Monday, June 18, 2012

What would you do?

Seriously. What would you do if faced with a moral, ethical or otherwise emotional dilemma? How would you react in a crisis? Would you step out of your comfort zone or interrupt your hectic schedule to come to the aid of a complete stranger? An individual's reaction in situations like these shows their true character. It separates courageous heroes and heroines from...well, from others.

 I'm not going to come down on anyone. There are many reasons why a person might not come to the aid of another. Perhaps the situation is dangerous. Perhaps they're afraid it's a criminal set up...one person distracts and another comes in for the steal. It happens. That's why those who do come to the rescue are courageous. But what if there isn't any imminent danger? Take, for example, the situations John Quinones of ABC News sets up in his Primetime show 'What would you do?'Check out the link if you haven't seen the show before. I love watching it with my kids (yes, I'm hoping they'll learn that it's good to stand up for what's right).

These aren't simple situations. Each one involves a dilemma where actors set up a 'situation' and hidden cameras (and John Quinones) capture who walks by and who steps up to the plate. I've seen episodes that involved students cheating, non-disabled individuals parking in a handicapped space and refusing to move for a person in need, a man at the beach telling his wife she's fat and should cover up etc... In fact, they even flipped the scenario in that one to see how strangers would react if the wife said abusive things to the husband. Funny how people react differently depending on if women or men are the victims. John doesn't take it easy on folks. He ups the ante in each situation. It's an excellent show to watch if you're interested in human behavior. What writer isn't? The folks who step in, take action and do what's right are heroes and heroines. The show is full of inspiration for the types of characters we like to read and/or write about. I personally love stories/movies where the hero ends up being the shy/insecure guy who no one would expect bravery from. Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter comes to mind :)

So have you been faced with a moral dilemma that you'd like to share? Maybe there's one you witnessed or where you were the victim? What happened and who stepped in to help?

Monday, June 11, 2012

Hero Gifts

It's less than a week before Father's Day and, once again, I'm feeling rather clueless. It doesn't matter if it's Christmas, birthdays or any other gift giving occasion, shopping for guy gifts stresses me out. Not because of lack of appreciation or desire to give them something, mind you. It's because I don't like giving generic gifts to someone special. I want them to love the gift and use it...not smile politely and slip it in a drawer.

This got me thinking...(stop laughing) wouldn't it be easier to shop for a fictional father? Hell yeah! Better yet, what if you didn't have to do the shopping? Think about the manuscript you're currently writing. If your hero is a dad (mine's a single dad widower), what would his kid or the heroine buy him for Father's Day? If he's not a dad, think ahead to after the HEA. Based on his character, job, hobbies etc...what would make a great gift? If your hero never plans on becoming a dad, feel free to come up with what your hero or heroine would buy their fathers/father figures in the story. From fiction to reality...to this Sunday. Let the ideas begin!


Monday, June 4, 2012

Have you heard?

You know that handy dandy 'replace all' feature in Word? Well, here's a story that'll take replace all to a whole new level...and put a grin on your face. I found the link at The Passive Voice, a blog that keeps everyone up to date on what's going on in the publishing world. Check the story out here. Let's just say it involves a little Nook-y. LOL. What'll they do next?

Also, if you're interested in reading through pitches, then seeing which ones ended up catching the interest of editors (and getting full requests), check out this link to the Entangled Publishing pitch fest that was held a few days ago at Romance University. The pitch is over, but being able to compare pitches and see which ones stand out is a worthwhile exercise.

Lastly, I turned off my word verification today (thanks to a post at Seeing Creative). I had no idea it was on, but I think my settings defaulted to it when Blogger's format changed. If it's still popping up, please let me know! And if you'd prefer not to have yours on, check out your settings. Word verification could be on without you realizing it.

It's the last week of school for my kids, so I have to run a pick up class party snack substitutes (the whole food allergy thing). I'll be sure to make time for blog visits though! See you around :)