Guest Post by Author T.A. Grey
Hello, ladies (and any gents out there) I am so excited to be a part of Paranormal Craving’s Blog. Today I am sharing a funny little post I made (with pictures because pictures are fun) on what makes a good heroine. I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment below!
What makes a strong heroine?
As romance book-lovin’ ladies, we tend to analyze our heroes more than the heroines who we follow around in the novel. Now it’s really easy for us to like or dislike certain heroines because they aren’t “like us”. That’s completely understandable and that’s also why I search for books with sassy, outspoken women, and strong, business-type women as heroines. I personally don’t relate as much to mothers, stories about women in later stages of life, or stories about teenagers (I’m done with that stage of life and would like to keep it that way!). So I have my only little niche that I like.
I think many of us romance readers search for this “likable” heroine when we’re searching for books. As a writer, and as one who’s been told I write very strong and likeable heroines, I want to raise a question to you all. What makes a strong heroine? Because, while I’ve also been praised for writing strong heroines, some readers see that same heroine and call her “weak” or “immature”. All of this comes down to one’s own opinions and life experiences of course. But, today, as a guest post on the fabulous Paranormal Cravings blog, we are going to dissect the makings of a strong heroine.
Let’s take a dive into what makes a heroine strong, shall we?
Physical strength
Now, when I think of physical strength I think of Sarah Connor from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Sarah may be a character from a movie but she is a great example of physical strength (just look at those muscles). She’s tough, no-nonsense, and can fight if she has too. Other physically strong or even physically capable heroines might be Xhex from JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series or Rippley from Alien. These ladies might get scared, in fact they do, but they embrace that fear and overcome it. Some women don’t like this in their romance novels, what do you think? Do you relate or not?
Mental strength
A smart character is hard to write. And nobody likes a “know it all” whether in real life or in a book, so as a writer you have to tip-toe on that line carefully so you don’t make your smart character snobby (unless you want him/her to be). When I think of a smart heroine I think of Dr. Temperance Bones from the TV show “Bones”.
She’s intelligent and straightforward. When I think of smart characters in books I think of my character Abbigail Krenshaw from my paranormal romance novel The Fallen King. She’s good at her job which is studying to be a supernatural medical examiner for the police department. She uses her brain and thinks about things before making a decision. Sometimes the outcome can be hilarious to see her working things out, especially as she’s mentally cursing the demon who’s kidnapped her.
Other brainiac characters are Nix from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. Although, Nix may be a bit loony on the “mental” side. It’s still her strength and makes her quite unique! What do you think? Do you like your heroines to be intelligent? Now, of course none of us want a dumb heroine, so when I say intelligent, I mean her main quality is her brain.
Beauty, charm, and wit
Don’t we all wish we had Salma Hayek’s beauty, Jennifer Lawrence’s charm, and Kristen Wiig’s wit? Even if you are comfortable in your own skin I know I can’t be the only one who “wonders what if” I had this person’s beauty, charm, etc.
The beautiful heroine is about as common as the plain-Jane heroine in books. I like them both personally. Although, the amount of plain women getting godly good-looking men is a bit eye-rollingly funny. I love a charming and witty heroine as much as the next gal. I must because most of my heroines are like that. Here is an example of some sharp wittiness from Willow Bellum in BONDS OF FIRE, the second book in my Bellum Sisters series.
The Alpha only grinned. “I know everything I need to know.”
She tried not to ask, but it came out anyway. “Like what?” He smiled. It was the kind of smile that had probably charmed many women into his bed. Hundreds of them, thousands…sluts.
“That you are mine.” Willow snapped her teeth at him. He tossed back his head and laughed. “If you want to bite then go ahead, sweetheart. But be warned that my teeth are bigger, sharper, and longer.”
Willow snorted. Men. Always bragging. She looked pointedly at her chains and took a deep breath before she said, “Mind telling me why I’m chained to a bed. And know before you answer, that if you say I’m in your bedroom, I will kill you.”
A sharp wit can be so much fun to read in novels. These are the kind of characters I love to write about because that means I’m laughing as I write the book. Not much is better than that. J Besides, who doesn’t love a heroine that can charm the hero into giving into her wiles? What do you think: do you like beautiful, charming, or witty characters in your novels? Judging by my own collection of novels, I’d say yes. Though beauty isn’t a requirement and everyone has a different definition of beauty.
Quirkiness or Uniqueness
I think you can have a character with a combination of all the character traits we’ve already talked about and she may or may not be all that unique. She may come off as a normal woman, because maybe we all think we’re a little bit of each. But sometimes we get that really strange heroine. She’s different. Maybe not in a good way at all, but you will certainly remember her.
Think Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter. Or Catniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
She is definitely a memorable character with her odd mannerisms. Other quirky heroines may be (again) Nix from Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, or Kaylee Frye from the hit TV show “Firefly”. Firefly has long since been canceled but since it was written by character-driven writer Joss Whedon, it’s no wonder Kaylee is a strong heroine. Kaylee Frye is a genius mechanic who can run and fix massive engines on futuristic spaceships. Cool! And she’s weird, awkward, shy, and surprisingly bold on some occasions.
These characters are so much fun to follow around because they are so different from us. We want to be like them because we’d like to be that special. Who are some of your favorite quirky heroines?
To conclude
Well that’s all folks. I hope this got you thinking about heroines and what you like in a heroine, and what you don’t like. I must say I left one rather big characteristic out in this article simply because I’d end up writing a novel if I didn’t—and that is weaknesses. I personally believe that a heroine’s weaknesses are a large factor in why we like them. From a woman who can’t resist someone’s pleas for help (even to her own detriment); to a woman who must work hard every day, no stopping her because she has some goal she must obtain. The workaholic, the busybody who snoops and gets into trouble, the lawbreaker who will steal to get what she wants, a liar, a good-girl who goes bad—these are all negative traits that work to let us all relate, sympathize, and have a lot of fun watching the heroine get into trouble as the novel goes on!
Feel free to leave your own two cents in the comments section below!
Happy reading,
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~ About T. A. Grey~
I love to write the kind of stories that will keep you up late at night and make your heart pound. It’s my goal to make each new book better, more exciting, and more action-packed to keep thrilling you. I’m always trying to push the boundaries with my imagination, and yours, to create something new and different.
Open up one of my novels and you will find hot, erotic stories that will make you laugh out loud, cry, and fly through the pages. I write addictive love stories and I hope you like them.
Visit my website to learn more about my books at www.tagrey.com.
I found this blog a very good look into what it takes when coming across characters. We never really think about ALL of the aspects outside of appearance, some inner conflict. We don’t always take on these areas about every tidbit to a character, and this was a refreshing article to read!
Thank you very much!
Thank you for having my insights into strong heroines on your blog! 🙂