About PF Karlin
PF Karlin is a Yankee, hailing from Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Amundsen-Mayfair City College with an ADN in nursing too many years ago to mention.
After having her fill of cold weather she packed up, left the Chicago winters behind and moved to Texas where she currently spends her time basking in the warm weather and living a comfortable live with her husband of thirty years.
Karlin spends as much time as she can with her family, enjoying her son, a marvelous daughter-in-law, and two phenomenal grandchildren.
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About Destiny Reborn
“When reality knocks at your door, do you open it?”
In her new reality, Belinda finds a breathing, flesh and blood version of Robert. The only problem, he doesn’t act like he knows her and he wants nothing to do with her.
Belinda has no alternative but to go on planning and living her life as if she had never met him. However, Robert continuously walks in and out of her life. Belinda manages the chance meetings and even turns Robert into a friend until he reveals a secret that changes both of their lives forever.
Both Destiny Reborn and Shattered Fate, Book 1, Kismet Collection, are available in Ebook and Paperback editions.
Shattered Fate on Amazon * Shattered Fate on Barnes and Noble.
Destiny Reborn on Amazon * Destiny Reborn on Barnes and Noble.
Writing Tip From PF Karlin
Know how to describe what a man notices about a woman.
Guys don’t notice what you’re Wearing—they only see your body parts.
Writing as a woman in a man’s point of view can be difficult. Let’s face it, men think differently than we do and we all know they hail from the other side of the galaxy. So how do we get inside their heads to write about what they are really thinking?
The first and most obvious step is to come right out and ask them. When we were writing our second book, Destiny Reborn, we decided to do some real life research and ask several men a simple question to obtain more insight into the male psyche.
Ask The Right Questions
“What do you feel when you see someone you’re attracted to for the first time?”
This was not the right question. Man #1 gave us a blank stare. Man #2 answered with a long drawn out, “Ahhh.” Man #3 was a bit more vocal and politely answered, “How the heck do I know? I’m a guy and guys don’t talk about stuff like that.”
So, it was back to the drawing board and more research. You see, according to different studies, men are more concrete thinkers. They have all the same feeling as women do but they tend not to want to talk about them as much or explain them to anyone. No new information there, all women know we like to talk about our feelings.
Better Question
We asked the next question of the same three men, “What do you notice first about a woman?”
Man #1: “The face first, then legs and butt.”
Man #2: “If she’s in the distance the figure, but up close the face.”
Man #3: “I’m kinda a butt guy.”
The Clothes Question
“Do you notice the details of the clothes a woman is wearing?”
Man #1: “No. I just know they have clothes on. Then my imagination takes care of that problem.”
Man #3: “I notice more how they are worn rather than what’s being worn.”
Man #2: (He had the most insightful answer.) “The first thing I notice is the shape. It makes a difference in what is being accentuated. For instance, if a woman is wearing a man’s shirt with only high heels, I’d notice her legs. If she had something low cut on, I notice her top, but I wouldn’t be able to describe the details of what see was wearing.”
Bingo! They notice body parts.
Examples Using This Information
Keep in mind that men are concrete thinkers and don’t notice the details about clothes. Now for the tough part—how do you put that down on paper when writing in your hero’s point of view.
Example 1: What not to do
When Belinda stood, he held his breath. She wore a spaghetti strap, pale blue, silk camisole. The layered skirt came to mid-thigh, which exaggerated the length of her legs in those heels. It featured a muted swirl pattern of white and pale blue, his favorite colors, and against her tanned skin, she looked so damn sexy. She wore her hair up in a ponytail that swayed back and forth keeping rhythm to the bounce of every step she took.
Why That Doesn't Work
Do you see the problem? No average man would be able to tell you all the detail down to the muted swirl pattern on the skirt.
Example 1: Re-written
When Belinda stood, he held his breath. She wore a skimpy camisole. The skirt came to mid-thigh, which exaggerated the length of her legs in those heels. With her tanned skin, she looked so damn sexy. She wore her hair up in a ponytail that swayed back and forth keeping rhythm to the bounce of every step she took.
Not perfect, but much better.
Example 2: What not to do
The sound of the click from the lock on the bedroom door caused him to raise his head toward the hall. His mouth dropped open as Belinda floated out into the glowing light of the living room Christmas tree. At first, he couldn’t move or say a word. He could only stare.
“Robert, say something. Do I look alright?” She twirled around and the light blue chiffon of the strapless, sweetheart bodice, knee length dress floated in a circle with her.
Again, the problem is too much detail about the dress.
Example 2: Re-written
The sound of the click from the lock on the bedroom door caused him to raise his head toward the hall. Belinda floated out into the glowing light of the living room Christmas tree. At first, he couldn’t move or say a word. He could only stare.
“Robert, say something. Do I look alright?” She twirled around in a light blue, chiffon dress.
Still not perfect but much better.
Example 3:
In the final example we just played around with how we thought Robert, our hero, would see Belinda in her black dress.
Robert scanned Belinda who looked sexy as hell in her black dress. It had long sleeves and the top half was cover in lace. The tone of her smooth skin peeked through over her shoulders and arms while the back plunged in a “V” to her waist. The skirt came mid-thigh and bounced as she moved. Her heels gave her legs a long slender appearance. She wore her hair up, twisted in curls on top of her head, exposing her neck. He could tell she had very little on underneath, and the sheer sight of that little black number draped over her delicate frame, made him want to explore. From what he could tell, one shiny button at her waist was all that kept the dress in place.
Robert watched her lift her fork and take dainty bites of food. If she keeps eating like that, I’ll never get that dress off of her. A ray of light bounced off that button and teased him. Excitement stirred within him. But, he just smiled, raised his glass to her, and took a sip of champagne, biding his time.
The dress intrigued him. She obviously wasn’t wearing a bra or stockings. He caught a glint from her side. What would happen if I unfastened that button?
On their way back to the cottage, they walked down a path lit by ornate dim lamps. He rubbed his fingers over her bare back. She snuggled in closer. He felt a slight quiver rush over her skin as he floated his fingers under the “V” of the dress. Robert reached in under her arm and brushed the underside of her breast. She giggled. He pulled her closer.
As soon as he closed the door of the cottage, he took her in his arms. She rolled her head
back and let out a gasp while he kissed the crevices of her neck. He toyed with the button at her side. Next to her ear he whispered, “I’ve been wondering about this button all night.”
He nibbled at her earlobe. “And what would happen if I unbuttoned it.” With a slight flick of the finger, the button released and the dress back fell open.
Jackpot!
This has much less detail about what Belinda is wearing and much more about Robert’s reaction to it. It is much more believable from a man’s point of view.
To summarize everything we know, men know a woman is dressed, but they have no eye for or interest in the details of what she is wearing. What they are more interested in is what is underneath or how clothes accentuate a body part.
So when writing in the man’s Point of View, keep it simple. Think like a caveman because a lot of what a man sees stems from years of genetics that are far too complicated for this little article.
Takeaway Truth
This is one of the best articles I've read about describing a woman through a man's eyes.
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