"If you Wanna be happy...writerly...ah, kinda...

[amicus]

http://www.lyricalcontent.com/911.html


If You Wanna Be Happy by* Jimmy Soul

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you
A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall
As soon as he married her and then she starts
To do the things that will break his heart
But if you make an ugly woman your wife
A-you'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ug-a-ly woman cooks meals on time
And she'll always give you peace of mind
If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

~~~

Doing some shopping at Walmart in a nearby town...I noticed, for the hundreth time at least...that the world is populated by mostly rather common looking people.

The outstanding ones, well, they standout, girls all gussied up, guys struttin' their stuff.

It's everywhere, a pretty little red head at the marketplace, working and going to school to become a legal secretary, but a sassy lil crittur, and always with at least a guy or two hanging around making eyes.

This is a topic addressed before, I am sure, but...most if not all my main characters in a hundred and more stories, well, they are the. 'pretty people', for the most part gorgeous gals, virile guys.

Stereotypical no doubt, and yes, Amicus, speak for yourself...but it goes deeper than that...as the lyrics of the song above implies.

All my daughters have always been beautiful and sought after, my sons tall, good looking and wild, which does not mean they have had quiet lives in terms of relationships...just the opposite in fact.

As do those others one meets during a lifetime, friends, casual relationships, acquaintences...the moral of the song seems to hold true, at least in my experience...

Beauty is a relative thing and only skin deep....they say...yeah, sure they do...the one that ain't.

So....how do you write your main characters? What role in life, history and literature, do the 'beautiful people', in this world play? Is 'why', did nature make so few of them...percentage wise, or did it, or is that a fair question?

I do like the song...have for many years...and now and again, I find myself humming: "If you want a happy life, never make a pretty woman your wife...

Doodah, doodah....

Amicus...the amorous one....

 

[starlightqueen]

When I write characters, they're usually sexually attractive to one another. We aren't generally attracted to people who repulse us physically. In that sense, I think I highlight the things their partner finds appealing (broad shoulders!) and edit out the things they might not (luxurious back hair!). This might have the effect of making the characters seem more attractive than they are.

Also, look at people when they're happy to see them beautiful. I don't think many people are their happiest at walmart.

 

[amicus]

Being happy, makes one beautiful, eh?

Maybe...remember old walks through malls trying to keep up with a teen=aged daughter, yup, cute kids did seem to be always smiling and such.

Good point.

Can one be sad but still beautiful, ya think?



ami

 

[tickledkitty]

Also, look at people when they're happy to see them beautiful. I don't think many people are their happiest at walmart.

From what I've seen, the beautiful people don't shop at Walmart.

 

[amicus]

Does that imply that the 'beautiful people', ain't all that smart?

Damn...I knew this was gonna get polytickle...



ami

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

English Lady has carved out a growing career in the BBW erotic romance niche.

IMHO, being sexy and being beautiful are not automatically one and the same. And, FWIW, I agree with StarlighQueen. To rehash an old cliche', "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Rumple Foreskin

 

[tickledkitty]

Honestly, I think it depends on the location of the Walmart. The one here seems to attract the dregs of society.

Guess that explains my frequent visits.

 

[amicus]

RP "...

IMHO, being sexy and being beautiful are not automatically one and the same. And, FWIW, I agree with StarlighQueen. To rehash an old cliche', "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

~~~

While watching the Bourne Ultimatum, yet again, I had the curious thought as to why I found Nikki Parsons, the gal in a couple of the series, so attractive.

I did a lil search and Nikki is played by Julia Stiles, who indeed has an excellent repertoire of acting experience.

Being a straight guy, guys don't appeal much, but I imagine Matt Damon, as Jason Bourne, has some appeal to the ladies.

The 'bad guys', or antagonists, in my writing anyway, are seldom among the 'beautiful people', although they may have one or more attributes.

It is not my fault that people, male or female, are not born beautiful, but it seems an omission not to address the issue objectively.

