Hi everyone,
After all of your amazing, insightful responses to our last Advice Swap on dealing with writer’s block, we’re back with our second topic…
Where do you find the inspiration for your heroes?
We know everyone has their own experiences of writing romance – so share your unique tips, stories and solutions in the comments section below!
8 replies on “Advice Swap: Where do you find the inspiration for your heroes?”
Totally random. All I know is they’re always tall. My husband is very tall too. We have massive children.
TV/films, the news, just living life (people-watching), family, friends, co-workers, etc.
Also I think it’s not just about the personality of your hero, but the situation he finds himself in and how he reacts to it.
For instance, for my people-wary #Oooh…Canada! hero, I pulled bits and pieces from the relatives I’ve met who dislike associating themselves with their first culture in order to adopt another culture that suits them. I’m not sure if this can be called cultural assimilation, but there it is. My inspiration. 🙂
I think I’m also inspired by what I find lacking as a reader. I love a good Alpha just as much as the next chick, but if the market is overflowing with Alphas I’m bored. I love Twinkies too, but a dozen of them will make me sick. So, then I’ll write a non-Alpha. It’s also terribly important to me that the Hero is believable. I need to believe he is *capable* of being a responsible partner for life. If I see a shelf full of Bad Boys, you better believe the next book I write will have a Single Dad who changes poopy diapers in it. 😉
I think it can sometimes be difficult to find inspiration for a hero. There is a lot of cynicism in the world, from sport heroes who lie about cheating in order to win or things that just are not as simple to understand as they were before.
I do sometimes think about the movies made in Hollywood in the depression years, when people wanted entertainment that took them out of their grim situations, at least for a time. A hero is like those movies, shiny and bright, and dressed to the nines. The challenge for me is not to make ithe story trite, I don’t want a hero who is too shallow to be remembered. So for that reason, I try to notice behaviour that stops me in my tracks. It’s often kindness that does it for me. Yesterday, someone asked me how I was, and paused to wait for my answer. I can use that in my hero.
The news is full of real-life Heros. People who are willing to be courageous and selfless. I use facets of these people when writing the back story for my main characters. Truth is stranger than fiction so sometimes it has to be tons down.
And I hate autocorrect…
My first hero was based loosely on a real person I used to run into. Now I get insight from TV, Movies, My own head (they just visit when I write) I’m not crazy I swear.
I’m married to my hero. He even has an honest-to-God medal for bravery. He inspires my writing.
Comments ( 7 )
I spent the entire shutdown working. Had no time to wind down. I didn’t see my son much when school shutdown. My one co worker was told to stay home for 3 weeks so I picked up her hours. This year has been really crappy.
Ugh, Janell. Here’s hoping the rest of your summer is better.
Thanks for the info, Carol! Everyone is different in how they deal with the shutdown! I stay at home all the time since I don’t work so I haven’t been too effected but my shopping and errands sure have been effected!
Valri, I’ve been doing most of my shopping online. My local Target is still low on some items – mostly cleaning supplies. Grocery store is pretty much back to normal. Most of the dining in our town is outdoor. I can’t imagine have school-age kids!
Wow–getting your creative process on track must have been daunting–especially with “extra-large dog” glad to have you home. You don’t like coffee–I love coffee and have enjoyed my fortifying 2 cups in the morning even more than usual! How as COVID affected your story lines and characterizations? Best Wishes for all releases!
Interesting question, Virginia. You’ll have to tell me if the tone of my “COVID” books changed any! LOL
Life has changed so much! My dad passed Feb 2. The assisted living facility my folks were at went into hardcore lockdown the beginning of March. Mom couldn’t leave her apartment for 4 months! She was on the third floor, Will be 89 in two months & doesn’t use the phone. My husband and I remodeled the lower level completely and moved her in with us July 1. What a life change and difficult transition for the 3 of us! But we’re working thru it!