So – you’ve created a heroine with confidence, despite her flaws and fears, one who has a goal that will drive her through the story. But you need one last element of a Heroic Heroine – and that is…
Beauty
Your heroine needs a special kind of beauty, both inner and outer that only the hero can see/love. Something special, only hers. Maybe it’s her eyes, but also the way that she can look right through him and see what he needs. Or maybe it’s her patience. Maybe it’s her strength to see the good, or believe in the good.
Beauty – what is it? An informal Warren family poll taken a couple years ago elicited very different responses:
16 year old boy: Someone who is smart.
13 year old boy: A girl who can run fast. (not sure why)
11 year old boy: Nice hair.
15 year old girl: Someone who is unique.
Married old guy: Softness. Someone who is happy and cheerful.
What makes beauty? I think we can all agree that the bible points out that beauty comes from inside, and I agree. A crabby person, regardless of how beautiful, gives off a sheen of ugly. But a lovely person who exudes kindness can be very pretty.
When we’re creating a heroine, especially in a romance, but even in a suspense, she has to possess her own beauty. All heroines will have something about them that makes them pretty to the hero. They could be genuinely pretty – and then, only get prettier as the hero gets to know them. Or, they could be plain, and turn gorgeous as their inner nature is revealed. The key is, the hero has to see it, and appreciate it.
For example, let’s talk about one of my favorite actresses – Jodie Foster. Love her. She’s an amazing actress. However, I wouldn’t peg her as beautiful. One of my favorite movies of hers is Maverick, where she stars as a gambler against Mel Gibson. She’s a scamp, (and he likewise), doing what she has to get to into the big poker tournament (even stealing Mel’s money!). But the more she tricks Mel, and teases him, the more she turns irresistible to him. Her scoundrel ways is what draws him to her, and they make a perfect team.
What makes your heroine beautiful?
Beauty is unique to every man, every person. I see beauty in my daughter’s creativity, her independent spirit. My husband sees his daughter’s cheerful smile, the way she admires him. I don’t even what to know what the boys in her class see (maybe I don’t want to know!), but I know her friends see someone who listens, who gives wise advice.
It’s these inner qualities that make a heroine beautiful (and likewise, a man handsome!) However, they are specific to each person. So, what does your hero see in your heroine? How do we discover your heroine’s unique beauty?
We start “with the eye of the beholder” and we look at their vacancies, and their strengths.
What are our beholders vacancies?
Everyone has things they are not good at. Maybe it’s the tendency to speak when you should listen. Maybe it’s being wound so tight you can’t relax. Maybe it’s the inability to commit to something, for fear of it backfiring. Whatever it is, we are often drawn to someone who has a strength in that area. I’m hearing Jerry Maguire in my head, “You…complete me.” It’s those opposite, completing qualities that a hero might find attractive (as well as, sometimes, annoying!) My sweet hubby can be brusque and insensitive sometimes. He counts on me to be the gentle one, to clue him into his foibles.
When you are looking for beauty, Ask: How does your heroine balance or complete the hero?
What are your beholder’s strengths?
My husband is an adventurer. He loves to travel, and discover new things. And he loves the fact that I am a willing participant. Not only that, I hand over my visa and the map and say, “wherever we end up, I trust you.” (This has taken some training over the years!) But I’ve heard him say, “I love the fact that you keep up with me.” Beauty is also found in acceptance, encouragement, and like-mindedness. A man loves a woman who loves the things he loves. What does your heroine do that affirms the hero? How does she accentuate his strengths?
As the story progresses, your hero will see the outside of your heroine less and less, and her inside more and more, which will only accentuate her beauty on the outside. If she has freckles and lots of wild hair that at first is off-putting, he might gradually see her laughter and acceptance of him, and begin to love how they reveal her personality, until he adores those freckles and wild hair.
It doesn’t just apply to heroes, either. It can be a mother-daughter relationship, or a friend to friend relationship – because we all have vacancies and strengths, and those in our lives either complement them or accentuate them.
Irresistible…that’s what you are….
Being Irresistible. That’s really what beauty is all about – it’s that package that makes a woman (or man) simply take over our hearts.
In Return to Me why the heroine irresistible to the hero? First, because he’s desperately lonely. And she fills that vacancy through her wide embrace of others. She has a wide “family,” while he’s a loner, and has a hard time caring even for himself (the scene where his dog eats from the kitchen drawer is hilarious and sad). She also adds to his strengths – she has a humor he finds endearing (remember the bottled water scene?) and her humor and strength encourages his own ebbing spirit to keep going (remember, he’s building a gorilla park, against all odds).
My favorite line is after she’s left, and he goes in to talk with the old guys, asking for her address. He doesn’t know what to do and says… “I ache for Gracie.” She has a place inside him, and missing her has left a giant hole. Wonderful! Irresistible!
This beautiful quality is the last – and possibly the most important element – of a Heroic Heroine.
How is your heroine irresistible? What draws her to your hero, and why can’t he live without her? Go post your answers, or get help on figuring this out at www.mybooktherapy.ning.com. Every Voice Counts!
Have a wonderful Valentine’s weekend! May you find that irresistible and secret beauty of the one you love.
Susie May