Author: J.M. Cullen

If men aren’t the inspector (ISTJ), they are next likely to be ESTJ – The Supervisor. It’s interesting that, regardless of whether they look inside or out, majority of men rely on senses and facts rather than feelings, logic over emotions, and judgments before perceptions. We tend to have strong habits and focus on what is or has happened rather than what might happen. We see efficiency as more important than cooperation and prefer planning to spontaneity. Sounds like just about every male protagonist I have ever read about.

What would happen to our stories if our male protagonist was open minded or curious? What if he sought out cooperation or maintained social harmony instead of causing strife? What if they were a relaxed nonconformist who made laid back decisions while keeping options open? Would our stories be less compelling? Would tension in our plots slacken? Would we bore our readers into purchasing more vampire date-night plots and our bank accounts into overdraft?

As expected, the majority of women are ISFJ-Nurturers. Their introspective nature empowers them to find generosity within themselves. This, in turn, generates mercy, kindness, and empathy.

These are strong emotions for a writer to work with. A woman’s sensitivity to others emotions can shed light on the darkest problems, and even find their solutions. Though Nurturers aren’t solely focused on resolutions and goals, their ability to bring out the best in others provide mechanisms that lead to the end of conflict and the reuniting of lost souls.

In my own writings, I often find myself using the nurturing capabilities of women to clarify emotional conflicts and unite people with their lost goals.

How do you use nurturers, either male or female, in your stories?

The majority of men, seventeen percent according to Career Planner (see https://www.careerplanner.com/MB2/TypeInPopulation-Males-Females.cfm) are The Inspector (ISTJ). This means that most men are bright, logical, and direct. Their focus on concrete facts and data make them good analysts. A tendency towards thoroughness and attention to detail means that they are rarely wrong.

In my experience, most of my coworkers seem to fall into this profile. To a point.

But under pressure of deadlines and intense scrutiny of their managers, most lose interest in the fine details, favoring simplicity over finesse, quick and easy over made from scratch, regardless of the long term costs and effort.

In other words, under pressure, most men favor inexpensive duct tape and bailing wire to a polished product, because the latter requires more effort – in the short term.

Sadly, most of us are the children in the behavior test who eat the cookie in front of us rather than wait the five minutes with a promise to receive two.

In the stories that we write, do our characters primarily stay within the prescribed profile, or do we let them drift, and show us their weaknesses? At the risk of clarity, giving our characters personality defects makes them more real and, therefore, easier to accept and identify with.

How have you introduced character flaws?

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Some scientists say that over ninety percent of all communication is non-verbal — tone, inflection and volume of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and body positions. As a writer of prose, I have often wondered about how to include this in a scene.

On one hand, I might describe the gestures one character uses in reaction to a statement or event, e.g. Manny folded his arms across his chest and glared at Alice. When she didn’t react, his lips melted into a frown. If left alone, the reader must then make their own conclusion about the Manny’s reaction.

Or I could simply state the character’s reaction, e.g. Manny glared at Alice, vitriol casting his face into an ugly frown. This, however, garners many a critique: “Show me, don’t tell me!”

Personally I prefer a combination of the two, even at the cost of a few readers telling me to show them Manny’s reaction.

Manny folded his arms across his chest and glared at Alice. Vitriol melted his eyebrows and lips into an ugly frown. The tilt of his chin darkened his eyes.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your opinion.