Anyone speak Portugese?

[Distracted]

Hmmm. A Brazilian redneck. Interesting.

[Escriba]

Mmmm... I don't know... I can't see a Brazilian redneck woman. I mean, they had a lot of personality and the few I have known had a very strong temper, but they're more... I don't know how to explain the difference. For some reason I can't imagine a Brazilian woman drinking alone and being depressed. But probably I'm using stereotypes here.

[Alelou]

A Brazilian woman stranded in America might well drink alone and be depressed. Nobody knows what futbal is, the old ladies are shocked by your bathing suit ... the guys aren't sure what to make of you but they want to see your wax job ... it's hard!

[Distracted]

... the guys aren't sure what to make of you but they want to see your wax job ... it's hard!

[Elessar]

Mmmm... I don't know... I can't see a Brazilian redneck woman. I mean, they had a lot of personality and the few I have known had a very strong temper, but they're more... I don't know how to explain the difference. For some reason I can't imagine a Brazilian woman drinking alone and being depressed. But probably I'm using stereotypes here.

I've seen Arkansan-Chinese rednecks. Shoulda heard how this little woman said "Coors Light"

Basically for the foreingers, in the Missouri bootheel it sounds like "Kurrs Laht"

[Distracted]

Okay...well I guess I'll ask for more advice, then, if you don't think a Brazilian woman would act that way.

My character's female, early 30's. She's been in the states since she was barely 18 after being "discovered" by a California producer looking for acting/modeling talent. She grew up dirt-poor in Brazil and barely has a high school education, but she's smart, a quick study, and reads a lot for self-improvement. She's worked on the accent over the years with acting coaches until there's barely a trace left and she can turn it on and off at will. She's made it big as a regular on an SF TV series...sort of a T&A role but her fans respect her. She's been married for two years to a much older man...a movie producer who initially fooled her into thinking he appreciates her mind but treats her like a possession now, and she's trying hard to make the marriage work because she's stubborn, she believes in the institution of marriage, she still has some residual affection for the man despite everything, and she's afraid of being poor again. They're at an SF convention together. She's the headliner and nobody's heard of him, and he goes ballistic when he finds out than the con organizers have registered their room at the hotel under her stage/maiden name instead of his. He blames her for not setting them straight. They argue and she heads down to the hotel bar for a drink and hides in a back booth early in the evening before the crazy fans come out of the woodwork on the first night of the con. Our hero...we'll call him Boyscout for the moment...finds her not quite sober later in the evening. The bar is full by then, mostly with her fans, and he offers to get her out of there by the back door before a dozen videos of her drunk with her makeup cried half off make it to Youtube. How would she react to that offer, do you think?

[dialee]

Then I would say to heck with her husband, have the hero do like a screen to hide from the fans so she fix her make-up and come out swinging. I mean, like entertaining the fans with with a fandango on a table or whatever dance is appropriate. Don't know too much about Latin or ballroom dancing

Of course it all depends on whether you've made her a happy or sloppery drunk or whatever

[Escriba]

Okay...well I guess I'll ask for more advice, then, if you don't think a Brazilian woman would act that way.

My character's female, early 30's. She's been in the states since she was barely 18 after being "discovered" by a California producer looking for acting/modeling talent. She grew up dirt-poor in Brazil and barely has a high school education, but she's smart, a quick study, and reads a lot for self-improvement. She's worked on the accent over the years with acting coaches until there's barely a trace left and she can turn it on and off at will. She's made it big as a regular on an SF TV series...sort of a T&A role but her fans respect her. She's been married for two years to a much older man...a movie producer who initially fooled her into thinking he appreciates her mind but treats her like a possession now, and she's trying hard to make the marriage work because she's stubborn, she believes in the institution of marriage, she still has some residual affection for the man despite everything, and she's afraid of being poor again. They're at an SF convention together. She's the headliner and nobody's heard of him, and he goes ballistic when he finds out than the con organizers have registered their room at the hotel under her stage/maiden name instead of his. He blames her for not setting them straight. They argue and she heads down to the hotel bar for a drink and hides in a back booth early in the evening before the crazy fans come out of the woodwork on the first night of the con. Our hero...we'll call him Boyscout for the moment...finds her not quite sober later in the evening. The bar is full by then, mostly with her fans, and he offers to get her out of there by the back door before a dozen videos of her drunk with her makeup cried half off make it to Youtube. How would she react to that offer, do you think?