"Beauty in the eye of the beholder', indeed, but besides the point. Society has always had its Princesses and desired females and the concept of beauty has been somewhat defined as symmetrical, world wide, in studies I have read. People in Hong Kong and Moscow, find our Hollywood beauties, beautiful in their own eyes.

But one can consider beauty subjective if one wishes to be kind and politically correct I suppose.

Just thought I would ask how many of those who write, endow their main characters with what they define as beautiful and/or, sexy.

Amicus....

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

There are certain physical attributes, I'm told, that are almost universally considered beautiful.

Movies have a problem is that, in most cases, the audience must be quickly cued in about who are the bad guys and good guys. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, in a novel even more are available to paint a characters attributes.

By the way, I've always loved that song. Another similar one is the old Joe Tex number, Skinny Legs and All.

(mostly spoken)
(night club)
Say man, don't walk ahead of that woman like she don't belong to you!
Just cause hers got them little skinny legs.
You know,that ain't no way to do.
You didn't act like that when you had it home behind closed doors!
Alright...
Now you act like you're 'shamed or somethin,
or you don't want nobody to know she's your's.
That's alright,you just walk on baby...
(sings)
And don't you worry about a doggone thing a'tall, because there's
some man,somewhere,who'll take you baby, skinny legs and all

Now, Who'll take the woman with the skinny legs?
C'mon somebody please take the lady with the skinny legs.
Now, you all know the lady with the skinny legs got to have somebody too, now.
Will somebody please take the lady with the skinny legs, please?

(asking)
"Hey,Joe".. (Joe answers)
"Yeah Bobby? Why don't you take her?
(response)
You-a-fool?
I don't want no woman with no skinny legs.
Look here,I thought I might give this woman to Clyde.
But, no, I know the kinda woman Clyde likes!
So Leroy'll take her. Say Leroy?
You got her!!

Say, Miss? Right here?
Now why you wanna act like that man ain't yours?
Just cause he's walkin with you, with them raggedy clothes.
Man just forgot to get his suit out a the cleaners, that's all.
Alright...alright... Act like that man don't belong to ya!
Go on over there and kiss him and hold his hand.
Go on..say you ain't gonna do WHAT?
That's alright.
You just walk on Mister.
(sings)
and don't you worry about a doggone thing, a'tall,
because there's some woman somewhere who'll take
you, "Mr. Raggedy" clothes and all!


Rumple Foreskin

 

[amicus]

Thanks, Rumple, never heard that song, those lyrics, before...

It is not a recent observation I express here, just came to mind tonight and not in the mood to write or argue politics.

I still have eyes, even though not as efficient as they were, but I can still see and notice, in a crowd of people, wherever and whenever, not just the Walmart I mentioned in passing, that most of them appear to be a bit frumpy and common place.

Yet the few beautiful people in the mix, again, subjective here, in my experience, seem to be the unhappiest of the lot and continually bouncing from person to person and place to place.

Quite like the intelligence quotient...sometimes it seems it would be much easier to be less intelligent and not be cognizant of the complexity of things.

Dunno...

Amicus...

 

[AllardChardon]

I freely admit I prefer to look at beautiful, show-stopper types of people and try to make all my characters exactly that. Because inside all of us, the desire to be beautiful has, and in some cases still does, exist. IMO

 

[amicus]

I do the same with my characters....although...ahm, they are usually troubled in one way or another just because they attract attention and stand out.

curious, ain't it?



ami

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

AMICUS

What I enjoy about horror writing is, most of my characters are pretty plain or ugly. That is, when I describe them I mimic the old carnival facades from the 50s that depicted everyone as...flawed.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

