I've been thinking a lot about my hero recently. He's a loner. Is he too dark? Is he too in touch with his feelings? As my first 'bad boy' I've worked hard to achieve a balance. But it seems to me the heroine trips us 'pre-published' up in a lot of cases. Can she be strong and likeable? Can she have vulnerability but not be weak?
It seems to me that for catagory our heroines have to be particularly aspirational. In HDP i have a heroine who didn't tell the hero that she was pregnant because he'd left town. Some contest feedback from another story and a friend's feedback on hers has me thinking that I'll need to work very hard to make sure her choice is justified. Did she try hard enough? Did she have a good enough reason not to hunt him to the ends of the earth?
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I'm not sure. More thinking required. I think.
Ohhh, he's hot. Very hot. Wish he'd ride past my house, slowly, very slowly...
ReplyDeleteBut I get you, Bec when you talk about the heroine and her actions being believable in this day and age. Why wouldn't she tell him? The stigma of single parenthood is gone.
It's hard.
I ask my heroine, why wouldn't you tell him? Why don't you want this man in your child's life, not necessarily yours, but why would you deny your child a father. Hmmmmm. I think it has to be so compelling. Is there something in his past she's afraid of exposing her child to? Does she intend to, but something happens and she feels he's abandoned her? Does she in fact tell him or try and tell him and he cuts her off before he disappeared?
You've given me some fantastic food for thought. THANKS!
Sandii
Mmmm, I love a bad boy... Right, where were we?? Ah yes, heroines. My achilles heel! They do have to be aspirational for category and getting that nice balance between strength and weakness is a tricky one.
ReplyDeleteSandii has some good advice. Her reason for not getting in touch with him would have to be very strong. Did he cover his tracks too well? Did she try to get in touch but then wasn't able to and now too much time has passed? Y'know, the longer you leave it, the harder it gets?
Oh good idea Jackie! Maybe he covered his tracks so well, buried his past, changed his name that she couldn't find him. Couldn't afford a private investigator. Maybe she's never stopped looking for him? Kept milestones from her child's life for him and bang imagine when he arrives in her life and she gives him the box of report cards, paintings and he realises how much he missed. Sorry, going off randomly (as I do...)
ReplyDeleteThat would make her aspirational.
Sandii
Oh this man his HAWT! must be something in the air, hey!
ReplyDeleteHe is HAWT!!! Can I keep him!
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the heroine and think both Sandii and Jackie have given some great ideas. My brain's dead at the moment, so sorry I'm not much help :)
I'm with Rach, my brain's a little dead lol! But I wouldn't mind keeping the guy as my manpet either? ;)
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