How to Write From a Dude's Perspective in Five Easy Steps
So, you want to write from a dude's perspective (or maybe you just want to write a more believable male character)? Great! I think we need more romance/erotica novels written from the guy's POV. But where do you start?
1. Gloss the Unnecessary Details.
Most men don't get hung up on the small details (unless they're like my boyfriend who's freakily observant), like the color of your heroine's nail polish... or the fact that her heels are designer. They're going to notice your heroine is drop-dead pretty (or not - please give me a mediocre-looking heroine); they're not going to remark on her "cherry-glossed lips." "So what?" you might be asking yourself now. So, don't include that trivial shit in your description of your heroine when you're writing from the guy's POV. Keep it simple. This doesn't mean I'm saying guys are simple. Hell, no! I'm just saying most guys aren't going to stand there and mentally describe his inevitable love interest in terms of "heart-shaped face," and "long, golden tresses," and "perky B-cup breasts" (Okay, so he might do that last one. I've known several guys who were eerily accurate at guessing cup sizes just by sight.)
Your heroine is blonde with a pretty face and maybe a nice smile. Woohoo. One sentence. Minus the bullshit details.
2. Embrace the Action.
The story's winding up to a tense moment. The killer's on the move and the hero's hot on his trail. With guns at the ready, the hero busts into the villain's hideout and... stands around fussing over the antagonist's choice of furnishings? That the drapes are musty and have holes in them?
No. No, no, no, no, no. You're not Tolkien. Don't sit there and describe the shit out of this room while there is obviously something better for your hero to be doing. Like shooting up the bad guy. You don't have to describe every little detail of every little setting in this world, especially when you're trying to keep a tense mood. So, how do you embrace the action? Gloss over the unnecessary details. And stick to shorter sentences. Rushed sentences feel, well, rushed. And when your hero's running towards the climax of the story, feeling a little rushed isn't a bad thing.
Your hero busts through the door into a room cluttered with mismatched furniture. He stalks across a concrete floor towards the basement where he knows the goons have stashed his fiancee. Simple, direct, and to the point.
Some women often make ridiculous jumps in logic. Admit it. You've done it. Hell, I've done it. Men don't usually do it. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. No vague hints. No need to read between the lines. So, when your heroine says, "I'm going to visit my mom," your hero is going to think... she's going to visit her mom! He's probably not going to stand there thinking, "Oh, no, she's going to visit her mom because of that thing I said two weeks ago. She's probably still mad about that and wants time away from me!"
Uh-huh.
Once again, I'm not suggesting that guys are simple. They're not. And not all guys think or act the same. I'm speaking in general terms here. Your hero's (probably) not going to be thinking in terms of what was left unsaid as opposed to what was said. Get used to it.
4. Guys Like Snuggles, Too.
I actually wrote a whole blog post about this a while back, but it's true (and it bears repeating): Guys like snuggles, too. Just because your hero has a dick doesn't mean he's a senseless, heartless horny bastard who only wants to get his rocks off. Most guys are going to want to know their partner is enjoying themselves, too. And most guys are far more affectionate than they might show at first. They're going to want to be held afterwards. They're going to enjoying kissing and nuzzling and showing their lady just how much they care for them.
Hell, sometimes I wonder how I manage to get anything done because my boyfriend is always trying to curl up on top of me while I'm trying to write (image a labrador retriever thinking it's a lap dog and crawling in your lap. Yeah...) But it's fucking precious, so I let him get away with it. And I love snuggling with him. Let your hero be affectionate, too. Just because he's a "bad boy" doesn't mean he doesn't like to get caresses and kisses.
5. Drop the Frilly Euphemisms.
It's a dick. Or a cock. Or a penis.
That's it.
It's all well and good for your heroine to refer to it as something else (insert stupid euphemism here), but your hero is not going to refer to his dick as a rod, fuck stick, man meat, crotch rocket, johnson, or lady killer (or whatever) in a serious situation. Sure, I've known some guys who have actually named their penises ("I call him Napoleon, because he divides and conquers!"), but it really just depends on the guy in question. My boyfriend only named his as a joke. So, I guess if you want to be funny, the hero can name his cock.
Or not.
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Ana Hart is a writer of erotica, romance, and everything in between. She enjoys writing from the male perspective in her series, One Powerful Addiction. Check it out.
Stalk Ana on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+.
1. Gloss the Unnecessary Details.
Most men don't get hung up on the small details (unless they're like my boyfriend who's freakily observant), like the color of your heroine's nail polish... or the fact that her heels are designer. They're going to notice your heroine is drop-dead pretty (or not - please give me a mediocre-looking heroine); they're not going to remark on her "cherry-glossed lips." "So what?" you might be asking yourself now. So, don't include that trivial shit in your description of your heroine when you're writing from the guy's POV. Keep it simple. This doesn't mean I'm saying guys are simple. Hell, no! I'm just saying most guys aren't going to stand there and mentally describe his inevitable love interest in terms of "heart-shaped face," and "long, golden tresses," and "perky B-cup breasts" (Okay, so he might do that last one. I've known several guys who were eerily accurate at guessing cup sizes just by sight.)
Your heroine is blonde with a pretty face and maybe a nice smile. Woohoo. One sentence. Minus the bullshit details.
2. Embrace the Action.
The story's winding up to a tense moment. The killer's on the move and the hero's hot on his trail. With guns at the ready, the hero busts into the villain's hideout and... stands around fussing over the antagonist's choice of furnishings? That the drapes are musty and have holes in them?
No. No, no, no, no, no. You're not Tolkien. Don't sit there and describe the shit out of this room while there is obviously something better for your hero to be doing. Like shooting up the bad guy. You don't have to describe every little detail of every little setting in this world, especially when you're trying to keep a tense mood. So, how do you embrace the action? Gloss over the unnecessary details. And stick to shorter sentences. Rushed sentences feel, well, rushed. And when your hero's running towards the climax of the story, feeling a little rushed isn't a bad thing.
Your hero busts through the door into a room cluttered with mismatched furniture. He stalks across a concrete floor towards the basement where he knows the goons have stashed his fiancee. Simple, direct, and to the point.
Some women often make ridiculous jumps in logic. Admit it. You've done it. Hell, I've done it. Men don't usually do it. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. No vague hints. No need to read between the lines. So, when your heroine says, "I'm going to visit my mom," your hero is going to think... she's going to visit her mom! He's probably not going to stand there thinking, "Oh, no, she's going to visit her mom because of that thing I said two weeks ago. She's probably still mad about that and wants time away from me!"
Uh-huh.
Once again, I'm not suggesting that guys are simple. They're not. And not all guys think or act the same. I'm speaking in general terms here. Your hero's (probably) not going to be thinking in terms of what was left unsaid as opposed to what was said. Get used to it.
4. Guys Like Snuggles, Too.
I actually wrote a whole blog post about this a while back, but it's true (and it bears repeating): Guys like snuggles, too. Just because your hero has a dick doesn't mean he's a senseless, heartless horny bastard who only wants to get his rocks off. Most guys are going to want to know their partner is enjoying themselves, too. And most guys are far more affectionate than they might show at first. They're going to want to be held afterwards. They're going to enjoying kissing and nuzzling and showing their lady just how much they care for them.
Hell, sometimes I wonder how I manage to get anything done because my boyfriend is always trying to curl up on top of me while I'm trying to write (image a labrador retriever thinking it's a lap dog and crawling in your lap. Yeah...) But it's fucking precious, so I let him get away with it. And I love snuggling with him. Let your hero be affectionate, too. Just because he's a "bad boy" doesn't mean he doesn't like to get caresses and kisses.
5. Drop the Frilly Euphemisms.
It's a dick. Or a cock. Or a penis.
That's it.
It's all well and good for your heroine to refer to it as something else (insert stupid euphemism here), but your hero is not going to refer to his dick as a rod, fuck stick, man meat, crotch rocket, johnson, or lady killer (or whatever) in a serious situation. Sure, I've known some guys who have actually named their penises ("I call him Napoleon, because he divides and conquers!"), but it really just depends on the guy in question. My boyfriend only named his as a joke. So, I guess if you want to be funny, the hero can name his cock.
Or not.
----------------------------------
Ana Hart is a writer of erotica, romance, and everything in between. She enjoys writing from the male perspective in her series, One Powerful Addiction. Check it out.
Stalk Ana on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Google+.
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