Alissa Baxter: The Essence of Attraction

Today's blog post is from ROSA member Alissa Baxter

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

When you write a romance novel, the attraction between the hero and heroine needs to crackle off the pages. It’s this romantic tension between the two main characters which drives the story forward and makes you want to continue reading.

An important aspect of attraction is mystery… the hero and the heroine need to spend time wondering about each other. A good way to create mystery in a novel is to have short, sparkling scenes of dialogue between the hero and heroine, interspersed with scenes where the main characters reflect about their interactions with the other person. The more they wonder about each other and try and figure each other out, the more they will become attracted to each other.

Another important aspect of attraction is desire… in order to keep the desire building between the hero and heroine, you should create obstacles between them that need to be overcome. This applies particularly to the hero of a novel, because the more he has to work for the heroine, the more he will appreciate her. Heroes in romance novels tend to be Alpha Males, who have the world (and most women) at their feet. That’s why it’s so important for men of this ilk to work hard for the heroine, because heroes who have it all need to be shaken out of their complacency if they’re ever to fall properly in love.

The third important aspect of attraction is confidence… even if you’ve created a shy, retiring female character she needs to have some element of confidence in herself, if she is ever to be a believable romantic heroine. If a heroine has no self-belief, it will be hard for the reader to believe in her and her love for the hero – it’ll appear to be a wishy-washy kind of thing without form or substance. The hero also needs to portray confidence in a romantic relationship so that the heroine (and the reader!) will fall in love with him. Just as a man leads a woman when they are dancing, in the same way a man’s confidence will either sweep a woman off her feet if it is present, or cause her (and the romance) to stumble if it is not.

Another important aspect in creating attraction between a man and a woman is unpredictability. In the beginning of a relationship the hero shouldn’t be able to predict the heroine’s behaviour, and vice versa. This generates romantic tension in a relationship, which creates an interesting dynamic between the hero and heroine. Of course, as the romance progresses the main characters will become more familiar with each other, in that they’ll start to know each other better, but this shouldn’t make them predictable.

What adds to the attraction between a man and a woman is some sort of challenge. The hero should find the heroine challenging in some way. Even if you’ve created a meek and mild heroine, something in her demeanour should challenge the hero. For instance, the hero might find it exciting to see if he can discover whether passion lurks beneath the quiet surface of the heroine; or he might try and find out why she behaves in a particular manner with certain people, while behaving quite differently around him…

The heroine should also find the hero challenging – either to her ideas about love and life in general, or something in his personality should intrigue her to get to know him better.

Social status is another important aspect of attraction. This doesn’t mean that the hero must be a powerful, wealthy character, but he should be able to command some sort of respect from the people around him. It boils down to a natural authority the hero should command, to be well… a hero! A similar thing applies to a heroine – she should have aspects of her character that other people admire, because think about it – if no one in the book likes and respects her, why would a reader bother to spend time with her between the covers of a book?

Another crucial element when it comes to creating attraction between a hero and heroine is likeability. Now I’m not saying that the hero and heroine will necessarily like one another all the time. In most romance novels, sparks are usually flying, and it’s fair to say that the hero and heroine don’t always see eye to eye on matters. But in a good romance novel the hero and heroine will often find themselves liking each other – even if it’s against their will.

Leading on from this is the idea of humour as an import aspect of attraction. In a heated discussion between the hero and heroine, what often diffuses the scene, and also adds to the likeability factor between the two characters is humour. Nothing is more likely to create a buzz between your two main characters than some humorous exchanges.

Humour and intelligence are often linked, and when two characters connect, it’s because they have an appreciation for each other’s mind or way of thinking. This is a very important element of attraction because if two characters cannot connect on an intellectual level, then they’re doomed as a romantic couple… just think of Mr and Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice for a telling example of a couple who were mismatched intellectually… If the heroine never catches the hero’s jokes, or she finds him an inferior intellectually, any attraction between the two will fizzle out after a while, and die.

Now I’ll come to the final element of attraction – which being the most obvious, I’ve left till last… and this is physical attraction! The hero and heroine must find each other physically attractive otherwise the relationship will never get off the ground, let alone approach anywhere near an altar.

You can find out more about Alissa Baxter and her books at www.alissabaxter.com.

Fun, Feisty, Fabulous – 5 Fairy tale Heroines to Inspire Romance Writers

To celebrate Women’s Month I thought I’d keep it fun and celebrate my five favourite fairy tale heroines and the lessons they can teach us as romance writers.

