Today I’m happy to welcome my friend, male romance writer Sascha Illyvich. Take it away, Sascha!
In Romance Stories, Dominant Males are Alphas
By Sascha Illyvich
In a discussion with publicist Sharon Aviles, we’d discussed my teaching romance authors how to write BDSM and incorporate the elements of the Lifestyle into their romance stories. She’d said that the interesting thing was in traditional non kinky romances, we call Dominant males, Alphas.
Sure they may not be kinky, but both men have to take charge of situations. Both men feel the need to control and the underlying reasons behind this need for control is generally the same: the belief that his way can guide his heroine into safety feeds his need to be a leader. I teach this often in my course on how to write from the male point of view. It’s aimed at romance authors, but the lessons still apply to a broader spectrum of fiction writers.
Oftentimes both men will be in powerful positions such as corporate CEOs or highly trained military experts. These men are used to getting their way.
In the bedroom we see similarities too. Whether he’s using ropes and handcuffs, spankings and scarves, or just good old fashioned strength to make his point, he’s still on top. His goal is pretty much the same, drag something from the woman that she wants to give but doesn’t know how. She’s generally afraid to ask for it and that fear is often masked as stubbornness or anger. Sometimes it’s blatant fear.
As a guide, the dominant male must guide the submissive on their journey towards inner peace, just as the alpha male must show the reasons he’s overprotective. Bondage becomes a tool used to strip away control and bring out emotions needing to be dealt with, while the Alpha male may use consensual force to do the same. In effect, he’s binding the heroine and making her choose another path, one that leads to growth, rather than stunted movement. Different plot devices can show us these traits from both sides. Using the react vs respond method of character development talked about on WriteSEX, we can get this accomplished as writers.
His ability to see past her defenses as an alpha male or Dominant is what spurs him on to guiding her. It’s not until he’s learned to grow through the plot that he realizes he’s guiding her as she’s guiding him, but that’s another article. In the end, the two types of men are really one and the same. Our labels are just for publisher and reader convenience as they help us define the characters for the appropriate markets.
– Sascha Illyvich
Heavenly Bodies – Two Fantasy Novellas in one book!
Now out at Amazon!
Erotic Romance Author – http://saschaillyvichauthor.com
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Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/SaschaIllylvich
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Hi Sascha– Great post. And thanks to Cassandra for hosting you. : )
Thanks for stopping by, Tara. I’d never really thought of it that way before, but he’s totally right, isn’t he? Though I prefer the Dominant to the Alpha. *giggle*
Thanks Tara and Cassandra. You should see what I have planned for Cassandra next
I can’t decide if that sounds ominous or exciting.
Ominously exciting…
Interesting post, Sascha.
Someone defined an alpha to me as someone who does things without really being aware of (or even caring about) how those actions affect those around him. “They have to be done, end of story.”
Whereas a good dominant has to be very aware of the effect of all his (or her) actions. I’ve also heard that in some ways that by tending to the sub’s needs, a Dominant is in a way a servant.
So, are they the same in this respect?
Alison
Allison,
Sorry for the belated reply, I got sick again
Anyway, the fact is that a Dominant and an Alpha Male are basically the EXACT same thing. Marketing is what makes a difference. Do Angela Knight’s readers enjoy BDSM? They might. (a LOT of them might 
but since Knight’s agent may not understand the bdsm world to put that forth before a publisher, it’s easier to call them by a broader term.
Or take Joey W. Hill, whose work in print is not labeled as BDSM per se, it’s paranormal romance. But hardcore players recognize what’s going on between the characters. HOpe that helps!
Hi Sascha
sorry to hear you’ve been sick. My main confusion is that alphas are sometimes described as doing things without worrying about the consequences of their actions and doing it because it’s right for them, where Doms have to be aware of the consequences and do it because it’s right for the sub.
Alphas always seem more selfish to me (as they’re written) whereas a good Dom can’t afford to be, or am I getting it wrong?
I suppose the problem is trying to put a definition on it.
cheers
Alison
Allison,
It’s a definite line that authors have to cross when they create characters who are one, the other or both. The truth is they are one in the same but some men mistake their actions as “needy” when in fact there are often better ways of doing things. This is what the heroine is desperately asking for (the growth, perceived as change) The Dom’s actions can be written as selfish but the informed reader (of BDSM) knows the reason. The typical romance reader may or may NOT understand why the Alpha is selfish That’s the author’s fault in many cases. Does that make sense?
I’m teaching Male POV on the 15th at http://www.occrwa.org if you’re interested further in this subject
Oh and of course I’ll still pop in here as long as Cassandra sits on my lap.
Naked.
That sounds suspiciously like blackmail.
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maybe…*snicker* But look at it this way. I LIKE pretty women on my lap…
How will I know? Oh, wait…