Until I started writing this post, I thought I knew what I liked in heroes: strong, silent types, intelligent men who appreciate a woman and allow her the freedom to shine and be herself. Great lovers who kept their emotions tightly bound in public. Their faults usually consisted of being overly judgmental and frequently unforgiving because of disastrous prior love affairs. Circumstances the heroine must overcome and change or discover the inner-man through her own tribulations. Sometimes these heroes cannot respond to the heroine because of some secret they must keep, or some business they must complete. That seems to be the style of most male counterparts I write for my heroines because, quite frankly, most of my stories center on the female lead. So, do I need to like all aspects of my heroes?
After some thought, I decided my preferences seem to be very limited and perhaps gender-biased. Men don't have to be all valor and strength, enduring dire circumstances for the woman they believe they love— self-sacrificing and honorable.
Most men do not fit that profile, not that they don't have the wherewithal to be so. They're human. They can be noisy, talkative, bragging jokers; irritating individuals who are sometimes thoughtless, rambunctious, attention-seeking, or manipulative finaglers. While these adjectives sound pejorative to my now sensitive ears, new insight says these characteristics might not define the character. They could show a very different type of hero, but a hero nevertheless. Something for me to think about: maybe I need to put more human frailty into my heroes.
Please go on to Fiona McGeir's blog on this topic. Listed below are other participating authors. If you miss a link while making the round, come back and try it again.
Geeta Kakade
Diane Bator
Marci Baun
Lynn Crain
Beverley Bateman
Ginger Simpson
Connie Vines
A.J. Maguire
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