Goldilocks.  Here’s a nice blonde delinquent who breaks into homes in her restless search for the perfect snack and nap. She wants the finest things in life – even if they don’t necessarily belong to her. Her cuteness, I sometimes think, hides a delicious deviousness. The lesson: your heroine never settles for anything less than the best.    

Red Riding Hood. Another plucky adventurer who looks good in red as she navigates temptation and danger in the woods. She is a good girl who likes bad boys – and it sometimes gets her into trouble. If it wasn’t the woods, it will probably be a night club. The lesson: make sure your hero has a hint of danger to make him appealing to the heroine.

Cinderella.  She’s a near orphan with a bitchy stepmom and daddy issues, not to mention a low-paying menial job. There’s no way Cinds isn’t a total mess and there’s no way she’s not going to get the prince – with or without her fairy godmother. The lesson: give your heroine a radical makeover and you will make her unforgettable.

Rapunzel. This girl is all about great hair but I sometimes suspect she has other fetishes – maybe selfies, shoes, whips and fur-lined handcuffs. Spending all that time alone in her isolated tower, she keeps her imagination fertile a few dark fantasies – and I bet she writes them down in her journal. The lesson: your heroine can be a loner but she must be a dreamer with a rich inner life.

Sleeping Beauty. This is a classic with a plot that escapes me most of the time – but it involves a princess, an evil fairy or queen and a spinning wheel – and it ends up in coma. And then a hundred years on, a handsome prince who wakes her up with a kiss. I think there’s a very clear lesson here: your heroine can’t wait a hundred years for true love’s kiss. (Neither can your reader.)

What all these fabulous fairy tale heroines have in common, I realised, is that for the most part they are all well-dressed. Cinderella goes to the ball in a fabulous dress – even if it is rented. Rapunzel could be in a shampoo commercial, and Red Riding Hood knows how to rock a red cape. More important, each of them are not afraid to live their lives. They take the risk of falling in love and follow their hearts – straight to a happy ending.

The lesson? Make sure your heroines are beautiful, brave and believable.

Words by Anthony Ehlers 2017.

#ROSACon2015: Kristel Loots on 'Moet jou skrywer of karakters gemuilband word?'

Thank you so much to Carolyn Meads, editor at NB-Uitgewers for this report on Kristel's talk.

Hoe besluit jy hoe jou karakters moet klink? En wanneer jy hulle stem gevind het, gee jy aan hulle vrye teuels om voort te babbel of moet hulle soms gemuilband word?

Dis nie altyd so eenvoudig om dié vrae te beantwoord nie, het Kristel Loots by die onlangse ROSA-konferensie gesê.
“It’s complicated. En daarom is skryf nie vir sissies nie.”

Kristel het ’n foto van ’n uiters konserwatiewe dame en een van ’n kroegmeisie in ’n laehalstoppie op die skerm vertoon en dié twee karakters as “mevrou doktor Hoogenboesem” en “die kroegmeisie met die cleavage” voorgestel. Hoe sou dié twee se dialoog klink?

“Daar is die stereotipes,” het Kristel gesê. “Mevrou doktor Hoogenboesem, madame die burgemeestersvrou, ’n onderwyseres en ’n bibliotekaresse sal almal min of meer so naastenby dieselfde klink. Redelike sedig, vroom en vroed. Miskien ’n bietjie pretensieus en lief vir woorde soos huidiglik, basies en fundamenteel.”

Maar toe daag Kristel die gehoor uit: “Sê wíé?” Sy het ons daaraan herinner dat skrywers juis stereotipes nekomdraai. “Selfs mevrou dominees is nie meer wat hulle was nie . . . En die rondborstige kroegmeisie werk moontlik aan ’n tesis vir ’n sosiologiese-teologiese doktorsgraad oor die waarde-konsep van een of ander sosiale verskynsel en is net daar as deel van haar navorsing!”

Om uiteindelik jou karakters se ware stem te vind, moet jy hulle “as mense leer ken”, het Kristel verduidelik. Dit sluit in hul geskiedenis, familie, persoonlikheid, politieke oortuigings – selfs watter grootte bra sy dra. “Elke mens het ’n unieke, anderste manier van praat wat eie is aan jou menswees . . . Elke karakter het ook gunstelingwoorde wat gereeld gebruik word.”

Die volgende vraag wat Kristel aan die gehoor gestel het, was of ’n karakter mag “twak praat”. Sy het daarop gewys dat ons in die werklikheid dikwels oor alledaagse en vervelige onderwerpe praat net om iets te sê, en vriendelik en hartlik voor te kom. Jy kan dit egter nie so in jou dialoog gebruik as dit nie funksioneel is nie.

