K.F. Breene's Blog, page 14

Showing vs Telling; why many Indy writers don’t make

The biggest critique I have for Indy authors is that they tell the story instead of showingyou what’s going on. What does this mean?
Telling: It was a dark and stormy night.
Showing: Outside the wind howled. Rain slapped the windows in angry whips. Janice looked up from her desk with wide eyes, clutching her blanket tightly. Lightning cracked, momentarily illuminating wildly swaying trees punching at the cloud covered sky. A peal of thunder rumbled through the rafters, drowning out the surge and crash of the waves far below. (I just added the ocean element on a whim)  
As a writer, writing “it was a dark and stormy night” is insanely easy. A short sentence requiring no visualization equals a quick write.
A great many (great, great many) Indy writers tell you what’s happening. They tell you about that dark and stormy night. Whole books are told. The character goes from one place to another. Does one thing. And then another. Meets a guy. Kills a dragon. Kisses the girl. The end.
The writer tells you all of this. Sometimes there is a conflict, sometimes not.
It is insanely boring.
My first drafts always have a lot of telling. Since it is a faster way to get a story down, and I often have no idea what will happen next when I’m writing, I put words to paper as fast as possible. I think of it as a quick and dirty place marker.
On my first read-through, I am generally irritated because I have to re-write half the thing. I have to expand, add sensory input, and get more involved. Showing is way harder than telling. It takes more time, focus, and feeling. As a writer, you have to get involved. You “see” what’s going on. You feel it unfold. And that takes its toll, especially if there is a lot of emotional depth. Just look at the difference in length of the examples above—showing takes more words. It took me focusing, picturing, creating a mood, and then writing it down. Seven words versus sixty.
The thing is, though, showing is not only great for the reader, it can act as a diving board for the author. The waves far below place Janice on a cliff. So now there’s a rolling, surging ocean, a house possibly precariously balanced on a cliff, and Janice, freaked out about the intensity of the storm. This is an interesting setting. What will happen?
Cue writer’s imagination.
That’s a different post, though. Back to the reader—showing lets the reader fall in. The reader goes on a discovery. She visualizes right along with the writer. She is sitting there, in that house, as rain batters the window in angry sheets. It’s interesting. It keeps the reader involved, and an involved reader wants to turn the page.
In order to figure out when I’m doing more telling than showing, or when things aren’t working, I let my focus be the guide. On a revision, if my eyes glaze over, or I want to skim, there’s a problem. I stop, go back, and re-write. Often times I have no idea what the cause is, but I know something is making me lose interest. Re-write. I need to add more feeling, or reaction, or setting.
There is a flip side to this, of course. And that is too much detail. It isn’t a fine line, but it takes practice to get the balance right.
I’ve cut out almost entire chapters because the side story was taking too long. I just wanted the characters to have a little nooky. Or wanted some action. It’s like swiping a table out of the way to kiss the hero. That cut chapter was the proverbial table. I’ve lost humorous situations I absolutely loved, and worked hard on, because they took too long. At the end of the day, if you’re going to publish, you need to keep the reader in mind. The first draft is for you, the other drafts are for your readers.
All this is why many revisions are key. Either you already know this stuff and can do it in your sleep, or (if you’re an accountant moonlighting as a writer, like me) you need to do multiple revisions to figure out what doesn’t work, and fix it. Usually, for Indy writers, it’ll be that telling versus showing situation that sinks them. Not enough detail, and not enough sensory input. Put yourself in the character’s shoes, have a look around, and describe what you see and feel. This way, your reader will see and feel it, too. And that will keep them reading.

Into the Darkness Teasers

 I just thought I would post the preliminary teasers for those that like reading with visuals :)    





Let me know if you like something, or if something doesn't work.

Amazon Ranting Reviews--Why Do We Celebrate Them?

Can someone please tell me what is up with Amazon rants disguised as reviews? Amazon readers go to a book, choose a sampling of the bad reviews, and "like" them.

