It’s Week 19 of the MFRW 52 Week Blog Challenge, and this week’s prompt is “The Ideal Romance Hero” which leads me to ask Alpha Male or Nice Guy?
Stephen Chaplin, my lawyer hero from Lady Elinor’s Escape looks like this.
I’m sure all of you have your own ideas about this question, but I think there’s room for different kinds of heroes. Like a lot of things in life, one size doesn’t fit all, and not every romance plot calls for an alpha male.
In the Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFeber, and Sue Viders, the authors analyze eight hero and eight heroine archetypes and how they interact with each other. This is one of my favorite writing tool to help with character development.
The eight male archetypes are the Chief, the Bad Boy, the Best Friend, the Lost Soul, the Charmer, the Professor, the Swashbuckler and the Warrior. The Chief and the Warrior are definitely alpha males, and the Best Friend is a beta. The others, I’m not sure, but all seem to be valid hero archetypes.
The Bad Boy is a fun archetype to write and fun to read about, though not always in real life. Can a bad boy be tamed outside romance novels? I think so. My dad was a bad boy until he grew up and married and had children. But in his youth, he was always in trouble, and he never took orders readily. He raised his only daughter to think for herself and stand up to unfairness, maybe because life is seldom fair for the bad boy. As a kid he was always the first one blamed if something happened in the neighborhood, and he was demoted twice in the Army! So I gotta love those bad boys, like Johnny in Dirty Dancing. Big sigh. And Jacques Corbeau, the bastard hero of my historical romance, Rogue’s Hostage.
Warriors can range from military men to crusaders for justice, as shown by the Sir Rolf, the werewolf knight of Ilona’s Wolf, and Stephen Chaplin, the crusading barrister of Lady Elinor’s Escape. Both are honorable men but fight in very different ways.
The Charmer is another fun archetype to write. King Calloway of Lily and the Gambler was largely inspired by Bret Maverick as played by James Garner. King can charm his way out of nearly any situation, but has a commitment problem. A recent review described him as “enticingly rakish.”
In short, for me there’s no one ideal hero. What do you think?
Please welcome today’s guest blogger, Ginger Monette, with her thoughts on Falling in Love: Writing Romance that Goes Beyond Attraction.
Have you ever wondered how couples fall in love?
As a romance novelist, it’s my job to weave a story that gives readers a front row seat to watch the unfolding of a beautiful love story.
Disdain
But how does a couple get from “Hello my name is” (or even “I despise you”) to “You’re my soulmate and I want to spend the rest of my life with you?”
Having been disappointed by numerous novels where the couple claimed to suddenly “be in love” without actually “falling in love,” I went on a quest to investigate this mysterious process of falling head over heels. What I discovered changed my writing.
I dissected some fifty romance novels and made notes. All the couples had hefty doses of attraction, but the most satisfying stories went beyond attraction to something deeper. They showed the characters passing through four phases that moved them step by step from “meh” (or downright hatred) to “wowie-zowie he’s the most wonderful person in the world.”
And each phase seemed to be characterized by distinct thought patterns. See if you think these phases and thought patterns ring true to real life—particularly if at first Prince Charming seemed to be more of a frog than a prince.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement of him:
Acknowledges some good quality about him (talented, kind, generous, etc)
Finds him attractive
Hyper aware of him, or hyper critical of his shortcomings (which often signals preoccupation or a subconscious denial of admiration)
Acknowledges an attraction, but blows it off
Appreciation
Appreciation of his good qualities:
Defends his character while not necessarily liking him
Is genuinely thankful for a good quality
Beginning to warm towards him
Not so judgmental towards him
More willing to consider his opinion on a matter
Admiration
Admiration:
Takes his advice
Imitates quality or action of his
Admits her initial criticism or objections were exaggerated or biased
Curiosity grows—willing to spend more time in his company
Acknowledges similar values or mutual interests
Finds she is thinking (fondly) of him more and more
Adoration
Adoration:
Openly acknowledges her love/warm feelings for him
Desires to be in his company
Thinks he is wonderful
Thinks he is perfect match
Misses him painfully when he is gone
Thinks about him constantly
So how did this awareness of stages change my writing? In my novel Darcy’s Hope ~ Beauty from Ashes, I kept these four stages and behaviours in mind as I crafted scenes.They became an outline of sorts that I wove with compelling action, mystery, suspense, and historical detail. I made sure the couple had ample opportunity to interact on a deep level, then continually gave voice to the heroine’s evolving inner thoughts to show their romance was based on more than physical attraction and chemistry.
Using this approach produced not only a thrilling story, but gives readers a deep sense of satisfaction as they watch the heroine’s tiny bud of acknowledgement open into appreciation, then expand with admiration, and finally blossom into full adoration.
Don’t we all ultimately desire a romance built on a foundation of compatibility and emotional intimacy rather than just a pitter-pattering heart?
The Darcy’s Hope Saga
Downton Abbey Meets Pride & Prejudice!
Escape to the era of Downton Abbey and experience all the drama of World War 1 alongside Jane Austen’s iconic Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy. You’ll watch their tender love unfold as they learn to work together and reconcile their differences at a field hospital only miles from the Front. When injury and espionage separate the couple, Darcy is crushed. But Donwell Abbey holds a secret that just might change everything.
“…a stellar example of fine Austenesque literature. …an exceptionally moving story complete with a compelling plot, danger, mystery, action, introspection, vivid detail, and an emotionally wrought romance.” ~Austenesque Reviews
The teacher always learns the most. And in homeschooling her children, Ginger Monette learned all the history she missed in school. Now she’s hooked—on writing and World War I.
When not writing, Ginger enjoys dancing on the treadmill, watching period dramas, public speaking, and reading—a full-length novel every Sunday afternoon.
In 2015, her WW1 flash fiction piece, Flanders Field of Grey, won Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s “Picture This” grand prize.
Ginger lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she happily resides with her husband, three teenagers, and two loyal dogs.
Note from Linda: I’m so impressed with what Ginger has done in analyzing so many romance novels. I’m also impressed that she has managed to combine two of my favorite things, Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey and come up with her own unique take on both.
What do you think? Add your comments to the conversation in the comments section.
It’s Week 19 of the MFRW 52 Week Blog Challenge, and this week’s prompt is “The Ideal Romance Hero” which leads me to ask Alpha Male or Nice Guy?
The Bad Boy is a fun archetype to write and fun to read about, though not always in real life. Can a bad boy be tamed outside romance novels? I think so. My dad was a bad boy until he grew up and married and had children. But in his youth, he was always in trouble, and he never took orders readily. He raised his only daughter to think for herself and stand up to unfairness, maybe because life is seldom fair for the bad boy. As a kid he was always the first one blamed if something happened in the neighborhood, and he was demoted twice in the Army! So I gotta love those bad boys, like Johnny in Dirty Dancing. Big sigh. And Jacques Corbeau, the bastard hero of my historical romance, Rogue’s Hostage.
The Charmer is another fun archetype to write. King Calloway of Lily and the Gambler was largely inspired by Bret Maverick as played by James Garner. King can charm his way out of nearly any situation, but has a commitment problem. A recent review described him as “enticingly rakish.”
The Darcy’s Hope Saga
About Ginger Monette: