Alphas Again
Okay, yes, perhaps I’ve over posted on alphas. But they’re darn tricky to write, because there is a fine line to walk between alpha and alphole sometimes, and no one wants to write the latter!
So my dear sister, Aideen, sent me this lovely quote that she saw on a documentary last night and I thought it was absolutely brilliant:
The true Alpha male is not a bully or a brute. He is the guy who is first to lead the charge for a worthy cause. He is supremely equipped, physically and mentally, to fight for success in the ultra-competitive world we inhabit.
The true Alpha male embodies the best characteristics of the male of our species, namely rugged outer qualities such as muscularity, strength and power, but also inner qualities such as confidence (without conceit), courage (without recklessness), commitment and a conscience.
The true Alpha male has the combination of physical and mental toughness but also a concern for other humans as a whole.
A true Alpha male meets the ideal of contemporary masculine excellence. In other words, the true Alpha male has all the core qualities of a hero.
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Is it possible to over post on Alphas? LOL – I don't think so.
I think this is the trickiest aspect of any romance book. Done right, and he makes you melt. Done wrong, and he has you hurtling the book against the wall. There IS a fine line, and often times it is simply the skill of the author that separates the two.
I often hear motivation bandied about, as if it's okay for a hero to act like an a$$ if he has a good reason. Personally, I don't subscribe to that theory.
So right, Amy. I think it's pure laziness to write alpha as jerkface. It's much harder to create a complex, controlled character who might be rough around the edges, but isn't just mean, who controls a situation without being controlling in a scary way.
So funny…I have an ad on the side bar telling me to 'unleash the alpha male' and get any woman to want me…hmmm…not tempted. 🙂
I think this is brilliant! This man is the embodiment of every woman's dreams. Now is the tough part for writer's to create them….
Oh and i've linked this from my blog, hope you don't mind 😉
Haha! Don't mind at all, Kerrin!
Nice quote from Aideen. Well said. Yeah, it's a really fine line. It depends on the behaviour re motivation. If the behaviour is really bad then there has to be a hell of a motivation. I've read some where the hero is a complete a*hole on the flimsiest of excuses. Then again,if he's totally nice to the heroine all the time then where is the tension or the conflict? I love it when they're really mean to each other – bring on the blood!
Nothing wrong with some good old fashioned fighting!
It just means better making up 😉
True dat! 😉
That’s a great quote and it perfectly describes the differences.
@Amy I don’t think motivation can cure all cases of alphole, but it can make me more forgiving. Or maybe the better word is understanding. Like in the opening scene of TIB, Adham threatens to carry Bella over his shoulder out of her hotel room. A guy randomly saying that to threaten a woman to do what he wants is a jerk. But Adham is protecting not just his brother’s and his country’s reputation, he’s also protecting Bella from her own naivety. A princess on her own in an ordinary hotel is probably not perfectly safe. He’s certainly not doing what he wants; he is trying to do what he sees as the right thing. That is what makes him hero material.
Julia, I’m so glad you like Adham like that. I love him. He’s a protector to his core, and what he does, he does out of a sense of duty and honor. And while the reader may sympathize with Isabella more than him at that point, I hope his reasoning is clear.