My ideas about beauty have gone through changes over the years. When I was a bit younger, I was always into a certain kind of look and I bought into the stereotypical concepts of beauty. As I grew older, and I pray a bit wiser, I have begun to see beauty in women who have unique characteristics, qualities both physical and emotional that are different from others. For example, I find Asia Argento beautiful, but most people don't think so. I like the dark circles underneath her eyes. I like her confidence. I like her refusal to play to type. I also find Jennifer Jason Leigh beautiful, and she is not the typical blockbuster beauty queen. She's just an ordinary woman with some extraordinary neurons firing in that sexy brain of hers. Anyway, them's me two cents worth.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

http://www.lyricalcontent.com/911.html


If You Wanna Be Happy by* Jimmy Soul



~~~

Doing some shopping at Walmart in a nearby town...I noticed, for the hundreth time at least...that the world is populated by mostly rather common looking people.

The outstanding ones, well, they standout, girls all gussied up, guys struttin' their stuff.

It's everywhere, a pretty little red head at the marketplace, working and going to school to become a legal secretary, but a sassy lil crittur, and always with at least a guy or two hanging around making eyes.

This is a topic addressed before, I am sure, but...most if not all my main characters in a hundred and more stories, well, they are the. 'pretty people', for the most part gorgeous gals, virile guys.

Stereotypical no doubt, and yes, Amicus, speak for yourself...but it goes deeper than that...as the lyrics of the song above implies.

All my daughters have always been beautiful and sought after, my sons tall, good looking and wild, which does not mean they have had quiet lives in terms of relationships...just the opposite in fact.

As do those others one meets during a lifetime, friends, casual relationships, acquaintences...the moral of the song seems to hold true, at least in my experience...

Beauty is a relative thing and only skin deep....they say...yeah, sure they do...the one that ain't.

So....how do you write your main characters? What role in life, history and literature, do the 'beautiful people', in this world play? Is 'why', did nature make so few of them...percentage wise, or did it, or is that a fair question?

I do like the song...have for many years...and now and again, I find myself humming: "If you want a happy life, never make a pretty woman your wife...

Doodah, doodah....

Amicus...the amorous one....

I suppose I tend to write about "average" people with some striking attribute about them. I like to write characters who don't see themselves as anything but average, possibly because this is how I see myself. Then, of course, my average characters always meet someone who sees them as extraordinary. Albrecht Durer said that perfection of form and beauty is contained in the sum of all men. I guess I'm trying to convey something similar.

 

[gauchecritic]

In RL I find that most 'beautiful' people are both bland and vacuous. I don't (can't) write about bland and vacuous.

I find that those people with 'good looks' have become handicapped by them in childhood when they're given more freedom to fail simply because of their 'beauty'.

The internet, in this instance, is the great leveller. Those certain of their image have a hard time when faced with those certain of their intellect.

A character with no cross to bear is a cypher.

The difference between X's and O's is lot more than skin deep.

 

[amicus]

OMScarlett...Nevil Shute Norway, one of my all time favorite fiction authors, when interviewed, said almost word for word what you said, ordinary people who rise to the occasion when circumstances require it.

And, Gauche, valid points all, and thank you.

I, personally, don't think people go to the movies or read books, to read about ordinary lives or ordinary people. Not that every book must be about Superman or superheros in general, but still, entertainment might be partially defined as being lifted out of the ordinary?

The 'beautiful people' in Hollywood and elsewhere of note, don't seem to stay, 'hooked up', for long periods of time, although there are exceptions.

It does seem, even in life outside Hollywood & Vine, that the most beautiful women seem to go through several mates in their window of attractiveness.

Perhaps the same holds true for those male stars to whom all the starlets flock.

Much occuring in the world in the past fifty years, not just literature; gone are the days of Steinbeck and Hemingway, and even then, in their works, were they not asking the questions and challenging the traditions and customs of their era?

I don't demean erotica or writing it and would even suggest it might be the cutting edge of literature in this particularly empowered period of time.

Still, issues of 'true love', 'lifetime partner', 'soul mate', and a host of other descriptive terms referring to relationships remain in our vocabulary and perhaps our literary toolbox...who knows...?

Still...does the song not offer good advice....'never make a pretty woman your wife', Amicus asked with a smirk...



Amicus...