I've seen this with Indy as well as popular books. People seek out the scathing reviews, and pat the person on the back with a "you were so helpful" sticker. It's like readers are thanking someone for warding them away from reading. So strange. I've never seen anything like it.

Let's call out Miss Willingham who was kind enough to post a rant on ITD
(http://www.amazon.com/Into-Darkness-1-K-F-Breene-ebook/product-reviews/B00HZLCINE/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending).

Why am I calling her out, you ask?

Because, it turns out, she is a habitual ranter. Look at this "review" she left for some other Indy book (copied directly from Amazon, typos and all):

I have never read such an amateurish attempt at writing romance in my life! it was as if a 14year old girl, with way too many hormones, and not enough writing skill, wrote this. And its a shame that the cover is so hot, because it totally lies about the contents therein. During the "romance" scenes, if ANYONE did THAT much TALKING during sex, their not doing it right!!!
Horrible! Just awful. No plot. No point. No way!

I want to literally punch this broad in the mouth, because she made that Indy writer feel small with that review. That book might've been awful, but there is no reason to be such a dick about it. And the more her rants are deemed "helpful", the more these reviews work their way to the top, warding people away. This woman rants because she gets "helpful" buttons. That gives her joy. Beating down someone else gives her joy, like a bully.

I don't like bullies. I'll take a beating for myself--I'll take name calling and all sorts of shenanigans because I can handle it. I am a pretty tough gal. But I've recently talked to a few authors that were asking how I handle bad reviews. These authors were depressed and despondent. New books out, no fan base, and they are getting shit on by people like our very own Sara Ruth Willingham.

I cannot abide by this.

I didn't even know this was such a popular situation at Amazon.


Before I started writing, to choose a book, I would get a list of book suggestions, read what the book was about, and then yes, look at reviews. I'd do this on Goodreads, usually. I'd glance at the five stars, getting an idea of what people loved, and usually I'd then glance at the three-stars. I feel like, usually, the three-star reviews are a fair assessment. Usually they are more critical. This is why with books such as 50 shades, you don't see many 3 stars--or not nearly as many as 1 and 5.

Now, however, when I'm on Amazon and looking at reviews, if I see a one or two-star rant, I click the button for "you are not helpful, you jerk, so stop thinking you're awesome by being a hater." I only do this for the rants--if the review is an actual reflection, then that's fine. That is legit, and a valid opinion. This ranting for the sake of entertainment? No.



Do you know why this is important? Because I remember what it was like to get a rant on my first book. I am really tough, as I said, and laugh when people call me names, but there is a certain vulnerability with publishing something. You can't defend yourself. Someone craps on you, in front of all of cyber-space, and you can't do anything but take it. Then all these people click "helpful" without giving you a chance? Soul crushing.

Now I have fans. Great, funny, freaking awesome fans that will leave their first review just to help me out. I have a beta reader that acts as my counselor when I'm at the edge and feeling worthless. That's huge. The only reason I care about rants these days is because I don't want their ignorance and close-mindedness to scare away cool people.

But you know what? There are a lot of authors that don't have a fan base yet. And on their behalf, I want to sit down with Sara Ruth Willingham, and those like her, and give them a refresher course on what it is to be a caring human. Or at the very least, not a dick.

Amazon Ranting Reviews--why do we celebrate them?

Can someone please tell me what is up with Amazon rants disguised as reviews? Amazon readers go to a book, choose a sampling of the bad reviews, and "like" them.

I've seen this with Indy as well as popular books. People seek out the scathing reviews, and pat the person on the back with a "you were so helpful" sticker. It's like readers are thanking someone for warding them away from reading. So strange. I've never seen anything like it.

Let's call out Sara Ruth Willingham (CLEBURNE, TX, US) who was kind enough to post a rant on ITD
(http://www.amazon.com/Into-Darkness-1-K-F-Breene-ebook/product-reviews/B00HZLCINE/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_1?ie=UTF8&filterBy=addOneStar&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending).

