Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Alpha or Beta...

I have to admit I was really stuck when it came to this weeks topic. I pretty much like a good mix of qualities in a man. I want him to defend me if someone insults me in public, but I would prefer he use his brains rather than his fists. I want him to take care of me, kill the bugs, and get things off of high shelves when I can't reach them. But I am unwilling to lose my independence, I can open my own doors (thank you very much), and I get the clicker at least 55% of the time.

I would think that having a man constantly assert his "Alpha-ness" would get annoying. Too much testosterone...too much anything really, is never a good idea. More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more.

By the same token, I think if I had to watch a man cry every time I forced him to watch Steel Magnolias, there would be much hair pulling out. And not necessarily MINE.

In books, I think that this becomes even harder to balance. You are trying to create the perfect hero. You want someone who encompasses all of the qualities you think your heroine will be looking for. Someone who can be tough and strong when he needs to, but always up for a good cuddle at the end of the day. I don't personally know a lot of guys that can just "turn it off" at the end of the day.

Many, too many really, authors end up with unbelievable heroes. Men who leave the reader scratching their head and muttering "Why did he do that? Why would she put up with that?" And we never, NEVER want readers asking questions in the middle of a book. We want them to be so engulfed in the story that they forget they are reading. They need to believe the hero would do that, and fall in love with him for it.

See, I am babbling. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am with Anny. My preference is the Mr. and I wouldn't want him any other way.

XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel

6 comments:

  1. I actually prefer Alpha men in my books and a 60% Beta man in my life. LOL But, don't let my husband read that, he'd be upset because, like any man, he believes what i let him believe, and that is that he rules the roost. But in a story nothing throws me out quicker than when a previously alpha character does a complete 180 and becomes a milksop.

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  2. You did really good. Didn't rattle at all. In books, I want my men to be strong and have a slightly arrogant attitude that is sometimes deflated by the heroine but only by her not by anyone else!

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  3. I would so be with you on the Steel Magnolia's crier.

    BTW...no babbling at all.

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  4. Thanks guys, it felt babbly at the time.

    60% sounds about perfect!

    XoXoXo
    Dakota Rebel

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  5. Fortunately, in the western world, we have a choice. I don't think we have any idea how wonderful that is. Whatever our match is, we have the freedom to make that decisions. Alpha, Beta, or Omega... we have the choice.

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  6. Great post, Dakota. And I didn't get the babbling fee at all. :D

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