My next book is so new that even the title isn’t settled yet.
But my agent sent me a nice note about how well I pulled off the simmering romantic tension between the lead characters.
Considering that the point-of-view character is a smart young woman, and I’m a guy (in my case, smart and young are arguable), this was quite a compliment.
And it got me thinking:
How do authors write about characters of the opposite gender?
I think it pays to look at how men and women wash their hair.
See, for him, hair care complexity tops out at two things: shampoo and conditioner.
That’s it.
Usually, they’re even in the same bottle.
Want to see a guy in serious trouble?
Watch what happens when he runs out of shampoo.
Imagine: You’re a guy. You’re in the shower.
You look around at all these funny-shaped little bottles with cryptic labels like “Masque” and “Moisturizing” and “Urgent Repair.”
Repair? What the heck is broken? Is there a screwdriver packed in there?
Is this stuff even for hair? You don’t know!
Suddenly, you feel like a caveman in a NASA laboratory, surrounded by things that are too evolutionarily advanced for your primitive brain to understand.
The stakes are high. If you’re not careful, you could mix the wrong ingredients and instantly go bald in a sizzling herbal tsunami. Or possibly set your hair on fire.
Five minutes later, your wife will find you running around like a striped baboon with flames leaping up from your shiny, bald head.
HER: What happened?
HIM: I don’t know! I was trying to make shampoo!
HER: Are you crazy? These bottles cost $50 each!
So the lesson is clear, guys:
For Pete’s sake, keep an extra bottle of shampoo + conditioner in the shower. It’s, like, $1.99.
Ladies, if you’re worried what men think about your hair, remember this:
He’s not sure how you do it, but it’s gorgeous. It really is. And he loves it.
Especially if he can avoid setting his head on fire. That’s a fact.