Creating Heroes with Stamina

I'm starting to write a new book, and do you want to know what I love best? Dreaming up the hero. It's sort of like jumping back into the ultimate dating pool. Dark or fair? Noble or poor? Smooth-talking or stoic? *Sigh!* So many archetypes to choose from.

Oh, it's tempting to give him every desirable quality known to woman, but then the heroine would fall for him instantly, and the story would be over before I got to chapter two. So I've got to give him some flaws.

Don't worry, he's not going to be missing any teeth or have a beer belly--he'll definitely be sigh-worthy. But he might be stubborn, or blindly loyal, or tormented by his past (or all three). Whatever his weaknesses are, he'll have to overcome them.

"But this is fiction!" you say. "Why can't he be perfect?" Here are a few reasons we can't have a perfect hero:

• It's not realistic. Surely the lack of perfect men does not come as a complete shock. (But don't we love them in spite of their flaws? Or maybe because of them?) Indiana Jones' fear of snakes was endearing. In Swingers, Mike's bumbling way with women and his deplorable tendency to shirk dating norms was charming.


• We want to cheer for the hero as he fights his inner demons. Didn't you feel for Maximus (Russell Crowe) in Gladiator as he sought revenge for the death of his wife and child? The more tortured the hero, the more we're rooting for him.


• We want to watch the hero and heroine's relationship evolve. Having to overcome cultural differences (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) or time travel (Kate & Leopold) or some other obstacle makes falling in love so much sweeter, doesn't it?

So I'm giving my hero plenty to work on. He won't be perfect at the start of the story, but by the end he'll be absolutely perfect for my heroine. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I'd better think of a name for him . . .

How to be a Hero

Step 1: Start with a dire situation. Let's say you awake in the dead of night . . . to the vile stench of pure evil wafting through the castle. The princess is convinced a skunk has breached the outer walls of the keep.

Step 2: Endure suffering beyond measure. Though the odor is so thick you can taste it, so nauseating your stomach roils, act as though it doesn't bother you in the least. Stoically ignore the princess' nagging--er, gentle pleas to investigate, till you cannot any longer.

Step 3: Slay the intruder. Or at least scare it away. Or pretend you have. Be convincing, so that the princess is no longer distressed.

Step 4: Comfort the overwrought princess. Not only is this the kind and heroic thing to do, but it vastly increases your odds of getting back to sleep . And she will be eternally grateful.

• Where would we be without our heroes? What does your hero do that makes you swoon?

What's in a Name?

One of the funnest things about (a) being pregnant, or (b) writing a novel, is you get to pick out names. (There are actually a lot of similarities between being pregnant and writing a novel, but I won't go into that here.) Suffice it to say that in each case, choosing a name is one of the first decisions you make. And it's a biggie.

Here are some questions I ask myself when picking names for my characters.

• Is the name appropriate to the time period and to the character's station in life? This might require a little research, but nothing too heavy. A couple of years ago I found a nice list of Victorian-era names on-line, printed it out, and stuck it in a notebook. I also had to brush up on titles, correct forms of address, and peerage basics. If you watch a lot of Jane Austen movies, you've got a good start in this department. ;)


• Is the name clearly masculine/feminine [to correspond with the character's sex]? I once read a historical romance where the hero had a feminine-sounding name, at least by today's standards. It threw me for a loop throughout the story. Very jarring in love scenes.


• Do the hero and heroine's names begin with different letters? It's tempting to have an "Alec & Abigail or a "Benjamin & Beatrice," but if you like to use first initials when brainstorming/plotting, it's just not worth it. Trust me.


• Is is somewhat original? But not too original? I try to find names that are familiar, but not terribly overused. I'm not always successful though. Kind of like finding out there are four kids in your daughter's preschool class with her name.


• Is the name subtle? I like names that are a bit surprising. For example, I had a tomboyish heroine that I gave the ultra-feminine name of Isabella. The heroine in my wip is named Patience, but she's always tapping her toe and gnashing her teeth over something. :)


• Does the name roll off your tongue when you read it aloud? I try to avoid names that are hard to pronounce or trip me up for whatever reason. But I liked the name "Rhys" (pronounced "Reese") so much I broke my own rule.


• How do the hero and heroine's names sound together? Hopefully, when they're paired up, they have sort of a "Romeo & Juliet" quality. Here are my couples: Isabella & Owen, Amelia & Craven, Phoebe & Rhys, and Patience & Simon. *Sigh*

Cool link: This is a fun little program that creates all sorts of combinations of Regency names. http://www.ugoi.net/nonsense/name.html

What about you? If you're a writer, what are your hero/heroine's names? How did you pick? If you're a reader, what kinds of names do you like?