Psychology, cultural anthropology, history, martial arts and a couple of other things about what makes humans tick. Oh yeah, they say I'm supposed to know something about personal safety, crime avoidance, self-defense and street violence, but that's work related.
Music
Varied doesn't even come close to describing it. Who else has bangra, classic rock, bagpipes and classic music on the same CD blaring out of the car windows as I'm speeding down the highway? Although I must admit I have a certain fondness for Warren Zevon, Aztec Two Step and Doctor Hook, because they sing about how weird life can get.
Movies
Well, errrr, ummmm... it's kind of embarrassing to admit but I prefer chick flicks over action movies. Dramas & Thrillers are too work related. Gimme a nice warm fuzzy movie anytime.
Television
Dexter, Mythbusters,Forensic Files, The Discovery Channel and The History Channel. And my wife got me hooked on Ghosthunters. Other than that, I'd prefer to read.
Books
Read for fun? Hey I remember that concept! A lot of the reading I do these days is work related and even when I'm reading fiction, it's helping people with their books to get the details of crime and violence right. When I do get a chance to read for fun I like Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher.
Heroes
Anyone who stands a wall and says "Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch."
About me: Yep, it's lil ol' me. Born in Los Angeles, lived there most of my life. I now live somewhere else -- where it snows. Wow ... weather ... what a concept. (LA has climate, not weather).
Author, I might have written a book or fifteen. But they're non-fiction, so does that make me a 'real' author? I tend to think of myself more as a wordsmith. Someone whose pounding on the keyboard helps people see what's out there -- especially when it comes to them staying safe in a sometimes unsafe world. What's this? Have you stumbled onto the page of a paranoid survival nut or a macho wanna-be streetfighter?
Naaaah! I'm actually more about helping folks improve their quality of life. I just tend to do by addressing an area that most people are scared to think about. I show them that personal safety can be addressed in a commonsense and calm manner.
Which brings me to why I'm here on MySpace My blogs here are me ruminating on things not directly related to self-defense, avoiding crime and the nuts-and-bolts elements of violence. That kind stuff you can find on my website:
No Nonsense Self-Defense.
In other words, here I blog about things not work related -- but maybe related to your work.
This brings us to my other reason to be on MySpace. Writing. More specifically to help writers make their writing more believable -- especially when it comes to their action scenes and characters.
No, someone who's just been knocked to the ground CAN'T reach up and poke a standing attacker in the eye. While we're at it, people competent with violence WOULDN'T say or do 'that' (unless of course he wanted to provoke it). Oh yeah, this line right here? If your character said that to the bad guy, he/she would be attacked right then and there. Violent people don't react well to being told that sort of thing. And don't even get me started on kicking a gun or a knife out of someone's hand.
Why do I do this?
Simple. I can't watch most action movies. I end up yelling at the TV "YOU'D GET KILLED IF YOU DID THAT, YOU IDIOT! (This is why I prefer to watch chick flicks or comedies). When I run into these bumps in someone's writing, it interrupts my ability to suspend disbelief. Never a good thing for a work of fiction to do. Problem is, there is just sooooo much bad information out there.
I do a blog series here on MySpace called Tools For Writers (T4Ws) that will not only help you with your action scenes, but will direct you to more information on the subject.
In the mean time, my books and Webpages on 'how not to get killed in a violent situation' are -- among other things -- a great resource for writers. They introduce you to the small details and attitudes common to those who are competent dealing with violence and dangerous people. I figure if I help you write better action, in turn (by you writing better action), you'll help me teach people how stay safe. How?
Let's start with you teaching your readers to look for the real danger signals and not some Hollywood version. Believe it or not, that's a BIG problem when it comes to teaching personal safety. Quite frankly, the real thing is a whole lot more scary. It wiggles down past the rational brain and pushes the "EEK!" button in reader's monkey brain.
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And yes, my nom de plume (although some may say 'rue') is Marc "Animal" MacYoung. Don't be fooled by the photos of me with swords -- those were for play and training (although I can tell you about sword fighting too). I have waaaaay too much live-fire experience when it comes to dealing with danger. I survived an 'interesting life' (i.e. Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times"). I grew up in the streets of LA and -- after I turned it around -- much of my life was spent telling nasty people "no."
As in 'NO! You can't kidnap, rape and murder this woman!'
Oddly enough such people don't like to be told 'no.' What's more, they tend to get cranky. And their version of being slightly miffed is a whole lot more dynamic than most people's. That's when my life got 'interesting.' Putting it another way -- and to quote my wife -- my life tended to "resemble an Elmore Leonard novel."
You can imagine why, these days, I love to answer "Nothing much" when asked "What's new and exciting?".
Believe me when I tell you Louis L'amour was right when he said "Adventure is nothing but a romantic name for trouble. It's great reading about it in the comfort of your armchair, but it's pure hell when it is coming at you in a dark and lonely place." I had a very adventurous life and met trouble in more than one dark and lonely place. (Sometimes "No" comes back to haunt you later). That's why I can write about what it takes to survive in dangerous situations. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt and gave it away.
I'm currently enjoying a new record for having gone 12 years without getting shot at (Picture me doing a happy dance here). But what really tickles me about my now- less- than- adventurous-life are the benefits of my other professions. As well as being a writer, I am a personal safety/self-defense/defensive tactics trainer and expert witness. Sure I get to travel around the world to teach people crime avoidance, personal safety and martial arts, but I also teach cops and military. And yes there is a BIG difference between marital arts and self-defense Another weird job I do 'violence reconstruction' in court cases. That means I watch a video a few thousand times and tell people what they are seeing on the tape. This includes a lot of report writing (not fun) and testifying in court (which oddly enough, can be both interesting and fun).
This is why it's not a bad thing when I say I have a court appearance. But the real benny is something I bet you don't know anybody else who can say. That's *drumroll* Attorneys pay ME!
How cool is that for an ex-street thug turned protector?
About my alias "Animal" ... well, it's like a tattoo, I'm sort of stuck with it. It was not only my street name, but I started writing under that name. Folks that have known me for years still refer to me as that, but the wife and kid don't.
Although I have to tell you, my wild and dangerous past that earned my name is one thing. I was there, I survived, I have no intention of going back. But, what I find funny is how many romance writers find my works useful for writing their rugged heroes. When I asked I was told "You've lived the life of the characters we write about!"
Uhhh ... what did Louis L'amour say about that again?
Who I'd like to meet: Authors interested in making their action and characters more realistic.
Online Now!
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