Here they are all lined up against the wall. There's Chet, the blue-eyed cowboy, and Jake,
the hunky CEO. Why not admire Simon, the dashing jewelry thief or Antonio, the dark and
brooding lord of the estate. The job of creating a hero is almost done, right? After all,
if the writer picks out an occupation and describes the gorgeous man in detail, the
readers will fall all over themselves to lust over the creation.
Ah… maybe not.
Why do some heroes reach into every reader's heart and strike a cord, while others are
immediately dismissed? What are the ingredients that make a romantic hero stride off the
page, capturing the imagination and love of the audience, instead of being one of a dozen
handsome guys that are forgotten as soon as the book is put down?
All heroes share some common traits. Heroes are those men that inspire those around them.
These men sacrifice when others fail to step forward. They have the strength of mind and
will to carry on when all seems lost. Truly great heroes tap into the universal emotions
that we all share. Their experiences ring true to the human spirit, and their tragedies
and triumphs strike a chord of recognition in all who hear their tales.
But each genre has specific qualifications for their heroes. While action-adventure heroes
need strength and courage, and mystery heroes require tenaciousness and smarts, romantic
heroes have their own set of requirements that, when used skillfully by the writer, will
lift them above the crowd of gorgeous, but uninteresting men populating the bookshelves of
the nearest store. Memorable romantic heroes all embody three ingredients that are
necessary to tapping into the romance reader's emotions.
First, the romantic hero must have PASSION.
The hero must care about something. Whether it's finding the killer of his mother, or
guarding his heart from further pain, he must be passionate in his quest to succeed. A
hero that is just sliding through life, unable to feel strongly about anything around him,
is a hero that will soon irritate the reader. Especially in romance, the man must feel
deeply, react strongly and be passionate about what he wants. Lacking this key ingredient,
he becomes a man that no reader will put on her keeper shelf.
Second, the romantic hero must have TENDERNESS and VULNERABILITY.
Two sides of the same coin, tenderness towards others and a vulnerable heart are vital
qualities for a hero. Think of the image of a big man holding a tiny baby or a man
admitting his darkest secret, and the power of these two ingredients becomes apparent.
Beneath the hardened façade of the hero, must lie a soft heart - one that protects rather
than hurts, and one that hides pain mixed with hidden desires. Used effectively, these two
qualities can live long in the reader's memory and bind them emotionally to the hero.
Third, the romantic hero must be LARGER THAN LIFE.
This phrase is used often, but many writers don't have a clear understanding of what it
means. One of the reasons it's vital to have a grasp of this aspect of heroism is that
it's so closely tied into why people read romance.
In real life, a man has many faults. He leaves the toilet seat up, he forgets a birthday.
He leaves his socks by the side of the bed, and doesn't pay attention to his wife when she
talks. Some men are even worse - they fail to take care of their children, or lose their
temper and control on a regular basis, or betray their wife with another woman.
But a romantic hero, though he may have one or two faults, will ultimately never
disappoint. He will always be there in a crisis. When the going gets tough, he never walks
away. Yes, he makes mistakes, but at the essential moment, when the heroine needs him to
come through, he does. And this quality sets him above a real man - it makes him larger
than life. We all know the frailties of the men we love in real life, but when we read a
romance novel, we know that this man, this hero, will never betray us, will never leave us
holding our bleeding hearts in our hands. He will cope with any tragedy, endure any pain,
in order to make sure that the heroine is secure, happy and in love by the end of the
story. As romance readers, we can appreciate the essential goodness of a man, without
dealing with the irritating habits and weaknesses that come along with men in real life.
Three ingredients: PASSION, TENDERNESS/VULNERABLITY, LARGER THAN LIFE. Used effectively,
they will elevate a forgettable hero into a hero that will last long in the reader's
imagination. And in her heart.
A life-long reader of romance, Caro LaFever has written six books - fiction and
non-fiction. A founding member of Heart of Denver Romance Writers, she's finaled several
times in the prestigious Orange Rose contest and in the Emily contest. Her long
contemporary, "Night Dreams," is a 2000 Golden Heart finalist. Her non-fiction
book, "The Complete Writer's Guide for Heroes and Heroines," published by Lone
Eagle and co-written with Tami Cowden and Sue Viders, will be released in May of 2000. She
writes a monthly column called "Beyond Writing" for Painted Rock's online
magazine, and teaches classes at Painted Rock and University of Denver.
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