I'm not an expert (not even near), and please, don't take the things I'll say as a face value. I mean, your character is a woman and all woman are different it doesn't matter what country are they from. Your character looks real. If she was poor, probably she knows she has to get ahead alone and care for the family (if she has one) all by herself. She argues a lot with his husband (loudly), but forgives him always. The thing is I don't know why she hides: or she goes home or she starts a party, but hiding? I guess she's too tired for any of that.

I've only met three Brazilian woman: an immigrant mother, her daughter and one friend of her. For what I saw, they were sweet, very friendly, the daughter, at least, loved to dance (the three of them thought Spanish men couldn't dance for their lives) and they were very.... how to say it? They had a "I don't take shit from anybody" attitude. Specially the mother, but maybe this is because the mother had to come to Spain and rebuild her life, so... Ah, and they were... passional. But then again, they just were three women. I don't think they could (should) be representative of their country.

[Escriba]

A Brazilian woman stranded in America might well drink alone and be depressed. Nobody knows what futbal is, the old ladies are shocked by your bathing suit ... the guys aren't sure what to make of you but they want to see your wax job ... it's hard!

Sure it is

I've seen Arkansan-Chinese rednecks. Shoulda heard how this little woman said "Coors Light"

Basically for the foreingers, in the Missouri bootheel it sounds like "Kurrs Laht"

[Distracted]

So ya'all think she needs to be a hardass and not take anything from anyone. Hmmm.

Actually I was thinking she'd be more traditional, especially when it comes to marriage. I've written her as Catholic, and Catholics often are. I'm one, so I know. I've never been in this situation, since I'm married to the most patient and gentle man in the known universe, but it seems like they'll put up with a lot not to get a divorce, whether it's because they believe divorce is wrong or because they're just too damned stubborn to admit they made a mistake marrying that person in the first place. I was thinking that when she finally realized that it was time to give up on the marriage and move on, she'd feel like she failed in her task as a wife and would be upset, even if the guy treated her like shit and she knew intellectually that leaving was the best thing to do. I guess you guys would think she's a wimp, huh? That's a problem. She's my romantic female lead. I don't want her to be a wimp, just womanly. Nurturing. You know. Female.

[dialee]

What is the relationship of the female lead to the hero? Is the hero the traditional, seemingly chauvinistic husband? Maybe I don't understand the situation?

[Escriba]

Oh, oh, sorry, I didn't explain myself properly, as it seems. She would not divorce. The husband will always be with her, even when he's useless, a liar, a drunk and a bad person in general. The hardass attitude would be with the rest of the world. I'm sure your Brazilian character will argue with her husband, but divorce? Nu-huu. Look, in Brazil 15 millions of homes are lead by women, but only 1 million of them has a man who helps supporting the family.

[Distracted]

That's kinda what I thought.

And no, Dialee, my hero is an unmarried male fan of the actress. He's a Boy Scout type. Her husband gets murdered in the first chapter, the hero finds his body, and they spend the rest of the novel trying to keep her out of the hands of the killer. (The killer's an obsessed fan, and he kills her husband because he wants her.) I'm just trying to get inside her head to figure out what her response would be as a married woman to some guy she's just met offering to get her out the back door of a hotel bar and take her back to her room to avoid a scene. Even if he's a really nice guy, she's chemically impaired and can't walk straight, and he says all he's doing is trying to help, would she go with him? Would you as a reader think she was an idiot if she did? I don't want her to come off as an idiot. Keep in mind that in the bar scene no one's found her husband yet, so she doesn't know she's in danger. I know that I'm so naive I'd probably trust a guy like that, but that's just me.

[Alelou]

Yes, she's an idiot, but we wouldn't have any plots if we didn't have idiots. Besides, this is that great moment in any relationship when you either trust or you don't. She thinks she can trust him. The readers aren't sure, but she is -- at least at that moment. I say go for it.

I'm just curious -- why choose a Brazilian heroine? Why not Cajun? You could write with such colorful authority on the latter.

[Escriba]

Anything will work if you write it well (and I know you can ) Alelou is right, this is a definitory point, and it's intriguing for the reader.