And not meeting those challenges more often than I care to admit. That's a favorite because romance--and women's fiction--come to that, are the most forgiving genres of all.
Someone asked the other day what our favorite heroes are. I said mine were funny and flawed. The same thing would go for my favorite heroines. I never want perfection, whether it be in looks, behavior, or anything else that is integral to the character. If her looks are perfect, I hope she's clumsy. If he's built like a brick...ahem...built really well, I want him to be afraid of heights.
I'm charmed when the protagonists aren't especially rich, when they make mistakes, and when they're not entirely sure what they want from life.
Because if they had challenges, they met all of them already. Better writers than I have been able to crawl under their porcelain skins and silken tresses to find depths that I don't take the time to dig for. I envy and admire those writers, but I can't be one.
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I enjoyed reading your blog. I like my characters to fall in the gray...not quite perfectly good but struggling to be the way they want to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nora!
DeleteI love it when authors put in quirks for characters like being clumsy or being afraid of heights. I especially like humor in romance. I don't mind when characters don't have flaws, but when they do, it makes them feel real. Like you could be friends with them. I love that! Makes it harder to leave the book when you finish it!
ReplyDeleteMe, too. I want to be comfortable with them.
DeleteLove the fall colours in your picture, Liz!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bonnie. I was so proud of it!
DeleteI love Romancing the Stone. *happy sigh*
ReplyDeleteMe, too, and getting to know Catherine Lanigan, who wrote it, made me love it all the more.
DeleteI also like imperfect protagonists because they give me hope. I'm not perfect either but if they can have an HEA, then hopefully I can, too. I don't like a lot of angst (so I don't sob much) and I do like a lot of witty banter (because I'm kind of mouthy myself). I agree that "Romancing the Stone" was a wonderful movie!
ReplyDeleteKaren H near Tampa (kesh307 at yahoo dot com)
Yes! And yes, you can! Thanks for coming by.
DeleteI love the emotions a skilled author can instill in her characters so I feel their pain, their frustration, their triumph, along with that endorphin rush of falling in love. Romancing the Stone was absolutely brilliant that way.
ReplyDeleteIt was, wasn't it? Such a great story.
DeleteI loved Romancing the Stone!! And I love characters that are flawed also! It makes them more real.
ReplyDeleteIt does, and I think more fun, too!
DeleteI love the initial meeting. It is so very telling.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
It can be--at least you find out what can of worms is opening up. :-)
DeleteI love your front porch, I have always wanted one with rocking chairs to sit and enjoy while I'm reading my books!
ReplyDeleteMsredk at aol dot com
I love it, too. My brother built the porch swing, which adds to the specialness out there.
DeleteI love humor in my books! I also like romance because no matter their troubles they always have a happy ending.
ReplyDeletemarthalawson8 (at) gmail dot com
Amen to happy endings!
DeleteI love porches. They make life seem more leisurely and relaxed.
ReplyDeleteThey do. It's hard for me to consider a house complete without one.
Delete