Why am I calling her out, you ask?

Because, it turns out, she is a habitual ranter. Look at this "review" she left for some other Indy book (copied directly from Amazon, typos and all):

I have never read such an amateurish attempt at writing romance in my life! it was as if a 14year old girl, with way too many hormones, and not enough writing skill, wrote this. And its a shame that the cover is so hot, because it totally lies about the contents therein. During the "romance" scenes, if ANYONE did THAT much TALKING during sex, their not doing it right!!!
Horrible! Just awful. No plot. No point. No way!

I want to literally punch this broad in the mouth, because she made that Indy writer feel small with that review. That book might've been awful, but there is no reason to be such a dick about it. And the more her rants are deemed "helpful", the more these reviews work their way to the top, warding people away. This woman rants because she gets "helpful" buttons. That gives her joy. Beating down someone else gives her joy, like a bully.

I don't like bullies. I'll take a beating for myself--I'll take name calling and all sorts of shenanigans because I can handle it. I am a pretty tough gal. But I've recently talked to a few authors that were asking how I handle bad reviews. These authors were depressed and despondent. New books out, no fan base, and they are getting shit on by people like our very own Sara Ruth Willingham.

I cannot abide by this.

I didn't even know this was such a popular situation at Amazon.


Before I started writing, to choose a book, I would get a list of book suggestions, read what the book was about, and then yes, look at reviews. I'd do this on Goodreads, usually. I'd glance at the five stars, getting an idea of what people loved, and usually I'd then glance at the three-stars. I feel like, usually, the three-star reviews are a fair assessment. Usually they are more critical. This is why with books such as 50 shades, you don't see many 3 stars--or not nearly as many as 1 and 5.

Now, however, when I'm on Amazon and looking at reviews, if I see a one or two-star rant, I click the button for "you are not helpful, you jerk, so stop thinking you're awesome by being a hater." I only do this for the rants--if the review is an actual reflection, then that's fine. That is legit, and a valid opinion. This ranting for the sake of entertainment? No.



Do you know why this is important? Because I remember what it was like to get a rant on my first book. I am really tough, as I said, and laugh when people call me names, but there is a certain vulnerability with publishing something. You can't defend yourself. Someone craps on you, in front of all of cyber-space, and you can't do anything but take it. Then all these people click "helpful" without giving you a chance? Soul crushing.

Now I have fans. Great, funny, freaking awesome fans that will leave their first review just to help me out. I have a beta reader that acts as my counselor when I'm at the edge and feeling worthless. That's huge. The only reason I care about rants these days is because I don't want their ignorance and close-mindedness to scare away cool people.

But you know what? There are a lot of authors that don't have a fan base yet. And on their behalf, I want to sit down with Sara Ruth Willingham, and those like her, and give them a refresher course on what it is to be a caring human. Or at the very least, not a dick.

Review: Just Desserts by Marquita Valentine

Just Desserts by Marquita Valentine
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewer: Sally Sparrow; Super Nerd


Goodreads * Amazon * Apple








 Back Jacket:

British Billionaire and modern day earl of Spenserfield, Sebastian Romanov only wants one thing in life: To reclaim his position as president of Romanov Industries. But first he has to clean up his reputation to convince the Board that he's a dependable bloke who's willing to put the company above everything, including his personal life. Finally given an excuse to sort things out with his estranged twin brother, he boards a jet to Holland Springs, North Carolina, never dreaming he'd find the solution to his all his problems in the town's sexy caterer, Daisy Barnes. Daisy Barnes, owner of The Sweet Spot, has plans. Plans that don't include posing as some arrogant-yet sexy as hell-earl's fiancee. But when unexpected insurance bills -to the tune of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars-from her mother's unsuccessful battle with cancer come due, she's forced to accept his offer and his money. Only problem for Daisy-underneath that cold exterior is a man that can set her on fire with just one touch. As Sebastian and Daisy spend more time together, they find it harder and harder to not give into temptation. Soon neither can tell where the fake romance ends and true love begins...



