| If there's one thing women enjoy, it's curling up with a | | | | A gutsy heroine |
| great romance novel. | | | | The romance heroine is no fainting violet sitting around |
| What makes one better than the next? What does | | | | all day looking in the mirror thinking how beautiful she is. |
| one novel have that another doesn't. | | | | She's out there with the best of them, getting her |
| Is it the storyline? The hero? The heroine? It's usually a | | | | hands dirty, or up to her elbows in muck. A perfect |
| combination of everything that gels easily into | | | | heroine is Princess Leia in Star Wars, who did her |
| something memorable, while others can fall short of | | | | share of saving her world, not to mention Han and |
| the mark. | | | | Luke, from a cruel Empire. She'll try her utmost to go it |
| Great characters | | | | alone if she has to, but it's so much easier knowing |
| Cardboard cutouts need not apply. While many | | | | there's someone on her side. |
| women would rather marry the boy next door who'll | | | | Emotion |
| help her with the shopping. Or will happily change the | | | | That's what publishers are looking for. Emotion. Lots of |
| babies' diapers rather than go out and change the | | | | it, so give it to them. Although love is the greatest |
| world, they make for uninteresting romance heroes. | | | | emotion of all, don't forget other emotions are there for |
| The romance reader is looking for characters that are | | | | the asking: jealousy, envy, greed, fear, anger, hate, |
| larger than life. | | | | confusion, frustration, nervousness, loneliness. Explore |
| A hero to believe in | | | | them all and you could be on the way to creating a |
| The romance hero doesn't have to be a prince, a | | | | masterpiece. |
| billionaire, or a CEO, although it helps to keep the | | | | Plenty of GMC (goal, motivation, conflict) |
| wheels of fantasy oiled. Whatever he is, the hero will | | | | Give your story plenty of compelling reasons why the |
| give the heroine everything she wants and needs; | | | | characters do what they do. Give them goals to aim |
| support, help, a strong shoulder to lean on. She needs | | | | for, good reasons for wanting those goals (motivation), |
| to know that he is on her side nomatter what she is | | | | and conflict, what gets in their way. |
| facing. She needs an Alpha Male, a captain of industry, | | | | Follow these five golden rules and you'll be on your |
| a swashbuckling pirate, a knight on a white charger. | | | | way to creating a great novel. |