tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post112770432770074552..comments2023-11-03T06:29:07.280-05:00Comments on The Bandwagon: Sympathetic HeroinesMJFredrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127946344905073702005-09-28T17:25:00.000-05:002005-09-28T17:25:00.000-05:00Cece, what do you like about Jordan? I find her wa...Cece, what do you like about Jordan? I find her way abrasive. And yes, Sydney is whiney. Imagine what she's going to be like this season!<BR/><BR/>Good luck redeeming your heroine!MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127915134476543132005-09-28T08:45:00.000-05:002005-09-28T08:45:00.000-05:00Somehow or another I missed surface. I LOVE Jill's...Somehow or another I missed surface. I LOVE Jill's character on Crossing Jordan...and kate...but Sydney whines too much. I noticed that even in Season 3. <BR/><BR/>TOugh heroines are TOUGH to write but I agree, give them one softening characteristic and/or motivation for being that way and you can definitely hook a reader. My current heroine is a money grubbing ho =) I have no clue how I'm gonna redeam her when I edit.Amie Stuarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14145328243563702260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127791564580027892005-09-26T22:26:00.000-05:002005-09-26T22:26:00.000-05:00Mary Beth, you remember I was struggling with a wi...Mary Beth, you remember I was struggling with a wimpy hero early in this WIP. It's so hard to figure out how much emotion to show. <BR/><BR/>JoAnn, you're dead on about finding the right heroine for the book. I hope I've done that with mine, and that they're not too much alike.MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127789448730039652005-09-26T21:50:00.000-05:002005-09-26T21:50:00.000-05:00I love to see a hero peel away the layers. Actuall...I love to see a hero peel away the layers. Actually, one of my favorite things in reading AND writing is the hero being intrigued by the heroine. What makes him interested? What keeps him interested?MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127785365409009042005-09-26T20:42:00.000-05:002005-09-26T20:42:00.000-05:00One thing I'm struggling with now. Making my hero...One thing I'm struggling with now. Making my heroine strong and distant when she's around the hero without having it come across as her just being really bitchy. Because she really is unsure of herself and vulnerable. He has to peel away the layers to find that person.Teresa Harrisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09000600005136863441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127780500036033532005-09-26T19:21:00.000-05:002005-09-26T19:21:00.000-05:00Very true. I loved the two tough heroines I wrote,...Very true. I loved the two tough heroines I wrote, but the editors didn't. My new heroine is driving me crazy because she seems like such a victim. It's so hard to balance tough and sympathetic. I'm glad I didn't watch the last Alias season.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127774478583612552005-09-26T17:41:00.000-05:002005-09-26T17:41:00.000-05:00Good thoughts all, Mar. I can think of wimpy hero...Good thoughts all, Mar. I can think of wimpy heroines I've written before...and those were the books that never seemed to get off the ground. I think there's a correlation. <BR/><BR/>My last book had a heroine who wanted to hang tough about NOT getting involved...but she made the decision to do so because she knew she had to do the right thing. In the course of that, she was forced to face who she really was and embrace it, in order to defeat the murderer. She was a tricky one to write...loving single mother, self-protective but also a real lioness when it came to her family, afraid to let outsiders in but aware that she had a higher calling that she couldn't ignore. Whew. I loved her. Still do. She's the strongest heroine I've written. I hope I can do as well on future ones.<BR/><BR/>I've discovered that as much as I love my heroes, I have to love, respect, and identify with my heroine in order to truly bring her out. She has to be a woman I'd want to (or at least be willing to) be, even if she's as different from the real me as night and day. <BR/><BR/>JAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127772825391306732005-09-26T17:13:00.000-05:002005-09-26T17:13:00.000-05:00Michele, that sounds like a great character!Toni, ...Michele, that sounds like a great character!<BR/><BR/>Toni, I totally agree with the character arc, but I think the heroine has to have a touch of sympathy, something the reader can relate to. I'd think a rape victim who closed herself off would be a very sympathetic character.<BR/><BR/>Stacy, yes, I like reading about tougher heroines - I like writing them, too. But it's sure hard to find the balance.MJFredrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06881706931355203700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127747321453965982005-09-26T10:08:00.000-05:002005-09-26T10:08:00.000-05:00And at the start of a book you are looking for som...And at the start of a book you are looking for somewhere for you character to go emotionally. <BR/><BR/>My first heroine was a victim of rape and totally closed off and dangerous. The whole romance story is about her getting over her past and learning to trust in something as basic and complex as love. Shouldn't have given myself such a difficult start!!!<BR/><BR/>Greta post Mary. Makes you think.Toni Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348843511453338339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127743922698011132005-09-26T09:12:00.000-05:002005-09-26T09:12:00.000-05:00To me, a heroine can be strong and smart without b...To me, a heroine can be strong and smart without being rude and insensitive. My current heroine who tends to keep her wits about her in stressful situations and in the past has taken flack for it. One of the reasons she falls for my hero is that he likes that about her. I hope readers will connect with that.MicheleKShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14395738979569634630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13241994.post-1127739575927884402005-09-26T07:59:00.000-05:002005-09-26T07:59:00.000-05:00Another great post. And thanks for the compliment....Another great post. And thanks for the compliment. :)<BR/><BR/>It is a fine line to tread, to make a heroine tough and competent without making her too much so or even edging into bitchy.Trish Milburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812010789617982102noreply@blogger.com