Be honest, how ‘beautiful’ is your protagonist?

[Finchbearer]

I'm 5'9"... therefore I think 5'8" is short.

I believe 5”6 is average for a woman, while 5”10 is average for a male, and people are therefore on average shorter or taller above or below those figures…but I don’t really see height as an issue, or it is not a marker for attractiveness to me.

 

[The Dark One]

I'm sure you realised I was kidding... but just in case...

 

[Finchbearer]

I'm sure you realised I was kidding... but just in case...

I don’t know…I thought you were being semi-serious! But, it gave a segue into talking about height as an interesting subject to talk about when it comes to perceived attractiveness. But yes, any height shorter than yourself is technically, short.

 

[The Dark One]

Much fantasy caters to the sexual fantasies of at least males, if not specifically young males. Most romantasy is aimed at the sexual fantasies of young females. But if it wasn’t what you were aiming for then you may have hit the wrong mark. But that is one reviewer of many. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my male protagonists speak of my own personal preferences. Everyone has a bias!

It's interesting.

One man's mark is another woman's misogynist, perhaps?

I'm personally about as hetero as you can get but there is one aspect of gay culture that appeals to me... it's my nature to always side with the underdog/counter-culture so I can't help but be attracted to that. I've discussed this with numerous gay friends over the years who doubtless saw me as a potential convert... but there is a problem. The male body disgusts me. My own body disgusts me and I can't remotely conceive why anyone would want to have anything to do with it.

That's partly why I have set myself the goal of writing some non-hetero relationships into my recent novels. It's quite a challenge to imagine things and feelings you've never been through yourself... but that's what we do as writers all the time.

 

[Finchbearer]

It's interesting.

One man's mark is another woman's misogynist, perhaps?

I'm personally about as hetero as you can get but there is one aspect of gay culture that appeals to me... it's my nature to always side with the underdog/counter-culture so I can't help but be attracted to that. I've discussed this with numerous gay friends over the years who doubtless saw me as a potential convert... but there is a problem. The male body disgusts me. My own body disgusts me and I can't remotely conceive why anyone would want to have anything to do with it.

That's partly why I have set myself the goal of writing some non-hetero relationships into my recent novels. It's quite a challenge to imagine things and feelings you've never been through yourself... but that's what we do as writers all the time.

It’s probably easy to fall into being labeled a misogynist, or labelling someone’s writing as misogynist, but an unconscious bias is a bit different from being outwardly sexist.

Are you saying you enjoy writing gay (male) characters because it gives you a chance to explore that side of sexuality without doing anything in real life?

I’d say from my perspective I have a few gay / gender ambiguous characters that I have yet to flesh out, (I am blaming watching Gentleman Jack) but I’d be unsure about writing any actual sex scenes. Maybe I just feel like it’s not my place to do so, or maybe I feel as though I wouldn’t be able to do them justice in that sense.

 

[The Dark One]

It’s probably easy to fall into being labeled a misogynist, or labelling someone’s writing as misogynist, but an unconscious bias is a bit different from being outwardly sexist.

Are you saying you enjoy writing gay (male) characters because it gives you a chance to explore that side of sexuality without doing anything in real life?

I’d say from my perspective I have a few gay / gender ambiguous characters that I have yet to flesh out, (I am blaming watching Gentleman Jack) but I’d be unsure about writing any actual sex scenes. Maybe I just feel like it’s not my place to do so, or maybe I feel as though I wouldn’t be able to do them justice in that sense.

I've written lesbian characters in the past which is easy for me as the characters are attracted to women - like me. The nuances though... god help me.

Similarly, I've started developing some gay male relationships but I'm yet to describe the actual sex (and probably won't) because while I can imagine it, I can't relate to it like I can with two women.

This is probably overexplaining.

 

[Finchbearer]

* speaks like Freud * interesting

 

[Queshire]

Nah, if you were going to do any psychoanalysizing then the part to focus on is not seeing the appeal of males and being disgusted by their own body.

 

[Finchbearer]

It’s a good job I’m not actually doing any psychoanalysing then isn’t it. I didn’t want to comment on something as sensitive as that if we’re talking seriously.

 

[TheKillerBs]

I believe 5”6 is average for a woman, while 5”10 is average for a male, and people are therefore on average shorter or taller above or below those figures…but I don’t really see height as an issue, or it is not a marker for attractiveness to me.

