The Vulnerabilty Factor

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word vulnerable comes from the Latin vulnerare, to wound. To be vulnerable is to be "capable of being physically or emotionally wounded." To be vulnerable is to be "open to attack or damage." Every male fictional character I've ever loved has been vulnerable. This includes the cold and deadly James Bond, who once loved a woman (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) enough to marry her and then weep when she was murdered. The vulnerability factor is what makes the "tough guys" of 1920s-40s films, such as James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, sexy even though they are not the standard "tall, dark, and handsome" of romantic leads. The vulnerability factor is what makes every Gothic hero from Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre to the vampires and werewolves of modern paranormal, men (and creatures) after a woman's heart. The vulnerability factor is why two pretentious, annoying, pompous male characters such as Frasier and Miles Crane, the social-climbing, psychiatrist brothers on the TV sit-com Frasier, could make us laugh and make us cry. It's why we ached for Frasier, who wanted so much to love and be loved, and cheered when Miles and Daphne eloped in the middle of her wedding. To paraphrase Martha Stewart (yes, I must), when it comes to fictional men -- and real ones too -- vulnerability is "a good thing."

In my own mystery series, I set out to write about a vulnerable woman who was trying to find her way in the world. My character, Lizzie Stuart, is a Ph.D., a crime historian/criminal justice professor. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky, raised by her grandparents. She spent much of her childhood and adolescence trying to live down the reputation of her teenage mother, who left town when Lizzie was five days old. When the series began, Lizzie did not know men, was a bit afraid of them, and not inclined to trust them. Then, on a vacation in Cornwall, England, she met John Quinn, ex-military police officer, big-city homicide cop, a White male to her Black female. The two things they had in common was a nose for murder and a shared determination to find the truth (integrity). But as Lizzie has discovered, Quinn has his own troubled past. It is Quinn's vulnerability that has allowed Lizzie to let down her defenses -- gradually, painfully, but inevitably.

Don't get me wrong. I am not stating a preference for weeping men who wear their battered hearts on their sleeves. I don't like heroes who spend pages sharing their sad stories with the heroines. I like a hero who is complex enough and intriguing enough to draw a strong, intelligent heroine to him. I like a hero who is a puzzle to be solved, a mystery to be unraveled. I like a hero who protects (and allows himself to be protected), and who is brave enough to finally open his heart to love in spite of the dangers. That's how I define the "vulnerability factor."

Some Classic "Vulnerable" Film Heroes:
Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo
Gary Cooper in High Noon
Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger in The Heat of the Night

Who is on your list of vulnerable heroes, past and present?

Frankie Y. Bailey
Author of the Lizzie Stuart mystery series
http://www.frankieybailey.com/

Anna Campbell is a doll!

I would like to send a warm thank you out to Anna Campbell, who has graciously offered to add a signed copy of Claiming the Courtesan to my prize pot for the Starks' bid for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Marathon in Disney.

Thank you, Anna!

I'd also like to thank Caren Crane for being the first to donate to the cause. Your support is much appreciated.

For more information on this contest, go to my contest page.

In other news, I have some good stuff planned in the workshop segment. Up in November, are Anna Campbell and Gemma Halliday. Anna's workshop is scheduled for November 23, 2007. Gemma and I haven't worked out a date yet, but I'll keep you all posted.

I'll be on the road for work tomorrow, however, I'll try to get online from the hotel after work and post something a little more interesting than updates.

See you all then!
Sandy :-)

*September 29, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Frankie Y. Bailey ~ You Should Have Died on Monday

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ~ Team In Training

This blog post is written in support of Todd and Rachel Stark. They are trying to raise money so they can run in the Walt Disney World Marathon on January 13th, 2008. I had the pleasure of meeting Rachel at a mutual friend's Tastefully Simple party. (This stuff is very yummy, by the way.)

Anyway, Rachel mentioned their need to raise $3,700.00 each in order for the two of them to be able to participate in the Marathon. I think this is a worthwhile cause and have offered to put out a notice on my blog to see if I can help drum up some donations for them.

So, here goes. I have decided to run a contest. Donate any amount to Rachel or Todd Stark (They have their own donation pages...and, Rachel is kicking Todd's butt, so someone PLEASE help him along!), and your name will be entered in a random drawing here at Sandra's Goings On for a $25.00 Amazon.com gift certificate.

All you need to do is let me know you have donated as a result of reading this post and your name will be put into the drawing, which will be held on October 27th, 2007. If possible, comment on your donation that you found them through Sandra's Goings On this way we can keep track of who and how much.

