How to Develop a Romance Hero

Romance novelist Sheri McGregor says romance heroes have evolved as social standards have changed. "The old-fashioned romance hero was dark and brooding, a man the heroine had to win over and somehow change. She still does that, but oftentimes today, the hero is friendly and interactive."

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Writing Courses
• Antiglare Computer Screens
• Laser Printers
• Printers
• Computer Desks
• Ballpoint Pens
• Notebooks
• Printer Paper
• Computers
• Laptop Computer
• Notebooks

1. Visualize your hero.

2. Think about real men you know or have seen whose characteristics you can blend to model your hero.

3. Develop a character study sheet, listing his physical and psychological traits and his personal history. Use it for reference as you write your romance novel.

4. Understand completely your hero's motivation.

5. Give him qualities that make your hero readily identifiable as an average person, yet allow him to be heroic and honorable.

6. Give him no flaws from which he cannot be redeemed, either by himself or by the heroine.

7. Fall a little bit in love with your hero, so that you can write about him with passion.

8. Write, write, rewrite and rewrite. Hone your novel, and the character study that is your hero, to perfection.

Tips & Warnings

• "'Know your market' will be a mainstay here, so get used to hearing it," says author Sheri McGregor.
• "Different romance lines have different types of heroes. Overall, even if your hero has some qualities that are unheroic (don't we all?), balance them out with good qualities and - important - make sure the reader knows why he's acting a certain way. The reader can't sympathize with a man who's acting out unless she knows what motivates him," McGregor says.
• "My opinion is that nice guys still finish last. Make him nice, but give him a little bit of an edge. Otherwise, he's like a Labrador retriever worshipping the ground the heroine walks on," McGregor says.
• "There has to be some suspense - will they or will they not get together? That's what keeps the reader reading to the end (even though a typical romance reader knows there's a happy ending)," according to McGregor.

[Ginitasd]

on 9/27/2008 Thank you for your good advice. As an aspiring romance novel writer I really appriciated your words.

[cbwriter45]

on 6/29/2008 No. Writing Courses isn't what aspiring writers need. Stop encouraging aspiring writers to take writing courses. The way to write a novel is write the type of novel you enjoy reading and find your own way of writing your novel. Writing courses are a waste of time and money. So are writing conferences and workshops. Sit down and start writing. Read constantly and write. BAD ADVICE. TO GIVE TO ANY ONE IS TO ENCOURAGE ASPIRING WRITERS TO TAKE COURSES AND WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES. BAD ADVICE. Advice like these are often given because writers don't know what to tell aspiring writers, and often these advices are not the best. I believe in order to write a romance novel or family novel or any type of novel, is to read in the genre you are most interested in writing in. This way, you will find your own style of writing and what works best for you. If you write these novels in a new way. Maybe a