'll order a copy.  Remember, it takes a long time to write a book, but only a short time to make it fizzle.  :(  If you're patient and cheap (lol), this book will be featured free in May.  I'll post the dates on FB when it's time.

Now, hop on over to my pals and see what exciting blogs they share this week:


http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron) 

 http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

Welcome, Karla Stover to Dishin' It Out

            
Books by Karla available on Amazon
  

AMAZING MOSS: Always Under Foot



Almost every morning my husband, our dog, and I drive to McDonalds where I buy a large coffee with five creams ($1.09) and then head to the woods to walk. Something new pops up every season and right now it’s moss. I love moss.  It is an amazing plant.
     When moss first appeared, the land had no plant life and, therefore, had no roots to break up the rocks. That’s why moss has such a little root system—just enough to let it cling to the terrain. The plants collect carbon dioxide and water and use light in a process called through photosynthesis—remember that from junior high—to create its nutrients. It reproduces by both sexual and asexual reproduction and, there are three types:  acrocarpous are what grow on your driveway; pleurocarps are the bushy mosses that sometimes resemble feathers, and sphagnum which grows in bogs and creates peat moss.     How moss has been used over the years is the cool part and somewhere within this history is a story waiting to be written.   During World War I, many countries experienced cotton shortages, so clean, dried sphagnum moss was wrapped in thin layers of cotton and paper and used for surgical dressings. The United States’ Moss Czar (yes there was one) said Puget Sound’s moss was the best quality (which makes me very proud) and, sometimes, small towns shut down so everyone could go gather it. The moss went to drying barns and then to the Red Cross, or University of Washington women who made the pads. It all has to do with sphagnum’s cellular structure but I won’t go into that.      This morning, looking at moss, my mind took several detours. For one, Joseph Medicine Crow just died; he was 102. Thinking about his amazing life led me to Canada’s First Nations.  For years, they used moss as bedding into which they put their stillborn babies. Animals seek it out because it has some healing properties. It’s been used to make paper, as housing insulation, as toilet paper, tucked into papoose carriers to act as diapers, and during menstruation.
     So, the next time you thatch your lawn, think about all the lives moss changed, made easier or saved. And, also, Lady Gaga has a moss dress. She knows a good thing.

Masculine Behavior for Believable Heroes (Part 2) by Connie Vines

Thank you for stopping by for Part 2 of last week’s Dishin’ It Out topic.

Men Make Decisions; Women Form a Consensus

Even though this what I’ve learned in human behavior classes and characterization workshops—this doesn’t hold true for me.  (Perhaps it part of my upbringing in a career military family, or because I am the eldest of five siblings.)  If I state a reason, or decide to explain myself, it is only out of politeness--I’ve already made up my mind.

Now, back to what is typical behavior.

Men state what they want.  Women make their preferences known and often add reasons for their requests.  The reasons are an attempt to convince the other party.  Men do not volunteer reasons.
If you ask a reason, men feel as if they’re being challenged or that you are checking up on them.

And, the behavior guaranteed to make either one/or both of the people involved crazed:

Men Try to Solve Problems; Women Talk About Problems

(I deviate from this too, I do not have the patience to ‘talk something to death.)

Men usually make a decision, act, and move on.  Women usually wallow in the problem before or instead of acting.  Men try to help others solve problems.  Women want to talk about the problems but not necessarily solve them.

Women listen to others to give support; Men listen to others to give advice.

And, TADA, here’s the part that makes partners/friends crazed :-).  A woman who talks to a man expects to receive emotional support, and instead she gets advice.  Women talk to feel better.  This drives a man crazy, if she is that miserable, why doesn’t she do something about it?

Men are Direct; Woman are Indirect

Men tend to make statements.  Women tend to ask questions and even multiple questions.  Men use shorter sentences and fewer of them.  Women use longer sentences and sentences that are more complex and string more of them together.

Women make suggestions rather than state their wishes.

Men’s Actions and Body Language Often Don’t Reflect Their Feelings; Women’s Usually Do

Men are direct when talking about concrete things, but indirect when speaking about emotional issues.  When forced to discuss emotional issues. Men may attempt to distance themselves by avoiding eye contact, slouching, or turning away.

