Certainly I agree too about loving your characters. I will have to try harder with my heroines I think.

Equally take it from me — the journalist got things slightly twisted. Her big problem was that her heart was not in her story. YOu actually have to love your characters

I saw the Guardian article and thoght the same as you – so hard to please everyone.

XX

Rach – your heroines are lovely. No, definitely quirks are a GREAT thing in my book. 🙂

Joanne – yeah, that’s a good way of looking at it. As to heroines, I’m not a fan of victims either. I reckon they have to give as good as they get. As to Dr Jax, well, he is worth is his weight. There won’t be many men you can chat intelligently about your romance novel with!

Lorraine – appealing to everyone is hard. Not sure if I’ve nailed it yet to be honest.

Hey Laura! Just posted a congrats on eHarl for you. Anyway, you’re so right. You have to love and identify with your characters first because otherwise, who else will? And I have to confess to not liking my heroines all that much – which maybe my problem. Is it possible to be jealous of one’s own heroines?? 🙂

Felicity – true enough! Better read your blog post eh? Sun and surf sound fab.

Kristy – that’s so right re the heroines having to have ‘something’. And yeah, it has to be more than just visual interest.
Ah, winter in the UK… I remember it. At least you have snow.

Lacey – yep, mellowing out my heroines is something I’ve got quite adept at cos I’m always having to do it! 🙂

Good points about the heroines. I’m battling with mine at the moment, trying to make her the sort of person you would want to hang out with for a whole book without her being too off the wall. Very difficult. These heroines have to have something about them though, don’t they? Otherwise why would the hero fall in love with them? I guess it should be very much about how they respond to things rather than how they project themselves visually that gives them a personality (as you’ve already mentioned).

Hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday (very envious). It’s just started to get cool in the day now here in the UK and the nights are drawing in….

Kristy

Great post.

Now you’ve got me thinking about the whole heroine thing,and I think I tend to make the heroine someone I can identify with. Sometimes that means though that I have to check my own personal opinions too. But ultimately I do think the writer has to love her characters-of course they have to appeal to a wide range of readers, but if the writer doesn’t love them, who will, LOL? Sorry for the rambling entry.

Have fun and enjoy the rest of your time away!

laura

I sympathise re. the internet problems, I found it hard being away and was definitely suffering from frustrated writer’ syndrome too! Enjoy the rest of the break and just look forward to all that writing time when you’re finally let loose on your laptop 🙂