Kristel het ook die onderwerp van kragwoorde en spesifiek die gebruik van die f-woord getakel. Sy meen skrywers van romantiese fiksie moet versigtig daarmee omgaan, maar dit beteken ook nie dat dit glad nie gebruik mag word nie. Die mate waartoe kragwoorde gebruik word hang dikwels af van wie die teikenleser is en ook soms van die skrywer se persoonlike gevoel daaroor. Kristel verkies self die versagte vorm “frieken” omdat dit steeds ’n mate van die ware f-woord se krag oordra, sonder dat dit direk gesê word. Maar as ’n sekere karakter wel iemand is wat in ’n bepaalde situasie ’n kragwoord sou gebruik, kan jy waarskynlik nie anders as om dit in span nie.

Om haar punt te illustreer, en haar praatjie af te sluit, het Kristel die Suzelle DIY-video “How to Make a Braai Pie” gewys. Die f-woord aan die einde van dié toneeltjie is volgens haar uiters geskik: “Mapstieks sou nie daar gewerk het nie!”

Kristel's latest novel, 'n Ander vrou se rok, is available now.

#ROSACon2015: Madri Victor on 'Hoe lyk die allerdaagse held?'

Thank you Elsa Winckler for this report on Madri Victor's presentation at #ROSACon2015.

ROSA konferensie: Hoe lyk die hedendaagse held: macho- of metroman?

Madri se vraag is, hoekom skep ’n skrywer ’n spesifieke tipe held? Gaan ons terug na die beeld van ons eerste liefde? Die neef/akteur/celeb op wie ons verlief geraak het, die macho-man wat duidelik in beheer van sake is en grense verskuif? Of is dit die metroman wat na jou luister en jou as sy eweknie beskou? Hoe lyk die hedendaagse held? Die een waarop lesers verlief raak?

Sy verwys na twee uiteenlopende bronne wat sy geraadpleeg het vir antwoorde: ʼn artikel deur “matchmaker” Carly Spindel en die twee sielkundiges (een klinies en een evolusionêr) Cindy Meston en David Buss se boek, Why Women Have Sex. Romanses gaan uiteindelik oor seks en die oploop na die oomblik. Self as is die romanse spierwit rein en skoon, weet die leser wat gebeur wanneer die karakters toegelaat word om verder te leef nadat jy die boek neersit. Meston en Buss het onderhoude gevoer met ʼn 1000 vroue van regoor die wêreld en in die proses 237 verskillende redes ge-identifiseer waarom vrouens seks het. Met hierdie navorsing kan hulle ook verduidelik wat dit is wat ons vroue aantreklik vind en hoekom dit so is:

Die lysie:
Grootte, oftewel lengte, maak saak
Atleties, fiks en reg vir aksie
Die reuk van verleiding
Die diep, sexy stem
Daar is iets in die manier waarop hy dans
Meer as ʼn mooi gesig

Slotsom:
So wat beteken al hierdie dinge vir die skrywer van romanses? Daardie stereotipiese held met die breë skouers, dun heupe, atletiese bou, sterk gesig wat so lekker na muskus ruik, is nie verniet ʼn stereotipe nie. Daardie held is in ons DNA, ons sal altyd hunker na hom. Maar vandag maak ons ander keuses, so in ʼn fiktiewe wêreld, die een wat ons as skrywers skep, kan ons “bad boy”, wat in realiteit jou dalk gaan verneuk, al die persoonlikheidseienskappe hê van die minder macho man. Ons breëbors man, sal dus integriteit hê. Ons sal op hom kan staatmaak. Hy sal leiding neem sonder om te oordonder. Meer as alles: hy sal ook weerloosheid kan wys. Omdat hy intelligent en selfversekerd is, omdat hy weet wie hy is en jou as sy gelyke sien. Omdat hy jou vertrou. En daar is bitter min dinge wat ʼn vrou se knieë presies so lam maak soos ʼn macho man wat ook weerloos kan wees.

Madri kom tot die slotsom, die hedendaagse held in romanses, is ʼn kombinasie van macho en metro – jy het albei, die wetenskap en die sielkunde, die fisiese en die persoonlikheid, nodig om jou leser te oorrompel.

Conference Report: Talk on Character Development by Elsa Winckler

Author Elsa Winckler presented a talk on Karakterontwikkeling in Afrikaans at ROSACon2014. Thanks to Anthony Ehlers for this article on Elsa's talk.


Finding Characters Ripe for a Romantic Journey – with Elsa Winckler

Characters are the central medium to tell a story. This is the belief of Elsa Winckler.

