OMG, I totally forgot it is Tuesday!!! It must be holiday crazy brain. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, get great bargains over the weekend (if you’re into that–I am much too lazy to leave my house after eating so much turkey and pie!), and check back here next Tuesday for a proper post….
I am definitely thankful for all our Risky readers!
The Harlequin Historical Holiday Giveaway is coming soon. This will be our third giveaway and again the grand prize will be a Kindle Fire HD (or equivalent tablet depending on your location). Starting November 27, play every day for more chances to win. Each participating author will have an activity planned on their website for their special day. At the end of the month on December 23, one grand prize winner of the Kindle Fire will be randomly selected from all the days’ entrants. The more days you visit, the better your chances! Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you.
Check my website or Amanda’s on the 27th for the Advent Calendar and the rules for entry. My prize day will be December 17, but I’ll give you all the details on the 27th.
Here are the participating authors and their dates:
Cheryl St. John – November 27
Elizabeth Rolls – November 28
Michelle Willingham – November 29
Annie Burrows – December 2
Ann Lethbridge – December 3
Marguerite Kaye – December 4
Barbara Monajem – December 5
Amanda McCabe – December 6
Louise Allen – December 9
Blythe Gifford – December 10
Kate Bridges – December 11
Michelle Styles – December 12
Georgie Lee – December 13
Jeannie Lin – December 16
Diane Gaston – December 17
Terri Brisbin – December 18
Julia Justiss – December 19
Lynna Banning – December 20
Grand Prize Drawing – December 23
Be ready to enter and celebrate the holidays with us.
You know the aphorism that there are only seven basic plots in the world?
There are also, therefore, a limited amount of character types, particularly in romance. I have started writing a new project, and am consulting The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines, which was mentioned at a workshop at the recent New Jersey Romance Writers’ Conference some of us attended last month.
My heroine is the Spunky Kid–loyal, a team player, witty, and with, obviously, spunk. The hero is the Bad Boy, an irresistibly alluring man with a bad attitude, and a chip on his shoulder. He mistrusts everyone-until they win his loyalty.
It’s been fun to browse through the book and read about the types of people who could come alive in the pages of my writing, and also to see what examples the authors cite as to certain character type pairings. I am not normally one for using reference books, but this really seems to have hit a chord with me, and I am excited to use it for plotting this, and future, books.
Do you find yourself wanting to read about a certain type of hero or heroine? The librarian, the seductress, the charmer, the best friend, the chief, or some other type?
(Darcy here is the Chief).
I often get behind on pop culture, but try to catch up during our weekly Take-out & Video Night. Lately we’ve been watching the Avengers films. While action alone is OK for my husband, but my daughters and I need more. Joss Whedon’s attention to characterization is what makes these movies for us. Every superhero is distinctly different from the others; there’s always internal as well as external conflict. That the franchise is a feast of attractive men also doesn’t hurt (though I’d like to see more female superheroes, too).
I find it amusing that I can discuss the relative hotness of all these superheroes with my daughters. Being writing geeks, we also like to analyze the characterization and plotting and since we are writing geeks, this doesn’t detract from the fun.
Tami Cowden, author of The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines, has developed a list of romance hero archetypes (read more here). Here’s my attempt to map these superheroes to archetypes. Sometimes more than one category seemed to apply, but OK, characters are like that.
Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth). Bold, nice to look at (such pretty muscles!), not always the brightest (so it’s good he’s paired with a scientist) but honorable. I say he’s a Swashbuckler though Chief and Warrior could also apply.
Captain America (played by Chris Evans). Kind and decent, he could be a Best Friend but also rises to be a Chief and Warrior when necessary. Also a bit of a Lost Soul since he’s out of his original time period. I told my daughters he’s the only Avenger I would allow them to date.
The Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo). Definitely a Lost Soul but also the Professor. I love that combination!
Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). I say Warrior but would like to see more of him to be sure.
Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) It’s hard to categorize a “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist”. I say Bad Boy but he also has elements of Chief, Professor, Charmer, Swashbuckler and Lost Soul.
Even though he’s technically a villain, I have to give Loki his hotness dues. My daughters are huge fans but I told them under no circumstances would I allow them to date Loki.
In the original mythology, he is often called a Trickster (a character who shakes things up but isn’t obviously evil). Marvel has made him into a villain. Using the archetypes from Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces, the Marvel version of Loki has elements of Trickster, Shadow and Shape Shifter. Back to Tami Cowden’s archetypes, on the hero side he could be a Lost Soul but according to her villain archetypes he’d be the Bastard and/or the Traitor. Whatever you call him, he’s fascinating.
So to the poll. Explain/discuss in the comments!
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