Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Writing Tips - Types of Romantic Men



I thought I'd talk a little about the types of romantic men we come across. 

The Alpha Male
Superior. Powerful. Assertive. Masterful. Those are just a few words that describe the alpha male. I remember reading Rebecca Brandewyne's "Upon a Moon Dark Moor." Draco was the quintessential alpha hero.  He was silent about his feelings, yet steadfast in his desires. Draco possessed a ruthless nature, but he was passionately in love with the heroine, Maggie. An alpha hero is one who owns the company and runs it himself. Like James Bond, he's dangerous to the bone. An alpha male is very determined and won't hesitate to charm the heroine into changing her mind if their wishes aren't the same.

An alpha hero thrives on confrontation. He's serious, rarely laughs, and captures a larger than life presence. His peers believe he's the toughest guy around and the alpha male thrives on the recognition.

The Beta Guy
He's the good-looking affable, family type guy. He's got a lot of friends/unlike the alpha and omega men. A beta guy doesn't care for a confrontation, but he won't back down from one either.

Beta guys have a great sense of humor and are down-to-earth. Beta guys own companies too, but they put the capable guys in charge so they can enjoy their leisure time.

The Omega Man
The omega man is the toughest guy on the block, like the alpha male, but unlike the alpha male, he cares little for the recognition. He's confident in the fact he's tough, smart, and strong.

The omega man isn't a "joiner." He has no desire to join or belong to a group, and he usually has one or two intimate friends. The omega man doesn't care to have acquaintances, but the alpha male thrives on them. For the omega man, he's much more subtle than the alpha. The alpha male is "in-your-face," where the omega man isn't.

Motivations
Each hero type must have a motivation. If he wants to prevent the heroine from doing something (conflict) he better have a good reason or he'll come across as a control freak or a stalker. All hero types need to have enough character introspection to help the reader understand why they do what they do.

Question for you: What type of "romantic" man do you prefer? Does it matter? Do you have anything to add, questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to share. 


Reference: On Writing Romance, by Leigh Michaels, F&W Publications, 2007




10 comments:

  1. I like aspects of them all. Too hard for me to choose.

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  2. Steph, This is a writers workshop if ever I've found one. Each of these guys are important and each one would handle a situation differently. I guess I would prefer the Omega Man since that is who I married. I've always tried to write the Alpha, but he usually tends to fall short. Now I know why. What I would like to know is if you are planning to teach a workshop on this, or if not---would you be willing to share your sources more in depth?

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    1. Shaunna, I agree the 3 different types of guys would approach and solve a problem differently. Now that I think about it, I married an alpha. He's a police officer, no suprise there. Alphas can be high maintance for girls though.

      My primary source is Leigh Michael's book, On Writing Romance, and I'm never from it. I often refer to it if I have to and I highly recommend it for any romance writer.

      I wouldn't mind doing a workshop at all. I'll have to take a look at the calendar and find a day that would work.

      Smiles
      Steph

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  3. I love reading about Alpha Males who show their weak spots.

    Morgan Mandel
    http://www.morganmandel.com

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    1. Morgan - can you recommend any good stories with one?

      Smiles
      Steph

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  4. "Upon A Moon Dark Moor" is one of my all-time favorite romance novels. :)

    Call me old-fashioned, but I still prefer the Alphas and Omegas. I enjoy characters who are "larger than life" - dark, complicated, mysterious, etc. In fiction, anyway. In "real life", I would much prefer a Beta. LOL

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    1. Dina, I remember I borrowed the book from you!! hehe. I find most of my heroes are omegas and I don't mind that. I think Brandywyne did an outstanding job with Draco as the alpha hero. I'd recommend her book to read if you want to do an alpha hero right. Nice to have you have you pop Sweetie.

      Smiles
      Steph

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