Friday, January 24, 2014

Heroines - or How to Get Roarke


Okay, I’m a JD Robb fan and I love Eve Dallas and Peabody. And if a heroine can get a hero like Roarke, then that’s the woman I want to write.
I know, I should have posted a picture of Eve, but honestly, I'd rather look at Roarke. How about you?


Our blog this week is what type of heroine draws you to a story. Now you now my type of heroine--it’s Eve Dallas. I love the way JD Robb develops her characters. She weaves traits into the personality and story that readers, at least this reader, fall in love with. Her heroine is tough, smart, sexy, honest, and know what she wants. She’s very moral and she helps others grow to their potential. She’s socially awkward, but works on becoming a good friend and support. She has a terrible childhood and background but has overcome it. It’s made her stronger and the person she has become.


I think I’ve always like strong women. Even if they aren’t strong at the beginning of a story they develop into someone who can overcome their challenges and survive. I also like heroines who are smart, have goals and work toward them as the story develops.


 
Do I write this type of heroine? I wish I could say yes, but I struggle to write the heroine I really want her to be. I know her in my mind, but I find it’s a challenge to weave all the characteristics into the story so the readers will fall in love with her and root for her, without doing an information dump or telling--not showing.


I’m looking forward to reading everyone else’s thoughts on heroines and the heroines they write.


You can check them all out or follow the trail by going to Diane Bator’s blog at http://dbator.blogspot.ca


The other sites to check out are:


17 comments:

  1. It is hard to write a strong, but likable character.

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  2. I love Eve and of course Roarke. It's funny but I didn't see him as your photo until I looked at it a while.

    Eve is a strong woman who is driven. I'd love to write characters like her but I also want to have my own characters. Not everyone can be damaged police officers. Some have to be divorced women who are able to continue on even though they were damaged by their spouses.

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    1. I agree about writing strong characters. Mine are doctors running from a dysfunctional family or in the witness protection program, but I'd like them to have the characteristics JD Robb infuses into her characters.

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  3. I agree! It is a struggle to write remarkable heroines.

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    1. It's definitely a struggle - an ongoing one and I have got there yet.

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  4. Your model man kind of looks like Hugh Jackman, who I only find sexy when he's Wolverine. I keep waiting for the X-men to have some really strong heroines, but the movies keep disappointing me.

    Strong females seems to be a universal thread here. I wonder who keeps reading all of those "billionaire doms/inexperienced virgins" books? Someone must, and someone else is writing them. It must be a theme some enjoy. Like you, I prefer to be able to identify with the heroine, which means if she's weak and wimpy, I'm not going to finish the book!

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    1. Sorry about the "Roarke" picture. I know each of us has a different hero in our mind. So just switch him for your perfect hero.
      I don't know who reads those books either.

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  5. Give me a strong heroine every time. I fall back on Eleanor Roosevelt's quote when I write my heroines: A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water. And for me, the hotter, the better.

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    1. Oh, I love that quote. And I've always thought Eleanor Roosevelt strong woman and a great lady.

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  6. I believe that novels which are character driven, rather than plot driven, produce stronger heroes and heroines. With Gone With The Wind as an example, you may not remember much about the Civil War, but you remember Scarlet and Rhett. Dracula brings to mind Mina and Jonathan. I agree, strong heroines are a must!

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  7. You could be right about character driven books. I know my problem with writing that remarkable heroine, is I'm plot driven. I love writing the plot.

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  8. I think combining both character and plot driven makes for an amazing book. I don't know if I've ever succeeded with it. I think mine tend to be more character driven than plot. The characters speak to me. I don't know the plot until I've written the story.

    I like strong, bold, smart heroines, too.I don't think they necessarily have to have a rough childhood, but they definitely need baggage. The one I'm writing about in my current WIP has just lost both of her parents within a year of each other and is dealing with paranormal activity. It's turning out very interesting... to me, anyway. LOL

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    1. Hey Marci, Thanks for dropping by. I agree, they definitely need baggage and things to work through. You're present heroine does sound very interesting. Let us know when the book is finished.

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  9. Barbara, I can't identify with your heroine because I don't read mainstream. Sounds like weaving in traits and characteristics is the key, a long as they are realistic for me. I'm not drawn to women who are too much like Jean Claude Van Damme. *lol*

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  10. That's okay Ginger. I think a lot of the characteristics that have been pointed out relate to any genre. They don't have to be martial arts experts. I think the best line I saw, was that the heroine should be someone we'd want to have as a friend.

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