The Art of Writing Believable Men
While I am in no way an expert on the male psyche, I do have brothers and I worked in a male dominated profession for over ten years so I have had plenty of exposure to their logic, conversation, and ways of interacting with each other. After reading a book with very authentic male dialogue, I then read a passage in another book, where a male character tells a friend that his wife is his life. Now don’t get me wrong, because honestly that is a lovely sentiment. But none of the men that I have been around would say that about their wife to me or any of their other friends in normal day to day conversation. That statement just seems like a crying in my beer, she left me country song.
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I have had my share of courting and I have had my share of guys trying to pick me up and of the two, I would much rather be courted. Not that the initial intent is that different since both actions are usually initiated by sexual attraction. But in the pick-up scenario once you turn him down, he moves on to the next potential conquest. With courtship, the guy has his eye set on you, because he see something special. Maybe a little bit of it is the challenge. But he opens himself up for rejection and doesn’t take no. So maybe that is why I have such a weakness for romance novels where the hero actually has to court the heroine.