A romance author in both English and Afrikaans, Elsa often finds inspiration for her characters in newspaper or magazine articles. She believes you can’t separate plot from characters when you have the central idea for a story.

Ask questions

For example, for her latest Afrikaans title, Van altyd af, her heroine was drawn from a real-life story about a horse whisperer.

 This raised the questions: What kind of character would communicate with animals? Maybe she would be ostracised because of this gift. Maybe she would be guided by her emotions, ruled by intuition.

How could an author use this to create conflict? Maybe the hero’s mother was killed by a horse. When she meets the hero and is attracted to him, she can’t trust her emotions and is bewildered by her attraction to him.

Internal and external conflict

These were the genesis of her engaging, steamy novel. From this, she makes sure that the character’s external conflict forces them to face their internal conflict. The hero whose mother was killed by a horse has unresolved issues with opposite sex – having to deal with a pretty horse whisperer makes him confront his inner demons.

This creates tension between your hero and heroine. How the character faces their external conflicts helps them resolve the internal conflict.

Another important piece of advice when creating characters is to ask yourself: How did they get to that place in their lives before the story starts that makes them ripe for this journey into love? In the first few pages of the story, the readers must get an idea of just how ready they are for this journey.

ELSA’S TOP TIPS:

Here are some of her tips for getting to grips with characterisation.

Star Signs. These are a great resource for getting to the dominant traits of a character.

Environment. A character will have different views and morals if they come from a city or the country.

Find the unique characteristic. Find the one telling detail that sets them apart from other cliched characters.

Decide on a type. Use the four Greek archetypes (melancholic, choleric, sanguine, or phlegmatic) to decide a character type. The Briggs-Meyer template of 16 personalities is another resource.

Social background. A character who grew up in a orphanage will have a different set of language, needs, etc., than someone from a comfortable middle class family.

Pin It. Elsa uses Pinterest to put together wardrobes, accessories and other elements of her characters. It creates a mood through colour.

Music. Music is another element to use – either to inspire you while your write, or to tease out in the narrative.

Food. Eating and drinking is one of our most primal needs. Find a way to bring it in in a way that illuminates the character.

Dislikes. Maybe your character doesn’t like dogs, or doesn’t eat chillis. These quirks makes them more authentic.

Show contrast. Don’t make characters one-dimensional. Maybe the sarcastic hero is a secret sentimentalist. The strong heroine is afraid of the dark.

Limit secondary characters. Don’t bring in too many subplots or characters, and if you do give them an interesting story of their own to follow.

Find out more about this engaging author on ElsaWinckler.com

Conference Report: Elsa Winckler's talk on Karakterontwikkeling

Elsa Winckler presented a talk on Character Development in Afrikaans at #ROSACon2014. The talk was poorly attended, but we hope to see a good del more Afrikaans writers join us next year!


Report by Erich Viedge

It's one thing reading about how to create and develop characters in a book. But somehow when there's a live Romance author sitting in front of you, telling you how she does it, the lessons sink in faster and deeper. Winckler (like every author I've ever met) was at pains to point out that this is the process that she follows; every writer has to find a process that works for her.

She spoke Afrikaans, and the content was so engaging and her passion so evident that the language difference didn't intrude on the session at all.

Her process is very structured. She had hand-outs with scores of questions to consider about your character, from the obvious traits like hair colour to the family dynamics in the character's family of origin. For example, she asks: is your character the black sheep of the family? Or if it's another relative, what did the character do to earn them that title?

One of the many tips that stuck with me is that your characters should have a somewhat contradictory nature. For example, she said, one of her main characters was arrogant, and at the same time, he was sentimental. He collected items that reminded him of important relationships in his past.
This makes for a more rounded character, and one that is more believable.

After designing the character, Winckler gave us tips on how to develop the character. She spoke of the importance of putting a character in an external situation that mirrors her internal conflict -- and she illustrated it with examples from her own work.

Just those 10 minutes helped make my own characters more believable, and helped drive the action of the first scenes of my own first novel.

It was a tough choice, having to choose between different breakaway sessions. But I felt this one has made a tangible difference to my characters, my novel and my readers' enjoyment of my writing.


You can find out more about Elsa Winckler at her website: elsawinckler.com

Hero Worship Updated!

We mentioned the lovely Gina Rossi on this blog a couple of days ago - check the post dated 8th October if you don't believe me - and not only did she connect with us, but she inspired me to drool over another hottie I'd never heard of! Don't you just love research? :-)

So, let me not hold you up any longer and leave you to head on over to check out the gorgeous Andres Velencoso.

Enjoy! And don't forget to let me know what other hunks are out there inspiring you to create those mouth watering alpha heroes!