Men tend to sprawl out while talking, especially about a serious subject.  Women tend to gather in. Men sit in relaxed sprawled positions with men or in mixed groups.  Women sit in sprawled positions with other women but sit upright in mixed groups.

I'd like to go into a little more about body language next week.

Stop by next week for Part Three!

Happy Reading and Writing,



Connie

Pronouns Suck Sometimes

borrowed from Google ImagesPronouns are a necessary evil to avoid the redundant use of a name, but I take exception with "it."
I have no idea how many times I've had to read backwards to discover what "it" is.  In my opinion, authors use that particular pronoun too many times.  I prefer using a hard noun, and my thesaurus if necessary to find the right word.

Another thing that bugs me...is it just me?  I cringe when there are two people talking in the story, and it's readily apparent they are the only two in the room, but the author feels the need to keep using tags to identify them.  Hey, give the reader credit for being smart enough to figure things out.  John said and Fred said after every sentence is just too much.
borrowed from Google Images
One more tip....Deep POV.  If you are writing from the POV of your main character and have been for sometime, there is no need to use introductory phrases to define who sees, feels, senses, etc.  If you've made if clear to the reader whose POV your in, then all the above belongs to that person and you don't need to identify for the reader.

Example of an annoying read in my opinion:

I've been writing about Clare for some time.  It's clear to the reader she is the heroine in my story and is the person in the driver's seat...

Clare looked at Jason and sighed.  His broad shoulders stretched his shirt seams to the limit and his smile rivaled the sunshine.  She wondered how she got so lucky.  She felt like a princesss in one of the fairytales her mother once read her.

Better...

Jason's broad shoulders stretched his shirt seams to the limit.   His smile rivaled the sunshine.  How had she gotten as lucky as the princess in one of the fairy tales her mother once read aloud?  An audible sigh escaped her lips, and he turned at the sound.  She smiled to display her contentment.

Perhaps a little corny, but I think you get the point.

borrowed from Google ImagesAvoid redundancy, especially within the same paragraph.   Using the same word over and over is a sign of a lazy writer, and you want to show your creative side.  I use my online Thesaurus religiously to find ways to express sentiments without repeating myself.

borrowed from Google ImagesRemember, short sentences emphasize emotions better than long ones.  Don't stretch the limits of human readability by creating the longest sentence in the world.  Periods make sense...use them.

This is all my feeble brain can think of to share at the moment, but I'll be back with more things that bug me.  You can bet on it.  *lol*

Sunday Snips & Stuff #sundaysnips

Some time ago, I started a story inspired by a trip to Alaska, but I never finished it.  I had planned to tell the story of a Danaina Athabaskan Indian maiden from Elutna, Alaska.  I ran short of research information, so I switched to something else, I know better...the old west.  Still, I'm fascinated by the over one hundred spirit houses that surround St. Nicholas' church in the historical Eklutna burial ground, so I'm going to share a little info with you.  Indian didn't just exist in an area we consider the "old west."

Back in the early 1800s, Catholic missionaries came to Alaska and thrived among the many tribes dwelling at the mouth of the Eklutna River.  As was the custom before the arrival of the Russian Orthodox, deceased Athabaskan were cremated by the tribe, but as cultures blended and Catholic belief forbade cremation, spirit houses cropped up around the church..  When a person died, they were laid out beneath a blanket and a layer of stones to keep them warm for the forty days the Indians believed a person's spirit lingered.  A spirit house was built to shelter the corpse and keep the departed from dwelling among the living, and the family painted the house in their own traditional colors.  A cross, reminiscent of the one on which Christ was crucified was erected as a final touch. 

 Some believe Spirit Houses were necessary because the ground was quite frequently frozen and unyielding to grave digging, but history tells us that the unique buildings were part of the Athabaskan belief.  Just a point of reference, I learned...the Alaskan tribe are tied linguistically to the Navajo and Apaches.