What can I say?  I’m disappointed. 
This is the third Holland Springs novel I’ve read, the third pairing of a Romanov man and a Holland Springs, NC local, and the one I was most excited about. It is Sebastian’s story, my favorite of all the Romanov men.  He is the powerful one, the ruthless one, the favored son of his Russian mobster father.  The baddest boy of all the bad boys.  In the previous two installments -- Twice Tempted and Third Time’s a Charm -- you see occasional glimpses of the real man beneath the icy exterior.  Who doesn’t want to be the one to melt that ice, to love the unloved one, to save him?
I was soooo looking forward to this story.
I am a big fan of Marquita Valentine, with her romance novelist name and her smart, resilient, individualist heroines.  The other two novels of hers that I read - the other Romanov men books - were fantastic.  This one, not so much. 
 For starters, the woman she chooses for Sebastian is the town’s cupcake lady.  I love sweets myself, and it does make sense for the never-loved boy to fall in love with a baker, since kitchen arts have long been equated with home and family.  It is the image of Sebastian, with his classic Russian looks and large powerful body, clothed in a fine suit and overcoat, eating a frosted cupcake decorated with a candy cane with his fingers, that kills me.  Maybe there was to be a fork, but it wasn’t mentioned.  The mental picture is just absurd.
Then there is the timeline.  Baker Daisy has an online relationship with a man for nine months.  Then only three months have passed.  No, wait, it is nine months again.  No, three! 
Well, which is it, nine months or three? 
When I actually added up the time lapses listed in this online relationship, it came to thirteen months.  Two similar timeline issues pop up at the end of the book, where one day is suddenly three days and then back to one day, but it was really two weeks.  Or a day, depending on how you look at it.  And then two weeks is actually ten weeks but it is really two weeks. 
Lastly, there is the issue of Sebastian’s title.  He starts out as a viscount, and then is suddenly an earl.  His father dies during this book, so I assume that accounts for his promotion of title, but it is never acknowledged in the text.  Since such a big deal is made of his title, I expected at least a passing mention of his elevation in status. 
The story itself is sweet, if a little predictable. I think Daisy and Sebastian are well-suited for each other, and I am happy he got his Happily Ever After.  He surely deserved it.  However, it feels like Ms. Valentine wasn’t really eager about writing this story. there are situations that you expect to reoccur--such as cooking together, which is the same as foreplay--but they do not.  At one point Sebastian tells Daisy he wants to do something really wild to her, and then they just have the same sex they had been having. Sure, Sebastian is a skilled lover, but when you are in a shower with a man, naked, and he says he wants to do something wild, that he isn’t sure if his less experienced partner will be into it, I expect something more than adorning her in jewels before they go all missionary position. Was that supposed to be the wild aspect? I don’t think most women would be off-put by being bejeweled by their blue-blooded lover before sex.
There are also numerous typing errors -- missing words, extra words, bad auto-corrections. It is almost as if an early draft was accidentally published, rather than a finished, polished final copy.  Did the beta readers and proofreader even see this story before it was published?  Ms. Valentine is a better writer than is evidenced by this book. 
All that being said, she keeps the continuity of the family storyline between all three books, which I appreciate. In each one we learn a little more about the Romanov family without a whole lot of back-tracking to relearn what was shared in previous stories.  Ms. Valentine also stays true with the Holland Springs crew.  Every new set of main characters was met in a previous book, thus avoiding that horrid gaff of introducing a new cast in every book even though it all takes place in the same small town. 
I wanted to be thrilled by this book.  I wanted to write a rave review. 
Maybe next time.  3 stars

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K.F. Breene; laid bare by Sally Sparrow

In addition to writing a review on Into the Darkness, Sally Sparrow also wrote a review on me as an author. After reading it, I kind of needed a cookie.

