Finally, an Author Platform Just for Men

Hello, and happy Monday, everyone! I suppose you can kind of tell what today's post will be about, mainly, but I'm going to take a quick moment to catch you all up on what's been going on and why I didn't post last week. Boo! Let's just dive right into it, shall we?

So, a few weeks ago, hubby and I were in a car accident. We were rear ended and pushed into the car ahead of us (double slammy). I felt okay after a little bit, though I was a tad lightheaded, and my left shoulder was sore for about an hour. I'm well aware it sometimes takes a few weeks for things to show up, so I was hesitant to say I was good.

Well, last week, my left hand swelled between my ring and pinky fingers, and the fingers got so big, I took my wedding ring off and put it on my necklace for fear it would make things worse and end up needing to be cut off. That was a long sentence, but you see where I'm going with this.

I ended up on the couch with an ice pack, Aleve (don't tell my neurologist--she'll unalive me), and a remote control. Of course, I had my phone, so I was still browsing with my right hand (which is where I came across the linky that's the topic today). Now, it's still slightly painful, but I can type, so I'm back!

Not something I planned for, stupidly, so I missed posting all last week.

Now you know.

TODAY, however, I'd like to talk about this website that was just launched. News article here.

According to a poll I conducted a long (long) time ago, men dominated the reader preferences, so I have to ask myself: Why do they need a new website focused mainly on them?

Are you asking yourself the same question?

It appears women have taken over the publishing industry. According to the man in that article, " ... Most of the excitement and energy around new and adventurous fiction is around women authors ... "

My takeaway from reading the article is that it's believed that this needs to be corrected for some reason or another. Why is this a problem? Are women not allowed to have a bigger voice after being shushed for so long? Why do the males in this industry feel threatened in such a way?

I've seen some real stinkers and read some beautiful masterpieces by both sexes. In my humble opinion, more women have simply gravitated toward publishing the last ten years.

Could that have something to do with the Indie boom? I believe it has everything to do with it. Before, there were gatekeepers in the "Big 7" (now the Big 5) who were more likely to give those contracts to men. Now, a woman can simply write down her thoughts and publish them. Perhaps the female voice is what was missing in a mostly male-dominated industry, and it corrected itself.

I say it's about damned time the playing field was leveled in such a way. Perhaps it's not that males aren't being heard, but maybe it's that they don't tend to become writers these days as often as women do.

Label us bored housewives if you want, but we're crushing this publishing thing. I just can't believe a whole sex feels threatened enough by it to create a website focused on them and them alone.

What do you guys think about this? Is it a good thing? Pop on over, read that article (it's not long), and let me know your thoughts!

I, for one, am so excited to read more about how her boobs bounced boobily down the stairs. They say it's for masculine themes, but don't we just need more escapism? Books are entertainment, after all.

Well, that's all for today, folks!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Female Protagonists - Why Women Love Them

Happy, happy Friday, everyone! I'm thinking maybe the title of this post should be Strong Female Protagonists - Why Women Love Them; because I'm speaking from a female point of view, and I read a LOT of book reviews by women that cite that very thing as what makes the character great. Either way, let's get on to the discussion. I think this post may help female writers, but it might help some of the guys, too. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I suppose you all remember the post about your characters being too perfect. Well, that also plays into this discussion. Since all characters are on a journey from page one to page five hundred, we'll assume you're starting out with a flawed female who thinks she needs one thing, but will find out that what she's looking for isn't what she needs.

Being flawed is what makes us human. Remember: To err is human, to forgive is divine.

So, why do women love female protagonists?

It's not just any old protagonist with a vagina we ladies love to read about. It's the ones we want to be more like that move us emotionally (and women are driven by emotions). We have to connect with them on a deeper level. Here's a quick list of things that make a strong female lead (and some of the females that rock):

• She doesn't know she's awesome and doesn't preen like a peacock (Jane Bennet-P&P).
• In a fight, she'll always come out on top. Maybe not because of her brute strength, but because of her brains (Hermione - Harry Potter).
• There should always be self-doubt as to whether she can do what she's about to attempt (Katniss - The Hunger Games).
• These ladies don't need a man, and they don't whimper in a corner when things get hard (Millie - The Help).
• Hard times or abuse have fallen on them in the past, and they grew from the experience (Kate - First Visions).
• Many of these women are completely selfless and put others first (every lady listed above).

Now, that's not everything that makes a great female protagonist; but it's a good list to start with. Add to that some skill with a sword or bow, a successful line of self-employment (all of Fern Michaels's leading ladies), some serious self-doubt that's overcome, or a hidden power, and you have a winner.

But she must also be the underdog. We must have some reason to root for her to succeed and the fear that she won't. A girl whose never seen the other side of the tracks is difficult to get behind. Let's face it, life isn't easy or fair for 99% of the population. If you make it fair, 99% of the population won't connect with your character.

If you do these things well, your readers will fall in love with your characters, identify with them, and want to be more like them. That's the key.

I bet you've heard of most of those women. Guess why? Yup, they were strong. If you haven't read Kate's story in First Visions, you should. It's free. Forever. On Amazon.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: If your female lead is weak, annoying, leans on a man all the time, or acts childish, female reviewers will ding you for it. Give us someone we can really root for.

Who's your favorite leading lady?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo