Writers Tricks of the Trade January-February 2015

PRESS “CONTROL” THEN CLICK BUY TO PURCHASE THE BOOK MAKE THE GUYS IN YOUR NOVELS MORE ROMANTIC J. L. GREGER The covers of romance novels suggest tall men with large chests and wavy hair are sexy, but that’s a cliché. No self-respecting author wants the hero in her novel to be a cliché. J. L. GREGER AND BUGS HOW CAN AUTHORS AVOID CLICHÉS? Look to reality, of course. Don’t tell your readers about the appearance of your male characters. Show your men in action. An article in Huff Press for Women (January 27, 2014) listed “the most attractive things that men do.” Don’t you love reading the results of all those silly surveys? I do. I turned this bit of “reality” into suggestions for developing romantic male characters in novels of any genre. 1. Show the hero at work. Let him talk about his interests and beliefs with enthusiasm and knowledge. Dumb hunks aren’t attractive to most readers anymore. The work doesn’t have to be glamorous. Sweaty biceps certainly worked for many movie “bad boys.” BUY 2. Make the male protagonist take time to listen to women. In contrast, a good trait for a villain would be to have him interrupt the heroine every time she speaks. 3. Describe how the hero looks at the heroine. This is especially effective if other attractive women are present and if the look connotes an emotion other than lust. 4. Demonstrate the hero being kind to pets, children, or strangers at least twice in the novel. BUY 5. Even in adventure novels, make your lead male character do small, thoughtful, practical acts for the heroine. A wealthy protagonist would seem more romantic if he did a load of laundry without being asked than if he bought a dozen roses. A man cooking dinner and cleaning up afterwards, even if done awkwardly, is sexy to many women. 6. Give your hero a sense of humor, especially about himself. The villain might also have a sense of humor, but have him display his playfulness through sarcastic remarks about others. Cont’d… WRITERS TRICKS OF THE TRADE Page 5 JAN-FEB 2015

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