Why authors should spend some time googling hot men

It’s an indisputable fact (just like white snow) that if my friends were asked to describe me in one word several, if not the majority, would say – anal. Surprisingly, I don’t consider that an insult. I believe – somewhat strongly – in getting the facts right in a novel, article, and even a Facebook update. Yes, I realize authors needs to take literary license otherwise a crazy group of old ladies would never be able to solve crimes while visiting titty bars. But there are certain aspects of novels and writing for which being incorrect doesn’t add to the story and in fact just pisses me off.

So what’s pissing me off this week? Weights. And yes I realize that this does indeed prove that I’m anal. Maybe I’m more in tune with what men weigh from having been in the military or maybe it’s because my husband was once the Dutch National Champion in Judo (in case you don’t know, judo is one of those sports that require weigh-ins with or without underwear). Or maybe it’s the simple fact that figuring out how much a man should weigh is as simple as a Google search.

By now, you are either nodding your head in agreement with me or wondering what in the world I’m going off about now. Let me use an example. The main lead in a book – let’s say an MC romance – is a well buff man who is 6’5”. So far, my tongue is starting to roll outside my mouth. But here it comes. He weighs 175 pounds. WHAT? Well buff should be full of nice thick, ropey muscles for me to hang on to. At 175 pounds, a 6’5” man is lean not well buff.

It’s called Google folks. There is so much information out there it’s actually quite overwhelming. So what should the consciousness author do? That’s easy. Think of an athlete or actor who looks – at least body wise – like you want your hero to look. Go on your computer. Turn on Google and voilà – there’s the weight you’re looking for.

Take my above example. What’s a man who is over 6-foot-tall and weighs 175 pounds look like? He looks like Novak Djokovic who is 6’2” and weighs 172 (FYI: all major tournaments will list the players with their height and weight). And while I love Djokovic, he’s not exactly well buff, is he? No, he’s lean and strong. There’s nothing wrong with that (I say as I discretely fan myself), but he doesn’t exactly fit the character description of well buff.

I won’t even go into my usual diatribe about supposedly chubby women who wear a size 8. I’ll just stop now, shall I? So come on writers – make me proud! Check out Google before deciding on a weight for your main man. And if you just happen to need to spend some time checking out some shirtless pictures of hot athletes in order to come to a decision, well that’s just research, isn’t it?