Boys vs Girls

A while back, I recommended a few romance novels to a friend of mine. She had never read one before, so I picked out some of my favorites. She liked a few, but she found the others difficult to get into as she found the heroine annoying either in part or in totality. It’s a valid criticism, but one that got me wondering the other day about whether or not my characters were likable or not.

When I read a romance novel, I typically do not read that much into the heroine. If the book is written well, I find the heroine likable and will enfold the heroine into the full account of the story and, of course, find the whole reading experience more fulfilling. However, if the heroine is not someone that I can associate with either because of characterization or bad writing, I can easily dismiss it. That is, of course, if the heroine is not completely obnoxious. For example, I sometimes find the horse-crazy tomboys in regency period romances a bit off putting. I have never been a tomboy nor held an affinity for horses, even My Little Pony (I know!). Silliness aside, for me if the hero is strong and the resolution between the hero and heroine believable, I am able to forgive the small annoyances along the way.

What matters to you? The boy or the girl?

For my own writing, I would like both my hero and heroine to be likable (of course!). But, I find that it is becoming a more difficult task than I thought. As the author, I should like both characters and find a way to develop their characters in a manner that would relay their likability to my audience. At the same time, every reader "reads" romances differently...some read for the romantic storyline, ideal hero, relatable heroine, hot sex scenes, etc., etc. It would be impossible to please them all...or is it?

Page/Word Count:
87 pages
46,106 words