Unlike the upkeep of burial plots here in America, Athabaskan's believe that which is taken from the earth must return to the earth, thus the houses are left to decay and rot.  When touring the resting place, it's not uncommon to see new houses of those with Danaina ancestry  stand among the ruins of the old.  The homes...some realistically complete with flower boxes and draperies, are said to represent the level of grieving.  Small houses  indicate the passing of a child, and I was moved by the large amount of those at Eklutna.  The number of those lost made sense when I learned  a small pox epidemic wiped out a large portion of the tribe in the 1830s.

If you ever make a trip to Alaska, I urge you to visit the historical resting place in Eklutna, not far from Anchorage.

NOW...please hop on over and check out my partners in crime.  Tricia has been dealing with an ill sibling, so she may not have a current post, but keep visiting...she's an awesome author and has lots of info to share.  Have I mentioned that each of the bloggers who join me are excellent authors.  Books We Love is picky about whom they publish. :)  Here's the links:

http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron) 

 http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

Check out Saving Marina by Lauri Robinson. FREE COPY TO COMMENTER #historical

My latest release isn’t a western—it’s set during the Salem Witch Trials. Saving Marina was released on February 1st.
Seduced in Salem 
Sea captain Richard Tarr must claim his child after the death of his estranged wife. Arriving in Salem, he's shocked to discover his daughter is in the care of Marina Lindqvist—a rumored witch!  

This beautiful, gentle woman awakens unfamiliar feelings in Richard. And as the threat from the Salem witch hunters grows, he knows he must protect misunderstood Marina at all costs. Little does he know that with Marina helping him bond with his little girl, she might just be saving him right back…

‘Bewitched’ was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I’d heard my grandmother mention there were witches in our family way back when, but hadn’t thought about it for years, until my son was exploring Ancestry.com and told me that my eight times great grandmother was arrested as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. When I mentioned that to my editor, she asked if I was interested in writing a story based then and I instantly agreed.
There are many theories behind the witch trials. Some I read amazed me, others were staggering, and then there are those that, although incredulous, seem understandable considering the time period and the beliefs and ways of life back then. 
My ancestor’s name was Elizabeth Dicer, and though I dug up as much material on her as I could, there isn’t much. It seems she was arrested after accusing several others of being a witch—which wasn’t uncommon. From my understanding, it was late in the year when she was imprisoned, and cold. Her son-in-law, whose name was Richard Tarr, (my paternal grandmother’s maiden name was Tarr, and Richard would have been her several times great grandfather) petitioned the courts to release not only Elizabeth, but several others because they would never survive the cold winter in the jail which had no heat. Just the previous month, The Court of Oyer and Terminer, which had been specifically created to try accused witches, had been overturned, or dissolved, by the Superior Court of Judicature which specifically outlawed the use of spectral evidence in any of the hearings. Richard obtained Elizabeth’s release by paying her bail and promising to return her to the courts for a set upon hearing date the following spring. Between the date of her release and trail date, additional changes and orders came about which led to the end of the accusations and trails, therefore Elizabeth, as well as several others, never needed to return. A few years later, monetary reparations and public apologies were granted to some families for false proof and wrongful deaths.
Although I used my family history and Richard Tarr’s name in my story, I did not use Elizabeth’s premise. Marina, my heroine, has her own reason for believing she is a witch. 
I certainly enjoyed writing a story set during the Salem Witch Trial, and had lots of fun writing a series set during the Roaring Twenties, but westerns will always remain my favorites. Both to read and write. I’m excited to share I’ll have three of those released in 2016. April will bring Western Spring Weddings, and anthology including my story, When a Cowboy Says I Do. June will bring Her Cheyenne Warrior. My November title is yet to be determined, but is a Christmas tale set in Colorado.
So…is there an old wives tale in your family that has proven true?

Note from Ginger:  Lauri has graciously offered a free PDF or EPub version of her book to one lucky person drawn from those who leave comments.  I will draw a name on Wednesday of next week.

