January, 25th, 2014
TOPIC: What type
heroine(s), traits, personality, in particular always draw you into the story?
Has it changed with time?
And do you write this type of heroine?
Heroines
who draw me into a story are ones
who:
1. Stand up for themselves.
2. Do not choose love for the sake of security
but demand to be loved back 100% before they will commit to a relationship.
3. Face a compelling
challenge other than the romance, from the word go.
4. Have a fault that makes them vulnerable and
human.
5. Someone who at least once in the story
'rescues' the hero from a predicament.
6. Insist on equality at every level.
This type of heroine draws me into a book and
makes me want to share her journey of external problem solving and self
discovery on the path of love.
In Faith, Hope and Love, my first traditional
romance and again in Daddy's Little Girl, my sixth, the heroines Rachel and
Sara don't have two nickels to rub together but they still stand up for the
things they believe in each in their own way.
Remember Anne of Green Gables, Jo of Little
Women and Portia in The Merchant of Venice? These were a few of my
favorite 'early' heroines.
The
changes time has brought about:
When I was first published in 1990, the
traditional romance category was for young women. Heroines in this
category fell in love, worked through challenges with the hero and then got
married before they consummated their relationship. When I had one couple
in bed before they were married in one of my books, I remember an editor
telling me, “Your heroine's not been married before so we can't have that
scene in here.” She went on to say, "If she's a widow or divorced
that’s okay but explicit love scenes belong in another romance category, not
yours."
Things have definitely changed since then with
90% of heroines now jumping into bed first and then working out their
relationship with the hero for the rest of the book.
When I tell people I write 'traditional romance'
they ask what's that and I explain. Then they look at me like 'She must
be the sister of the Dodo bird to be still writing those books!'
So, in today's world I'm a young adult writer
and that's a label that’s right for my books. I continue to use the
traditional romance label as well for those 'golden oldies' readers, like me,
who still recognize their favorite category by it.
Do I write about this type of heroine?
I do.
I have to sidetrack a bit and explain why this type of woman
is so important to me...
I read romances in India as a young girl (Essie
Summers, Anne Weale, Lucy Walker...to name a few). Hemmed in by
traditions that gave no leeway to women where marriage was concerned, I felt
trapped. The books I read reached into the head and heart of a ten year
old and gave me the idea it was all right to be independent and to want to love
someone and marry them because they loved you... not because your horoscopes
matched, or you were good looking and healthy and would have many sons to carry
on the family name, or well trained and would never give your husband a moment's
worry no matter what he chose to do, or that there was a large dowry offered to
diminish your faults and make you acceptable.
Back to the present:
I like to think that young girls all over the
world, not just in the USA, might read my books and get ideas from them of self
sufficiency, self worth and their rights in the decision making process about
one of the most important areas of life...their choice of a partner…just like I
did.
The women I write about now are not 'mooning' about
love; they are realists...they meet someone who makes them realize that life
has much more to offer with that special someone in it, but also that instead
of a guaranteed 'happily ever after' they are going to work every day at
building and maintaining a successful relationship.
They have to fall ‘in like’ with the hero first,
find common ground to sustain their initial interest for a relationship to
develop to the point where they cannot live without each other.
As for
personality traits....
I like my heroines to be intelligent, have a
sense of humor and be absolutely determined to support themselves so they are
not leaning vines who need to be propped up by a hero.
Christy, Bridget and Laurel, the three heroines
in my Cupid holiday trilogy, are all like this though they come from very
different walks of life.
When I’m writing a romance, I think of my
heroine as 'sleeping beauty being brought to life by the kiss of reality and
determining to have it all: a great personal life and success in work
that is vital to her...whether it is running a home, raising a family, having a
great career or running a country.'
I hope that strong heroines will continue to
inspire women all over the world to insist on their right to freely choose whom
to love and marry…just as they inspired me.
Thank you for your comments. The replies to your comments are in the next blog...
****************
Robin, thanks so much for letting me sound off
on a topic very dear to my heart.
http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
