Reflections on Rules.

Rules of Engagement is finished and marinating, so I'm going to take a minute to reflect on the interesting challenges of writing that particular book. Every book has its own challenges, but this one was an eye-opener: It's a romance, written in first person, from the point-of-view of a bisexual man who's in love with another man. Write what you know? Pfft.

Whether or not the novel ever gets published, I will say this: It was probably one of the best exercises in character development I've ever undertaken. The results will ultimately be judged by the readers, but the exercise itself was fantastic. I highly recommend it: Write a character who is completely out of your comfort zone and out of your own realm of experience. It's a common pitfall among writers to write characters based, however loosely, on themselves. Been there, done that. Write about someone you are - in every possible way - not, and I assure you that that habit will be broken.

Obviously, those scenes (tm) presented some unique challenges that I don't think I need to elaborate on in great detail. Fortunately, I had a few "consultants" to help me fill in the details. Realism, folks. Realism.

Now, aside from the physical nonsense, I'm of the belief that men and women are more alike than not, but the fact is...we are different. I don't want to sound like a woman writing as a man...I want my character to sound like a man. Trying to think and speak like a man was different, to say the least. I've written from a male POV before, but never for the duration of an entire novel. And certainly never about a man interested in another man. I can relate to being interested in a man, of course, but does a man look at another man differently than I do? Does he notice different things? Therein lies the challenge.

During an emotional scene, it's hard to strike the balance between how I would react myself and how a man would probably react. I want my characters to behave like real people. I don't want to stereotype my men as grunting, drooling Neanderthals who speak in monosyllabic sentences, but I also don't want them to read like women. He may have a hard time figuring out and communicating his feelings, but he's not a caveman. Similarly, he may communicate those feelings in his own way, but I just don't buy that a man is going to break down crying, throw his arms around his significant other, and sob "Oh Sugar, I love you! Please don't ever go!" Maybe some guys would. This one wouldn't.

So, now that I've walked through the Valley of Manlove and lived to maybe someday sell the tale, there's my take on it. More difficult than I expected in some ways, easier in others, but definitely a good way to work on character development.

All of that said, I would like to wrap this up by saying that Scarlett is also journeying into the Land of Literary Manlove, and doing so quite nicely. Quite nicely...