The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

  • Write A Novel
  • Write Non-Fiction
  • Publishing
  • Marketing
  • Make a Living Writing
  • Author Mindset
  • Start Here!
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Audio
  • Courses
  • Tools
  • About
    • Speaking
    • Press
  • Contact

20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes

July 1, 2012 by Creative Guest 34 Comments

Tweet154
Share210
Pin418
Share3
Email
Pocket
Buffer20
Share6
Reddit
811 Shares

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn

Romance is the one of the best-selling genres, and romance readers devour books so there is an ever-growing market. Romance writer Danielle Steel is one of the highest paid authors in the world, topping $35 million in 2011, with Nicholas Sparks not far behind. I'm not a romance writer or reader but I am keen for the genre to be represented on this site. Today historical romance writer Adrienne de Wolfe has some tips on writing romance heroes. 

romantic heroesReaders of Romance novels want their heroes to be role models or larger than life.

Romance novels are fantasies, and the reader wants to escape into a world where she can experience the thrill of falling in love with a man who, in real life, might be the tiniest bit too scary to date because he’s so bold, handsome, sophisticated, powerful, witty, rich . . . You get the idea!

Perfect people make boring characters.

The essence of all fiction is conflict; that’s why Romance novel editors often advise aspiring authors, “Sparks have to fly between your hero and heroine!”

When your Romance characters first meet, they are going to be antagonists. (Surprise!) Your job is to develop the relationship slowly so that the reader can believe that these two antagonists are falling in love.

But a hero needs more than brawn to satisfy your reading audience. In fact, in polls conducted by Romance Writers of America, readers often rank intelligence and humor as the top two traits that they prefer in their Romance heroes. On a scale of 1 to 10, “physical attractiveness” often ranks dead last!

So how do you strike that elusive balance between brain and brawn, sass and class, emotional caring and physical chemistry, that will make a reader fall in love with your novel’s hero?

1. You let him embrace new challenges or activities. Example: For the heroine’s sake, he attends the season’s opening night performance of the local symphony, even though the reader knows the hero would rather be country western dancing at the state Rodeo.

2. You prove that he’ll be a good caretaker. Example: He romps through the park with a puppy.

3. You reveal his protective nature in a positive light. Example: He chides his 17-year-old niece for sneaking out of the house to attend a neighborhood party where there are no adult chaperones.

4. You give him an optimistic outlook. Example: When everyone else is grumbling about the weather, he whistles to himself, pleased to think that he’ll soon have new flowers growing in his garden.

5. You continually reveal his deepening admiration, respect, and love for the heroine. Example: The first time the hero meets the heroine, he thinks her physical appearance is plain. As he grows to care about her, he can’t imagine why he didn’t see her beauty before.

6. You make him act with kindness and compassion toward his staff or the working classes. Example: He gives his secretary time off, with plane fare, to visit her ailing mother.

7. You challenge his integrity, and he comes out smelling like a rose. Example: He has the option to fib about his age in a dating chat-room. Instead, he reluctantly tells the truth and wins a date with the heroine.

8. You produce evidence that he is well-liked and well-respected by his colleagues, subordinates, family, friends, etc. Example: his nieces claim that he gives the best “horsie” rides.

9. You give him a social cause that women can respect. Example: he plants trees to help “green” the neighborhood.

10. You make his rival grudgingly acknowledge one of his positive traits or talents. Example: Mr. Rival admits that the hero is too honest for his own good.

11. You reveal his resourcefulness, especially in stressful situations. Example: The heroine drops her keys down the grate and is frantic about getting to the airport on time. Mr. Corporate Lawyer hot-wires her car.

12. You give him a drop-dead gorgeous smile that makes up for thinning hair or an over-sized nose.

13. You show that he respects women. Examples: He is especially careful to teach his daughters to love and respect their bodies; he encourages his lady friends to stretch their wings when they’re afraid of taking business risks.

14. You paint him as generous. Example: He surrenders the last piece of cherry pie to his sister’s bratty kid.

15. You show that he can keep a secret. Example: At a party, the heroine professes that she baked the lasagna herself; he furtively peels the Deli price tag from the bottom of the dish.

16. You create a small but endearing idiosyncrasy for him. Example: his junk drawer contains a mysterious, three-inch stack of chewing gum wrappers bound by a rubber band.

17. You show that he’s conscientious. Example: Even though he has driven half way to work, he turns the car around because he remembers that he forgot to feed the dog.

18. You make him classy and sophisticated, capable of mingling with aplomb in almost any crowd. Example: Despite his New York accent and his Wall Street hair cut, he has no trouble making friends at the Cajun Crawfish Boil.

19. You reveal his tolerance for other characters’ faults or idiosyncrasies. Example: He chivalrously walks his eccentric neighbor home in the dark, because she claims that she’s afraid of low-flying bats.

20. You make him grow as a character, and therefore, as a man. Example: At the beginning of the novel, he was intolerant of the heroine’s overprotective mother. By the end of the novel, they are chatting cozily over coffee – much to the heroine’s bemusement.