You can donate any amount large or small. Let's see what kind of help we can give the Starks. What do you say? We up for the challenge? In fact, if we can raise over $100.00 through Sandra's Goings On, I will up the prize to a $35.00 Amazon.com gift Certificate.

Good luck!
Sandy :-)

*September 29, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Frankie Y. Bailey ~ You Should Have Died on Monday

Evil Genius~

We have this “spare” room. You know the room. You’ve all got one. Don’t try to deny it. It’s that sinister place that holds all the junk you aren’t quite sure what to do with, but can’t seem to find the time to get rid of.

Some people are open with this, brazenly calling it the “JUNK” room. Not me. It’s our “Spare” room, soon to be office. Anyway, our room has several bags of clothes that no longer fit the kids as well as their toy boxes. The problem is, at some point, the kids got into all the bags and all the toys so now you can’t even tell there’s a floor in there.

I’ve been meaning to get in there and clean up so I can donate the clothes and weed out some of the toys. It’s just that other things have been more important and I had the added enabler of being able to close the door. You know, the whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing?

But, I really wanted to write today. So, I was happily going to ignore the spare room yet again. Then, the kids got up and started climbing all over Keith, who was still trying to sleep (it was pretty early), and I decided they needed something to occupy their time.

I called them over. “Hey! You two want to do something fun?”

Jonas and Amelia both nod their heads.

“Great! This is going to be exciting. It’s going to help you find toys you’ve forgotten about. It’ll be like getting new ones!”

Jonas turns to his sister, “We’re gonna find our old toys, Amelia!”

I give them a big smile. “Yep. Here’s what you need to do. Go into the spare room and pick up the clothes...but ONLY the clothes. Put them in the bags and stack them in the corner. You know what will happen then?”

Amelia and Jonas look at me with wide, wonder-filled eyes.

“You’ll be able to see all the toys! I bet you find a bunch of stuff you’ve been missing.”

Jonas tugs at Amelia’s arm. “Let’s go do it, Amelia!”

They run off and my husband looks at me with this kind of fearful shock. “That’s evil genius.”

I just smile.

He shakes his head, brows furrowing. “Kind of makes me wonder what you’ve gotten me to do.”

*Snerk*

Tell me about your “Spare” room. Got grand plans for it once you’ve sorted through all the clutter? Oh! How about evil genius? Got any sinister manipulations you can share? Enquiring minds want to know!

~ Sandy :-)

*September 29, 2007 at Sandra's Goings On - Guest Blogger, Frankie Y. Bailey ~ You Should Have Died on Monday

Nalini Singh - World-Building: Laying the Foundations

If you’ve ever been in a live workshop with me, you’ll know that I’m not one for standing and lecturing. For me, a good workshop is all about interaction. So, here’s what I’m going to do. First, a short bit of cyber-lecturing to set the framework of the discussion, then I’ll open the floor up for questions/discussion. But before I begin, I want to say that nothing I say is gospel. Each writer is different, so if you disagree with me, that’s absolutely fine. Take what works for you and run with it.

Now, some quick notes.

What is world-building?

The term “world-building” tends to scare people. Often, folks will run screaming for the hills, saying that it’s too hard, too complicated. Guess what? It’s not. It simply requires a degree of organization and logic.

Of course, the level of interest, in your world will depend on the world itself. But today we’re not talking about how to create an interesting world. Instead, I’m going to focus on laying the foundations of your world, whatever that might be.

World-Building: A Rough and Ready Definition

First, a definition. Roughly speaking, world-building encompasses the vivid and realistic creation of the environment where your story takes place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an alternate reality or a futuristic world—a regency romance involves world-building. So does a story set in the environs of Formula One racing. The critical factor is this: your reader must believe in the reality of the book, whether that reality is manufactured, present day, or in the past.

So, how do you achieve this reality?

Logic. And if you think you’re not logical, learn. I’m a very organic writer – I do complete first drafts before I know what’s going on. You don’t have to do flowcharts and spreadsheets, either. Some people do collages, others make brainstorming diagrams—find a method of keeping track of your world that works for you.

What do I mean by logic in relation to world-building?

Let’s use an example. Say in my world, all the dogs are blue. If you suddenly have a yellow dog, you have to explain why. Is the yellow dog a spectacular new breed? An unfortunate genetic experiment? Dipped in paint?
Everything must have a reason.

The example above is a silly one, but it serves to make another small but very important point—it’s not world-building if you simply rename things. I.e. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it’s a duck. Every time you rename something, consider this question: What’s the point of difference? What makes this duck unique enough to no longer be considered a duck?

My next point is honesty.

Keep the faith with your readers. If you were writing a contemporary and your hero was in a wheelchair, you wouldn’t have him be miraculously healed just because the heroine needed rescuing—instead, you’d have your hero find another way to achieve his goal. The same reasoning should apply to your world.

If, for example, in your world, men can’t be soldiers, then you can’t suddenly have a male soldier because you need one to get out of a story corner. If you write yourself into a corner, find an honest way to get out of it. Don’t ever cheat a reader. They’ll remember. And they’ll come get you. ;)

But having said that, it’s okay to keep some stuff secret and expose it later. So long as the logic fits, so long as—once they know the secret—the reader is able to see how it slots into the plot. Also, a related point: maintain internal continuity in the book, and in following books if writing a series. It’s all part of keeping the faith.

What is internal continuity?

Quite simply, it’s formed by the parameters of your particular world. A very simple example: if in book 1, there’s an earthquake in the city where you set your story, you can’t have a pristine, unbroken city in book 2. The earthquake has become part of your world and must be carried through.

Romances & World-Building

And last, but definitely not least, a point that applies specifically to romances, paranormal romances in particular. While the love story is the central core of a paranormal romance, the world/paranormal element should be integral to your story.

For example, in Slave to Sensation, the fact that Sascha is Psy and Lucas is changeling is the source of the initial conflict. If we removed those aspects of their character profiles, the book would unravel.

Ask yourself if the same applies to your story. If you can delete the paranormal element and still have basically the same story, then it’s not a paranormal. It might be something else equally good, but if you want it to be a paranormal, the world has to be woven into the very fabric of the story.

That’s the lecture over. Hope you found it of some help. Any questions/comments?

For excerpts, more writing articles and other good stuff, check out my website at www.nalinisingh.com. Also if you’d like to go into a draw to win a $50 Amazon voucher, check out the fun quiz competition I’m running over at my blog www.nalinisingh.blogspot.com (look for the quiz link in the right hand column). It closes Sunday, so be quick!

Dark and Scary Thoughts…

I’m expanding on a paranormal right now. And, I’ve been toying with the idea of including my villain’s POV. The thing is he’s a serial-killer. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit daunted by the prospect of portraying such a character from the inside out. My hero, the heroine, maybe even a secondary character or two, I jump right in their heads. It’s a piece of cake.

But, a serial-killer? It’s not like I am one, so how do I capture the essence of his psychosis? How do I get into his head?

He needs to be vile and yet, people have to kind of “get” him. And, since this particular character has been insisting he’s got thoughts to share, I’ve had to set my insecurities aside and just write.

I’ve completed my first scene from his POV and well, I don’t know if I should be pleased or just creeped out that that was inside MY head! Gahhh! I really like the scene. And, the few people I’ve let read it have loved it, saying it made them a little queasy! Yay! I love when I can invoke such base reactions with my writing.

I’m having fun with this. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next!

Now, having stepped out of my comfort zone to write this scene, I started to wonder how I did it. How did I come up with such a…a sick scene? It’s not like I have thoughts like this just floating around in my head. So, how did I capture my villain’s thoughts so well? I think it has a lot to do with empathy. Not for the villain, but for the victims.

When I’m writing a scene like this, I’m kind of in both the villain’s and the victim’s heads. I focus on what I need to accomplish with the scene. In this case, the villain’s extreme anger over missing his opportunity with the heroine. I thought of things that would scare the crap out of me if some psycho killer had reached such a boiling point. Then, I wrote it.

So, I realized something about myself with this project. Well, a couple of things really. First, I can tap into some pretty gruesome ideas. And second, it isn’t really about getting into the serial-killer’s head, but being able to empathize with his victims.

Tell me about the scariest villain you’ve read or written about.

~Sandy :-)

PS
I’ve already posted a link to the fabulous slide show my husband put together, but realized not all of you go to my site before coming here. So, I figured I’d post the link here too.

2007 RWA National Conference ~ Dallas, TX

As usual, my husband did an amazing job with the slide show. I can take an all right picture, but he makes them look like I really know what I’m doing. LOL.

Also, this Thursday marks my first Workshop here at Sandra’s Goings On. Be sure to stop by for World Building with Nalini Singh. It doesn’t matter if you write or not. This should be a very interesting post.