Masculine Behavior for Believable Heroes (Part 1) by Connie Vines

“Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” Professor Henry Higgins asked plaintively in My Fair Lady. He was dealing with a much different time and social system, but the question is still being asked, along with its counterpart: Why can’t a man be more like a woman?



The question itself is enlightening. Henry Higgins was correct; there are differences between men and women. And he fell into the same trap most humans do – we expect members of the opposite sex to react in the same way we would. Our way feels like the natural way –the right way.  Most of the time we don’t even realize that there’s another way to react, totally different but equally valid.

This is why writers sometime get into trouble when we create characters of the opposite sex.  We show them talking, thinking and behaving the way we would when faced with the same situation.
If a female writer’s male characters think, act, and talk in a feminine way, her audience will be turned off—even if they don’t understand why they’re dissatisfied.  The same is true if a male writer’s female characters don’t think or act or talk like real; women.

Of course, gender-different behaviors are tendencies rather than firm laws.  Also, each individual’s actions are influenced by upbringing, profession, life experience and interests.

However, there are certain traits, which most men and most women show.

In other words, if you understand the reason why most men hesitate to ask for directions, then you can make your male character much more convincing when he does.

Men see life in Competitive Terms; Woman see in Cooperative Terms.

Men tend to see life as a competition where every action puts them in either a one-up or one-down position.  Since they want to win, they will try to avoid ending up in the one-down position.

Women tend to see life as a cooperation.
The idea of one-up or one-down is much less likely to occur to a woman.

Men systematically try to figure things out on their own, or they adapt a wait-and-see policy, rather than ask for assistance.  They don’t want to admit they can ‘t figure out.

Even when they ask for assistance, it’s usually not a clear request.  He invites the other person to offer advice or assistance without really asking for it. A man will often state something as fact, even if he’s not absolutely sure, rather than appear uncertain or ignorant.

Men Focus on Action; Women Focus on Emotion.

Men’s relationships are held together by activities.  Men get together to do something (play cards, golf, go to a game).

Women’s relationships are held together by talk.  Women get together to chat (even if they have an agenda, the main reason for the gathering is to talk).

Women like to ‘just talk’. They see conversation as way to develop harmony and get to know someone.

Men do not like to ‘just talk’. They see conversation as a way to relay information, to show independence, and to illustrate status.  Their conversations ten to brief, and focused on concrete issues and events.

Drop by next Thursday—or on Monday, if I complete my article over the weekend.  Body language, feelings, and a character check list.

Remember to visit my website, too, for Twitter feeds, Pinterest, and guest blog appearances.

Connie

More from the Dynamic Class Given by Cheryl St. John #writingtips

It's not writer's block, per se...

Today I've going to address the middle of your book...you know the time when you avoid continuing?  As Cheryl said in her handouts, "You make excuses for not going to your desk  You read email and do research.  You might even be compelled to clean the garage or paint the kitchen.  Your desk needs to be clean before you sit.  The laundry needs to be folded or else you can't concentrate.  When you actually stop and think about your story, you're confused or discouraged.  Oh my gosh, is this ever a panic mode.  Your synopsis was so good.  You've been totally stoked about this story from the get-go.  You love these characters, but now...you look at your synopsis or your note cards and tally your page count and the only thing a sane person could do is panic."

What exactly is the middle of your book?  "The middle follows the part where your character's motivations were established, their goals were set in place, and where your character decided to go after what he/she wanted or to fight some something he/she believed in...to reach a destination or prevent something from happening."

I've eliminated a few words for conciseness, but the meaning is still Cheryl's. In other words, "The middle is simple a series of events that gets your character from the beginning of the book to the end."

People who plot have it over those of us who don't.  Most use plot points (an event that takes place and forces the character, willing or not, into new circumstances or direction.  Things like:

The villain appears.
A letter arrives.
Someone dies.
A love scene,
An accident.

You're usually halfway when your character's goals change.  Whatever your main character started out wanting should have changed direction by now, or he/she has come up with a new plan to get what they want.  A complication makes it look like they will never achieve their goal.  Don't make the mistake of not being mean enough to your character.  Conflict is good, but remember,  a delay in reaching a goal is NOT conflict.

Help yourself by making a list of 25 things that could happen and review when need be.
Make sure to keep the tension strong and heighten it when necessary.

Keep the outcome in doubt.  Use a time limitation, but give the reader flashes of hope.
 Change POV and leave your main character's fate hanging (a suspense technique), or add an action scene, but make sure you intersperse action with scenes of less tension for pacing's sake.

End every charter with a hook, to keep the reader turning pages.
Question the purpose of every scene.  Is it really needed to move the story forward?
Make sure you haven't revealed too much about your characters.
Can the reader identify?  Are you making the story believable?
Is the conflict escalating?  Things should be worse than they were to start with.
Don't let your story become predictable.
Have you paid attention to pacing?
Is the sexual tension still high?  If not, punch it up.
A good example comes from the movie, "Shrek."  Characters are like onions...reveal them one layer at a time.  If in reviewing your work, create a use later file, cut and paste into it to prevent telling too much too soon.

These are just a few suggestions from Cheryl's book.  I urge you to check it out on Amazon.  I don't plot, but I still found this an enormous help.

Constant Reader

 Amazon Author Page As a kid, I read to escape a less than ideal reality. I read behind sofas, in closets with a flashlight, under the covers with flashlight, in tents at the summer camps to which I was sent. I wasn't choosy as I am now. I read everything--even the otherwise  forbidden comic books on rainy days at camp. I was amused and thrilled, too, when I discovered how much Marvel had ripped off from Greek mythology and from the thousand page book called Fairy Tales of All Lands which I had plowed my way through during my bout with the German Measles. Later,  my parents assured me that I had "ruined my eyes" by doing so--along with all that "reading in the dark"--although, the fact was my father couldn't see his hand in front of his face without his glasses. Heredity probably had more to do with my nearsightedness. 
 

I read in corners of bars, out of the way of the staff and the feet of patrons, in the West Indies, where my mother went for her health during the winter. I fished books out of wastebaskets in the sitting room of the Hotel St.Lawrence, which has probably fallen into the sea by now, or been replaced by a mega-story Sheraton. That was how I found The Tales of Hoffmann, The Daughter of Time, and many books by Georgette Heyer, mother of the fan fic Jane Austen, and Jean Plaidy, who wrote many, many historicals, which even at thirteen I found rather dull, but read because they were historical. There were also books which scared me to death, like Something of Value, full of race hatred, murder and torture. (Don’t think ETA Hoffmann didn’t scare me, too. I was as frightened by the idea of a young woman who would die if she sang, as I was by the real-life Mau-Mau.)
 We had one used book store in my small home town with a grumpy old proprietor and his even grumpier fat old gray cat, who mauled me every time I tried to pet him. Despite the efforts of both owner and his cat to discourage me, I haunted the place, poking through the shelves, sitting on the bare boards and reading. I found Victorian and Edwardian novels. Their slow pace, elegant descriptive paragraphs and carefully crafted world creation drew me down like quick sand.     My parents both brought their childhood libraries with them, and I read Tom Swift and An Indian Boyhood by Charles Eastman which belonged to my father. The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley and Kidnapped  and all those Twin books (Colonial Twins, Scotch Twins, Cave Twins ad infinitum) which had belonged to my mother.
 I still read in the bathtub. Did you know you can take an e-reader into the tub if you plastic bag and seal it? A long time ago, I had a Rocket with a back light, so I've continued the practice of reading while others sleep. I like to read at night, which I do more and more as I grow older. It's a perfect time, quiet, and with no interruptions except for the cats, who can still drop their fannies unerringly upon the one paragraph I'm trying to get through. Still, a cat in lap, a cup of chamomile tea and a good book in hand are just about perfection.

In the '90's, with my sweet Hammie
Thanks so much, Ginger, for hosting me on Dishin' It Out, and, from my Possum Tracks blog,  on your Sunday Snippets & Stuff blog.  Maybe we'll all work together again, us BWL writers. In the meantime:

Onward, Into the Fog!


~~Juliet Waldron

https://www.facebook.com/jwhistfic
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/