What do you think? Do you have any tips for writing romance heroes? 


Adrienne deWolfe’s five historical Romance novels have earned 9 writing awards, including “The Best Historical Romance of the Year.”   From May through August, Adrienne is offering various raffles to celebrate the release of her ebook series, The Secrets to Getting Your Romance Novel Published, which includes How to Write Romance Heroes with Sex Appeal.

Look for the books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.  (Or purchase the pdfs from Adrienne’s website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com.)  You can also follow Adrienne on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook.

 

 

 Image: Flickr CC / hanna bâ„¢

Tweet154
Share210
Pin418
Share3
Email
Pocket
Buffer20
Share6
Reddit
811 Shares

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: heroes, novel writing, romance, romantic novels

Comments

  1. Beth says

    September 28, 2013 at 2:48 pm

    Loved this list!

    So refreshing to find someone encouraging a male character who is actually a nice guy! There is too much encouraging authors to write the “bad boy” hero (aka psychopathic douchebag).

    Reply
  2. B says

    August 21, 2014 at 11:36 am

    I am in love with this hero already.

    Thank god there is no “tortured and broody” on here.

    Reply
  3. Cassandra Black says

    February 26, 2015 at 2:56 pm

    Some great pointers, thank you for sharing. I know as a romance reader when I come across a hero who insists on doing the dishes after dinner, I get all warm and fuzzy with a school girl crush! Excites me much more than the passionate kiss. Also a strong, manly-man having a sensitive side is nice. My heroes cry; hell, they even “sob” sometimes.

    Love the article. Bookmarking! Thank you for sharing. 🙂 Cassandra Black

    Reply
  4. Alta Leah Emrick says

    February 17, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    May I use your list for a speech at the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers?

    Reply
    • Joanna Penn says

      February 18, 2016 at 10:19 am

      You’re welcome to quote material from this site as long as you credit the source. Thanks.

      Reply
  5. Nathalie M.L. Römer says

    April 26, 2016 at 6:40 am

    I actually wrote an epic fantasy novel, and in it my two protagonists do embark on a life of romance, and I am actually happy to have come across this list, which I used just now to see how many of the bullet points I could tick off as characteristics used in the romance between my protagonists. Except for maybe 3 or 4 of the points raised, I seem to be spot on with how I did the romance aspect of my book. The romance between the two protagonists is a secondary story.

    Thanks for this list. 🙂

    Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. White rabbits and red herrings: August advice for writers | Pauline Wiles says:
    August 9, 2018 at 6:31 pm

    […] if your characters are coming up short, try these tips which work for making any character more loveable. Not just for […]

    Reply
  2. Writing Tips: Using Tone And Voice Properly In Your Writing | The Creative Penn says:
    June 7, 2019 at 12:38 am

    […] might misinterpret a sarcastic narrator in a romance novel, because they expect the tone in that genre to be sweet or sexy. They might not get your point in […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Become a more successful author

Looking for something?

Subscribe to the blog by email, or connect with me on social media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Get started right now with links to the best content below!

Need a professional editor?

Need a professional book cover design?

Inspiration and Information every Monday!

Need help with book marketing?

Want to make a living writing? Here are some ideas how you can

How to set up your own author website in under 30 mins

Useful Books on Writing, Publishing, Marketing and Making Money Writing

My J.F.Penn author blog, for fans of my thriller novels

Stronger together! I’m a proud member of The Alliance of Independent Authors

Topics

  • Author Entrepreneur
  • Creativity
  • Ebooks and Technology
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Marketing and Promotion
  • Publishing Options
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • Writing Tips: 5 Ways to Quiet Your Inner Editor
  • Productivity For Authors: Find Time to Write, Organize your Author Life, and Decide what Really Matters. Out Now!
  • The Key To Long Term Success As A Writer With Kevin J Anderson
  • Writing Tips: What Writers Can Learn From Bodybuilders
  • How To Effectively Work From Home With Amanda Brown, The Homepreneur
  • Writing Tips: Common Mistakes In Police Procedurals
  • Writing With A Family. Productivity Tips With Andrea Pearson
  • Tips For Self-Publishing In Translation: Adventures With AI and German
  • Writing Tips: Using Beats To Keep Readers Emotionally Engaged
  • How To Sell More Books With Reader Funnels With Mark Dawson
  • How To Outline A Non-Fiction Book So Readers Can’t Put It Down
  • How To Write Your Darkness With David Wright
  • Book Marketing: Engineer Your Book Launch Success With A DIY Strategy
  • From Bestselling Book To Netflix Series With Vikram Chandra, Author Of Sacred Games
  • 5 Tips To Help You Write A Novel In A Month #NaNoWriMo

Archives

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn!

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

Connect with me on social media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
© Copyright Joanna Penn. The Creative Penn Limited. All rights reserved.

Search The Creative Penn

Inspiration and Information every Monday in The Creative Penn podcast

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. Read the Cookie policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

Copyright © 2019 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

I use cookies to ensure that I give you the best experience on this website. If you continue to use this site, I will assume that you are happy with this. Thank you. OkRead more