I'm incubating right now. 2 weeks to go before my due date, and it seems as though my brain has shut down. Sane, rational thought seems like a fantasy and even the simplest words are beyond my grasp.
So, do I have a blog post. No, not one that makes sense, but since Stephanie's post yesterday, I've been thinking about Vampire Eric and how he's become the main sex symbol from the show. A man less than nine episodes ago, went into the basement wearing foils in his hair, and flip flops and proceeded to tear apart one of his captives.
But a little vulnerability later(in addition to a hot actor, and he's a sex symbol. And I'm completely on board. Add the right characteristics, and we're so forgiving of bad behavior, because let's face it, no one's sexier than a reformed bad boy. At least in fiction.
Stephanie has great taste in boyfriends.
Because if Vampire Eric can make great boyfriend potential, then, where does that leave us as romance writers?
With as wide a choice as we want for our heroes, as long as we don't make them weak. I'm starting a new book soon, and the hero's characteristics have been top of mind. Because I always wimp out with him. I add vulnerability too soon, worry about his likeability, rather than make him truly alpha. And Stephanie's post reminded me not to do that again.
5 comments:
Two weeks! Only two weeks! I better get crocheting fast!!
I do think it's hard to keep our heroes and heroines interesting. It's so much more fun with secondary characters. They can be much more flawed and quirky.
LMAO at this "A man less than nine episodes ago, went into the basement wearing foils in his hair, and flip flops and proceeded to tear apart one of his captives."
I was thinking about that yesterday... The fact we were all drooling over a guy who threw a severed arm (or leg? I might have looked away) he'd just torn off a living person, at Lafayette, while wearing highlight foils and flip flops...
Are we sick or what?
But I agree that we need to commit to alpha male characters and not have them go all mushy right off the bat. That's not what readers want. It's clearly not what we all want. LOL.
Sinead! Good luck with the baby. My friend is also counting down the last two weeks so I see how tough it is.
And Eileen - I think the idea is to have as much fun with the hero/heroine as we do with the side characters.
True Blood could learn from this. I watch only for Sam, Jason, Eric, Lafayette, Tara etc.
I think we're so worried about making heroes/heroines "right" - which means likeable, empathetic, alpha whatever the sterotypes are that we forget they should be flawed and quirky too.
I can't believe you're having a baby in two weeks --- that's crazy.
I think you have to remember that the audience loves Eric because he's a third season development. The non-writer world needed boring bill and earnest sookie to get them into this show - A vampire who hated being a vampire.
I see you point, Molly, but I see Stephanie's, too. We can totally neuter our main characters by trying to keep them likable.
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