In a message dated 9/3/02 4:16:59 PM,
Robison_M@crane.navy.mil writes:
<< I vote for right on target for the forum. I'm
interested,
Jean. Let's hear it! Unless, of course, it's giving
away
trade secrets. >>
They're not trade secrets, no. Some are serious, and some are
downright funny. To set the scene very briefly, the
protagonist is a newspaper columnist who has stumbled onto an
ingriguing little mystery that mushrooms on him. He is 33 and
single. Instead of a dog, I gave him a couple of cats,
because anyone in a profession with unpredictable hours can't
always get home to walk a dog. One of my guy friends
suggested that a single man wouldn't have cats, that it was a
single-woman thing. I totally disagree, having known several
manly men who love cats. But in deference to his judgment, I
made my character a reluctant cat owner. The cats came to his
door as very young kittens, and being an animal lover, he
couldn't ignore them ... so ... And now, of course, they rule
his house.
My character was noticing too much about what the people
around him wore. It's important for a reporter (I know since
I am one) to notice every detail about a person who is the
subject of an interview. But guys apparently don't notice
stern suits and cameo broaches on old ladies who simply pass
through their lives. Lesson learned.
Another friend suggested that when the character walked into
a bar, his first move should be to scope out the women. Both
of my friends claim that no hetero male ever entered a bar
without looking over the women as a first priority.
I gave the character a Chevy Blazer (SUV) instead of a
car.
At one point, he took note of the cleanliness of an apartment
he had entered to interview another man. Wrong, the guys told
me. Most men don't notice a little dust. It was fine for my
character to have to move food-encrusted plates to make room
for a case of beer, or to set a beer down next to an
overflowing ashtray. But he had to be oblivious when it came
to dust bunnies.
There's more, but you get the drift. This has been a bit of
an amusing exercise for me. I hope it helps some of
you.
Best, Jean Heller
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