*single tear*

And for the first time, I am posting a picture of myself. I hate cameras because they hate me. But if you're wondering, yes, I do have a face. Someday soon I'll take a 'proper' picture, and then have Dane at eBook Launch photoshop the hell out of it, but for now, you get to see me when I went to dinner with my hubby (that's his arm) and some friends at Izzy's steakhouse.

Yes, Izzy's was in a book. :)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subject of review: Author K.F. Breene
Review by: Sally Sparrow

I am a romance novel junkie. The best part of a romance is the pre-romance -- the flirting, the getting-to-know-you, the first dates -- and romance novels are full of these experiences, without any of the stress and uncertainty. However, after reading a few hundred novels, it is impossible not to see how most romance novels are the same. For the most part, there is a standard formula, and stereotypical heroes and heroines that almost every author uses. I have reached the point of romance novel saturation; I cannot subject myself to one more of these formulaic novels. It becomes painful, a chore even, to read about nearly identical weak-willed, sexually innocent women falling for the cookie-cutter brawny, wealthy, dominating man-whores. It is too much. I cannot read another one, I just can’t. I find it offensive to women that this is the drivel we are served, and that so many of us lap it up enthusiastically. Oh sure, there are a few that don’t align to this exact formula, but even the better novels have no depth.

Occasionally, in my book aisle perusing, I find something new and noteworthy. If I am lucky, the author has written a few books and I am happy reading for a few weeks. Such was the case when I discovered K.F. Breene last Spring.
Wary of full commitment, I downloaded a free copy of Back in the Saddle from Amazon, with half a dozen other free e-books. The first scene was so entrancing and cringe- inducing, I had to put the book aside for a few hours in order to process it. After the standard fluff, this book was a shock to the system.

The protagonist - Jessica - wakes up after a night of drinking with the girls, in a bedroom that is not her own. She looks over at her bed companion - who is still sleeping - and tries to remember how she got there, who she is with, and how this all came about. She checks him out: decent body but she can’t see his face. Then he rolls over. Fugly with a capital “F”. She starts to bolt, pulling the bedsheet around her for cover as she searches for her clothing, and is assaulted by the stench of the sheet. It smells like every body fluid imaginable, aged and moldy. While she is scrambling to get dressed, the guy wakes up. He gets out of bed, and she sees that he is short. Super-short. He insists on walking her out of his apartment building - like the gentleman he is, of course – but, as he is a nudist, he declines to get dressed for this gentleman’s walk, and they run into one of his neighbors. There is nothing better during a walk of shame with a short, ugly, naked hook-up than to have it witnessed by someone else. End scene.

I think the opening scene has been changed a few times, as many of the reviewers on Amazon and iBooks were aghast at the whole thing, but I prefer this original version. This isn’t a fairytale. This is the kind of thing that actually happens to real people, which we may or may not ever tell anyone else about. And Jessica? She tells her friends all about it. Every last horrifying, mortifying detail. They laugh at her, but you can tell there is no judgment. We all make mistakes and occasional huge errors in judgment. That is what makes us human.

K.F. Breene is a master storyteller. She gives you characters so real you may know them, and shows you the entire story -- the good, the bad, the ugly. Nothing is too bold; nothing is held back. You see the characters’ flaws and insecurities, their hopes and desires. You experience their deep passions, and mortifying embarrassments. Ms. Breene’s writing is gritty, her characters are deep, and the sex is HOT. There are no weak women here, no simpering fools bowing to the charm and brute force of a domineering man. There are also no weak men, not in favorable roles at least. Everyone is beautiful (this IS fiction), but imperfect. Intelligent, yet damaged. Just like all of us.

Best of all, Ms. Breene writes trilogies, most of which are parts of the whole. That is to say, where one book ends, the next begins. Book two of Jessica’s story, Hanging On, starts approximately three seconds after Back in the Saddle ends.

In the seven months since discovering Back in the Saddle, I have read four trilogies by K.F. Breene, each one better than the last. Her latest production, Into the Darkness, isn’t standard romance, but paranormal romance. In this story, Ms. Breene delves into a whole new realm, with magic and people that aren’t quite human, all with her signature gritty realism. She brings these elements to the world we already know and, like all good storytellers, has you wondering if it isn’t all real.

I hope she keeps writing, because I need to keep reading, and to lose her work would be a literary tragedy.

Sally Sparrow's First Review- Into the Darkness

*gulp*
Her peepers are pointed my way.


Into the Darkness; Darkness Series #1
Author: Me, obviously
Reviewer: Sally Sparrow


Do you ever feel the presence of another person, but when you look around you see nothing?  Ever wonder if there is more to this world than we think?  Ever think there is magical energy in this world, if you could only figure out how to harness it?
K.F. Breene spins another masterpiece in this story of ordinary humans encountering extraordinary forces.  There is love and friendship, adventure and terror, and ecstatic, earth-shattering passion.  Plus a whole lot of steamy sex (not all of it mainstream). 
Meet Sasha:  she is a cute college student with a sweet boyfriend.  She sees people no one else sees, but keeps that information to herself lest she ends up in a mental hospital.  Then one night, while driving through the shady part of town, she and boyfriend Jared have a tire blow-out that sends them head-first into a tree.  They have to walk for help and, along the way, encounter the not-so-imaginary people Sasha has been seeing her entire life.  The world as Sasha and Jared know it is forever changed; their reality shattered. 
Every time I read the first installment of a new K.F. Breene, I think “No, THIS is my favorite!”  Into the Darkness is my new favorite Breene storyline.  Jared, I want to poke with a stick, but Sasha is a rockstar.  She is smart and brave, quick and sassy.  Her mental and emotional strength is a force to be reckoned with, and I am just a teensy bit jealous of her wildness and power.  Ms. Breene pushes the boundaries of convention in this story, and does so magnificently.  There is magic - lots of it - and sword fights and sex - lots and lots of it, all kinds imaginable. 
If you are looking for something new and interesting, Into the Darkness is definitely worth checking out.  But leave your inhibitions behind and buckle your seatbelt - it’s going to be a wild ride.