Depends on where you live. I'm 5'8" and on the tall side for where I live, but if I went to Europe I'd be a hobbit. Speaking of hobbits, isn't Sam meant to be the character the reader identifies with in LOTR?

 

[Finchbearer]

Depends on where you live. I'm 5'8" and on the tall side for where I live, but if I went to Europe I'd be a hobbit. Speaking of hobbits, isn't Sam meant to be the character the reader identifies with in LOTR?

Yes I suppose in different parts of the world those figures will differ, although if you’re a 5”8 Hobbit then at 5”1 I’m not sure what I’d be classified as! To me Sam is the voice of reason and the unsung hero of Lord of the Rings…and he’s a gardener!

 

[Ban]

I find this tangential height discussion hilarious. In American units (skreee! *bald eagle that's actually a hawk sound*) I'm 6 foot 3, but you bet your behinds that I'll play a stocky dwarf in any game that lets me. The notion of not being able to relate to a short fellow is a bit silly to me.

 

[Finchbearer]

I find this tangential height discussion hilarious. In American units (skreee! *bald eagle that's actually a hawk sound*) I'm 6 foot 3, but you bet your behinds that I'll play a stocky dwarf in any game that lets me. The notion of not being able to relate to a short fellow is a bit silly to me.

That is funny, I just googled where the tallest males hail from…and lo and behold!

 

[Ban]

'Tis true. We have to grow tall here in case the dykes and dams break.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Do I consider the main character of my work in progress beautiful?

In a word: No.

I specifically made a point of making my main character average looking because I wanted a protagonist who could blend into any situation and be easily forgotten by virtually everyone present. Ugly and beautiful people stand out. Average looking people don't.

 

[CupofJoe]

I'm a visual thinker so I know exactly what my characters look like. Often they are based of real people or existing characters. If you are looking for a Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry type, then why not start with Clint and Harry.
I don't think of them as beautiful but I do have a tendency of making them Mary-Sues.
Not so much self-insertion but I have a habit of creeping perfection in their traits.
I start off with a good intentions but then little by little I make them "better" here, a but more "knowledgeable" there. Add an extra skill or two and before I know it I've got a sharpshooting, sword master, ninja assassin, brain-surgeon that can crack computer password in less than 10 second while solving a cryptic crossword - in Latin and whipping up a love draught [using only two holly leaves and a small aubergine].
Oh... and they will be able to sing and dance as well...

 

[Queshire]

It’s a good job I’m not actually doing any psychoanalysing then isn’t it. I didn’t want to comment on something as sensitive as that if we’re talking seriously.

Heh, that particular combination generally takes on a different context when the topic at the time is LGBT stuff.

Mmm.... On the topic of height though, I really want to have a neighborhood in my setting that's specifically built on a scale for Halflings, Gnomes and other small folk.

 

[BrittleBones]

My idea was - though I didn't actually actively realize it until now, LOL! - basically "persuasion vs compulsion". You can use nature's magic gently, which limits the power you may have but is also safe; or you can force it to bend to your will, which can result in more power but also less controllability and more danger for the user.

But yeah, it definitely is a theme.

I would recommend, and you could be doing this already but I thought I'd put it out there just in case, not 'villainizing' power, if that makes sense. I think compulsion as a term has a negative connotation which could make you more inclined to cast that side in a poor light, but there are plenty of situations where power might be needed.

In regards to the topic of the thread, it's not something I've really thought about, especially since in my earlier written works I've had a habit of... not really describing the main character, for some reason, and when I do it's really with a neutral connotation. My current project is a visual novel, so... description isn't something I'm doing, really, since there's imagery to say everything much more effectively than I could.

I really want to have a neighborhood in my setting that's specifically built on a scale for Halflings, Gnomes and other small folk.

Tiny town.

 

[Finchbearer]

Heh, that particular combination generally takes on a different context when the topic at the time is LGBT stuff.

Have I offended you in some way?

 

[Queshire]

Have I offended you in some way?

No...?

To be clear, I don't know Dark One's circumstances and have no intention of presuming, but if you're writing a story that heavily features LGBT themes then a character saying that the male body disgusts them and their own body disgusts them then that's basically a Chekhov's gun to have them be an egg. As a writer the coincidence amused me.