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Character Creation

I get a lot of questions regarding my characters. More specifically, how I create them. This is probably a question every author gets.
I don’t really have a set way of creating a character. Generally what I’ll do first is think about the story concept. For example, I have an idea knocking around my brain about a dystopian book. I have a few elements to the story I want to encompass, and a few social positions within that society that the characters have to fit into. Just like real people, surroundings have a part in making a character.
For the world forming in my head, my heroine will have to maintain a top level position in a very sterile society. Without going into too much detail about the world I am creating, I envision a place where mammoth corporations and the government kind of bleed into one entity. There is, of course, stringent monitoring of reproduction, since this is in the future and the world is dramatically overpopulated, and technology regulates most everything. To exist in this world, as one of the prize defense programmers specifically bred for the role, my heroine must be fiercely smart, stern and efficient. Tense, focused, and embodying the role assigned to her.
I am always very broad at first glance. It’s just a general feeling, like you’d get if you people watch, or met someone for the first time.
I think, then, of key elements around the character. For example, procreation is not a choice in this world. Sexual attraction plays no importance in that equation, which means the characters can suppress sexual desire if they chose. I definitely think she’d choose to suppress it. She’d have no need for it, and not bother. So, she is extremely logical. (I am literally making this up as I go)
She probably doesn’t have a lot of hobbies. She was bred for the job—that is her place in life. I bet she doesn’t even drink a glass of wine with dinner. Just wouldn’t understand the point. Her life is colorless, but since she doesn’t realize it can be any other way, she doesn’t worry about happy and unhappy. She just does. Much like a human robot; suppressing baser instincts and all information not especially relevant to her function in life.
I have just created a sweeping conflict—she is not a robot. She might act like one, but under that, she is human. Putting voice to what I would unconsciously do—her character arch will be emerging from this shell of suppression, and learning to feel.
I just got a warm fuzzy. It means I’m on the right track, because I want to meet her. I want to live that journey with her. I know that she is capable of great depth, and her story will reveal that.
As I make all this up, I have in my head that the hero will like all the things she’s never bothered to explore. He’ll get no end of enjoyment out of ruffling her feathers. He’ll think it’s funny, and she won’t see the humor, which will completely exasperate her. (That’ll be a side conflict)
Back to the heroine. Once I have a basic understanding of her, and the world she lives in, I start writing. I put her in situations and just…react. I let her make decisions, like an actor improvising, and let that shape her.
For example, as she walked into her office building, a street guy advances on her lewdly. What does she do?
Well…let’s see. Does she step forward with two well-placed punches and drop him? She’s bred for the best, does that include self-defense?
……?
No, I don’t think so. She is a prized asset in the company and closely monitored. I think she would continue walking normally, chin slightly elevated, and trust one the guards on the sideline to step forward and quell the lewd advance. We know now that she is continuously monitored, and has no real free will. At the moment, that doesn’t bother her.
At the moment. In the future, however…
Someone remind me to return to this post when I start writing this story to pick up all these nuggets.
So, we now have a scene. It helps us define this world a little more. When that guard steps forward, he will brutally bash the bum over the head, grab the now bloody, limp body, and toss it across the wet, dirty curb; no regard for lower-tiered human life. This brutality is commonplace.
So we know she continues forward, but what of her inner feelings? That’s the defining question.
When in doubt, I put myself in the situation.
If I was her, and saw a gross, dirty man step forward and try to grab my crotch, I would get a jolt of fear, flinch away, and try to cover myself. If I then saw him brutally bashed over the head, probably killed, I’d be haunted.
Because she is not, what must that mean for her life and surroundings? A hard, desensitized woman, probably.
Ooooor… is she outwardly pretending to be unruffled, so she avoids scrutiny, and inside dread is pinging around her body wildly?
Yes, I think that’s the winner. A little root just dipped into her humanity. We’ve just cracked her shallowness and had a peek inside.
Well, happy days.
Each little thing that happens fleshes her out until she’s an imaginary friend. Soon I’ll end up in the loony bin waving around a feather quill and bottle of ink, but at least my characters will be realistic.
But anyway, that’s how I work into a character. At the end of the book they’re usually defined, and I go back to the beginning and rework to make sure they are all fleshed out from the get-go.
Voila.
Which character was your favorite? And don’t say your book boyfriend just because you want to see him naked J

Mark Wahlberg

I can admit when I'm wrong. I can. It might take a few years, but I will eventually admit when I've made an error in judgement.

Mark Wahlberg.




I didn't like this guy. This picture kind of says why, I guess. It's that sniffing shit expression. The "I'm super awesome, but really just a punk," vibe. It totally turned me off.

Mr. Marky Marky.

He certainly thought an awful lot about himself, did he not. Ego in plenty. And I detest that in a guy. I can easily walk away and not bother to look back.




I've also never thought he was hot. I am in the minority, yes, I know that. And with pictures like this:



Yes, nice body. Very nice. But his face. I don't get why people like his face. It's...not doing it for me, I'll tell you that.

I don't know, he just always seemed a whiney punk. Over it.

So why did I change my mind? Unlike Tom Cruise, why did I decide that I do, in fact, like Mark Wahlberg, and even agree to stop calling him Marky Marky?

Because I've watched a few movies recently. He has a way of being action orientated and comical at the same time. Like he can make fun of himself while still being in the moment. It's light and easy and expertly done. Banter for him flows. It's believable. He has a comic gene that many actors wish they had.

Quite the turnaround, no?

Now, despite my earlier stance on him, I will watch a movie because he's in it, rather than passing it by.

So, Mark Wahlberg fans, I hang my head, and admit...I do like him.